The Tupelo journal., 1904-01-15

Copyright, 1908, by J.. NJ. Edson.l
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Are TO Be Found There.

and wholesome. 1t is a wise and loving
parent who Furnishes his child for the
evil deed. Many a child is ruined for
time and eternity because the foolish.
misguided parent believes that indul-
gence and the excusing and overlooking
of sin is love. So was it with the sons
of the Prophet Eli, a really cody man
but a weak and indulgent father. See
the awful fruitage of his lack of dis
cipline through punishment. Behold
David in anguish of spirit mourning over
his son Absalom. How could such a
godly man have such a hayward son?
Why was it that Amnon and Adonijah,
two others of his sons, wrought SO dis
gracefully? Go back to the childhood
and youth of these men. Indulgence in
stead of discipline. David a truly great
and strong man when ruling a nation,
but an indulgent and weak father 1t
was not love, real love, which withheld
punishment. HE that spareth his rod
hateth his son.; but he that loyeth him
c~hasteneth him betimes." And delay
not the punishment, but "chasten thy
son while there is hope, and let not thy
soul spare for his crying" Wrong do
ing must be punished. Love finds ex-
preston in punishment of evil. And so
God Furnishes because He loves. The
children of Israel must be punished for
their unbelief and rebellion. Gods
children to-day must be punished for
sin. But mo ch%astening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but %grievous;
nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the
peaceable fruit of Righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby"
Punishment is part of the wilderness
discipline.
DURIFICATION was another purpose
| of the wilderness discipline. Israel
must needs be purified from the element
of unbelief before they could enter the
land of promise. During those forty
years of wandering one by one those
who in unbelief and rebellion had
thWarted the purpose OF God persisted in
the wilderness. Not one unbelieving
heart could possess the land. 1t is so
with the child of God to-day. The will
derness experience that the heart
and life may be freed from those things
which thwart Gods purposes and plans.
One by n the fruits of unbelief and
self-will must be plucked off and perish
in the wilderness until the soul is free
from all that hindered the entering into
the Promised Land at the first. Purifi-
cation is necessary. In our blindness
and hardness of heart we may not real
ize it. The children of Israel did not
realize it. The next day after their re-
bellion when they awoke to the fact that
they had made a %grievous mistake in
not going forward in faith and obedi-
ence, they wanted to rush ahead. But
it was too late! The opportunity was
gone! The nation must now be purged
before it could enter the land. But the
people did not realize it. They rose up
early in the morning, and gat
them up into the top of the noun
tain, saying: Lo, we be here, and
will go up unto the place which the
Lord hath promised; for we have
sinned." And despite all that Moses
could do they persisted, and great num-
bers fell before the swords of the enemy.
A ND in similar to-day Colds
y children often act. Conscious at last
that sin has hindered a forward move
for God; but not realizing that purifica-
ton is necessary before they can go
forward, they rush blindly ahead and
meet with disaster and defeat. If the
Lord is found now it must be in the
wilderness of discipline where He
commands His children to go. Back to
the wilderness where you may be puri-
fed and prepared for the next opportun-
ity of entering the promised land of
service. Every night and every day of
those long forty years in the wilderness
were needed for the preparation of the
children of Israel for entrance into the
promised land. Every mile Of the jour-
ney had its purpose. Every experience
had its lesson which would prepare and
fit for the entering into the land. And
SO it is with the Christian to-day. The
wilderness disciplines may be long and
hard and grievous, but it is all blessed
preparation for the work and service
lying just ahead. Refusal to turn back
to the wilderness at Gods command
means unpreparedness which brings de-
feat. The wilderness discipline means
preparation SO that the Jerichos SHALL
fall before u onward march and the
hosts of the enemy shall flee in terror.
It was sad indeed to see Israel refusing
to enter the blessed land of promise and
being turned back into the wilderness.
but after all the wilderness became a
blessedly helpful place because the Lord
was there.
THE wilderness with the Lord was
l better than the Promised Land
without the Lord. The simple diet of
mamma which God gave was sweeter and
more wholesome than all the milk and
honey and fairness of Canaan without
the Lords blessing. The journey with
the Lord through the wilderness was far
better than to dwell in east and COM
fort in a land apart from God. The Lord
in the wilderness! Think of what that
means! may not be proud because of
the sad necessity which brought me
there, but being there, how glad | am
that tho I DrA IL. l. nnD 80