The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-05-10

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the trouble be
tween them and God was not removed
1t was fortunate for them that the,
hnd some religious leaders that knew
things spiritual, and who were faithful
III telling the people that they wer,
not doing what was pleasing to God
at ALL
Ihe people seemed to be wondering
why God seemed TO pay no attention
to their religious activities: then the
prophet spoke very plainly: Your
iniquitics have separated between YOU
ana your God, and your sins have hid
MS face from you" These were very
plain words. The prophet did not say
that what they were doing was unwise
tactics, was cxcusable laundering. or
was fhdiscretion, but that what was
preventing the blessing Of God was
their sin.
Charge Of WorldIiness.
If the application of these words
were made to the church today, which
would be very proper, the charge
would not be wise If 1t were made in
the form of details or the naming Of
peccadillos Of improper conduct, but
II the church were charged with world
Illness, with betrayal of pure doctrine
with robbery as far as Withholding Of
ferngs to God are concerned then
the charge would attract attention.
The church of God today in its sinful
condition stands as buffer between
God and the unsaved world. A great
load of guilt is on It today on this par
ticulnr account. 1t is n miSrepresen-
tation of what Christ and his religion
are. The world does not today read
Christ properly because II reads the
perverted message of Christ that the
church presents in its life.
But the shortcomings of the church
will not redeem any unsavcd man. nor
be an excuse for not getting right with
God. Here every tub must stand on
its own bottom. What is wrong with
the unsaved man? Simply that he is
out of right relationship with God.
there Is lack of adjustment. A man
can fence all he pleases, and try to
throw the blame on Sod but ultimate
~ the trouble is with himself. His
sins have separated between him and
God, and these must be got out of
the way. God must be faithful TO
man, and TO show his love he saws
through his ministers, "Your sins
have hid his face from you that he
will not hear"
Gods Part and Mans.
The charging of sin is Gods part:
the confessing Of sin is mans part.
Fortunately, the people to whom the
prophet spoke needed his word. and
we read that they made detailed CON
fcsSion. Confession is in way
the same thing as repentance, and
some men nave shown themselves to
be strong in repentance, indeed, there
Is no explanation of their standing be- |
fore God, except concedng that they
knew how To repent. We have David |
''A' 'N'i tS NNdilIllNo' NuNIl NuIlltS- |
sion is coming ont candidly and nc
cepting the righteousness of the charge
of God. God has pasScG judgment, his
charge is made and man must, like one
of ancient times, acknowledge the
charge in order that God may be JUS
tined when he speaks and be clear
when he judges. We might note in
this part of the confession that the in
1ivdual says "his sins are multiplied
before him"-that is, they are in an
form, really what they
Drc, as compared with what he has
considered them to be. He
comedies, also, that his sins belong TO
himself. They are as he expresses
It, with him. He acknowledged that
while he was pleading eXtenuation Of
his guilt, that he knew that he had
'inned all the time.
The need Of the clay in which we
ind ourselves is confession, national
Confession, church confession, indlvid-
lal confession. Some nations today
ire on their knees. They are on their
way to true blessing because they are
,oing to get right with God. The or
,anlzed church is hardly on its feet
'et, and 1t is slipping further and fur
her away from the truth of God, and
lot until ii gets to its knees and con.
esses its attachment to the world its :
departure from truth, its failure to
understand its true mission will II !
ave Gods favor.
The Blessing.
The inevitable follows confession o, j
in, namely, blessing. In the text we I
re told that the Redeemer shall come |
o Zion. The trouble with the world q
nd with the church and the individ- l
al is, that the Redeemer is not pres. v
mt. This coming of the Rcdeemer U
lay fairly be considered in the first II
lace rs a spiritual coming. The ideal D
tuation is expressed by the term I'm. u
lanuel, which means God with us" II
ut God cannot be with us If we hold q
, our sins and do not confess and for. W
IKE them. God remains away from :"
atons and churches and individuals l.
5 far rs his blessings are concerned. n
ho do NOT nnnfacc thair cine aud 40 | 81