THE PULPIT. •
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR. S. EDWARD YOUNG.
Subject: Mountain Taught People.
Brooklyn, N. Y.—Every seat on
main floor and in the gallery was
filled Sunday in the Bedford Presby¬
terian Church, and chairs were placed
in every available space to accommo¬
date the large audiences that wished
to hear the new pastor, the Rev. Dr.
S. Edward Young. His subject was:
■‘Wanted—People Taught on the
Mountains of God to Toil in the Low¬
lands of Sin.” The texts were from
St. Luke 9:33, 37 and 38: “Master,
it is good for us to be here; and let
us make three tabernacles. * * *
When they were come down from the
hill, much people met Him. And
behold, a man of the company cried
out, saying, ‘Master, I beseech Thee,
look upon my son.’ ” Dr. Young said:
Wanted—People taught on the
mountains of God to toil in the low¬
lands of sin. Our best training, our
noblest service, is neither up there
altogether, nor down here altogether;
but consists in uniting wisely the
dreamer and the doer, the mystic and
the practical man. How many art
reprints cut Raphael’s sermon in the
middle by showing only the top half
of his “Transfiguration!” You may
well extol the composition of that
portion, its design, its expression, its
grace. Above the adoring trio of
disciples see that portraiture of
Christ beyond which human genius
probably cannot go. Yet with you
ought to linger quite as persistently
the scene Raphael crowds at the foot
of the mount—the pitiable lad, the
agonized father, the eager multitude,
the mockers and the sorely harried
nine disciples—Raphael’s way of
writing underneath "The upper glory
is needed down here.” Let helpers
come from the highland country. Oft
times off the material hills men have
dashed into earth’s valleys for daring
conquests. Their lungs had the ozone
and their limbs the litheness and
their wills the boldness born of lofty
altitudes. From Sinaitic plateau
Moses will break into low-lying Egypt
and redeem his race. From Tabor or
Olivet or some other prayer-mount
Jesus will arrive every morning in
spirit renewed. The missionary en¬
terprise is never from dead level to
dead level, but always from the
heights of God to the quagmires of
men.
To be most useful in the hurry and
struggle of our twentieth century life
you require a Hermon Summit of the
mind, a spiritual sanctuary where
unto you again and again resort. No
mortal’s steady work can be beautiful
or sublime enough to escape the need
of this heavenly retreat. Would you
not say that Charles Dickens sank
further than some of his characters
and remained merely a character
sketcher, not a character-builder, be¬
cause he lacked the relief that comes
by being away awhile from one’s task
and one’s self? He was buoyed up
by the popularity of his books, by the
thunder he made, by the money he
got, by the cheer of his friends—•
these gone, his cup was empty.
Happy are those who find surcease of
the world’s clamor in reading au¬
thors who uplift and so shelter in the
sanctuary of literature. Blessed are
such nature loving spirits as can at¬
tain fine elevation and a serene out¬
look if only they catch a glimpse of
blue sky or feast their eyes upon the
luster of the stars. Most blessed are
they who, wheresoever placed, have
learned to meet with God, to keep
their tryst with Him, to see His face
and be filled with His vision for them.
No recent religious movement prom¬
ises more, I am persuaded, than the
world-wide banding together of a few
disciples here and there to observe
the morning watch, the first half hour
on waking from sleep each new day
being devoted to reading the Scrip¬
tures, to meditation and prayer—a
sort of holy exorcising of the evil
spirits and fleshly lusts, a washing
out of the fret and soreness of the
heart, the anointing of the inner self
with heavenly ideas. I entreat you
to establish this morning watch.
Keep your Jerusalem windows open.
Believe the presence of the Almighty
about you and hear Him say: I
will he to them as a little sanctuary
in the countries where they shall
come.”
Shall we not esteem our mountain
top our castle for refuge? In olden
times in Germany or France or Eng¬
land at the morning light through
the castle gates issued the people,
each to his farming or trading or
journeying. When enemies came, or
nightfall, into the castle they hied
for safety. Castle-surrounded is my
soul while I keep unprofaned a tryst
ing place with God. Assaults are
made—I separate the world by haul¬
ing in across the moat the drawbridge
of worldly thought, I let the port
cullis cd.ll I hide within the protec
tion of Him who is my fortress.
