The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-19
CHURCH FILLED TO
HEAR DR.. PLUNKET
Jehovah With Us" Is Theme
For Morning Sermon
LESSON FROM MOSES LIFE
Supremacy Human, the Great Laweiver
Had To Undergo the Same Trials
That Confront Every Man
at the Present Time.
LESSON FROM MOSES LIFE

MS nrSt sermon as pastor OF the South
Highlands Presbyterian church yester-
day morning to a congregation that filed
Plunket made a short address accepting
the pastorate in which he paid glow
ing tribute to the former pastor If the
church, the Rev. DIR. Sterling J. Foster.
He felt honored, he said, in having been
called upon to fill the vacancy in the
pulpit of the Highland church and was
to accept. Dr. Plunket's first sermon
made deep impression and he was con-
graduated on every hand at the close of
the service.
The subject of the sermon by the new
pastor at the morning service was "Je-
hovah With U.s." The text chosen was
from Exodus, 80: IA: my presence shall
go with thee and will give thee rest"
The sermon dealt, as is shown by the
text, with the promise of Jehovah to
give rest to man in his embarrassments
and perplexities.
There should be no hesitation" said
DR.. Plunket, "in discovering the connec-
ton of the text l have chosen with the
sermon about to be preached. The part
of Bible history recorded in this verse
of Scripture finds Israel in state Of
great stress. Even Moses, the great rep
resentative and leader of his race. is en-
barrassed and perplexed. The promise Of
the Heavenly Spirit to abide with men
and the assurance of Jehovah that He
will give rest to mankind applies as fit
tingly to us as to the children of ancient
Israel. The consciousness of that divine
assurance the promised presence of Je-
hovah with us IN the daily walks of
life, the spirit of that exquisite offer
these are what lead weary mortals to
come up from the ceaseess strife and
the grinding turmoil of existence at the
mouths of modern trade and commences;
discouraged, some of them, and tired Of
trying; others flushed with victory and
success, happy in the promise of an equal
ly bright future.
Individually Responsible.
> 1--WE are being held individually respon-
sble for our church. And l am here to
say that for us there is no %hope more
calm and abiding, no such absolute
surety in life as that offered us by the
hand of the Almighty Father There is
no peace save that of passive under
| standing Let us remember that except
| the Lord build the house they labor in
vain; except the Lord watch the city the
| watchmans vigilance is of no avail. Let
us have dependence and confidence in
God and in his gracious promise. 1t Is
the promise that lifts up the hands that
dangle: My presence shall go with thee
and 1 will give thee rest
'These words that were spoken to Moses
apply with equal force. as I have said,
to each of us. We may enter correctly
into comparison with this great man Of
the Hebrews. The words that were
spoken by the Voice Of Heaven to Moses
were spoken to man OF flesh and blood
even as we are; he was environed in
many ways similarly to us. He was a
careworn, tired, burdened man, as most
of us are today. He was man of pas
sion. far from divine. Let us pause on
this idea, and throwing off the vest
ments of rank and the halo of divinity of
the noble lawgiver, see Moses as he was
1.-THE Lord has said to him, Depart,
and go up hence, thou and the people
which thou hast brought up out of the
land of Egypt At this command Moses
is greatly worried. The prospect of
dealing with a strange people with
whose ways he is not familiar Is to
the lawgiver far from inviting. He
begs the Lord: If thy presence TO not
with me carry us not up hence. For
wherein shall 1t be known here that
and my people have found grace In Thy
sight? Is it not in that Thou goest
with us? So shall we be separated,
and Thy people, from all the people
that are upon the face of the earth
IT is then that the Lord answers with
the gracious assurance of the text:
MY presence shall go with thee and
I will give thee rest The pleading
of Moses is supremely human; his cry
is the cry that hourly ascends from
the threats of thousands of discouraged
Christians Of today.
Fly Into Ungovernable Rage.
Another strong trait of Moses should
not pass unnoticed; he was exceed
ingly passionate. Under provocation
he would fly into an almost ungovern-
able rage. When he descended from
the mount and saw the dancing of
the people as they worshiped the golden
calf, Moses anger waxed hot 1t was
then that he dashed to fragments the
tablets on which were inscribed the
ten commandments. The sight was
enough to arouse a righteous indigna-
ton in the bosom of the lawgiver Of
Sinai but in his actions there was an
undertow not altogether righteous. In
his great anger Moses caused the mol
ten image to be ground to powder;
the powder was strewn upon the sur
face of the water and the people COM
manded to come and drink of it.
':'SAall wonder that Moses was dis
couraged with the prospect Of guild
ing these people. They became dis
satified with the mamma and asked
for fruits and foods of Egypt. In his
deep pespair Moses cries to the Lord.
I beseech Thee, kill me; let me not live
to see my calamity
How many q poor weak soul has
cried thus to God for relief! To what
a host has the grave of the suicide
yawned but for LIES burdens unsus-
tanned!