Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1923-10-12

be child Of God, another to be an
obedlent child. Faith opens to us the
inexhaustlble treasures of the divine
wealth-obedlenc appropriates them
In service. The measure of obedience
differentlates Christians. God longs to
bestow His best upon all His children.
but He is hindered by unwillingness,
selhshness. stupidity. He cannot give
more than we can receive. Our ca
pacity is limited because our faith Is
dwarfed and undeveloped. Abram
obeyed Gods new cali. God rewarded
his obedience by admitting him to
three marvellous privileges in the life
Of faith:
I. An Angelic Appearance Of God
". ~. "And the Lord appeared unto
him. and he lifted up his eyes and
looked and 10, three men stood by
him."
This was different method Of d.
vine revelation. God appeared in dis
tinct form, the same as that of two
companions, and presented himself at
the door Of Abrams tent on the plains
of Mamre. The three were angelic,
yet they looked like men; heavenly,
yet they spoke the language Of earth
and conformed to its conditions; spir-
itual, yet they ate material food. Here
was a reality that brought God SO very
near, down into the common plane Of
human conditions even to the accept
ance of human hospitality. This was
a new kind Of comradeshlp, quite DIFF
ferent from solitude, contemplation
and spiritual ecstasy. II was a won
drous foreshadowing Of the incarna-
tion--the mystery life Of God as man
living His life in earthly conditions
How near Christ has come to men, but
nearer stiIl does He come to us as He
relives His earthly life in us today. as
we trust and obey.
u. Communicated Heavens Secret
". III. "Shall l hide from Abraham
the thing which / do?"
The beautiful city of Sodom with Its
prosperity, Its power and vast posi-
biIities for truth and righteousness,
had become place Of pleasure and
prodigality. The cup of iniqulty was
fnll-it could not continue in Its vile
corruptness. As the breeding place
Of q loathsome infection, 1t must be
destroyed. Drunk with pleasure, de-
lirious with success, II was all unsus-
pecting. God confided to Abraham the
awful secret of what He must do. lie
wanted to share His burden with a
man, His friend. On Abraham, what
a privilege to be the confidant Of God
Blessed foreshadowing OF the day
when Jesus said: 'Henceforth | call
you not servants; for all things that
l have heard of my Father I have
made known unto you"
God has told us His secrets. Among
them is His plan Of the ages-the flu.
ture of this world. What is His esti-
mate of 1t? Is It Sodomf You can
not learn Gods estimate Of the world
from the world. Alone with God.
walking before Him in obedience is
the place of revealed secrets. He con-
fides to His friends what He will do,
word that makes them intelligent.
III. Intercesslon for the lmperiled
". 81. Behold now, l have taken
upon me to speak unto the Lord"
This is third privilege of great
value. To plead with God for the
salvation of men transcends all other
opportunities, 1t links us to the COM
passionate heart of God more closely
than any other service we can render
We instinctIvely cry to God for the
salvation Of sinners when God reyeals
His secrets to US. God eonfides in us
when we walk before Him In the light
of His word and obey when He speaks
This is the source Of Intercessorv
prayer-a great staggering burden for
the unsaved. Abraham could plead
for Sodom because He was not a mart
of 1t, was unaffected by its affairs. had
no investments in It. Only the Chris
tian. untainted by the world, can con-
scientiously intercede for the worlds
lost sinners. Separation is the only
sure Insulation for the current Of
prayer power. This is the condition
OF microscopy prayer.
Abraham prayed. Lot and his fam
lily were delivered out of the doomed
city. Prayer changes things" Moth
ing but prayer will change the sinful
heart and save the doomed sinner. We
need intercessors. children Of t5od
who have been called to this high 70.
ward for obedience, selected TO learn
the divine secrets that Will imp,I them
to pray, to stand before God repre-
senting the lost and pleading the
cause of guilty sinners. Who will
obey? God calling still, shall not
hear? Lord, teach us to pray.
GaIfnarfat