Come hither, tempted men and wom¬
en! Come, any Margaret cast off by
any Faust! Come, every Simon Peter
who falls! Make haste to the castle!
Shall we not consider our mountain
top a communion closet? Christ dis¬
closed the first secret of prayer thus:
“When thou prayest enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut the
door pray, We simply must some*
times leave the world out there.
Grant yourself a little release from
our terrible New York turmoil. Oc¬
casionally shut outside your secret
prayer-door even your dearest earthly
friends. Depths of divine communion
wait in which you can enter only
when alone. An often used prayer
cell would be the best possible feature
In a New York office building and
would prevent many a tragedy of
character sad enough to make an
archangel weep.
Shall we not seek our mountain
top for inspiration? Are not our na¬
tures like stagnant waters needing
to be lifted in looms of light and
woven into vapors, reborn in the sky,
to descend in benedictious on the
land? What inspiration, what ex¬
altation, what sense of other worldli¬
ness the transfiguration brought to
Christ and the three disciples': De¬
tached it seemed they were from
earth—there in exhilarance. De
tached from time they were—eras of
Moses and Elijah and Jesus merged
—there is the atmosphere of eter¬
nity. Detached from fear—even
death spoken of as an exodus, a
transit out of Egypt into Canaan—
there is fullness of joy. And what
more shall I say?—of that Sheklnah
light that clothes the Mount? Of the
Master’s raiment white from the
woofs of God? Of His sunlike shin¬
ing face? Of the voice ethereal
trumpeting: This is My beloved
Son?” Of the rapture well nigh past
endurable?
But yonder is an afflicted boy, down
in the mountain’s shadow—pity that
poor lad. Any moment a convulsion
takes him, hurls him into fire or
water. His body now is rigid, now is
limp. His teeth chatter and—Why
does he not speak? Disease has slain
his Dower of speech. No sound hears
he. A demon tyrannizes over his
spirit. From childhood’s days, year
on year his malady has been to him a
living death. Take back your moun¬
tain top words, Simon Peter, “It is
good for us to be here—And let us
make three tabernacles.” Could ye
sit and sing yourselves away to ever¬
lasting bliss up there and let this
tortured youth go on dying and yet
not dying?—Christ and His three
disciples descend the mountain and
behold the lad unshackled from his
agony! Granted are the mountain
top experiences that all may render
the lowlands better service. “Freely
ye have received; freely give.”
Have you a kindness shown?
Pass it on! Pass it on! A,
'Twas not given for you aione,
Pass it on! Pass it on!
Let it travel down the years,
Let it wipe another’s tears,
Till in heaven the deed appears,
Pass it on! Pass it on!
Have you found the heavenly light?
Pass it on! Pass it on!
Souls are groping in the night,
Hold Daylight lighted gone! Daylight lamps gone! nigh,
your on
Be a star in someone's wouid sky.
He may live who else die,
Pass it on! Pass it on!
But down there waits a father, dis¬
tressed. His very soul groans itself
out for this, his only son. He has
tried everything and everybody. He
despairs. Stay forever up in those
radiant heights and permit this
broken-hearted father to perish in his
heroic struggle? Not you who are
touched with celsstial fire! Christ
and the three go down—soon that
father’s happiness mounts on eagle’s
wings. Dear church people, by what
right call we ourselves Christians, if
we desire Jesus Christ and the sanc¬
tuary and spiritual seasons all to
ourselves with never a thought of
sharing with the yet unblessed? I
do not know where that wretched boy
of the lowlands is; but I know he is
somewhere and that he needs you.
I know not the whereabouts of that
suffering father yearning for your as¬
sistance. I know he is somewhere.
