The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1910-09-29

Sermons are of different kinds.
Many sermons are like the water
that is poured upon cloth, which pass
es away but leaves the cloth whittier
But a nail and hammer sermon is one
which is intended to remain in the
memory as a nail remains In an oak
timber.
II is a rare thing for me to be able
to preach here in my own College pull
pit. Often am away struggling
with the State Legislature or seeking
friends and funds for our work. II is
doubtful whether this series OF six
sermons can be finished. Whatever
can preach | wish to be OF the nail
and hammer kind.
The truths which | wish to give
you are all very important truths.
They are not new, but they are true.
They are not original truths. not
my truth, but they are God Almighty's
truth. And these sermons will be inn
portant because they are spoken TO
young people, and because they are
spoken by one who loves them.
Two books in our Bible are suppos-
ed 10 have been written by the proph-
ct jeremiah. One OF these is call
ed the book OF Lamentations. Il con-
talns five poems OF lament over The
downfall OF the Hebrew nation, but
It is not composed wholly OF tears.
II abounds in pictures OF great ten
derness and beauty, and II contains
some gems OF wisdom that might
well stand In the book OF Proverbs.
Among these gems OF wisdom ! have
chosen out OF the third chapter. verse
twenty-seven, as our first nail-the
first clustre OF truths which | ask
the Lord to enable me TO put into
your hearts so that they will stay
like nails In oak.
Il is good for a man that he bear
the yoke in his youth. Lamentations
~: I'D
The Lord teaches US for the most
part in parallels and figures. He do
not use the language OF prose and OF
science, but the language OF poetry
and Imagination. Christ says, I'VE
are the salt OF the earth" That is
not literally true. but IL conveys
spiritual truth; salt is the saving ele-
ment. We understand truth better,
and we feel II more deeply, when II
comes to US through these parallels
figures, comparisons.
The text does not mean then that
Il is good for a man to be harnessed
ND with oxen at the pillow, but there
is something in the yoke that is an
emblem, a resemblance, a likeness to
the thing that is to be taught.
The Anchor is the emblem OF hope.
As an anchor takes hold with It's
iron claws OF the rocks at the bot
tom OF the sea, and holds the ship
from drifting with the storm, 30
hope holds a man when trouble like
ocean waves beats upon him. The
north star is the emblem OF fidelity.
All other heavenly bodies change and
vary in their place in the armament,
but the north star is always in the
same position, and we can locate
ourselves and other things by that
one truthful, changeless star.
Now of what is a yoke an en-
blem? We have all seen yokes;
many OF us have used them and made
them. A yoke is a piece OF wood rid
ing the neck OF an OK. The yoke binds
him TO his mate. and ties him TO his
load. The yoke is worn in the day
and taken off at night. The yoke IS
what makes the OK useful-without
the yoke his strength would be oil
no account-he would not be an OK
but only beef creature" The yoke
is a thing OF great significance. With
out IL we could get no value out OF
the OK except by killing him. The
yoke in fact makes the OK. The yoke
is the emblem and symbol OF work.
The text then means that It is good
for a man to bear hard labor In his
youth.
The beautiful story in the begin
ming of the Bible teaches this. It rep
resents God as making man in his
own image, and starting him out on
his life as an immortal being. God
placed him in the garden with its four
rivers full OF flowers. and fruits. and
birds, insects and living creatures,