The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-04


 cause he betrayed Him for small sum of money. Who would not rather be known as the disciple whom Jesus loved, and go down to the ages with that glo- rious title, although to gain it he had to drink of bitter up. and be baptized with terrible baptism, than to be Judas Iscariot, to whose name this awful sem tence is appended. that he also betrayed him."
 Security God Gives.
 Third. The security God gives that ef- fort to perform duty in faith shall meet with no insuperable obstacle.
 First. He is our light When Israel went out of Egypt God gave them a pil- lar of fire which was to go before them and give them all of the light they need ed for their guidance. The Apostle John tells us that this is the message we have received from him and declare unto you that God is light, and in Him Is no dark ness at all" Jesus said: '1 am the light of the world. If any man will follow me he shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" This light is for the mind. Human reason unalded Is by no means sure guide for man. The great est thinkers of the world without the light of the Spirit of God have utterly failed to give man any satisfactory light on the subject not merely of human duty but of human destiny. Duty when sepa- rated from destiny is but a cold and cheerless thing, and stoicism which is the only religion left for the man, fills most minds with utter despair, and the nat ural cry Is that 1t is better to die than to live. But God comes to us with light. He tells us to go forward and then throws light upon the pathway. He does not light the whole way from earth to heaven at once. but each step as we take it is made plain before us. He enlghtens the understanding with the spirit of truth and reveals Himself to us God who will be our guide even to death and beyond. Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them ! that love Him. But He hath revealed to 1 us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yea the deep things of God" | He Is Deliverer.
 Second. He is our protection. Pharaoh thought that he could overtake and re- capture the Israelites, and he could have done so very easily if they had been forced to contend with him alone In or der to capture them 1t was necessary to overcome God. God had heard their cry. God had espoused their cause. God had commanded them to leave Egypt, and if they were recaptured it would have to be by power that was superior to the power of God. So God promises to nrotact ne IJa Lnows our weakness He knows the powers that are seeking to overthrow us, and He does not propose to leave us unprotected for a moment. The everlasting arms are underneath us, and the power of the Almighty surrounds us. When the Syrian army surrounded the hill on which Elisha was his servant was filled with dismay. He saw the great number of soldiers. and then looked at the feebleness of himself and the prophet What could these two do with such multitude, and what would become of them if they were taken captive. It seems ! to me that I can see the old prolbhct as | he smiled at the young mans fears. and then lowing his head in prayer, asked God to open the eyes of his servant. God answered the prayer, and when the young man looked around he saw the host of heaven far outnumbering that of the Syr- ians This man was doing Gods work and God was affording him protection "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them"
 Third. He Is our deliverer. Not merely does God propose to protect us but he also proposes to deliver us. Elisha was secure. but something else was necessary 1 So God smote the Syrians with blind ness, and the single prophet took the whole army captive. God not only pro- tected the children of Israel from the army of Pharaoh, but overthrew the army besides. He fights with us against our foes. When we are serving Him our enemies are His enemies, and God is never satisfied with drawn battle; He always fights to victory. Jesus did not