The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-04
DR, DUNCAN SPOKE ABOUT PROGRESS" Pastor of First Methodist Spoke to Large Congregation HE EXODUS OF ISRAEL Text Was, Speak Unto the Children of Israel That They Go Forward"
 Spoken Through
 Moses.
HE EXODUS OF ISRAEL


 forward"
 He said in part
 The exodus of Israel will never cease to be a sublime tribute of praise to Je- hovah. In itself it is a stupendous fact. In it's relation to civilization it marks a momentous epoch. In it's influence on the progress of truth in the earth 1t was of incalculabe importance, and even in the apocalyptic future the song of Moses mingles it's music with the song of the lamb. It was a wonderful event when, under a heaven appointed leader, d great nation consisting of 6OO.0oO men capable of bearing arms, besides women and children, went out in one mighty mass from plague-smitten Egypt to In- herit land promised them of God.
 On the evening of the third day they came near to the Red sea and encamped at place called Pihahiroth or gap in the mountains. between Migdol and the sea. Before them lay the sea some ten or twelve miles wide. on either side were mountains. Shut up in this gap in the mountains, no wonder they were terri fled when they heard that the army of
  it seemed to them that destruction or return to captivity in Egypt was inevit- able
 Reproachfully they cried to Moses: Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?" With the calm dignity of great faith Moses answered. Fear ye not; stand still and see the saliva tion of the Lord" Then Moses cried unto the Lord and the Lord said: Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward"
 At the command of the host of Israel rose up and went forward, and the breath of heaven divided the waters of the sea before them Between the uplifted crys- tai walls the pillar of fire threw It's burning splendors, and the people or Israel began their solemn night march through the channels of the deep. The awful grandeur of that scene shall doubt less remain unparalleled in the annals of time, until deaths own sea shall be divided, and the ransomed Of the Lord shall return to Zion with songs Of ever lasting joy upon their heads. i How the Egyptian army, attempting to follow, were, during an awful storm, l engulfed in the closing waters or the i sea the Psalmist has sung, saying:
 "rhy thunder was in the heavens, the lightnings frightened, the earth trempied and shook. thy way is in the sea, and thy path is in the great waters; thou leadest thy people like flock py the hand of Moses and Aaron" It was an awful night and an awful morning, ana it is said that "the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and his ser want Moses"
 This event contains a lesson for all ages, and for every individ7fi. Let us consider it.
 Consider the Lesson.
 l. In discussing this subject let us look first at the path of duty. First, the path of duty is always a step forward IL IS from bad to good, from wrong to right, from ignorance to intelligence; an ad- vance, a progress an improvement. Gods law Is a law of life, and life means progress. A thing that is living is nec- essarily a thing of activities There IS no standstll in the universe of God. Every planet moves around its orbit and never for a moment ceases. The tides ebb and flow continuously. There Is never a universal calm. Waters How and wind blows; all is movement. This movement is never aimless. but always controlled by some law, and this law is essentially a law of progress. Now Gods law for man is law of progress He urges man to go forward and points him to the path of duty every step in which must be forward step.
 Duty an Ascension.
 Duty is really something we owe. No 1 man ever made a greater mistake than to say that he owed the world nothing. We owe it an immense debt Every man who is born comes into great in- heritance He inherits the civilization which has been the outcome of centuries of industry and of suffering. We who live in this wonderful western country are apt to forget the great debt we owe the generations that have preceded us. Take this beautiful city for example Some of you helped to make it. others are enjoying the fruit of your labor.
 But how few of us ever think of the toll and suffering and danger and priva- ton and want, and even loss of life. endured by those who first came to this country and made this present civliza- ton possible? Do we not owe them a 1 debt? How are we to pay it? They are dead Only few of their names are 1 known We are to pay this debt by recognizing the claims which the pres ent and future generations have upon us and as those who have gone left us l this glorious heritage, so We in our day and generation are so to perform every duty of life that we shall leave even a more glorious heritage to those who come after us. God says to this genera i tion Go forward.
 Duty sometimes seems hard to us, and i yet if we will think for a moment we will see that it ought not to be hard to ! do our duty. We are accustomed to ask in regard to nearly everything, Will ! it pay?" Now there is nothing that pays ! like duty. There is no such thing as unproftahle duty. There is not a duty l that God calls upon man to perform that 1 is unproftable "Godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which 1 is to come'
 | Duty is an ascension. It is an ascen- | sion in thought. The man who is faith 1 full in the performance of every duty | of life has higher view of life than any other man. His thought of life. his