East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-01-15
PASTOR OF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
HERE WRITES INTERESTING SERMON
,glA.!seY s;{l4#.tIf y

or death there will be no occasion of
fear; that the Saviour will be with
us; that His rod and staff will COM
Tort US. However severe then the
pain experienced; however heavy the
burden borne; however deep the grief
inflicted; however weary, lonely and
weak one may feel himself to be, the
attitude In which he should stand to-
ward death is that implied by Job
when he says, "All the days of my ap-
pointed time will | wait, till my
change come"
But is there no dread of Him? We
must remember that He is a God,
infinitely just, infinitely holy, om-
nipotent! What If He should plead
against us! Well do we know that
we nave brought ourselves under the
sentence of death. We know that we
are all sinful by nature, and sinners
by practice. What may not an all
powerful God do when such as we
are come before Him. will He
plead against me with His great pow
er? No. but He will put strength in
me-"
He is just. How shall we come be-
lore Him! Is it any wonder that the
awakened sinner cries out, What
shall l do?" Wonderful provision is
that which He has made for the sim
ner! He spared not His own Son."
but He spares you and me. having
freely given Him up for us ALL" 1t
Is with His stripes We are healed" Z"
"All we like sheep had gone astray;
We had turned every one to his own
way; and the Lord hath laid on Him
the iniquity of us ALL" In the light
of his word we can understand how it
Is possible for God to be just, and
yet justify him that believeth. on
no other principle than that of sub
stitution could this be possible. At
the cross was displayed Gods retri-
butive justice. IF they do these
things in a green tree, what shall be
done in the dry?" If there were
more of Sinai and less of sentiment
in the thinking of some people, pos
sibly there would be more faith, more
humility, more gratitude, more love!
Jesus, Thy blood and Righteousness,
My beauty are. my heavenly dress
Midst flaming worlds in these arrayed
With joy shall l lift up my head"
Moreover. this Cod, before whom
we would come, is holy, as well as
just. Are we not 10 dread the
thought of coming before such a
God? We are told that He is of pur-
er eyes than to behold evil, and that
He cannot look on iniquity. Again,
1t is expressly stated that without
holiness no man shall see God. What
Is to become of us! Does grace pro-
vide no way whereby not only guilt
but pollution of sin may be removed
"Can souls all Ger defiled with sin.
Make their own powers and passions
clean?"
II ii were in our own righteousness
that we were left to appear before
Him, well might We despair Richly
| doth grace provide! 1t is in His be-
loved (Christ) that we are accepted.
1t is q precious truth: I'VE have
not received the spirit of bondage
| again to fear. but the spirit of adop-
ton. whereby we cry. Abba. Father"
But We can have the consciousness
always that He is near; that we can
find Him; that we can come to His
very seat? Job seemed to have some
difficulty at this point He says.
Behold, / go forward, but He is not
there: and backward, but I cannot
perceive Him: on the left hand where
| He doth work, but l cannot behold
him. And yet was there not a
| sense of His presence? Or had he
come to doubt? Had he lost the way
to Him? Did he not say, "Oh that
knew where / might find Him." Per-
haps it was with him as it is with
you and me. What is our experience ?
May 1t not be expressed in the lines,
IL see Thee not / hear Thee not
Yet Thou art oft with me;
And earth hath ne'er so dear a spot,
As where 1 meet with Thee"
Reader, Have you lost a sense OF
His presence? Have you allowed the
world to come in and crowd Him out
of your heart your thoughts, your
| life? Cast out the usurper-the
world! Come back to Him! II you
draw near to Him, He will draw near
to you. He says to you, Return un-
to Me, and 1 will return unto YOU"
Our Lord may try us: He tried
Job. Yet Job did not lose heart. He
gave expression to his confidence. He
said, He knoweth the way l take:
when He hath tried me, I shall come
forth as gold" Can we say, as Jot
said, Though He slay me, yet will
I trust in Him. 1t is the dross He
would consume; 1t is the gold He
would refine. Affliction He sancti-
fies to the good of His saints. We
will trust Him not only in the bright
day: we will trust Him also in the
dark day.
Enveloped in darkness, how natural
! It is for the soul to cry out to God.
How true it is that nothing can salts
fy the demands of every human heart
but God! 1t is in Him that the weary
and heavy laden must find rest: He
is the souls complement. Have you
come to Him?
The renewed heart" especially is
never satisfied with anything less than
God Himself We would enter into
His presence; we would find Him;
we would "come even into His seat
Hard Colds-People whose BLOOD