Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-06-14
awake YE TO DUTY
DIR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
The Present Day Demnads T1emend-
GUS Activity on the Part Of Chris
tians-Always Watchful.

Brooklyn. N. Y.-Dr. Charles Edward |
Locke. in the Hanson Place M. +.
Church Sunday, preached on Popular
Dissertation of Sacred Vessels; or, The |
Sin Of Irreverence." The text was
from II Samuel vi:6-7: ''UZzah put
forth his hand to the ark OF God and
took hold of it; and God smote him
there for his error" DR.. Locke said in
The course Of his sermon:
There is danger that our greatest
national sin shall be the sin Of irrev-
erence. The ancient story Of Uzzah's
act of desecration in placing his hand
upon the holy ark of God is full of
serious and important lessons which
apply with solemn significance to our
age and our country and our lndI-
vidGai cit..Zenship.
| God had given commencement TO
Moses to construct q sacred chest 10
be oyprlaid within and without with
Dure gold. 1t was to be SurmOunted
with two cherubim Of beaten gold.
This casket was to be receptacle for
the Tables of Stone which Moses had
received on the top of Mount Sinai. and
S beautiful ark was to be an altar of
prayer which was to be kept i'll the
midst of the people, for God had said.
There will l meet with thee" God
explicitly commanded that no hand
should touch the ark save the priests
ami rings and poles were provided by
which this sacred vessel was to be
carried.
The phiiistines came up against
Israel ana captured the ark and held 1t
captive for sixty years, when David
conquered Philistia and builded suit
able place for the ark, and, with 10000
warriors. went down to the borders OF
the cnemy's country and secured pos
session OF the precious treasure. In
the excitement and joyousness of this
long looked for victory, Uzzah's mortal
sin of irreverence was committed
which cost him his life.
In the days of prosperity, irreverence
grows most insidiously. When meI
feel secure in their own successes they
are prone to forget the commands OF
God. We do not depend so helplessly
on our Heavenly Father when oul
achievements have given us great con
fidence in ourselves, National and in
1iyidual prosperity are at once ou
greatest danger and greatest security
-4i tAC Ii CliLy VI f1StOAy, oS NlA O"A|NA
50 DO We often commit acts of irrever
ence
Sometimes it is fashionable to be il
reveront. The Philistines, in trans
porting the ark, had placed it upon a.
OK cart, ana when the IsraeliIes caI
tured the ark they followed the erro
oil the ?hiIistines and were returnin
"l'n the ark drawn by oxen, lnstea
~. 10 I'M
nod had peremptorily commandet
one act of irreverence leads to al
o'her, And when the ark shook
lie cart went over Nachon's threshln
Aoor, UZzah heedlessly committed b
serious oiTense. When the church
lows the world to set it's fashions, sa
fleSes, disastrous and deplorabl
speedily follow.
Two other fruitful causes Of irreve
ahce are forgetfulness and familiarit
Inc ark had been in UZzah's hou
since his boyhood and he dared to tai
privileges with the sacred furnitul
familiarity sometimes breeds co
,enlpt. 1t is not discovera BILE tn
,zzah was either malicious or willf1
""t ne was needless, and even so
p"Iehtly harmless sin as heedlesSne
"louSht upon him the awful penal
ior his disobedience The influence
sacred things depends upon their {
t4dhess being preserved. God cot
noI control Israel without their respt
IlAu obedience, hence the suffering
T' nAzan' No sin is more treachero
- Ian lfreverence. 1t decoys its victiI
49, IT, ls IKE Cry rot in the ships timbe
-nleFcrence slyly gains admitta1
% miefe grosser evils would be easily
p;ulsed' Satan is constantly busy t
ds 70 transform the sons OF Levi, "
i've II. at holy affairs, into the sons
a;n tl' beware Of the deceptive tend
sn es oL familiarity; when delicate
G5e pecI lor molly things is lost, then
Wlghnleht Whht and sacrilege easily en-
4Ae4s reverence departs character G