Norwich bulletin., 1917-01-15
DR.. SLOcUM DELIVERED
IMPRESSIVE SERMON
Pastors Theme Was on the Men Who
Made Good.


Pastors Theme Was on the Men Who
Made Good.
the Central Baptist church delivered
an impressive sermon on Athe subject
| 1.-THE Men Who Made Good"
I Rev. DIR. Slocum said in part:
Moses stands out among the great
men of all time. He was remarkable
not only as the emancipation of a peo-
pie from their bondage, but he exhib-
tied powers of mind and qualities of
character that have identified him with
the development of the human race.
| He was the acknowledged leader of
a people that must have numbered
| two million souls. He spent the first
forty years of his life in the court of
PharOah. His time there was devoted
| to study, to the luxurious recreations
of kings palace, and to military ex-
| ploits; for he was a successful general
in leading the armies of Egypt to war
| against her enemies. Undoubtedly he
sat at the same table with Pharoah
and enjoyed intimacy not only with
| that monarch, but also with the priests
| and magicianS of that brilliant court.
Secretly, however, he was at heart
identified with the hopes and strug-
giles of his own people.
! When he reached the age of forty,
| something happened that brought out
| the fiery impetuosity of his nature
vot1on to his own people. An Egyp-
| tan overseer as beating a Hebrew.
Moses looked about him and saw no
man and then he smote the Egyptian
| to his death and hid him in the sand.
Evidently Moses was not yet ready to
| assume the leadership of the Hebrew
| people. He had not gained sufficient
control of himself This incident
compelled Moses to flee, probably be-
cause it disclosed his Identification
with the despised and numerous ma
ton of slaves.
So Moses did not graduate then and
take up his life workk, but he continued
schooling. Having graduated however
rather precipitously from the Universe
ty of Egypt, he next took up a grad
uate course in the College of Gods
out of doors!
There in the land Of INDIAN to which
he fed, he fulfilled the humble task of
shepherd. Later on, in Gods remark
able plan, shepherds were to play a
conspicuous part. David became a
shepherd and it was a company of
Judean shepherds who first heard
heavenly announcement of the Saw
tours birth.
In that waste and bowling wilder
ness Moses had opportunity to think
of God and to see His footprints. Like
Paul in a later day, Moses tarried,
though so much longer than Paul, to
get his bearings and to learn the
great things that God had planned for
him. Making his home with a priest
he had opportunity to be in touch with
human life and yet for the most part
he was alone with his sheep, thinking
Gods thoughts and putting his Egyp-
tan learning to good use as he wrote
down under the guidance Of the Spirit
of God, the events of a thousand
years; COMPRISING them into the
wonderful book called Genesis. Thus
for forty years more Moses served as
pupils in the great school of the wild
erness until he had learned its secrets
and until he had learned himself and
how to control his powers for the SER
vice of God.
Then God spoke to him miraculously
out of the flaming bush and gave him
his great commission. He was not |
nearly so confident of himself now he |
had been in the earlier days. All the |
better was he prepared for the great |
struggle. |
The story of how Moses went to the |
rescue of his people and how at length |
after many hindrances he succeeded |
in getting them out of Egypt is exceed |
ingly familiar. We will not touch up
on those fascinating details but come /
to the third period in the life of Moses, |
namely, his leadership Of Gods people |
through the wilderness.
This was his greatest task. These
forty years were more than full of
trials for Moses. The people ere ig-
norant and fmpulsive and impatient
and ungrateful. They ere more like
grown children than grown people.
There were never at any time really
satisfied. They longed to be back in
Egypt. They forsook Jehovah time
and time again. They became idolat-
tors and unmindful of the mercies of
God. They made Moses the scapegoat
of all their complaints and they went
so far as to express sorrow that/they
had not died in Egypt.
But even after all this is admitted,
it is marvellous to note the changes
that took place in those people during
This rarin6 From a nation of slaves 1
they became a nation of warriors and
HE Transformation was due to the
leader.
What were some Of the outstanding
Of Moses as an educat-
I'd leader?
He had a temper. 1t was a temper
hat gave him trouble more than once,
Ind pathetically, that same temper was
he means of keeping Moses out Of the
Promised Land. But for the most
,art Moses kno how to control It ,
And when that temper was
OF Moses in dealing with the
peculiar problems that came into his :
laily experience.
He remained consistent with ana 10y
i'm when He selected him for a task '
70 gigantic that Goa made that day In
'urning brush. Moses never forgot.
There are people who are all the !
they remind me Of the Tea faster
aw when a boy In big wholesale D
Office house IN Boston. ! was great
v impressed with the mans ability 20
by his sense Of smell and II
ometimes by his taste between varf- a
us grades OF tea and coffee. Now the
adioal difference between that tea d
aster and these religious trafnps that n
% the rounds trying out various q
rands Of religion, is that my tee
( tea that suited him Immensely. L
loses kept right on and attended TO {
he Lords work. In
Then Moses Inspired the pesBia 4