But down there are a multitude of
people tossed by doubts, willing to
believe on due evidence, ready to re¬
ceive the real living illustration of
the Christ spirit incarnate again; still
weak and worried till one come with
the breath of mountain top to hearten
and lead upward. Oh, the thousands
here at hand so waiting! Yes—and
rise your chivalry now! Down there
are nine disciples doing their utmost
to keep the boy and his father and
the people; and these nine are
scorned, jeered, taunted by hateful
bystanders who more than hint that
the disciples and the Master, too, are
fakirs and deceive the unwary. Show
me the coward shirker who would
everlastingly hang around up here
on the mountain top while those
brave valley heroes battle against
such odds. Remain exactly long
enough on your mountain top to fix
in your mind the ideal from God and
in your heart the resolve to go down
and made the ideal glorious fact. As
Moses saw the tabernacle on Sinai’s
summit, tabernacle built of mist tim¬
bers away in the dreamy haze, to be
reproduced thereafter by solid tim¬
bers on the flat ground for the peo¬
ple’s salvation. The sin country can
be bettered only by a life a little
elevated above itself in purpose and
purity. Be with God some and then
go.
Sufficient the number of men who
look out upon humanity with entire
indifference; sufficient the few who
see mankind but to despise them;
sufficient the abominable many whose
ruling interest in their fellows is to
use them for private advantage—Be
thou, O, larger souled believer, one
to hold thyself and all thou hast in
faithful trusteeship for the rest of
our brother humankind to slave for
them, if you choose to call it slaving.
Our chiefest pleasure should be to
serve with loftiest gifts the lowliest
needs of the wretchedest mortals for
whom the God-Man came to earth,
went to Gethsemane and Golgotha.
Ample recompense is found in the
mere doing thereof, ample in our
Lord’s approval, ample in the long
hereafter. “Let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ Jesus; who,
being in the form of God, thought it
not a prize to be snatched to be equal
with God; but made Himself of no
reputation and took upon Him the
form of a servant. * * * Where¬
fore, God also hath highly exalted
Him and given Him a name which is
above every name, Wanted—Peo
pie taught on the mountains of God
to toil in the lowlands of sin.
Nat Goodwin Married.
Nat Goodwin and Miss Edna Good*
rich were married in Boscon.
&un&hj-&cn<x>f
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM¬
MENTS FOR NOVEMBER 20.
Subject: World’s Temperance Sun
day, Isaiah 28:1-13—Golden
Text, 1 Cor. 0:27-— Commit
Verse 11—Commentary.
TIME.—725 B. C. PLACE.—Jeru¬
salem.
EXPOSITION.—I. The Destruc¬
tion of the Drunkards of Ephraim, 1
•1. By “the crown of pride” is meant
the city of Samaria (see R. V. and cf.
1 K. 16:24). It is here compared to
a chaplet of flowers on a drunkard’s
brow (It. V.). This chaplet of flow¬
ers, says Isaiah, “shall he trodden
ynder foot,” because of their sin and
pride. The people of the northern
kingdom as a nation are spoken of as
“the drunkards of Ephraim.” Drunk¬
enness seems to have been so wide¬
spread as to have become a national
sin (cf. ch. 5:11, 12; Hos. 7:5; Am.
2:6, S, 12; 4:1; 6:6). The effect of
their drink upon them was that they
were “overcome” (literally, “smitten
down”) by it. Let us not forget that
it was “the native wines of a wine¬
growing district” that did this for
Ephraim, and not distilled spirits nor
adulterated poisons. Their “chaplet
of pride” and “glorious beauty” was
after all but a “fading flower.” So it
Is with every chaplet of earthly pride
and all the “glorious beauty” of this
present world (1 Pet. 1:24). The
prophet’s answer to Israel’s confi¬
dence is, their crown of pride was
that Jehovah had “a mighty and
strong one. it This “mighty and
strong one > ' was the king of Assyria
(2 K. 18:10-12). The Assyrians them¬
selves were a “bloody,” deceitful and
rapacious people (Nah. 3:1), but
they were an instrument in Jehovah’s
haiid for fulfilling His word and
bringing judgment upon His back¬
sliding people (cf. Ps. 76:10). The
coming of the Assyrian is described
by a threefold figure: “a tempest of
hail,” “a destroying storm,” “a tem¬
pest of mighty waters overflowing.’'
The thought contained In these fig¬
ures is that of widespread and over¬
whelming destruction (cf. ch. 8:7, 8).
