Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-06-25

49, AoR
gray-haired serv
ant of God was about to preach
choosing for his text the passage
we have before US. Mr.. Sturgeon says
that this was the time and this the.
text from which he dated his con
version. Some ten years afterwards
he had the pleasure OF standing in
this Methodist chapel ard preaching
from the same text, the words OF
which tell US two things concerning
Gods way Of salvation.
A Simple Way.
l. The simplicity of the way-'Looh
unto me and be saved" The way OF
salvation has been made so simple
that the wayfaring mar though a fool
need not err therein. Could anything
be simpler than Just to look way
from one object to another? From
the time when man first was lost from
God it has been a simple thing to be
saved. Think of Gods treatment OF
Adam after the fall. He did not de.
mand that Adam do some great thing
to save himself, but, coming down, he
made for the man a coat in which
he might appear before him. 1t did
not require much reasoning power to
wear a coat already provided. When
the prodigal son returned to the ia.
Their, the father ordered the best robe
to be. brought and placed upon him.
and soon the boy was clothed and fit
to go into the fathers house again.
1t required no great understanding to
allow the robe to be placed upon him.
The word is that ito as many as re-
ceived him (Jesus), to them gave he
power to become the sols. of God"
Think of Noah being invited into the
ark. 1t was not a difficult thing for
him to step across the threshold and
be saved, but it was that step that
settled his destiny. Today the Lord
says 81 am the door. by me if any man
enter in, he shall be saved" How
easy a matter to cross the threshold
and be safei
Difficulties to Be Overcome.
II. The difficulty of the way-"Look
at me-" Put the emphasis on the
word me" The great difficulty in
being saved is to really look away
from everything else to him alone. The
people to whom Isaiah was writing
were looking to their idols and he
was attempting to draw their trust
away from them to God, in whom
alone salvation could be found. The
same trouble exists today because of
idols in the land. There are two great
idols in America today to which many
of the people are looking for saliva
ton. One of them might be termed
the good mans idol and one the bad
mans idol. The one the good man
trusts in is sincerity, and it has many
devotees. It says if a man follows
his conscience and does what he
thinks he ought to do that he will be
saved of a certainty. The apostle
Paul worshiped the same idol, be
cause he says, 81 verify thought within
myself that | ought to do many things
contrary to the way What Paul
thought he ought to do he attempted
to do. He was a sincere man, willing
to go to any expense to do what he
thought he should do. But after he
was saved and had been taught the
truth, he says that while he was doing
the things he thought he should. he
was a blasphemer and prosecutor. Il
Is not always true that when a man
follows his conscience he is doing
, what God would have him do.
Reformation Inadequate.
The other great idol, the bad mans
might be called reformation. This
says that the man is to turn over Z
. new leaf and begin again, to put away
!. the things which are known to bt
wrong, to quit this or that evil thins
and to change his way of living gen
orally. 1t would be a good thing i
some men would change their way O
life, but merely changing the outside
would never secure salvation from
God. We do what we do because We
are what we are. This is why Nico
demus must be turned from his relig
ious ceremonies, and Nathaniel from
his prayers, although all these arr
good things in their place. Some year:
ago the U. S. S. Oregon went aground
on the coast of China near the por
of Shanghai and comparatively neal
) Canton. 1t was discovered that a dr.
dock would be necessary to make tbs
needed repairs, and neither of -thest
ports had such. 1t became essentia
for the salvation of the vessel that sh'
be taken to Nagasaki, in Japan. Sh'
could be cleaned or coaled, and ever
victualed in the ear ports. but al
would be valueless unless the boa
could be placed in a dry dock. Tn
damage must be repaired if the shil
= was to be saved. So with the sinner
: morality and rectitude of character
prayers and Bible reading are all good
but valueless without salvation, an'
that can only be had in the Lord Jesu
: Christ. The difficult thing is to turl
from everything else and put one
whole trust in him.
Mountain jewellers have Away
! been the strong peoples and the fire,
. peoples. The ease of the lowlanderi
: enervates; the obstacles of the up