The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-11-21
THREE VOICES AND A
FOURTH-DR. MACSPORRAN

Elijah's experience on Horeb. 1.-THE
Mount of God" was the basis of DR..
]. A. MacSporran's strong sermon at
the First Presbyterian church yester-
day morning. THE mighty Tishbite,
Elijah, servant of God; rugged. hag-
gard, titanic SOUL" said DR.. Mac
Sporran, was the center of one scene
that fascinates us all. His expe-
rience where he found the Lord not
in the wind. nor in the earthquake,
nor in the fire. but in the still small
voice; what does it mean for us to-
day."
DR.. MacSporran stated that every
man finds in this, his own message
1t is especially one for this present
day and people. He related how Eli
jah went up to Horeb at Gods COM
mand to be cured of his discourage
ment after his victorious encounter
with the prophets of BaaL For he
had had no reward for his victory
only the promise of Jezebel to kill
him and to restore all the voices OF
evil to power.
What did all the clash and crash
of the elements that took place on
Horeb mean?" questioned Dr. Mac
Sporran. ut means the fall of the
civilization of that day through the
loss of its vital spiritual forces. 1t
meant that in the silence of desola-
ton following that fall the voice of
God would come, that men. again
would hear 1t, and the rebuilding of
the Kingdom of God begin. Elijah
saw what was coming to that dying
and corrupt civilization. Through
tempest. earthquake and fire all
would be swept away. The people
left would be those who could hear
and heed the still small voice"
Bringing the application down to
the modern day. DR.. MacSporran con-
tinued, 1--WE have passed through this
tempest and earthquake and fire Of
war. Now out of awful desolation
and moral bankruptcy comes the
still small voice The first three
voices were those of nature; the
fourth is that of God.
I'm the first voice of the text, that
of the storm, we have the wind cur
rents of popular opinions, the
screaming and the shouting flowing
from the hot heart of man." He en-
phasized that vox populi is not the
voice of God, that those who so take
1T are by no means correct.
The earthquake phase of Elijah's
experience he spoke of as the de-
struction working up from below,
that the life of men Is but a thin
crust OF civIzation over volcano.
only lately" he declared ARE we
learning life's capacity for insur-
gence-human earthquakes fed by OPP
preston. greed. injustice, until the
bursting point comes.
Third was the fire. Every true
prophet can call down fire from God.
Fire is the key that unlocks all the
beauties of nature and the physical
world. Fire is science. And already
we know enough to destroy the
world. But scientific knowledge is
not enough.
There must be the voice; that we
are the dear children of the heart Of
the eternal quiet. carried up in the
| mount to hear His voice and see His
face, to establish His city on earth.
b. The peril to us is that men
and women are suffering from nerves
hurried. driven. bitterly pressed
hence always living in the wind and
earthquake and fire. They need the
still small voice to keep them from
small and unworth views They are
depressed because spiritually under
Aourished. They need Godp sum-