Arizona republican., 1908-01-06
THE CHURCHES
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
WIDoWHooD OF THE SOUL.

"iOO"7OOO Of ne SOOl.
Rev. Alexander Maclean. the pastor.
delivered an earnest discourse yester-
day at the First Methodist church. his
theme being The Widowhood of the
Soul He used the first clause of the
fourteenth verse of the fourteenth
chapter Of Proverbs as the text: The
backslider at heart shall be filled with
his own ways.
The Almighty God on the throne Of
this universe is the souls helper. God
is married TO your soul. He is in the
relation OF bridegroom. and Your soul
is the bride. He would make any sac
rifice for your sake. When the bride
is faithful to the husband. ali is well
there * joy and comfort and delight.
SO in the spiritual marriage. But
when the bride is faithless. God he
gins to withdraw Himself from the
partnership and goes out leaving the
soul widowed and desolate. You re-
member the hymn beginning BY Ba-
bells stream we sat and Wept." and
well may the soul weep when this
spiritual bereavement comes to it.
| am reminded this morning Of
magnificent ranch in the east. with
which | WIS once familiar. Cnderly-
ing il was Il solid thrce-foot vein of
coal, extending over the whole three
hundred and twenty acres. There were
well cultivated fields. green pastures
thrifty Usage hedges. horses of fine
breeding. cattle that it would rejoice
the heart Of the stock grower to see.
a splendid farm house, glistening i'm
its coat Of snowy white a monster
red barn fun Of hay. great cribs Of
corn, almost bursting with their con-
tents. large water supply tank.
paneled fence. so built that fowls
could not raid the garden and or
chards bearing the choicest fruits AZ
ter awhile the owner. Mr. Potter died
When / saw that grand place under
other conditions. ITS appearance was
wonderfully changed. Everything was
dilapidated and decaying. the paint off
the buildings. the fences down. and
everything dirty and dingy
The former condition of that farm
corresponds TO that Of the soul that is
married to the Lord. There is growth
and beauty. delight and peace. But
when the bride is unfaithful. when the !
soul gives God occasion to withdraw
from the partnership. the divorce
means spiritual desolation. bereave-
ment and death.
Yesterday / was told horrible
story Of domestic unfafthfulness and
infelicity in this city. / wonder how
God feels over our unfaithfulness to-
ward Him? Is it any wonder that He
turns His back upon the place where
he has had so much pleasure? Then, |
indeed. your soul becomes a widowt
Some Of you may know the loneliness
Of widowhood and what it means.
The text deals with the backslider
in heart. There may be such here
this morning-those who were truly
converted. those who had the witness
Of the Spirit that they We're born Of
God. Perhaps they are saying: Il
would give everything ! possess to
have again the joy that / have lost"
] have been associated with some
backsliders who were wondrous kind.
! have seen others who were criti-
cal and censorious.
Where is the backslider in heart to
be found? Usually in the church of
the living God-teaching a Sunday
school class. collecting money for
church revenues You will be his yoke /
fellow in the service of the church. !
He is more or less unfamiliar with his
own spiritual condition. He may re-
main a long time i'm the church and |
not know that he is spiritually wild |
owed. ! wonder if there is any one
here who knows himself to be a back |
slider in heart-one who not openly |
transgresscs. but carefully conceals |
his SIM Never mind what others have |
done or said. Have you lost the wit |
ness IF the Spirit that you are a son |
Of God?
You don't like such preaching |
cannot help Il. 1t is the kind you |
need and the kind the Lord wants |
YOU to have. If God has taken his de- |
parture from you, ] assure you that
your spiritual ranch is in bad con-
dition-the fences down. Do you have
family worship? Did You scver have
it? VIII you resume it, You had
better mend the broken fences. You
had better rebuild the family altar.
I do not so address the people who
were never converted. And the best
friends ] have here-I hope II they
are backsliders the arrows Of God viii
pierce their hearts The way of the
backslider in heart is way of neg
lect. "A struggle through tangled laby-
rinths of broken privileges. 1t is a
way Of sin. II is way Of death. The
physical death is bagatelle comuar-
cd to the spiritual death. Many are