The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-11-16
Gypsy Smiths Sermon
Last Evening 4.


AR. Smiths text. last evening was
from the First Book of Samuel, 18th
chapter and 22nd verse, "To obey is
better than sacrifice"
For hundred years the Amale-
Lites had been great thorn in the
side of Israel. No sooner had the
crops Of the Israelites been ready for
harvesting than the Amalekites would
sweep down ON them, and destroy
their crops, and kill their young men
and take their young women to be
their concubines; and God tells His
servant, Samuel, that it is time for
It to stop. and He says to Samuel, GO
and tell King Saul to gather his army
together and go against these people,
aid utterly destroy them. Kill every
! man and woman and child, infant
ana sucking, every camel, and OK,
.lId ass, and sheep" In other words,
20 wipe the tribe right out.
SO Saul gathers together an army
II 100000 men, and goes against the
Amalekites /. The Bible does not tell
us anything Of the battle, but we
know that they were victorious. When
The word of the Lord comes again for
the second time to the prophet, and
says, Saul has turned back from fol-
lowing. after me, and if you put your
ear close to the ground you can hear
the very sighs and groans of Geth-
scmane. 1t is the same old heart
break, the disappointment of God of
| febellious men. and He says, Saul,
Inc man l elected, the man anointed
| the man whom l gave this splendid
opportunity, the man whom l anoint-
ell to make history for He has turned
rack from following Me-"
| May pause moment to say this :
Supposing God were to write on your
forehead and mine tonight. not what
| cur folks think about us, not what
the world thinks, bu what He knows
us to be. Would He have to write
he or she has turned back from fol-
lowing me? And when the prophet
got the message he cried unto the
Lord all night, and he isn't the only
| preacher that, has cried all night.
The thing that kills the average
preacher is not work, because a
preacher is just as honest class of
men as any other class, but the thing
that kills the preacher is the want of
conservation and the inconsistencies
CT his church folks. And so Samuel
started out to meet this rebellious
king, and when he met him, have
often thought that Saul put on very
long face and allowed a religious
whine to come into his voice, and
said, BLESSED be thou Of the Lord, I
have returned from performing the
commandments of the Lord"
/ If he had lived in our day, and had
seen the preacher coming; he would
have put on his victrola, "Abide With
Me-" and busted the Bible, and put
it on the parlor table, and no sooner
than the preacher would have gone
out than "Abide With Me" would
come off the victrola, and they would
have put on it, "My Pretty Baby"
And just as Saul said I have returned
from performing the commandments
of the Lord, away back in the rear OF
TIE army, some sheep began to bleat
ind some oxen began to low, and the
prophet knew that when they left
bone that morning they did not take
any cattle with them, and so the
prophet said if you have done as YOU
were told, where did you get these
cattle from, for God told you to kill
every living thing.
And then Saul did exactly what
YOU and I do. He put the blame
somewhere else, and said the people
Gid it. And if came to you tonight
and asked you why you are not a |
Christian, the last person in the world |
sou would blame would be yourself. |
Some of you would say I never had |
right start. My parents did not care
fer religious things, and so did not
eve me right start, but you will |
he held responsible for your finish.
and while you may have been born
>'S' "iCh uSNlt llSlUe OF you, IL Is
quite possible to be born again, and
tnis time with the devil out. Some
other fellow would say, well, it is my
environment. cannot be a Christian
and work with the crowd have to
work with and do business with. III
know that environment is great |
word. 1t is very dainty lnorsel that |
we roll on our tongues end, but en-.
v:ronment is not everything. For in
stance, you put pig in your parlor,
and know which will change first
it won't be the pig. You can't cure a |
patient Of smallpox by putting him
between clean sheets, and you can be
bigger man than your environment.
Another man says, we'll, your church
Is too narrow. Why don't you widen
the doors to your church; why don't
you let down the bars? Why don't
you readjust your program? Why
don't you preach a more up-to- date
EOaDel2 I 0hiaot fnr ;f ,,o ill