The Alaska citizen., 1917-01-15
Sermon to the People
BY THE REV. G. G. BRUCE.



 Such motives will be successful where those are saved "as by fire" but will such motives suffice for you?
 There are many signs of soul de clension and the signs are easily recognized. Are you restless in your religious experiences? Have you a lack of interest in your church work? Is there a growing inability to tes- tify against sin? Does your life vince under the power of God in the sermon? Stealthily as the dread ed disease of consumption these things work their way into the heart and we go seeking after other gods. The Bible pictures the child of God going after other gods as one who has entered the evil practice of for nication. The marriage relation of the Bride and Bridegroom" is very sacred and those who go away into it's evils must experience the results of it's evil practices.
 But the Saviour ever waits the sinners return. He is anxious and ready to restore the soul. Nature restores the rent in the hill. The tree overgrows the wound in it's side. The oyster surrounds the for eign substance lodged within the shell and makes a pearl of its dis tress The hand bruised and bleed ing is restored again to health and strength. Even so would God re store the soul to all who will per init Him to become the life of the soul
 Christ uses many restoratives to bring His children back to His work and love It may be the word of friend who sees the danger and makes a timely warning. It may be song or a word of the song that strikes, as a dagger, deep into the heart and brings sinner Ito him. self" It may be a paragraph from book read in an idle moment. It may be a sermon prepared for just such a case as your own, Whatever it be heed the warning so timely, for there may be a time when too far into sin will not be repented of, and pride will so arise that sin will be denied and the real condition of the heart calloused beyond redemp- ton. Peter had every confidence that he would not sin against his Lord. But in his following afar off" and sitting by the sinners fire" he was led into their way of thinking and he denied his best friend and swore that he never knew Him. Jesus had warned him before, but Peter must have his eX- perience, and many was the time that the memory of it was bitter
 He leadeth me in the path of righteousness.' The Oriental shep- herd proceeded the flock and the sheep followed him.
 1. There was willingness to be led. It is so much our nature not to be led; we want our own way and we will have it. We get it. Then why blame the Lord when we won't be led?
 ? To be led requires a strong de mand on our faith The disciples saw and followed Him through the paths of Palestine, but we are de nied the physical sight and we fol low Him by faith. We love Him whom we have not seen. Faith is a very essential part of our follow ing. When the Christian loses faith he goes into sin; faith has never yet led man into sin, if that faith be in the Son of God
 8 We detect His leading in many ways It may be a chance text, or the example of Christ-like char acter, or the flashes of the Spirit in the Bible. If we don't know the way we just wait until He reveals the way. They also serve who only stand and wait" It is just as necessary for the soldier to await the command as to enter into the charge. Obedience is the first law of service He says follow me. Are you following?
 f. He always leads along paths of righteousness. The world is filled today with evil shepherds, hirelings, who would lead in paths of fornica- ton, the True Shepherd alone can lead in paths of Righteousness. He knows, for He has been over the road. He looks ahead; we look after we have passed. But men are continually saying: No, l will