Orange County observer., 1907-12-12

pie think that the power Of God
stopped in the hearts Of men, with
Jesus and Paul. Some people have
more faith in Abraham and Moses
than they have in the men OF theiE
own day. A man Of our day and age
who bears upon his face the marks OF
divinity and Of inspiration and OF
power, a man who is in all things
just as good as Abraham. should re-
ceive just as much recognition from
his own and from the world as Abra-
ham gets. Why! on the basis OF
common knowledge, what was the
wisdom OF Abraham compared with
the wisdom of to-day; the enlighten-
ment, the spiritual power of the pa
triarchs compared with what we have
with Christ in our hearts? And yet.
we are more willing to accept the
dicta Of Moses or Abraham than OF
Beecher or Spurgeon.
I understand just what Jesus
! meant when He said, "a prophet is
| not.;without honor save in his own
country" There He was, man in
His own day and age outranking any
man who ever lived, in spiritual
things; and yet they said, Is not this
the carpenters Son from down yonder
! in Nazareth? ?" "Why, out OF that
/ IL
knoweth nothing" We in our day
and age hail Jesus Christ and the
revealment of God in His truth and
beauty. And yet know men to-day
who are just as much inspired OF God
s as Abraham was ever inspired, who
are Just as much filled with the Spirit
of God as was Abraham, and more sos
men who have better and wider
knowledge of the truth Of God; men
whi live lives which are nobler. But
. they are not trusted. Let US have
: some sort of confidence that God is
, able to lead US to-day even as He led
! our fathers and the patriarchs. You
, may try to down that II you will.
I But, my friends, unless the church OF
Z Jesus Christ begins to give men a
, God who is ruling in the world to-
: tday, Cod who is lifting men in the
!. world to-day, God who is just as
. powerful in your life and mine as in
j any other mans, you will sec that the
Presbyterian and the Baptist; and the
+ Methodist and the Congregational
/. and all the other churches will be
Z swept out of existence that men may
s get for themselves in some way, un-
= der some other organization. the
Il truth of God.
= know there is good deal of talk,
= and a good deal of trouble in the
"a hearts of men, in the church to-day,
N lest various organizations outside OF
# the church should cripple us. But lei
" us read in the movings of the people
q away from us the. signs of the times
"a Let us read the handwriting in thu
q heavens. Let us see in the working
1t OF God to-day, God who IS JUS
IN as powerful as lie ever was in pales
ly tine.
a The time is coming when tn
church Of Jesus Christ must get it
be eyes opened spiritually. Personally
10 cannot believe all the things that
he hear do not like the philosophy G
IS certain cults;-I do not believe the1
ar Logic is correct in many points; BIT
is YOU will find that there is In th
re higher, intellectual classes of men t.
ut day a desire to have a God who
he present, God who is just as powe
nE full in their lives to-day as He evt
ur was in the, lives of the prophets. II
liz I us give to men God who will spea
II to them by the way Let us lead me
to a Comforter VINO will make the
5e- hearts burn as they walk through lif
to. a God who is ever present, arOuI
M about them, and within them. L
az us tell men that it is one thing
.ist know about the glory and the lo
to of God. and another thing to kno
al the beauty and the lovelfness Of &
rn- Father Let Us lead men to compr
to tend that it is one thing to know tn
YER Jesus spake to your fellow by t
of way; that He may speak to you
oes ne way; and quite far differe
i've nirg to have Him speak to you
ms The way.