The Penn's Grove record., 1912-02-02
Get Right
With God
Address delivered at Keswick
Convention by Rev. F. S.
Webster, on Psalm l39

~ 1891 ROAA0~
@GKM is that all our secret
y IN thoughts are spread before
HM9N the Lord like an open
N)N book, and there is not a
IS page hidden from him:
are o glad it is so, or does the
knowledge of Gods penetrating eye
fill you with discomfort and alarm?
The psalmist was not afraid OF
Gods knowledge Of him. He opens
his psalm by dwelling upon it; he
closes by returning TO the same truth,
and inviting God to make special
search and inspection of all his in
most being. David was 0 afraid OF
this scrutiny, because his whole heart
was set upon being right with God.
The supreme Importance, the abso-
lutte necessity, of being right with
God.-We find this beautifully illus
trated in 1 Sam. AS. And when the
ark of the covenant Of the Lord
came into the camp, all Israel shouted
with q great shout, so that the earth
rang again." There was tremendous
enthusiasm in the shout. The honor
of the people was touched. They had
suffered a defeat, their patriotism was
fired, they were fighting for their
homes and their fatherland, n their
religious feelings were deeply stirred.
When they saw the ark come into
their midst they made certain that
God was with them.
The ark was full Of sacred mem
cries. 1t had wrought wondrous VIC
tories. Before it the water of Jordan
had failed, and the walls of jericho
had fallen down. So they made sure
that God was with them, and they
shouted with such a shout that the
hearts CT their enemies were filed
with dismay.
What came of 1t all? Nothing but
disaster! The Philistines triumphed.
The ark was captured, and the reason
was not far to seek-Hophni and
Phinehas were with the ark.
How could there be victory in the
open field when in the courts OF the
Lords house there was open SIN? The
people were not right with God, n
so the ark could not save them. They
were not anxious. they were not pre-
pared to get right with God. They
were not anxious to find Gods solu-
ton of their trouble, for him to show
them what was wrong.
They thought they would force the
hand of God. They said: IF we get
the ark into our midst, God is st=~
to fight for US and to give US the VIC
tory" They thought they would
compel God to give them the victory,
although they had not humbled them
selves to give him the glory.
But they were mistaken. God is a
holy God. He will not allow his holi-
ness to suffer one single faint of dis
honor. So he allowed the ark to be
captured rather than support the peo-
pie who were harboring sin and hid
ing iniquity in their hearts. Because
they we're not willing to be right with
God, the ark could not help them.
The ark would soon have overcome
the Philistines, if Hophni and Prime
has and the elders of Israel had been
overcome by it themselves. Gods
arm is not shortened; but if you have
come hoping to steal a blessing with
u mounting the steep path OF per-
sonal repentance of deep conviction Of
sin, of whole-hearted surrender to
God, then you are absolutely mistak-
en-.
Probably some of the people said:
oh yes, the day Of the ark is over"
and some say now that the day OF the
old-fashioned Gospel is over. 1t is not
so. The cross never loses its power,
but you can neutralize the grace OF
God if you are not willing to get
right with him.
If you will cast yourself upon him,
expecting him to save, to cleanse, and
to keep-so thoroughly expecting
him that if you fail it will be a mat
ter, not only of shame, but of surprise,
because your eyes are on Jesus. He
has undertaken and you are trusting
If you get into that attitude OF faith,
the the healing and the cleansing
come, and the keeping is maintained.
and the heart is purified. Then there
is nothing common" or unclean about
your life: it is all sanctitied, and you
are right with God. God knows all
about you, and loves you in spirit OF
all he knows.-London Christian.