The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-11-26

Ay famine Of bread,
uor thirst for
water, but Of hear
ks. asszzzs ing the words Of
RASTQ& RUSSFLDl the Lord,"-Amos
Sill.
Notwithstanding the fact that during
the past century Bibles have been
printed and circulated by the million,
said the Pastor. Notwithstanding the
fact thar education has become so gen
eral that nearly everybody can read
Gods Word. nevertheless we are in the
midst Of the very famine specified by
the Prophet. 1t seems almost incredi-
bic, he declared, that we should be
furnishing now with Bibles, when our
sanity fOrefathers did not famish.
though education was limited.
The secret lies in the fact that in
creaSing Intelligence has awakened our
reasoning faculties along religious lines.
and the result is the gnawiGg of hunger
in our hearts. Our hearts and our
flesh cry out for living and true God.
Realizing our own impotency. we more
than ever feel our need Of the Friend
that sticketh closer than Il brother
Consequently many cannot find the
refreshment from Scripture which
their forefatherS derived Conseauent-
ly the young men and the purest Of
heart in the world are repealed by the
religion represented in the creedS of
all denominations. They are hungry
for the Truth thirsty for the refresh
ment which they need Intellectually
many are wandering from sea to sea,
desiring the Bread and the Water of
Life, as our context pictures.
Scanning the creeds Of all denomi-
nations. they find these practically
alike as respects theories of eternal
Reproduction and d&mnation for all ex-
cept the Elect. They even look to
the heather. and examine the Theoso-
ply of India, the Buddhism of Japan
and the COnfucianism of China, seek
ing some satisfying portion of Truth
In some respects they are like the
prodisal son-far from home. They
perceive the Swinish content with the
husks of business, money. pleasure and
politics, bat carnot satisfy their spirit
ual longings With these husks They
are thought peculiar because of their
interest in spiritual things.
The Bread and the Water of Life.
Next was demonstrated that there is
famine in every denomination the
world oyar M ,ua .binLye % I,nI,;,c.
to the Bible for refreshment and
strength. Higher Critics have brand
ell it unreliable Professors in all the
great universities reprobate it and
openly laugh at the thought of finding
there either bread for the hungry or
water for the thirsty.
Hungry hearts must learn. however,
that there is only one satisfying por-
ton under the sun-the living God,
who has sent Jesus Christ to be the
Bread of Life for mankind and His
Message of grace to be the Water of
Life. II is ours to call the attention
of this hungry class TO the Great Teach
er who said, My flesh is food indeed.
and My blood is drink indeed: except
ye eat the flesh of the Son Of Man.
and drink His blood, We have no life
in you" But scarcely will the intel
ligent of our day hearken TO these
words. so prejudiced are the minds by
the fallacies which becloud their I'M
Outstanding. They neither see nor un-
derStand the goodness of God.
-.
as in Israel at the time of our Lords
First Advent The Masters eXplana-
ton is applicable now. He said. "Ye
make the Law Of God void through
your traditions traditions of the
elders" The traditions handed down
from our forefathers really make mean-
ingless the Message of Gods Wisdom
and Love sent us through our Lord.
the Apostles and the Prophets. Those
who still hold tenaciously to the creeds
of the past are thoroughly blinded to
the true teachings of Gods Word;
while. alas! the majority of independ-
ent thinkers, in rejecting the dogmas
of the past. have rejected the Bible
also. believing that the creeds truth
lully represent the Word of God
Gods Word a Satisfying Portion.
The Pastor declared that il is this
truth hungry class that lie addresses.
He knows from experience their heart
longings, and the satisfaction which
they crave he has received. In har-
mony with the Masters instructions,
he aims to bind up the broken-heart-
ed to comfort those that mourn"
As the Master gave His time to the
instruction of the people in the doc
trines of Gods Word. so His faithful
followers should not teach the pre-
cepts Of men, but the Scriptures. New
ertheless, they must expect that the
modern Scribes and Pharisees will
grieve that they teach the people, even
as during the First Advent the re-
hgious teachers opposed the Nsstsr.