Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1905-08-16
THE FRIEND OF GOD
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
A Scholarly and Polished Sermon by
Rev. j. D. Burrel.

1"Ntoi v
the Classon Avenue Presbyterian
Church, preached an interesting SER
mon on the subject, "The Friend of
God" The text was from James ii:23:
HE was called the Friend of God"
Mr.. Burrell 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 q differ
ence. We accept the friendship of
God as a matter of course, like the air
may be a friend to God scarcely comes
to us at all.
There is something deeply touching
about that thought. For we usually
look upon God as 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 a friendly word Of appreciation.
Now think Of God also as misunder-
stood, grieved by neglect, yearning to
be loved. Then think Of Abraham as
giving God his heart. You see how
much it 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, vet some We enjoy and others
we reject. All people are children of
God. and we can love every one of
them in a disinterested 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 it to a spe-
cial intimacy with the apostle John.
} l suppose there never was q 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
t~elhect. exquisite in taste and grandly
unselish.
Now that liking which makes friend
ship between man and man makes it
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 a 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 communing with the Most High.
HH-n oon ChJicf ncoa nipr from th0
crowds that thronged His steps and
eagerly hiding for q brief time in the
seclusion of some mountain top that
He might be alone with His Father.
It was because all three of these liked
God.
1t is a question worth asking wheth-
er we like God. 1 do not say reverence
and honor, 1 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, a board of directors, a
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 a college.
Young men OF women who have known
each other pleasantly enter in the same
class, go together for a time, then
gradually, without any i'll feeling what
ever draw apart in order to form other
combinations. This shifting is gener-
ally due to the dominating power of
| some common interest-French, boat
ing. editing a paper together, member
ship in the same fraternity and the
like.
The same principle holds true in the
friendship between mar and God. 1t
is brought about by similarity of tastes
and interests. Supreme in God is the
sense of order, whose moral side is
righteousness. How can He have any
friendship with a man who lacks this
sense of order? Who does not mind
being a glutton or a drunkard or i'm
pure. or telling a lie or taking what is
not his? AS Paul says, what fellow
ship hath righteousness with unright-
eOuSneSS?" And another ~characteriS-
tic of God is His spirit of charity. But
| D a man is Indifferent, hard and
| selfish, prone to cherish grudges and to
do unkindnesses, how is friendship
possible between him and God? He
that Ioveth not his brother whom he
hath seen, how a he love God whom
he hath not SEEM"
1t is important, then. for u to ask if
we like what God likes, if we value
highly, as He does. the soul, the spirit,
ual life, a character Of purity and good
ness. These are the foundations OF
friendship between heaven and earth.
Again. part of friendship is loyalty.
But loyalty how far? Through bad re-
port as we'll as through good report?
Assuredly. The friendship that viii:
not endure strain is of little worth.
Twenty years ago a young man was
swept away by the excitement Of gam
bling in Wall Street, and misused the
funds of the bank of which he was
president. The deficit Of millions was
made good. But, of course, the dis
grace was there. Yet to-day he has
standing in a certain small social cir
Gle. His friends, you see, realized that
the nan was not really vicious at heart
and stood by him to help him make a
new life. How many a man, who in
fact has done no wrong. but who has
had some idle gossip raised about him,
has found himself deserted in q minute