The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-11-08
FIRST IN SERIES
OF SERMONS
PASTOR OF FIRST coN6REGA.
TioNAL CHURCH SPEAKS OF
FRIEND OF GOD.

Last evening at the First CnnEre-
sationai church the pastor. REV.
Dwight :. Bayley. preached the first
AT one of two series which win run
on sunday evenings at brief intervals
during the winter and spring. An at
tractivc folder has recently been issued
by the church announcing the topics
in these TWO series The first IT the
two is entitled Hints From Holy
Heroes" and the other. Points From
the Parallels" Last nights sermon
was the first in the former series. the
subjects being: Abraham the Friend
OF God" TIL" text was then taken
from Genesis 22:l4: And Abraham
called the name of that place Jehovah
Jireh." Mr.. Mr.. 8aylcy spoke In par,
as follows:
The words of this text give us a
clear birdseye view of the most tragic
event in the life nj Abraham He
had felt fmpelled To offer his only
son Isaac. then lad of about twenty.
in bloody sacrifice to Jehovah. Hav-
ing gone a three days journey to inc
land of Moriah. he babe his servants
remain where they We're while he and
mis- son went on some distance farther
~ oiIti W Atil Il hRaNN H9dTt
made sadder by the inoccnt question
ings by Isaac regarding the where
abouts of Il lamb for the sacrifice. he
came finally 10 the appointed place:
and then. with what must have been
an ineNpressible and almost unhearablc
grief he told the lad that he was To
! be the sacrifice. With Il magnificent
determination To do what he cnnsid-
cred his duty, Abraham carefully made
! all the arrangements and then raised
! his knife to strike the blow
Ii was n tragic moment. 1t was a
! moment of desperate need. when "A de
voted child of the Most High God
needed enlightenment. Mans need liz
Gods opportunity. and in that tense
moment a voice called: Abraham"
The blow was arrested and Ahrahams
sight was directed to "A ram whose
crooked horns had become entangled
in the thicket This. he was made 10
understand. would be acceptable sac
ritice to God, who desired not the shed
ding of human blood. Thus was re-
iieSed the awful suspense. the mental
agony, the heart anguish of that hour
Little wonder that Abraham named the
place Jehovah Jireh-God will provide
In this incident Abraham supremacy
displayed the two fundamental quail
ties of friendship, trust and the pur-
pose To please; and these two are the
predominant qualities of Abraham's
character and career. After having
lived well into n well-matured man
| hood among his own heather family
and surroundings. he was made to See
that the true God wished tn train
him and develop him and make him
his friend, In order that he might be
come the father of a mighty nation
through God would ultimately reveal
Himself to the world. Abraham's
grasp of this truth must have been
feeble at first. yet his trust was strong
enough to lead him away from home
and homeland into a strange and I'M
known land where he might follow
Gods teaching and leading free from
the communicating and disturbing in
fluences of his idolatrous native land.
Ruling Motives of Life.
Careful examination of the succeed
ing incidents in the career of Abra-
ham will show these two qualities Of
frienaship-trust and the purpose to
please-have been his ruling motives
Repeatedly he met difficulty and re-
peatedly came the renewal of Gods
promise that he should be the father
of great nation. and repeatedly Ahra-
ham shaped his plans and directed his
affairs in absolute trust and depend
enee that God would make good His
promise. Sometimes, to be sure, he
felt that he must take n hand himself
in the futfillment, as when he lied
about the relationship between his wife
and himself. in order. as he thought.
to insure the preservation of his life:
or IA, when he and Sarah, desnairng
of having a son of their own. agreed
to allow Hagar. the Egyptian hand
maid. To become the mother IF Abfa-
hams son. But both these incidents
were much more excusable. il. indeed,
not altogether justified. by the pre-
vailing standards of Abraham's time.
When judged BY ancient standards
Ahraham's life shows with exceeding
clearness the remarkable influence If
his friendship for Jehovah. His moral
character would meet the test of
Christian standards better than that of
many to whom We look UP. and is
therefore, really remarkable when seen
in its historical setting His generos-
i,y. as revealed in his Difference to
Lot. allowing him first choice when
the land was to be divided between
them. or in his campaign against the
invading kings who had taken captives
and much plumber from the cities or
the plain. when he brought all back
safely and would take no reward
this generosity Is rather in advance
of the sort generally displayed in our
own Christian era.
Effects of Divine Worship.
Another thing worthy Of notice about
fri l., ~ aH.4ss ii In