South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-06-20
SERIES OF UNION
CHURCH SERVICES
OPENED BY DAVIS
Pastor of First Baptist Church
breaches Before Five
Congregations.

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Dr.. L. s. Davis. pastor Of the First
Baptist church, delivered the sermon
Sunday evening at the First Presby-
terrain church IN the first Of a series
OF union meetings. His subject was.
He Dwelled Upon the Hills" The
meetings will continue each Sunday
evening during June, July and Au-
gust. Services next Sunday evening
viii be held at the First Christian
church, with Rev. A. +. Monger,
pastor OF First Methodist church.
preaching. The Grace VI. Z. church
is also taking part in the series.
DR.. Davis sermon, IN part, fol-
lows:
4 VIII lift UP mine eyes unto the
hills, from whence COmeth my help"
The Psalmist looked for view OF
nature that would steady his faith.
He saw the wicked were prosperous
and the righteous afflicted. The
cruelties and treacheries Of men had
strained his faith ia humanity.
Would his faith In God also be
damaged. Unless he could get a
firm footing Godward amid the
rasping storms OF a discOrdant
world. he too would lose his faith.
Then he looked up at the hills. He
saw their steadfastness. They stood
immovable and immutable in the
midst OF removals and changes.
Then he said, His foundation is in
the holy mountains AS the noun
tains are round about Jerusalem, so
the Lord Is round about his people
The hills were smybols Of Gods
everlastingness. They were memoir
ials Of divine protection.
The Upward Look.
1.-THE greatest need of men today
is the upward look. We are in a
world where we are subjects Of its
influences, caught by its temptations,
absorbed by its claims, pulled down
by its cares. Busy six days with the
things Of the hands we come to get
the downward set Of the eyes. Like
the man with the rake we see only
the muck and dirt of the earth.
Looking for dirt we find dirt. The
light of the body is the eye but if
the eye sees only the low and the
vile. the body too becomes low and
vile. We need to look unto the hills.
Hills are stairways leading beyond
and to better things than themselves.
Most Of us live on low levels below
our privileges, missing much and
becoming dull. Moses climbed into
Mt. Sinai and found Cod Elijah
went up into Mt. Horeb and met
God. Jesus led his disciples into the
mountain and was TRANSPORTED in
their presence. On the top of
mountain he preached his great SER
mon. When we thing of Calvary we
think of hill. From the top Of
hill He was lifted 10 his throne. No
hin. no transfguration. no great
thoughts. We need more Of the hill
top life.
THE message of the hills is the
message Of an unchanging and un-
changeabIe God. God the same yes
terday, today and forever. There
are other things that change not.
Wickedness is the same in all ages.
And so is righteousness the same.
Human nature is the same. We of
today are tempted just as were they
in the days Of Noah. What we see
in our backward look is that all the
nations that forgot God, passed
away. Men have made many eXper-
iments; but ii should be clear at
last that when men turn to material
power and to worldly wisdom they
turn to failure and want. This pres
ent age has many needs and men
seek feverishly for what they think
will satisfy those needs, but the one
great need is a revival Of simple and
sincere religion. So simple that all
men may grasp it's truth. and so sin
cere that men will make it the mo-
tive power Of life. The world rushes
on IN its mad orgy of selfshness,
sensualism and crime. Some groups
dance away the nights in luxurious
animalism, while other groups perish
by thousands Of starvation, exposure
and disease.
"The social conscious is lowered
until we witness, without even lifting
an eyebrow. the governor of a great
state officially inviting the president
of the republic TO attend a smuggling
contest between two highly trained
human animals. The world awaits
America said the ambassador Of a
foreign country at one Of our col
leges last week. What kind of an
America does the world await?
What kind of help does the world
need? It is the help the Psalmist
found in the God of the hills. But
this help will not come until Amer
lea and the nations Of the earth lift
their ewes to the God Of the hills"