Back of all this work of devastation,
destruction and desolation was the
wrath of God at sin (2:4-9). This
destruction, etc., all came upon them
“because they obeyed not the voice
of Jehovah, their God” (2 K. 18:11,
12). Jesus uses a similar figure re¬
garding those who hear His words
and do them not (Matt, 7:26, 27).
II. Jehovah of Hosts For a Crown
of Glory, 5, 6. In the midst of the
awful desolation of his own time,
when every crown of pride and all
glorious beauty is a fading flower,
the prophet looks forward to “that
day” (the day of the Lord’s Return
and manifestation). So in the midst
of present sin and judgment for sin
we should look forward (for com¬
fort in our hearts and encouragement
in our work) to our Lord’s coming
again (Tit. 2:13; 2 Pet. 3:12-14, R.
V.). “In that day” “a crown of
glory” will take the place of “the
crown of pride,” and “a diadem of
beauty" the place of “the fading flow¬
er of his glorious beauty.”
III. Erring Through Wine, Out of
the Way Through Strong Drink, 7, 8.
i t These also” (the people of Jerusa¬
lem), as well as Ephraim, “have
erred through wine and through
strong drink are out of the way.”
The prevailing sin of drunkenness
had reached even God’s representa¬
tives, “the priest and the prophet”
(cf. ch. 56:10-12; MIc. 2:11). The
priests were especially inexcusable
because of the plain directions of
God’s word (Lev. 10:9, 10; Ez.
44:21). They were reeling through
strong drink, they were swallowed up
of wine, they were gone astray
through strong drink (see R. V.,
Marg.). The result was, they utterly
failed in their official acts. They
reeled in vision and stumbled in judg¬
ment. Wine and strong drink con¬
fuse the spiritual perceptions and
rob men of judgment. The religious
teacher who indulges in them is es¬
pecially culpable and utterly incapac¬
itated for his holy office. The use of
wine and strong drink made their
social gathering filthy and disgusting.
IV. How God Teaches Those Who
Will Not Hearken to His Word, 0-13.
Verses 9 and 10 may be taken as
giving us the mocking answer of
the people to God’s prophet. If
we take them this way the peo¬
ple are represented as saying,
“Whom will he teach knowledge,
etc.? Does he take us for babies
just weaned? It is precept upon pre¬
cept, etc.” If the prophet himself Is
the speaker, then Jehovah is repre¬
sented as teaching knowledge to
babes and not to the self-sufficient
(cf. Matt. 11:25; 21:15, 16; Mk.
10:15). These are the ones whom
He 1 1 makes to understand the mes
sage 1 * (R. V.). And the method of
His teaching is “precept upon pre¬
cept” (cf. Neh. 9-29, 30; 2 Chr.
36:15; Jer. 11:7). As they had not
listened to Jehovah speaking through
His prophets He will now speak to
them through foreign conquerors (v.
11, R. V.; cf. Deut. 28:47-49). If we
will not hear God’s loving and patient
call to repentance He will speak to U8
through cruel enemies, God had
called them to “rest.” They would
not hear that call; so He now sent
them conflict and destruction. He
calls us also to “rest” (Matt. 11:28,
2 9). If we will not hear that call He
will send us destruction (2 Thess.
1:7-9). The whole secret of their
trouble (and of every man’s trouble
to-day) was that they would not listen
to God’s word.
Everything to Suild With.
We have recently purchased the Harris Manufacturing
Company’s lumber plant and stock and will devote our
exclusive attention to the builders supply busiues in bho
future.
Our very complete stock includes
Brick, Lime, Sand, Cement, Fiber Wall Plaster, Paris
Plaster, Laths, Framing—rough or sized to order;
Weatherboarding- several grades; Sheeting. Shingles )
Prepared Roofing, Kiln Dried Flooring and Ceiling, the
kind that don’t crack open—several grades; Doors—
plain, and fancy glass front doors; Sash and Blinds—
in usual sizes; Window Cords, Weights and Pulleys;
Mantels, Columns, Balusters, Brackets, Mouldings,
Wainscoting, Corner and Plinth Blocks; Turned and
Sawed Work Made to Order; Door and Window
Frames; Sherwin-Williams Paint, Oils and Varnishes;
Gunranteed Roof Paint.
