Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-07-05

1. Jehovah bless thee" You can
not explain that word, bless" 1t
breathes itself into the soul like a
rare perfume, but you cannot tell
what 1t Is. 1t touches the weary life
like tender mothers hand and lifts
1t up into rest and strength. You
know by sweet experience what 1t Is.
but you cannot define 1t. 1t Is the
heart Of God disclosed. 1t embraces
oil other elements found In this bene-
diction; the keeping, the shining face,
graciousness, the uplifted countenance,
the gift Of peace. That is His bless
Ing. Who that has beheld the cross
has seen the Well-Beloved hanging
there, can question what that great
heart holds for him? "He that spared
not his own Son, but delivered Him
up for US oil, how shall He not with
Him freely give us all thlngs?" Oh,
let US magnify that word, "bless."
2. "Jehovah make his face shine
upon thee" If His blessing reveals
His heart, this discovers His nearness.
Not afar Off, but nigh. Do not think
OF Him as fur away In heaven, yelled
away In His own eternity, unknown
and unlnowable. There Is no distance.
"Ye who sometime were far off are
| made nigh by the blood Of Christi. In
that place Of nearness, His face shines.
What JOY to know that the face from
which heaven and earth shall fee away
and that Is against them that do evil,
Is shining upon those in whose midst
He dwells.
B. "Jchovah lift up his countenance
upon thce." Frequently have the Lords
people been heard TO say that He has
hidden His face from them. 1t can
not be! For He who looks. upon His
beloved Son with unchanging delight
sees you and me ever in Him and
cannot turn away from us. If there
be hiding, 1t is you who are doing
1t, not He. The clouds that obscure
the sun do not come from the sun.
4. The Lord be gracious unto thee.
| This attitude explains nll else. His
grace is His kindness to the undc-
serving. Grace is not n frame Of mind
or state Of soul, but the attitude Of
God. "By grace are yc saved" and
over and over again, because We are
50 slow to believe it and because He
desires we should do so, comes the
salutation: "Gracc be unto you.'
But not only in His attitude but
In His activities on our behalf do we
see how oil His heart Is occupied for
| us.
l. Jehovah keep thee. This Is our
assurance and our security that He
who is gracious keeps us for His own.
"Kept by the power OF God" "Je-
hovnh Is thy keeper" says the Psalm
ist, and they are safe indeed whom
He keeps. But not alone rs His own
possession. He will keep that life
In all its daily affairs as though you
were His only child and His solitary
care. Jehovah keep thee" That i'm.
! plies what Scripture elsewhere en-
phaslzes and what every hour Of your
experience has proved: that you can
not keep yourself. II am not being
put to shame" says the apostle, "for
. he Is able to keep that which
I have committed unto him." Not my
soul only, but my daily life. o SOUL
IL He Is not keeping thee thou art be.
Ing put to shame. Every manifestation
Of the flesh puts you to shame. Every
impatient word, every unworthy deed
puts you to shame. He can keep you
and He will If you but give Him a
chance. Turn that life over to Him
and SEQ what He can make out Of It,
see how He can keep It in holy
triumph and Joy.
2. The iast element--last sweet.
lingering strain Of the anthem-is
peace. "Jehovah give thee peace" In
all the wide universe, In all the
tongues that men have spoken, there
Is no greater word. First salutatlon
Of the Risen Christ, "Peace be unto
you" last thing In His valedictory
"Peaco leave with you" Gle is
our peace" o soul, anxious care
worn, tossed and driven, fold this
blessing Of God to thy poor heart. His
own peace is for your present possess
sion. He desires you to have IT..
Have you seen the full significance
Of this blessing7 The divine name oc-
ours three times. and three is the
number Of the God.head, sum Of all
divine fullness. The connection Of the
three Persons with the three parts Of
tho blessing can be easily traced. All
that God Is Is thus engaged for. us :
Father, Son and Holy Spirit occupied
with us and for us, and all that wo
may be blessed. Oh, who would live
IN unblest life7 Who would be M
miserable7 GIVE me this blessing Of
God and am rich indeed. Ny heaven
has begun with It's holiness aud In
3oyi
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