The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-05-23

the result Of it to the heart that appre
ciates it in its full force and lives un
der the influence of'its wonderful DOW
er who looking above and beyond car
see what is invisible to many eyes anc
appreciate the meaning of visione
Do you remember the explanation
given of the wonderful life of Moses
who stands out in all history, sacred
and secular, as one Of the greatest thai
ever lived? In the imperial influence
Of sublime character? 1t is said il
the llth chapter of Hebrews that "He
was strengthened in endurance by the
vision OF the invisible God" This wa:
the key to his wonderful character
This was the secret of his wonderful
life: there is the influence that kept i,
so high and made it so grand and in
vested it with something of everlasting
perpetuity.
Turning to the earlier part of the
Bible you find the Record of ffteer
hundred consecutive years Of biography
Do you grasp the space of that-com'
prising moreover, between FIVE thous
and and six thousand years of individ
ual life. The record shows that amid
all the matters that might have beer
recounted OF struggle, of achievement
the Holy Spirit deemed one fact only
worthy of permanent record: and that
the fact that one man in all that cat.
alogue walked with God" Here. once
more, we find fellowship with 1.-The
Living God.''
Do you remember the great 'sFather
OF the Faithful" He who gave his
name to all believers who afterward:
were called ''the children of Abra,
ham," Of him it was said in brief
but pregnant phrase that he was ''The
Friend of God" Here again we are
brought face to face with the great,
blessed reality of fellowship with God
with ''The Living God.''
You know that the Book of Psalms
from which this text is taken appeals
more powerfully to Gods people than
any other part Of the sacred volume,
Do you notice how sense of conscious
communion with God palpitates all
through them, beating like great
fond heart through the intense, init.
mate personality of their expression.
God is not dumb that He should
speak no more.
''If thou hast wanderings in the
derness, and findst not Sinai,
''Tis that thy soul is poor" will
Now let me ask your attention very
briefly to some of the effects of this
recognition of 1.-THE Living God"
can only touch, as it were, summarily
and in barest most meagre outline or
them. And have selected three that
contain suggestion of the whole round
of the Christian life. Listen and mark
these affects well ,and remember them
First. Consider its affects on sin. Sir
is the greatest Fact in human life.
1t is about the first fact in point oi
time with which we have to deal 1t is
one OF the great problems confronting
mankind and the human soul ever
seeks to be delivered from it. What is
sin? Its form is just simply countless
In the various phases in which it pre-
|sents itself as tnere anything that un
|derlies all.sin, that may be considered
as its essence? If there be-and I an
not at all sure-but after good dea.
of thought and study of the matter
have concluded that if there be one
element common to all sin, that may
be considered the essence OF it: thai
may be the origin of it,-if there be
one thing that can be marked as that
essence, I should say it is separatenes:
from God. Have you not in your owr
experience, at the beginning of what
you might call the existence of sir
when it first struck your attention anc
fixed your thought-was not the frs1
mark you noted of the existence Of thi:
sin, the fact that You were drifting away
from God?Is not that true? Is not it true
that in all hymnolgy,in those hymn
that welove so well-in all those hymn:
there is the expression something like
the text. crying out for the living Goo
You take that hymn that we alway:
conclude our communion service witt
in Colu mbia:
"Nearer my God to Thee, nearer tx
Zen though Is be cross that raisetf
me,
Still all my songs shall be,
Nearer my God TO Thee:
Nearer to Thee"
[ do not know of anything that vii
so paralyze the power of sin and ]if
man above it's dominion so much as the
constant feeling of the presence O.
The living Cod"
Second. This fellowship with Goo
is a tremendous inspiration to all good
ness. 1t is the most powerful influence
to all active service. It cheers and en-
courages man to do and to dare. II
is that that makes him victorious over
all circumstances however dreary
they may at times appear. 1t is this
that brought forth the expression that
one man with God on his side is always
in the majority. It is this that makes
man able to say with the Apostle,
1--WE are more than conquerers through
Him that strengthened u.s." to say
with wellnigh infinite audacity, 81 can
do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me-"
Once more, and finally. Did you ever
come across that vexing idea that is
suggested by the phrase that had SO
much vogue few years ago, put out
by brilliant pessinest, Is Life Worth
Living?" Did you ever come across the
phrase? I know you have. Did you
ever meet the fact, which is far worse.
If we consider life merely in its tenn
poral aspect, amid the disappointments
and vexations, in the eXigencies and
inequalities, in the distresses, in the
emptinesses, in the heart aches, these
things might lead man to feel that
"life is not worth living" I wonder
how many honest souls have sometimes
wrestled under the burden of that feel
ing.
l am free to say, my hearers, that
apart from definite, and sometimes
Infinitely obscure plan, that apart from
a definite purpose, with heaven as the
far off goal toward which we move
through devious ways-it may be, am
free to say, that apart from that should
be sorely tempted to the opinion that,
as I look upon life with so much OF its
\ u