The Caucasian., 1905-02-14

which Is like river, unless you bring
yourself into harmony with Gods laws
and obey Gods commandments. g
Naaman had to learn this lesson be-
fore he could be cured of his leprosy.
His way was that the prophet should
come out to him and stand and call on
the name of the Lord and strike his
hand over the place. Gods way was
that he dip seven times in the Jordan.
When he took Gods way he was cured,
but not until he took it. Gods way can
cure you, Q immortal, of your sin. Are
you ready to welcome this divine peace,
like a river, which will come to you
through Jesus Christ? The way Of the
cross is the source Of this peace. From
the mount of Calvary that stream
gushes forth, as from Mount Hermon
irondacks the mighty Hudson.
But the pleading river teaches us an
other lesson about the divine peace
which passeth all understanding. The
longer q disciple of Jesus Christ lives a
Christian life the deeper and wider does
IuC 2ISCI VI Ais pCdNS OCSoAl4C' A.
should deepen and widen and grow
more majestic in volume, even as the
waters of the Hudson grow deeper and
wider as they slip past the highlands
and lap the feet of the Palisades and
sweep ON in their grandeur to the place
where they are married to the waters
of the mighty deep at the nuptial altar
Of Governors island, in upper New York
bay. 1t should go on growing deeper
and wider, even as become the waters
of the river Orinoco where they empty
themselves into the unfathOmable
depths of the sea. When, in 149S,
Christopher Columbus for the first time
touched the mainland of South Ameri
ca and saw this great river, one Of his
officers congratulated him because he
had discovered another island. The
immortal explorer replied: mo such
river as that flows from an island
That mighty torrent drains the waters
of continent" The pleading river of
Gods peace grows wider and deeper as
we travel along it's banks in the journey
of life At the beginning of our Chris
tian course it may seem small stream,
but as the years pass and our feet come
nearer and nearer to the great ocean OF
eternity the volume of the river in
creases until it becomes a peace that
passeth understanding.
Is this increasing power true in ref
erence to our spiritual peace? AS you
compare your present life with that
of your spiritual life ten, twenty, thir-
ty years ago are you conscious that you
love God more low than you did then?
Do you read the Bible more now than
you did when you joined the church
and prepared for your first commun-
ion? Is your enjoyment Of prayer and
your dependence upon it more intense
now than they were at first? Are you
striving more earnestly than formerly
to gather the showers OF blessing that
are everywhere falling around you into
your own spiritual nature? Ane you
more ready now than at the beginning
Of your Christian career to go into the
house of a neighbor on whom sickness
Or bereavement has fallen to admins
ter comfort and to cheer him with re-
minders Of Gods promises? There is
something awfully wrong with Chris
tian who, while his wealth and mental
power increase with the passing years.
finds that his spiritual nature does not
widen and deepen like the pleading
river of Gods peace.
Not Like a River. "a.
Indeed, sometimes think that our
SO called peace is not like a river at
all. 1t is more like brackish, stag"
nant pool or as a dried up well that
gives forth no water. There was a
very good we'll here once" said an old
farmer in reference to certain drink
ing trough. Indeed" answered a
preacher ON his vacation, lis that SO?
I wonder what is the matter with it.
How did it get filed up?' Neglect.
SIR" answered the farmer. First Il
little rubbish got in it, then little
more and a little more and little
more. The dirt and refuse were not
cleared out, and the water grew worse
and worse and less and less until at
last the well became ehoked up.
wonder il there is any water at the
bottom of this well?" YES" said the
preacher, II wonder if there is any wa
ter, at the bottom Of the well?' Is
that the figure of OUR peace? Is it a
well and not river?
As the Mississippi river is fed by the
Missouri, the Ohio, the Tennessee and
the Red rivers and indirectly by the
Allegheny, the Monongahela, the Vel
lowstone and the Platte, so from many
sources might the river Of our peace re
ceive the waters of blessing, but in
stead we allow the dirt and refuse OF
this world to choke the passages by
which they might enter and our river
dwindles into stagnant pool. Have
we become dried up spiritual wells? AS
the tourists dropping pebbles into
Jacobs well have choked it up, SOM"
OF us have choked up our gospel wells.
Years ago we dropped the pebble Of
Sabbath dissertation into 1t. Years ago
In went another pebble-absenee from
Sunday school and church worship.
Years ago we took to reading the
Sunday newspapers instead of the BIZ
bic. No wonder that our peace, which
should pass all understanding and be
like river, widening and deepening