The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-12-28

prosperous relBnb III the Hliuule VI t"c
eighth century before Christ. They
were times OF great luxury connected
with the rapid growth OF the two cap
ital clties-Jerusalem and Samaria'
The old religious habits had been
largely set aside by the incoming OF
foreigners. The displacing OF religion
In the court had made wordliness
fashionable. and with entire light
leartedness the people had given
themselves up to the pursuit Of plea
ire and OF wealth.
Amos was herdsman OF small des'
ert sheep on the hills OF Judah. some
iozen miles to the south OF Jerusalem.
Ie describes himself as a "pincher OF
Wild figs" which evidently he gather
ed from time to time to supplement
~ their sale the small earnings OF his
poor flock.
Alone with his flock he had before
ais eyes many reminder OF the God
1f his fathers who had brought them
out OF Egypt and delivering them
from the wilderness had led them
across the Jordan and had given them
the promise OF this land as their abid'
Ing inheritance And now God was
forgotten. and his people had fallen
into the ways of the heather.
As from time to time he went down
10 the town to sell his neeces or his
ags he was overwhelmed with what
he saw.
Communing alone with God. the
message OF prophecy was given TO
him. It consists of three short ad'
dresses The first pronounced the
Judgment OF Jehovah upon the ma
tions. the second his Judgment upon
his own people. warning them that be-
cause he had known them and loved
them, therefore he would visit them
In chastisement In the third. con
tanning our text, he warns them OF
their danger. exhorts them TO return
to Jehovah and recalls bis vision Of
the blessedness that Is awaiting them
In the distant future.
Bring your offerings" he says
Keen your fasts. be followers OF Je
hovah In name God is not deceived
by hypocrisy. Religion is character;
he sees through your shams: he
knows the perverslon Of your hearts
They that lie In beds of ivory and
stretch themselves on beds and couch
es; that eat lambs out of the flock
and sing idle songs to the sound oi
the vlol: that drink wine In bowls
I and anoint themselves with chief oils
and are not grleved with the afiictior
| OF Joseph. they shall go into captivi
/ ty; their revelries shall pass away
for the Lord abhors the excellency o.
Jacob. and their houses shall be smit
/ ten"
In his distress over the people hi
cries unto the Lord "Oh, Lord Je
hovah. forgive. | beseech thee" anC
he has a vision of the turning away
Of the divine judgment. Then comes
} the text. The Lord stands with thu
plumb line In his hand and the pluml
line becomes the graphic figure of thu
final word of God to his people.
SO the plumb line was given to thu
prophet as the message to his people
We rejoice as we apply this test t
the Christianity OF today. Let us se'
what its word is to us
Let us look first to the gospel tina
we have to preach That never wal
more distinctive than It Is now as tn,
gospel of Jesus Christ We have gonl
through the period in which under tn
influence of the wonderful discoveries
OF science. rationalstic unbeief ha
swept over the land and turned man.
away from Jesus Christ. But tina
day was long passed and has beeI
followed by another. in which mel
have been trying so find an acceptable!
substitute for Jesus Christ.
They have been running here an,
there after any form of religion. or o
worship that claimed to be new; ney
thought. or new philosophy or ney
revelations, whether coming In tn
name Of some mystery of Persia o
India. or some device masking as re
ligion or science from Boston Bu
men already have found not only tina
they cannot live without religion. bu
that today no religion will satisfy
man other than that which reveal
God
We have come back to the religio
of the supernatural, Of the miracles
and Of the resurrection; in short, I
the religion of the crucied and rise
Christ We mast have a religion tina
fits the facts of human existence.
The Christian church also. howeve
much It may have erred In the pas
is aiming to produce the image c
Christ in men. It accepts the cha
lenge TO be a promoter of human we
fare. and In a very social way. bu
that is not It's ultimate aim; its ali
always is to make better men, and
never was true. what has been S
often charged against 1t, that 1t is S
busy saving souls that 1t has not tim
10 save men Rather by means
saving souls II has been sure that
was saving men, and everywhere t
day the world is awakening to sc
that it is the gospel rather than con
merce or education. or the refinemer
of cultured society. which is changin
the world
Never Far rom God.
And Christ has salt. "Lo, | am Wit
YOU always" and that Is enough FL
Christian to feel far away fro
| q -, L. "a fnnl nrhnt is NOT sn Snf