The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-02-10
THE PULPIT.
a SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. JOEL g. SLOCUM
Tncmc; Prisoners Of Hope.

Ia the Greenwood Baptist Church, the
pastor the Rev. Joel Byron Slocum,
a. NJ. delivered the sermon. his sub
Ject being Prisoners of Hope" His
text was John 1919. II am the door"
His sermon follows:
x Love Is the greatest Of the three
angels OF life, Hope IS next to the
greatest. We are prisoners of hope
An old-fashioned picture, which I
saw Tor the first time years ago. and
many times since, has always made
on me a profound impression. 1t
represents a sad gathering Of the fam
by in the ample living room Of the
old home. The oldest boy, a manly
fellow. clothed in the homespuu of
The farm, but with straightforward
eyes and erect form, Is standing in
The centre OF the room, and the
mother Is clinging to him as though
she could not lot him 60. The other
members OF the family show how
keenly they feel this parting. But
The artist has skilfully depicted in
the face OF the mother, not anxiety
aud not heartbreak alone but the
benedictiOn of a great hope. The boy
Is going to the great city. His pur-
pose Is as truly heroic as ever moved
knight TO seek tire Holy Grail.
Long yieils of prayer will follow him,
even as years Of parental prayers pre-
reded his going How often she had
fingered at his bedside, long after
sleep had closed his eyes. and lifted
MP such n petition for him as only q
Christian mother can breathe out of
her iumost spirit. So now, as she
sends him forth. she is saying in her
heart: 81 know he'll be good and
noble and take mans part In
manly life" Hers Is the quality of
hope that passes over the bordarland
OF mere expectation into the gardens
Of certainty. Better for that young
man that he had never been bora
than that he should di2appoint such
a hone
How we'll recall the dav that
marked the crisis of my leaving the
old home for the great city. As he
said goodbye there was one word
which. in broken accents. my father
spoke. as he took my hand in his.
II was the word "remembrU." He
rould not have selected r2ore sig
nificant expression Into those three
Syllahles were gathered NJ the price-
less influences IF q Christian home
IN the year that followed. through
all the temptations OF a big city. that
parting suggestion wa7 never for
gotten Whenever sin whispered,
there was always another voice that
said: Remember
In the midst or the instructions
which Jehovah gave 10 Moses there
was this impressive command: And
thou shalt remember all the way
which Jehovah thy God hath led
thee" On the threshold of this new
year there stand with us to-day two
angels. Memory and Hope However
much we may be inclined to turn to
the frst, we are really more con-
cerned with the other. II is we'll
That we should not forget the merci-
fnl past: it IS more important still
that We shoIll be equipped for the
shadow future. In an old German
church there IS this inscription:
Look not mourufully ia;a the past;
IL comes not harb again Wisely i'm
prove the present: II is thine Go
forth 10 meet the shadowy future
without fear and with a manly
heart" CONCERNING tho Future, We
are this morning prisoners Of hone;
With emuhasis on tho hone OUr con-
hdonre IS justified by the truth Of the
text ~ am the door"
There are two doors between us
and o." Kingdom Ono of tNem Is
controlled largely nv ourselves. It il
~ This door that the N1stor NJ life
so often stands aH1 KNOCKS and waits
20 hear our iuyit0tion But the other
door IA tho one over which He Him.
self rrcsilas. Behold. have set
before thee an open door. which no
man can shut We nre TO go cut
~ ouT beritage and 10 our service
through the door which He has left
DDeu He will come TO us through
'bH door which II Is our privilege tc
unla;ch
Outside ono OF the beautiful gate.
Tayg of the magnificent mosque Of
st. Sofia, in Constantinople. there is
a picture OF az onen Bible with this
inscription: "Tbe Lord said, | am the
door by Me IL any man enter In he
shall be saved" TIC Mabomedans
lett this inscription when they took
The beautiful tenlule from the Chris.
iians, lecauGe they could see no ref.
trence in It to Jesus Christ. Every.
thing else that suggested Christianity
or the Cross was ohllterated There
is twentieth century spirit that
would obllterate Jesus Christ and the
nccessitv OF HIS saving work. But
meanwhile He. the strong Son OF God.
calmly waits for the world recog-
milton. He has presented His proofs.
and the responsibility is ours There
Is no other gosnel. no other road, no
other Christ. For his own convent
euce man has invented a number OF
short cuts" B1t II remans as true
to-day as when Jesus Himself spoke
rhp words, that he who climbs up
some ether way Is a thief and q rob-
ber"
There Is an interesting painting.
representing Jesus standing at the
door Of the fold WIN His right
hand he holds open the door. with
Ills left arm Ie holds. against His
Heart. a tiny lamb that Is not strong
enough yet 10 take It's place In the
fTo8i throug Of sheep. The key re-
mains IN the outside OF the door.
Two pigeons over the door post are
sGnrglipg down for the night. In the
foreground there are two lambs. fol-
iQwef by their mothers. and these
IN tCrn are followed by long line OF
sntep and lambs as far back as the
eve ran reach. As these beautiful,
Innocent creatures pass under the
oH'stretehed arm Of the great Shep-
herd into the fold. f. seems as though
they must be aware that they are re-
eeiYing His protection aud benedic-
ticD. Through the omen door the eye
travels far down the hillside into the
rlOucless west. The light of day is
FADING fpfn a friFporn apuoaf