The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-02-04
RELIGIOUS
WORLD
STARTING AFRESH WITH n NEW
CONTRACT.
Tie International Sunday School Les
son for February 3 Is. Goods cove
nant With Noah" Gen. y:

ID
Despite all the bankrupt sales"
that are advertised on huge posters
in front Of ''~hy-by-night' merchants
stores. and the great failures OF
which the advertisements tell. We
have to go farther away than the
East Side Of New York to n the
greatest collapse of history. None
Of our modern banks record such a
complete smash-up as when the
scheme of things in the whole known
world got so bad that the Almighty
had to wind up human affairs and
send the entire social order into nqul-
dation by the deluge. The ~reOrSanl-
Zation of the business Of mankind was
left TO Noah n his sons. The old
ways n the old days had made a
sorry mess Of things. Then God took
Noah into His confidence for a fresh
beginning.
The gospel OF the second chance is
written in the Old Testament as well
as the New. Humanity is never so
down and OUT that it may not be-
come up and in. Last night I heard
q h~orny-handed young man, with
shining face, tell. in language that
would have shocked h school
masters, Of how he had been in the
gutter and in the prison cells and in
all the other apartments Of the 'far
country; but since n year ago., when
he found Christ in q Protestant
Episcopal rescue mission in the slums,
he has been q new man, q clean man
a happy man. That same testimony,
in a little less dramatic form, is be-
ing given ali over the earth today.
God does provide q way Of escape,
even for those who have forfeited
their claims upon society and upon
heaven.
Instead of Distressing into specu-
lations concerning the Babylonian
version Of the deluge, and other col
lateral historic themes, let us keep
the story to it's main line. The flood
and the covenant that followed were
Gods way Of giving renegade hu-
manity another chance.
So our lesson begins, and God
spake unto Noah" Let us stop right
there. That is the mightiest truth
OF all. It is greater than the flood.
The deluge in all Of its aspects is less
important than the tremendous truth
that the Lord God Of heaven and
earth holds communication with NOR
tai man. This is the bedrock teach
Ing Of our faith. Ours is a. religion
Of revelation. God does express Ills
mind to man. 1t is possible for hu-
man beings to know the will of the
Highest. Here we have a truth higher
than Arrarat. wider than the far
~ AAIA 0Al1AnC IACI\ II
historical facts. it is q truth for the
present time. with an application to
every mans living.
The Great Contract.
This lesson is not about the food,
but about a covenant. That Jehovah
does enter into engagements with His
friends and that He does make prom
keystone OF the Christian faith. He
: loves n lame Of the covenant
) keeping GOD" The particular agree
ment between Noah n Jehovah is
less important han the principle
which it represents. God deals with
l man. There you lave the truth which
9 lifts up our humanity to It's highest
possible plane. AS friend holds con
( verse with friend, SO the Lord God
of Hosts enters into Intercourse with
4 the men whom He has made and
who believe in Him as their Coz and
King.
Let not that truth be drowned in
. the great waters of h food. 1t is
moro than HISTORICAL; It is contem-
poraneous. What God did with Noah
He is still doing with men and WON
en- today. Raymond Robbins was
lost In the frozen North. The sight
OF a rough wooden cross erected by
some Christian Indian gave him q
vision Of life and led him who be-
HCNSN i1AAoCAA W NC VI lIk 10 enter
into a covenant with the God who
expressed Himself most fully upor
a cross. Now today Raymond Rob
bins is on the Pacific ocean, sailing
around h world to bear to all thu
men he can reach the great evange
that the mountaineering God is still
= fulfilling His character. And man
too. despite his bungling and hi
plumbers. his standings and hi
shortcomings, is bearing up his ent
Of the covenant n striving by :
power not his own to keep the faith
4 G~entlenen's Agreement.
A distinguished journalist sud
denly removed from the paper will
Which his name was associated, ant
l inquired Of a common friend abou
1t. His reply ran thus. Yes. he wa.
to have been in control OF the paper
and no expected to spend his lf.
with it. He made a gentleman,
agreement to that effect, but I tel
you when you make a gentlemen,