The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-06-06
ssssss ssssssss sssss.~ ss~
! SUNDAY SERMON
IsssxsSSssssssssssxsssSsss

n Scholarly Discourse BY
DR.. G. Edward Locke

LOCKE, IN tue hanson race VI. r..
Church Sunday, preached on Popular
Dissertation of Sacred Vessels; or, The
Sin of Irreverence" The text was
from III 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" Or. 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 Uzzahs
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 indi.
yidual citizenship.
God had given Commandment to
Moses to construct a sacred chest TO
be overlaid within and without with
pure gold. II was 10 be surmounted
with two cherubim of beaten gold.
This casket was TO be a receptacle for
the Tables of Stone which Moses had
received on the top of Mount Sinai. and
I IS beautiful ark was to be an altar of
prayer which was TO be kept In 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
and rings and poles were provided by
which this sacred vessel was to be
carried
The Philistines came up against
Israel ana captured the ark and held ii
captive LOT SIXTY years when David
conquered fhlilsua ana Dullued a suit
aDie place tor the ark ana, With 10000
warriors went down TO the borders OF
the enemy country and secured pos
session OF the precious treasure. In
the excitement and 1oyousness OF this
Ions lookeu lor victory, Jzzah's mortal
SIN or irreverence was committed,
W4lch cost MIN MS life.
IN the DAYS or prosperity, lrreverence
grows most lhslalously. When men
Ieei secure lh Inelr own successes they
are prone 10 forget the commands of
Iou we 90 not depend so helplessly
on our EeaNehly rather when our
ach!evements have given us great con-
nuehce IN ourselves. National and i'll
uNldual prosperity are at once our
greatest dang-r ana greatest security.
IN tne frenzy OF victory, as did uzzah,
so 90 we oIteh commit acts OF lrrever-
ence.
sometimes lt is fashionable TO be ir-
reverend Inc PhlistineS, in trans
porting tne ARK, had placed il upon an
OK cart ana When the lsraelites cap
tureu tne ARK they followed the error
OI the fnilstnes ana We're returning
Win the ark drawn by oxen, instead
Ol carried Dy the slaves and rings, as
Gou nad peremptollly commanded.
one ACT OF lrreVerence leads to an
other And When the ark shook as
tle cart Went over Nachon's threshing
moor Ozzah heedlessly committed his
serious oHense. When the church al
lows tne Wotld 10 set It's fashions. sac
HleSes, disastrous and deplorable,
specify toHoW.
Two other fruitful causes of irrever-
ence are forgetfulness and familiarity.
1ue ARK had oeen In Uzzah's house
since ms ooyhood and ne dared to take
PtlNlieses win the sacred furniture.
ahlIlarlty sometimes breeds con-
tempt IL Is not dlscoverable that
CHzan was elther malicious or willful.
put ne was needless and even so ap-
parthily harmless SIN as heedlessness
DEousnt upon MN the awful penalty
lor ms ulsopedience. The influence of
sacred thlngs depends upon their sa-
eredness being preserved. God could
hol cohlroI Israel without their respect
anu obedience, hence the suffering Of
CZzan' no SIN is more treacherous
Ihah IrreVerehce. II decoys its victims.
IV Is IKE dry rot IN the ships timbers.
lrreNefehce slyiy gains admittance
NHeIe sIosser eVlIs would be easily re-
pulsed satan is constantly busy try
INK 10 transform the sons OF Levi, who
serve at hoIy affairs, INTO the sons of
Eli beware OF the deceptive tendeu-
cles OF Iamlllarlty; when delicate re-