The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-09-20
SERMON TOR SUNDAY
y Scholarly Discourse By Rev.
ID II. Cve,ton
Subject. Gods Obligation to Man.


iel III. Overton. pastor of Greene Ave-
nue. Reformed Church, preached Sun
day night in the Bushwick Avenue
Reformed Church at the union SER
vices with His own congregation.
The subject was, Gods Obligation
to Man" The text was from ii. ' m
othy, i:9 who saved us, and called
us with holy calling, MT according
to His own purpose and grace. which
was given us in Jesus Christ bS )re
times eternal, but hath now been
manifested by the appearing of our
Saviour Jesus Christ" Mr.. Over
ton said
There is the law of God and there
Is the gospel of God. often have |
spoken of the law of God, now l
would speak OF the gospel of law.
Tue law OF Goo may be defined as
llat which KIP s d mans obliga-
tlon to God, ind the gospel of God
as that which expresses Gods obliga-
ton to man. The Old Testament and
the New T T--tament unite in tLis,
that they give not only the law of
God. hut the gospel of God. II is
this fact that makes the Hebrew re-
ligion and the Christian religion diff
fefent srom all the other religions
OK the world Many other religions
give directly or indirectly the law of
God. but nor of them gives the gos-
pei OF Gcd thus defined as the
obligation OF God TO man. The go.s
of the heather nations round out
the Hebrew nation were of sucl a
nature that they must ,e appea-ed
and pleased ] V worship and sacrifice
on tno part of man or they would
torment and crush man. The la
of the gods must be obeyed, but only
that man might escape the punish
ment of the gods, and not from any
particular love of man for the gods.
IL is strange how this heather con-
ception OF the gods he's crept into the
thought OF so many about the
true and living God. He, too, in
the thought of many, is a God
that must be appeased and pleased
by worship and sacrifice or He
will punish and torment and
crush men Men must obey the laws
Of Cod or perish By them. This is
o; course, true as far as it goes. The
soul that sinnetl, it shall die Men
cannot sin with impunity. Man is
responsible TO God. and under obli-
cations TO Him to keep His law and do
Ris will We must rever forget this, nor
get fa- away from tins in our thought
OF God. But We must not stop with
this thought II we do we will have
only a partial view CT God-we viii
have only a heather god
And If We have only partial God
or a heather got, then --e shall have
only partial or a heather religion.
If fear is our only motive in religion
lftf. ~ ffrfr
worship will be for the purpose of
escaping the wrath of an angry God,
and it will find expression in our
attempts 10 appease and please
an angry God by propitiations and
aJonements, and sacrifices, and
seryile Obedience TO His laws We
must rise above fear, and even above
the thoughts of future rewards, to
love. and to the thought Of loving,
loyal service, ana present rewards
in doing something to hasten the
coming of Gods kingdom upon the
earth. We must rise above the OBJ
legation of man TO God. as expressed
by law, and think of the obligation
oe God 10 man as expressed by
love and the gospel OF love We
nust think OF the gospel of Sod
?; we'll as of IT. law OF Cod This
viii not belittle our respect for the
law OF God nor in any way lower
ou- sense OF obligation % Him.
Daniel Webster, when asked what
w1s u greatest bought that ever
entered his mind, replied, you re-
member, that il was the thought OK
mans responsibility to God. Tha.
certainly is a great thought, and yet
the one / bring you to-day is greater.
Gods obligation To- man is I believe.
the greatest ;hought that can enter
the mind OF mer.
.'his thought of Gods obligation TO
man is newer than the thought OF
mans obligation TO God. Il may
be new TO many of YOU who are Ire
to-day. There are some, / expect,
who will den that God is under any
obligation TO man whatsoever, and
some of you may be among that num-
Der. but / believe that the thought is
true, even ii it Is new, and that il
WAY ! proclaim it 10 YOU to-day.
Gods obligation TO manis the great
gospel OF God to man. The gospel Is
good news. and what be ter news Is
there in all the world for man than
this-that God, the God of Infinite
love and Fatherhood, is under OBJ
legations to him. Let us see il this
IS a fact, and II we ind it SO, let that
fact rest in our minds and bless our
lives evermore.
First look at our human relation
ships for proof of the sact. Children
have obligations 10 their parents
but parents have obligations to their
children also. Ny boys are" under
obligations TO me but Z am under
obligations TO my boys -lso Whyg
Because l am their father, with q
fathers heart and a fathers inter
est. / cannot leave them to perish
until all my fatherly resources are
exhausted for their good So God
by becoming the FatAer OF the nu-
man family. has placed Himself un-
der obligation to the whole human
family. The very meaning OF the
word religion implies this. Religion,
true religion, is that which binds
man TO God in right relationship.
Which Is IL that binds man closest
to- God? Is It mans obligation TO
God. or is II Gods obligation to man?
1 believe il is the latter. Close as the
law may bind man to God, love binds
him yet closer.
Now, all true human relation
ships involve obligations on both
sides, and from both parties to
the relationship. God has always
Acknowledged His obligation to
man, even ii man has not always
acknowledged his obligation to God.
What is a covenant but an obliga-
tion on the part of two or more peo-