The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-12
McQUEEN'S SERMON
EARNEST APPEAL FOR A TRUER
 RELIGION.
ssyvherc Art Thousr is Question that Every Man and Woman Should
 Ask of the
 Heart.

women 70 SeaTCh thcaA hpoA eo Anu euth to higher living.
 Mir. McQueen chose as his text, ~Where art thou?' Genesis, ill, 19. The fun text of his sermon was as fol- lows:
 .sWhere art thouT, God Himself ad- dressed these words to Adam in the
 garden immediately after he had sinned Tn the light of attendant cir cumstances, how striking and suggest i've they are. Adam had been given the use of everything in the garden with
 single exception--he must not pluck and eat of the fruit of a certain tree. Now he did not need the fruit, but he
 would have It. And so he sInned. He disobeyed Gods command.
 Mote what followed. Adam had of tended God. And one would naturally suppose he should seek God rather than that God should seek him. But it IS
 just the reverse Adam hides from God, whose voice is heard calling, Where art thour
 Now this is a picture of Gods deal- ings with us, the human race, His ehi1- dren, made in His image. We are
 placed in the garden of this world, the
 ga .den of life and duty and opportun-
 ity. We are given thousand thousand
 things lawful to use, and but compar- atlvely few which are unlawful New
 ertheiess, like Adam, we are not con-
 tent to use those which are allowed.
 With eyes of sinful desire we look
 upon those which are forbidden. And we become transgressors. Then, as in
 Adams case, instead of turning to God
 in penitence, and with prayer to be for
 given and restored to His favor, we
 hide from Him; we flee from His pres
 cree; we forsake His sanctuary; we
 refuse to make use of His means of grace. We think because we have ceased to love Him. He has ceased to love us, forgetting that love Is not ac- cording to the worth of the object loved but is according to the greatness of the heart that loves. Gods heart be- ing infinitely great, His love Is infin- itely lasting. And so, as with our first parents He does not harden His heart, which we have grieved and wounded so sorely For He is our Father. There fore mercy and love characterize Him. And so He sends His only begotten Son to save us Yes as soon as man fell the prediction was made that He would come. Provision was made for him to escape the effects of his sin if he would And God never leaves us alone. He reminds us of duty left un- done, and of duty which ought to be done; reminds us what we are, seeks to rouse us up to the realities of life, its dignity, it's purpose, its meaning to us HH E1l5 GfilAGESu IeQGefnGQ UX the blood of His Son. Therefore, He de- mands of us this day and every day, Where art thouY It signifies each should ask himself: Where am 1? What am I? Where am I going? What shall be tine end of my present course? Shall 1t be life or death? Shall it be Heaven or hell?'
 Mark you, the object of the ques- ton. Where art thou?' Is not to make raQEfxa tU NuA ar lea sight merely or in the sight of others, but in Gods sight. It is of vast im- portance where we are in His sight and of no importance where we are in mans sight The former fixes our place throughout all eternity. The latter does not affect our character in the slightest degree. however much it may affect our reputation. Realize. then, it is God who asks us, and would have every soul demand of Itself. Where art thour
 ''The question comes to all sorts and conditions of men. God asks you, for instances, who have been baptized and confessed Christ before the world, Where art thou?' That is, what is your position in the church? What is your position in the community as a Christian? Is 1t that of a Christian at all? Are you known in daily life to be for Christ always and at all times? Whether you confessed Him Lord and Master years ago. or but recently, where are you now? Are you growing in Him? Is 1t your idea that the Chris tian life, the Christ relationship, con sIsts in paying to the support of the church a few dimes or dollars a month tor perhaps paying nothing at alb and attending public worship when you feel like 1t, and only when you feel like it7 Do you ever do anything that costs you anything for the church? Do you ever sacrifice your ease and comfort in any way to promote the cause of your Sayior?/ Do you ever give any personal service to Him, or to His Church, which is His body? Does your life. from day to day. correspond in any marked de- gree, with your calling as a Christian man or woman? Do your associates in business, or companions in social inter course. realize, by your daily walk and conversation, that you are Christian? And your interior, spiritual relation to Christ--how is that? Where art thou? If you should shortly be called from your earthly labors, have you any cause (not a vague, sentimental hope morely), but a real cause. founded on conscious communion and fellowship with Christ, to believe your soul would enter into the joy and felicity of Para disc, there to partake of the compan- ionship of your Savior and Redeemer? Have you now Gin penitenee and faith and peace with God) passed from death unto life7 Ask yourselves each one of you, Where am l in the sight of God? Is my heart loyal; is my will obedient to my Lord and MasterF Do I give forth light as a child of God? You remember, Christ said of His fol- lowers, 'Ye are the light of the world Woe be unto you if your light be. dark 1 ness!
 Recall the words of our Savior If any man will come after Me. let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" There is world of meaning in these few words. They teach us, among other things, that it is not enough to be baptized. not enough to confess Christ before the l world. not enough to lead a merely life. but there must be on our part. living for Him, serving Him. | obeying Him, standing up for Him as l His men and women. This means co n- ! ing out for Him and being on His side and bearing in our bodies marks of Ills servants. It means a cross or some kind for every one of us daily !, It means asking the question. Where | art thou which. in turn, means-are you seeking Christ? Are you deny ing yourself at all? Are you taking