Evening journal., 1908-07-20
FINE SERMON AT
EPWORTH CHURCH
Delivered Yesterday by the
Rev. George c. Williams.
the Pastor

pray CT u lhe Jews Wpiic IN captivity,
and represents their deep longing to
gain their liberty once more and be
permitted again to look upon the hilly
county of Palestine. Whether this be
true or not it is true tSat in the history
of this remarkable people the hills
seem to play an important part.
The children of Israel despised the
agricultural pursuits of the Egyptians
in whose country they had been held
as captives for four hundred years
They were a nation Of shepherds ana
herdsmen, and God recogni izing their
natural peculiarities had given then. a
land which was suited 20 their habits
of life
I'm the land Of Caraan there are
sloping hillsiles covered with green
herbage. beautiful valleys where grows
the tender grass. and running brooks
which sparkle and sing as they course
along down the mountain sides and
through the valleys to the sea. over
these hillsides and through these val
leys, the children of Israeli before the
days of their exile. had led their focks
and herds; and now that they are
captives in a strange land their eyes
long once more to behold the scenes
of other days, and the psalmest de-
clares Il will lift up mine eyes unto
the hills from whence cometh my help"
But what hills are meant? From
whence have they derived help?
GAS we look back over the history
of this peculiar nation we see them iu
Egypt oppressed by the taskmasters
of that land. We hear their prayers
as they lift their voices to God FOR de-
liverance. We see Moses on Mt Horeb
tending the fiocks of Jethra, his
father-in-law. And suddenly a strange
sight apears before him, a bush on
fire, but not consumed, and a voice
called to Moses. and God commissioned
Moses to go and deliver Israel from
the hand Of their oppi essor. From
Mt. Horeb then they had received help,
and they remember this and csu~
fidently look to the land of promise
that God may again deliver them from
trouble
Again after the exodus from Egypt
they are in the wilderness, on the
march toward their own land which
God had promised to Abraham and his
seed, when they encamped by Mt
Sinai. Moses went up on the mountain
and received the law from God. This
is to be the law Of their lands And
it is law which the singer in Israel
declares is perfect, and just and true
1t is the only law that has ever been
enacted that is perfect and it comes to
Israel from Mt Sinai. a ridge or peak
in Horeb.
"A third mountain OF Importance in
the history of this wonderful people IS
Mt. Tabor. Israel has again heen a
captive in the bands OF the King Of
Canaan. But 'he prophecies declared
that the Lord would deliver Sisera and
the hosts of Canaan irto the hands Of
Israel's leader which he did at Tabor.
and Israel was again made free. Hence
the expression Of the text, Il will lift
up mine eyes to the hills from whepce
cometh my help From Horeb ha0
come their great statesman and law
glver From Sinai they had received
their law. From Mt. Tabor had come
their final conquest of Canaan. and
now the God who had appeared TO
them on these mountains will again
appear to deliver them from their pres
ent troubles.
when we turn from the Old TO the
New Testament we find again some OF
the most important events of that
great gospel connected with the hills.
When Jesus saw the great multitudes
thronging Him, He went up upon the
mountain, and when Ills disciples and
the multitudes were set down He de
liVered to them the greatest sermon
ever preached by human lips. He there
gave to the world the Magma Charta
of the whole gospel. A sermon which
J has framed the groundwork for hun
dreds and thousands of so-called SER
mons since that day. a sermon that
causes all others to sink below the
standard and causes TIE preacher OF
to-day to blush when he applies the
name sermon to his own poor pro-
ducts
when Jesus would make a display
of His divine nature He selected three
trusted disciples and again He wen.
up into the mountain and was trans.
figured before them. And there ap-
peared with Him Moses and Elijah. two
of the important characters Of the old
+ dispensation. and three disciples behald
the glory of the Lord and saw the
divine nature of Christ Jesus promin-
emily set forth, that they might be the
better able to appreciate the messages
He came to deliver to them, and to the
world; that they from that time on
might have all their doubts removed.
"On another important occasion in tn,
life of Jesus He goes to Calvary, the
mountain uDon which ne atoned for the
sins of the world. He there gives Ills
life that men of everv nation and of
every tribe might have eternal life
with these prominent places before
us. let us lift up our eyes unto the
hills from whence comcth our help
Horeb. the mountain from which The
great lawgiver was coasecrated to his
lifes work. Sinai. the mount from
which the law was given. Tabor the
mount of conquest. These are sacred
spots. but no more so than the mount
from which Christ delivered His great
est of all sermons. or the Mount OF
TRANSPORTATION. But high above All
stands Mt Calvary Let us lift ur
our eyes to Mt. Calvary this mornina
for from that sacred SPOT we derive
both hope and salvation"