The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-08-16
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} SUNDAY SERMON s
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: A Scholarly Discourse By +
D the Rev. J. d. Burrell. 9



Rev. Joseph Dunn Burrell. pastor of
the Classon Avenue Presbyterian
Church, preached an interesting SER
mon on the subject, "The Friend Of
Cod The text was from James ii:23:
He was called the Friend of God"
Mr.. Burrel said:
The figure of Abraham Is one of the
most majestic spared to us by the past
He stands before us in singular dig
nifty, serenity and power, and his SUI
preme quality was that he was the
friend of God.
The phrase Is peculiar. 1t Is not said
that God was his friend, but that he
was Gods friend. There Is n differ
ence. We accept the friendship OF
God as a matter of course, like the air
we breathe. But the thought that man
may be friend to God scarcely comes
to us at all
There is something deeply touching
about that thought. For we usually
look upon God MS sufficient unto Him.
self. Yet In this other respect we see
Him longing for friends. That desire
is common among men. for there are
many lonesome, misunderstood. hungry
for n friendly word of appreciation.
Now think of God also as misunder-
stood, grleved by neglect, yearning to
be loved. Then think Of Abraham as
giving God his heart. You see how
much 1t meant to God that Abraham
was his friend
One is led TO be the friend OF another
by liking him. The reason why we
like him may be inexplicable to our.
selves. for there is no accounting for
tastes. All fruits are the gifts of God
to men, yet some we enjoy and others
we reject. All people are children of
God. ana we can love every one of
them in disintcrested and fraternal
way. But this does not Interfere with
our liking some better than others
Even our Saviour felt this human ten.
dency and was drawn by 1t to a spe-
cial intimacy with the apostle John.
| suppose there never was a person
about whom people differed more than
Charles Lamb. Some could not endure
his perpetual raillery. his bad puns,
his stammer. Others knew him to be
one OF the rarest spirits, subtle in in.
tellect. exquisite in taste and grandly
unselfish.
Now that liking which makes friend.
ship between man and man makes il
between man and God. We can pic.
ture Abraham at the close of the day.
when the tents had been pitched and
the evening meal eaten. going apart
from the camp for little space that
he might open his soul TO God. We
can imagine David at night time while
the city slept mounting to the roof OF
the palace and beneath the canopy of
stars communlng with the Most High.
We can see Christ escaping from the
crowds that thronged His steps and
eagerly hiding for a brief time in the
seclusion of some mountain top that
He might be alone with His Father.
1t was because all three of these liked
God.
1t is n question worth asking wheth
er we like God. | do not say reverence
ana honor. | do not say submit TO and
obey. Do we like God? 1t is a pecu.
liar question. Perhaps asking it makes
us wonder whether our appreciation of
God does not lack something of the
warm throb of life.
Friendship also involves similarity
of tastes. In fact, most OF our friend.
ships come about through our being
brought together in the pursuit of some
common interest. by an ocean voyage.
a golf club n board of directors n
Sunday-school class. for example. Peo-
pie whose chief interests differ are not
likely to become friends: Emerson and
Boss Tweed for example.
There Is no better field for studying
the laws OF friendship than n college.
Young men or women who have known
each other pleasantly enter in the Same
class. 90 together for time. then
gradually. without any i'll feeling what
ever draw apart in order TO form other
combinations. This shifting is cener-
ally due TO the dominating mower of
some common interest-French boot.
ing editing paper together member
shin In the same fraternity and the
like.
The same prlnclple holds trne in the
friendship between man and God n
is brought obout by similarity of tastes
and interests. Supreme in God is the
sense of order. whose moral side is
riphfeousnpss How can Ua hove ,ny
friendshin with n man who Hacks this
sense Of order9 Who docs NOT mind
beInr n oIutton or n drnnlSard ~, i'm.
nure or teIIino n lia or tol,ing ,vbot is
NOT bisq As PAM saws what fallow.
shin hath rigbtaorsnsss wifi nnrjcbt-
nonsness?, And another chorocteris.
tic of Cod is His snirit of charity Pnt
sunnose n man &c inditrarent hord and
selfish nrone 10 cho,ish crudoas ond 70
do unkindnesses now is friendshin
possIble between him and God9 "He
That loveth NOT his hrother whom he
hath seen. how can he love cod WHOM,