Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1913-01-09
REV. c. A. JACOKES
Occupied Pulpit Of N. {. Church Sun.
day Morning, Dec 29.

vitation OF the pastor by Rev. G. A.
Jacoakes superannuated preacher of
the Michigan conference who now re-
sides at Lowell.
His text was chosen from the third
chapter of Ephesians, sth verse: "Un-
to me, who am less than the least of
all saints, is this grace given, that
should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches Of Christ"
He said PauPs opinion of himself
was very modest. He was not ego
tistic, but preferred others TO himself,
and this was the best evidence of his
own Christ-like spirit
A saint does not necessarily mean
one Of extensive knowledge nor per-
haps one who is very wise; but it
does mean one who is pure in heart,
one who possesses strength of re-
ligious character and devotedness Of
life or loyalty to Christ. Thus the
most ordinary person may be very
good saint.
In his estimate Paul measured their
experiences by how they lived and by
their loyalty to Christ, and it was
a very safe method of measurement.
He understood himself better than
others understood him when he
named himself least of all saints.
Without doubt, Paul was a man of
much learning and OF considerable
wisdom, for he ranks high among the
men Of his time; yet he claimed no
honor or rank but esteemed it the
greatest privilege that he should be
chosen to preach the gospel unto the
Gcntiles.
President-elect Wilson was con-
graduated by one OF the defeated can
didates as receiving the highest honor
possible to be conferred upon him by
the American people, but an angel
might covet the privilege of coming
to earth to carry Christ's message to
the Gentiles, and yet it pleased God
to confer this honor on Paul and sent
him forth TO preach the unsearchable
riches of Christ to the whole world
In your Christmas exercises you
celebrated the message of Christ
Peace on earth and goodwill to
men," and | assure you no greater
honor could be conferred on any hui.
man soul than the privilege OF carry.
ing this gospel message 10 others
around us, yet this privilege is yours
and mine today.
But men are not always able for
their tasks Men are not always faith
full to their trust. Gods help is al
ways needed Daily and constant
prayer alone avails for constant
strength and faith. Paurs victories
were those OF closet evangelism.
Mans methods are not always
Gods methods. We commence on
the surface and work up or down
God commences at the heart of things
and works out
Man digs for gold where he finds
gold on the surface; He searches for
diamonds where he finds them scat
tered before him, but God knows and
has known all the inner recesses since
time began Man digs down mile
or so, but God knows the secrets of
the whole 5000 miles. Man has
learned the quality Of the soil near
the surface, but Christ knoweth all
things He knew all the possibilities
of electricity when he created the
world, but man has stumbled through
possibly 5000 years to learn some
thing of its adaptability. God knew
the qualities Of ether for transmitting
electric waves and carrying messages
when he formed the air, but man had
to spend thousands Of years in order
to develop wireless biography.
Christ knoweth all things and had
measured the distance TO the moon,
the sun and the stars and established
their weights when thc universe was
created, but only the best astronomers
today, after twenty centuries OF civil
izaton. can tell you these distances
and weights as they are now meas
ured and something of their compost
ton and they are still discussing
whether the sun gives forth heat or
whether heat is generated by the
friction of light passing through
millions OF miles of space.
Back in the Old Testament Job
tells us OF a second sun and a greater
galaxy Of planets but only modern
astronomers have been able to tell us
of this mighty globe 5000 times
greater than our sun
God created matter and animals
and adjusted them to conditions OF
life God knows these systems OF
planets and the farthest outrcach Of
the faintest glmmering star is still
within the unsearchable riches Of
Christ's knowledge
Man can initiate the flower and
some of Gods creations, but ne can
not produce life, and life that under
the closest microscopical examination
becomes but more and more bcauti-
ful more and more wonderful.
This Christ who knows all things