The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-25
FOSTER BREACHES D 0N 'W|CKEDNESS" Too Many People Judge Re- ligion By ''Professed'
 Christians

Rev. J. s. Foster, pastor of the First Presbyterian church, last night preached from the text found in the twenty-tirst verse of the fifty-seventh chapter of Isaiah, There is no peace, saith my Sod, to the wicked
 ''One of the most glaring mistakes of the world,' said pr. Foster, lis to judge religion by the character of the man who confesses it. Man does not reason in this way about other things He does not argue that because one man is liar all men are untruthful. He does not say that because one man is dishonest, all men are not under the obligation to be honest toward God and man. I want to direct your attention to some of the false securities behind which the unsaved world hides itself from God.
 ''The text does not mean that the un- saved heart shall be physically unsafe, that there are not moments of pleasure In sin It does not mean that God Is be- hind every party in sin with scourse. It does mean that between God and the unsaved heart there Is alienation, that there is lack of fellowship with Goa.
 ''One of the false securities behind which the unsaved man hides himself is that if you judge men by outward standards, he Is as near the throne as the confesslng Christian, he has as much of the peace of God as the Christian has. He says that 1t is fact that the wicked some times seem free from every earthly af- fiction, while the protesting Christian frequently has cares and afflictions. They make the mistake of judging the favor of od bxyo oi1t rd giOOg TbaV lnSa cjUht of the fact that poverty and affliction are not signs of disfavor any more than prosperity is of favor. True riches are of the heart; outward wealth is not an in- dication of inward prosperity. From an- other point of view, true love is discipln- ary. It is the hand of love and not of indifference that disciplines and 'afficts.
 Another false security behind which the unsaved hides himself is that of spirit ual ignorance. Every man to some extent realizes in his spirit that he is responsl- bie to God; but there is misconception by many who are unwilling to give serious consideration to religious truth. Those withholding their hearts from God have no right to say that they have given serious and candid consideration to the matter, and that the plan of salvation is not the true one.
 Self righteousness is still another ref h6c ol tiit uiiSlN6u mdIy HIGH dTc pre- dieting their salvation on their own nor ality. Did you ever see any man who was willing to acknowledge that there ,s perfect man? And does God judge by lower standard? When man is com pared to man, there is some room Tor boastng; but when he is compared to the standard of God, the only attitude for him to assume is, Father, am unworthy in thy sight
 Men hide behind the refuge of the low state of morality. They argue that the boldness of mans heart in the presence of death argues that there is lack of harmony between the statements of Gods word and the actuality The reason. is mans scared conscience. Man may be brazen on earth, but not in eternity. There is lack of fellowship between that soul and God throughout eternity
 Can man find a refuge behind which he will be safe through eternity? Goa shows that refuge in his word It is a refuge which God has provided with His hands; 1t is a refuge which Christ has purchased with His blood; it Is a refuge that can be appropriated by faith. Will you not forsake these refugees that nan has tried in vain to build up, and take that which God has provided?''