Year: 1877




SERMON IN THE TABERNACLE, APRIL IS.


Text, Gen. IL: 31.-GOd had called
Abraham ont from his own country and
kindred and friends and he came to
Haran about half way from his native
land to the land God called him to.
There he fingered and stayed five years
with Lot and his father, till his father
died, and after the death of his father,
he then came into the promised land.
want to call your attention to this one
thought, that Abraham did what Il
great many are doing in the present
time-they want to become Christians
and do not come ont entirely, they
want to he Just half and half They do
not like this coming out entirely from
all their associates and old friends, and
that is the reason they do not get light
and liberty and peace. | WAS talking
to-day with one of these men, and he
said that many that started the same
time he did got light, liberty and peace,
and he has not, and he does not under
stand it. 1t is because he has stopped
half way, and he will not have true
light till he does the whole thing, and
comes clean out. Leave the world en-
tireIy and come into the promised land
across the jordan, and burn all the
| bridges, and then get clear into the
land God would have you in. When
you get on resurrection ground you
have peace and power.


| think the great trouble with this
man Lot was, that he was like a great
many nOw-he was not independent,
he was following Abraham. He was
one of these men that lack moral cour-
age and character to come out wholly
and stand alone. Lot went with Abra-
ham, and we find great many of the
same class of people now. l have
found quite a number of them in the
inquiry room. A man comes with his
wife, each agreeing to come if the other
! did. | have not much hope of people
coming that way. The religion of Jesus
Christ is an individual matter; men
and women are not to wait for one an
other. When we die we go alone to
Judgment it is one by one we pass
away, and one by one we ought to come
| to Christ.


Now Lot got out of the land of the
idolaters, he got out of Haran and got
into the promised land, but we are told
that famine struck the land, and in
stead of Abraham waiting to get orders
from God he fled into Egypt. God
probably wanted to try his faith. He
went into Egypt, and so we find that
Abraham fell into sin. As he came up
out of Egypt we are told that he had
great wealth, and very often wealth
brings trouble. They had not been out
of Egypt ii great while with their great
substance before there was strife among
the herdsmen. Lots herdsmen got quar-.
reling with the herdsmen of his uncle
Abraham knew the God of peace anG
lie could not have any strife. Abraham
said to his nephew, let us not have any
trouble you take the right hand and
will take the left, or you take the lef
hand and | will take the right. There
was where Lot made his first mistake
and instead of saying to his uncle, yOU
are older than am, and all that have
financially | owe to you, and | will de
what you tell me to do-but instead
he lifted up his covetous eyes and they
rested upon the well-watered plain o
) SOdOm and he made his choice. NJ
man or woman has ever made a choic,
, from that day to this without callins
on God to help him, but has made /
mistake. Lot did not know what h,