The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-08-16

Soi NdCl
=, recognizes that
there is some obligation to seek aaos
other, yet the obligation on Cod,
part to seek man is somewhat AIM.
cult to understand. Man obyionslv
ought to seek God, be ought "a n
asking the question, Where sbal i
find him7' but God anticipates man
In this search and comes frequently
and asks, as In the text, Where All
thou?" This being the case, thera 4
presented for u consideration In ina
text as a whole: ~ God seeking man.
(2) Man keeping away from GA. n
hiding OF otherwise; (3) The sopl.
experience that compels him to moya
to God.
l, God is seeking man. This IA not
the normal situation, for man ourbt
to be seeking God with the whole
heart, everything else being as moth,
Ing In comparison. God is seeking
man, not with the intent appareptlT
that he sought Adam in the Garden
of Eden, which was for the purpo,e
Of reproof, or punishment. God not
only is seeking man, but wishes to be-
sought for by man, as the hymn writer
Faber so beautifully sings:
God loves to be longed for, he loves 10
be sought.
For he sought US himself with such
longing and love!
And he died for desire Of us, marvellous
thought
And he yearns for US now to be with
his above"
There is not a man away from God
but for whom God longs, and will 20
any distance to find.
There were ninety and nine that safely
lay
In the shelter Of the fold,
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates Of gold
Away on the mountains wild and bare,
Away from the tender Shepherds care.
Lord. thou hast here thy ninety and
nine:
Are they not enough for thsef
But the Shepherd made answer. This Of
Has wandered away from me,
And although the road be rough and
I go to the desert to find my sheep"
2. But Just as prominent as the
search Of God for man is mans con-
slant refusal to be found. As Adam
fled from the Lord, as Jonah tried TO
get away from the obligation 70
preach at Nineveh, as the prndigal
fed to a far country and wasted bis
substance in riotous living, so man
does today. Touched by the Sphttd
God, the church, through its many
agencies, is putting forth effort %
reach man. Its doors have always
been open, and rarely is the chuich
found that does not welcome vi
classes to its services. In recent
years Gods people r going out after
men in all places where they may 10
found. The gospel is preached ~
places not dedicated to divine Wcr'
ship--in tents, on street corners, anu
elsewhere, and 1t is difficult for a man
within christendom to get beyond the
invitation of the gospel, and yet %
will not yield to it.. What sad test.
monies we have to mans rejection OF
Gods search through his agencies
mentioned above! 1t Is said tna1
there are no more church members
in San Francisco today than thers
were twenty-five years ago, although
the population has more than douoled'
and the city contains scores of CHRIS
tian churches, all of which are striY.
ing earnestly for the lost. Thus SUI,
do we have man keeping himsei
away from God, sometimes endeaVof
ing to hide himself from God, but ~
whatever way, refusing to LET Goo
find him.
3. But there is a reason for this 81
suggested In the text; 1t is the con
seriousness OF shame, Il was naked ant
/ hid myself" 1t must be conceoee
that there are multitudes who do DO
seem to have God in any of tnen
thoughts, they live apparently as ~
beasts of the field, they e to nav
no consciousness whatever that thel
are more than creatures of a Gay
mere ephemera. But the mar Q
woman who may be beguiled to rea'
these words Is not such a person !
some way he senses God. He mas =
intuition, as we might say. which prol
ably teaches him his personal respol
sibillty. He catches himself thinkin1
of the possible God, and Of his PEI
sonal relationship to him. He eve
finds himself experiencing q sense :
shame because of the guilt OF his ~
Is that a misfortune? Far from !
1t is the dawn Of hope. 1t is the Q
pain that tells Of possible return !
spiritual health secured through PEI
feet communion with God. crater
should the man be who thus becoms
uneasy, yea, faces God and talks va.
him. In this day the grace OF COO .
seeking man, not to reprove him ON
not to punish him, but to bless nlm
he is not willing that any should "
fish. !,
1t may be said that the man W.
is discovered by God, discovers, !
finds, himself; he comes to nilnse
as the prodigal did. and Is then =
far from starting back to the Fatnei
house. AS the cry recently has oee
with many Back to Christ
might say that the cry should no