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VOL. IV. RICHMON
rKUVh
It is a principle of human law that no one
shall be punished without trial. When any
one is supposed to be guilty of some offence he
must be proven guilty before penalty can be
inflicted. A little while ago the county court
was in session, (^uite a number of persons
were suspected or known to be guilty, but
there was no disposition to inflict punishment
until a trial had been given them, and guilt
had been proven. Now we ought to exercise
at least this much consideration in dealing with
(Jod. Here He brings complaint against the
people for their unkind and unjust treatment
of Him, and He had abundant reason for this
eommplaint. They had been guilty of very
grievous sins for which He rebuked them. They
had spoken very unkindly of Him, and for
which He brings against them the charge,
''Your words have been stout against me."
They had flagrantly and persistently disregarded
His counsel, hence the cause of this
accusation, "From the days of your fathers ye
have turned aside from mine ordinances, and
have not kept them." And now, as a result
of this great unkindness and this inexecusable
ingratitude, He, their Sovereign and Lord,
challenges them to Dut Him to tho tost
Prove me now," says He. "Try me, and
see if I will not bestow upon you an exceeding
great bounty, a bounty such that you will
not have the capacity- to receive."
In a sense He seems to approach these ungrateful
faultfinders with the air of humble
' ntreaty. We seem to hear Him say, "You
have been very impure in life and conduct, you
have oppressed those who should have been the
special objects of your consideration, you have
turned aside from my ordinances, disregarding
'hem, you have reserved it as your right to
speak most unkindly of me, your rightful
sovereign, but, for all this, I now come to you
in love, and humbly entreat you try me and see
if I will not have mercy on you, and confer
?n you the most lavish blessings, temporal and
spiritual. This is just like Him. Speaking
through the Prophet Isaiah, in the first chapter
" that remarkable prophecy, God summons
the heavens and the earth to hear Him make
complaint of the ingratitude of His people, and
here proclaims their wickedness in startling
terms, but how quickly He yields to the claims
of mercy, and humbling Himself to a level with
His wicked and apostate people, and let us reason
together, saith the Lord: though your sins
he as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be
as wool." Our Lord is so moved upon by the
supreme faithlessness of the people, who had
heard his gracious words, and had been eye
witnesses of His miracles of wonder, that He
Pronounces the most frightful woes upon them,
declaring that if Sodom had been given rfuch
advantages as they, that that wicked city, that
ID. NEW ORLEANS, ATLANTA, AUGU
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burned in fire from Heaven, would have repented
and been spared; that, because of their
failure to improve their gracious opportunities,
their judgment would be more severe than that
of these very wicked, but less favored cities of
the plains, yet with merciful entreaty He
brings them that most loving invitation, "Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." V
But again, viewing these iP^om a slightly
different standpoint, God seems here to speak
with the air of command.' He seems to say,
and that withy.the authority of a king, "You
have dealt harshly with those who should have
been the objects of your compassion. You have
An Evening Prayer
If I have wounded any soul to-day,
If I have caused one foot to go astray,
If I have walked in my own willful way?
Good Lord, forgive!
If 1 have uttered idle words or vain,
If I have turned aside from want or pain,
Les?' i myself should suffer through the strain?
Good Lord, forgive!
If 1 have craved for Joys that are not mine,
If I have let my wayward heart repine.
Dwelling on things on earth, not things divine?
Good Lord, forgive!
If I have been perverse, or hard, or cold,
If I have longed for shelter in thy fold
When thou hast given me some port to hold?
Good Lord, forgive!
Forgive the sins I have confessed to thee,
Forgive the secret sins I do not see,
Tfcat which I knew not. Father, teach thou me?
Help me to live!
?C. Maud Battersby.
ruthlessly trampled under foot my laws, which
were just and right, and have yielded your bodies
as willing instruments of corruption, and
now, ye wicked ones and rebellious, I command
you to investigate my claims. You may gather
your armies to battle if you will, you may take
i-wuiJtifi ttgamsi me ana mine anointed fson,
but I am not a weakling, that I should be intimidated.
I scorn as insignificant all your
blatant threats, and hold in derision your
claims to power. Just as a potter's vessel is
crushed by the stroke of an iron rod so will I
crush you if you only continue to be unmindful
of or rebellious against me as your rightful
sovereign."
But we think that this is not so much an entreaty,
nor so much a command as it is a challenge.
In this message, "Prove me now," Ood
is not pictured to us so much upon His knees,
in entreaty, nor do we seem to see Him so clear.
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REV. J. T. WADE ->Rfl
ly sitting opon the throne of His power, commauding
obedience to his Almighty authority,
but as one who has merited the right to consideration,
and comes before these evil doers
with the simple challenge, "Prove me now."
And to all such, who are living today, He comes
with this challenge. . "You have said that I
was a hard master. You have accused me of
making promises and not fulfilling them. You
have declared me to be unjust, harsh and unkind.
I challenge you to put me to the test;
give me a fair trial, and see if you can make
good your claim."
This challenge we desire to bring to you, my
brethren. Prove God. Put Him to the test.
Remember that He is not a man such as we are.
There is much reason for doubting some men,
but it is quite another thing to doubt God. Does
He seem somewhere to have failed in His promise
? Think you that His arms are too short to
reach down to you and help you. Do you think
that He is too far away to hear your cry? Put
Him to the test. Try Him. Prove Him now
and see.
I. PROVE IIIM AS TO BESTOWMENT OP BOUNTY.
I. Temporal. There are a great many people
who act as though they felt that their
temporal concerns depended entirely on their
own exertions. And this being the case they
are often ill at ease, and are living in constant
dread of the future. They are dead sure
that the starving time will come after a while.
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dance or scarcity depended altogether on them.
To all such God is saying, "Prove me now."
Through His inspired poet He says, "Open thy
mouth wide, and I will fill it." The Psalmist,
out of an abundance of experience, and a full
trial of God, declared, "The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want." Paul, with much
more than ordinary experience, and having
made proof of God's promises in many ways,
makes this very encouraging declaration, "My
God shall supply all your need according to
His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
One of the most striking examples to be
found in modern history in proof of this, may
be seen in the life and work of George Muller,
the man who made God his only patron, and
never wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom, and
got much more untold wealth, and honor bevond
that, of aow otVior ? *1
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God is very anxious that we should prove Him.
You may know something of the peculiar thrill
of joy that fills the heart of an honest man, who
has been confided in by his fellows and lias
been honored by them with some position of
trust. What brings greater cheer to the father's
heart than to see that his son has a feeling
of reverence for Him, and is willing to abide by
his counsel. And do you not believe that some