The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-01-25
"DlvINE COMPANIONSHIP"
An Eloquent Discourse By Rev. Charles
3. Benedict.
makes Beautiful Commentary On the Brief
est Yet Most Comprehensive
Biography Ever Written.

BRooKLyN, n. Y.-The Rev. Charles T..
benedict, pastor of ST. James VI T..
church, Eigbty-fourth street and Twen-
yeth avenue, Bensonhurst, preachei Sum
fay morning on "Divne Companonship.' y
the texts were from Genesis v:24: ''Enoch
walked with God. and he was not, for God
iook nm" and Hebrews xi:5: Before his
translation he had this testimony, that he
'leased Cod Mr.. Benedict said:
This is one OF the briefest yet most com.
prehensive biographies ever written. These
passages, containing twenty-three words,
tell us about all we know concerning this
nan Enoch Imagine the tory of your
pie told in three sentencesl He walked
with God he pleased God an,'' he was
translated This is the record of Enoch's
PIE 1t reads more like an epitaph than a
biography, yet i would rather have those
prst two statements true of my life than
10 have the most eloquent tributes or eulo.
sistic praises ever written or spoken by
men, TO walk with God and TO please
eiml DO you know of anything more de-
,rable?
1t is said that mans walk is indicative
tf his career. Manner and gesture are an
index to character. II is possible to make
an estimate approximately correct of the
sype OF men YOU meet on the street by not
ng the poise and bearing OF the average
pedestrian One walks with firm, quick
ytep, head erect, shoulders back, and you
iee instinctively that he is an energetic
resolute, self-respecting man. bound to sue.
seed. Another shambles by with shftless
gait, dragging his feet rather than lifting
them, and you put him down for a loafer
A third glides along noiselessly, threading
his way in and out among the crowd, and
you know intuitively that he is a sly
Scheming trickster. Another walks with
unsteady gait, stepping carefully, as If the
pavement were rolling and humping against
hls teet, and as with pitying glance you
watch him stagger along you say, "The
poor fellow is drunk" So mans gait be.
trays him. His walk signifies the mannor
OF his life.
One is likewise known by the company
he keeps. We are largely what our friends
and companions are. Tell me the sort OF
persons with whom you associate. in whom
you confide, to whom you go with all your
troubles and with whom you share your
every JOY, and / will have no difficulty in
estimating your character. To retain pur.
tty OF character II ones associates are base
and ignobe is an impossibility And it
would seem equally impossible to live an
impure, vicious, wicked life il all our asso.
siates are noble and virtuous. We are in.
Hueneed unconsciously by the words and
actions OF our friends. Like the chame.
leon, we take on the hue of our surround.
,ngs and reflect the likeness of our com.
panions.
The human heart under normal condi.
siOho NidNtS compromising. FROM lne 70.
ginning 1t was God saw that 1t was not
good Tor man to be alone, so He gave him
companion and helpmeet We are so
constituted that we must have some one
with whom to share our happy hours.
some good. true friend who enters into
our experiences with sympathetic appre-
ciation, whose heart aches in our sorrow
and reJoices in our JOY.
Inc strangest truth contained in all
Gods wonderful volume of truth is that
He who created the universes, the Lord
God Omnipotent, whose wisdom is omnis.
tlence, whose goodness is perfection, whose
name is love, that He should condescend
to become the companion and associate OF
man, His creature. | said that this is the
ktrangest truth. Let me take it back
There is one truth more astounding vet.
It's this-that man should refuse the
friendship, and disdain the companionship
of Jehovah, his God.
Ut all the divine humiliations what coulo
be geater than this, that He should seek
the friendship OF mortal man and find il
notY That He should offer Himself for the
closest and most intimate relationship, as a
companion for life's pilgrimage, comrade
Tor l1fe's struggles, an associate and conf
dant amid all lifes changing scenes. and
yet be rejected
The trouble is and has ever been when
men have rejected God that they love The
darkness rather than the light, because
tueir ueeus are evil from the opening
chapters of human history until now il
has been true that man. the creature, has
been out of harmony with God. the Crea
tor.
1t is refreshing, therefore, to find in the
inspired record, amid the genealogies OF
snclent nobodies who lived long, bore chill
aren, and eventually died, the story of one
holy lite, man who walked with God and
who pleased God. From this fragmentary
sketch OF Enoch's life. reading between
the lines and penetrating beneath the sun.
race OF the words which contain his bio
graphy, we may discover some helpful
truths concerning divine companiopsbip.
To walk with God implies first of all
reconciliation with God Man by nature /:
not on good terms with his Maker Time
was when the most loving intimacy and
harmonious, relationship existed between
them. Adam walked with God in the
garden In the cool OF the day." Not be
fore Him as herald, nor behind Him as
slave, but beside Him, as His companion.
and ] had almost said His equal, But
something came between them. They had
falling out. As one has expressed IL
SIN came and opened the mighty chasm o
separation, and since then the carnal mind
has been enmity against Cod
ne Fathers heart has yearned for rec
oneihation, but how could reconciliation
De made: The heart of man was wholly
estranged. An impossible gulf yawned -
N"eSh MN ana MS creator. lie had
snned against Divine Majesty and for
teited the Divine favor But
The love Of God is broader
nan the measure of mans mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind"
Therefore, God, who is rich in mercy.
Tor his great love wherewith He loved us.
even when we were dead in sins deter.
(mined to bridge the chasm. to heal the
breach and win back the affections alien.
ated by sin. He sent Christ into the world
as Mediator. And He, who Is our neoce
Hath made both one. and hail brolVan
down the middle wall of partition het ,yee,'
us, having abolished in His flesh the enmi.
~" and reconciled us anto God bv Ills
death ON the cross. 'S "'s
Acceptance of Jesus Christ Is the has;s
oil reconciliation with God On no other
terms can our estrangement be bealad
The trouble began when men insisted mon
turning every one to his own way Tbs
difficulties are perfectly and satisfactorily,
adjusted when man is willing to turn bani,
into Gods way. And whenever one reaches
the point of willingness to accept Jesus
Christ, then he begins to walk in newness
OF HE, and walking thus he makes a dis.
coVery. He discovers that "0ld things are
passed away, and all things are become
Patrick Daley, of Boston, had the right
idea of the new birth lie wa a Catholic
py profession, but drunkard by practice.
lie attended an avanoalist,o aa,,-,oo Nj