IN FACT
Everything to Build Ulilb.
Bring us a list of the material that you waijt, or a plan of
the house you anticipate building, and lot us convince you
that our prices are right.
Fori Valley Lumber Company.
FEMININE NEWS NOTES.
Miss Hilma Johnson defied death
threats and frightened off two bur¬
glars in New York City.
Miss Clara Howard, an American
girl, has been chosen for a free schol¬
arship at Girton College, London.
Barnard College girls, responding
to a “help wanted” poster, took jobs
as waitresses in the college lunch
room.
Mrs. Louisa Baiderman, sixty
seven, of New York City, proposed to
John D. Haight, fifty-three, her
boarder, and was accepteij.
Five hundred young girl friends
escorted to the grave the body of
Frances Grossman, a leader in charit¬
able endeavor and a political worker
in New York City.
Surrogate Thomas. New York City,
refused to probate the will by which
Mrs. Sarah R. Bartnett was made to
disinherit, her children, declaring it a
"cruel, heartless deception on a dy¬
ing woman. it
Mme. Michaels, an architect, is
now constructing what will be when
finished the largest building in Mar¬
seilles, France. Great Britain has at
]past one famous architect. Miss Eliz¬
abeth McClelland.
Mrs. Allen Potts, owner of Castle
Hill, a Virginia estate, became Indig
ant at the Horse Show after riding
her own entry, only to be unplaced,
while the blue ribbon went to a thor¬
oughbred ridden by a negro.
Miss Anna Meldrum. of Dundee,
Scotland, on her way to Ottawa to
marry, met an old sweetheart on the
ship. Thev wore married in the New
York City Hall, and the bride wrote
her regrets to the man in Ottawa.
Mrs. Isaac L. Rice, of New York
City, decided to organize a branch of
the Society for the Suppression of
Unnecessary Noise. She carries with
her a phonograph with records of
many of the ear-snlitting and nerve
racking noises of New York.
NEWSY GLEANINGS.
'Americans still remain the feature
on the London Stock Exchange.
The first American Catholic Mis¬
sionary Congress convened in Chi¬
cago.
Persians at Teheran anpeaied to
the Powers to uphold their demand
for a constitution.
At Berlin popular sentiment for a
ministry responsible to Parliament is
rapidly increasing.
Plans for the ter-centennial nnni
versary of the discovery of Lake
Champlain were made public at Bur¬
lington, Vf.
Count ITulsen-Haseler. chief of the
German Military Cabinet, died in the
presence o f Emperor William at Do
nan each in gen.
F. Clay Pierce, the oil man, sur
rendered himself in Austin, Texas, to
answer a charge of false swearing in
a previous case.
On February 1 127 new pav-as
vou-enter cars will be nut in opera
tion on Eighth and Madison avenues,
New York City.
A report made public by Compt.rol
ler Metz shows that a strip of land
worth $60d, taken for a street in
Rosebank. S. I., cost, the city $8.>00.
The Tribuna, a Government organ
at Rome, Italy, demanded that the
engagement of the Duke of
Abruzzi and Miss Elkins be either
confirmed or denied.
Selling pools on horse races and
maintenance of hefting rings at race
tracks are under the ban of the law
in the State of Washington, according
to a decision of the State Superior
Court.
When the Kings County Grand
Jury visited Brooklyn (N. Y.) Police
Headquarters they were shocked to
learn that men measured women
prisoners by the Bertillon system,
and overheard a detective order a
woman prisoner to put down her
dress.
As the child is father of the man,
it is all the more important to get.
the child started right and keep it
right.
>■
Education is a poor investment un¬
less it be built on a foundation of
common sense.
W. H. HAFER,
DENTIST.
Fort Valley, Georgia
Office over First National Bank.
C. Z. McArthur,
Dentist
FORT VALLEY, QA.
Office over Slappey’s Drug Store.
A. C. RILEY,
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW,
WHiailT BUILDING,
Fort Valley, Qa.
Practice in all the courts. Money
loaned. Titles abstracted.
Tire $ Die Insurance
n. D. Skeliie.
Office Phone No. 54.
FORT VALLEY, GA.
C. L. SHEPARD,
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW,
Fort Valley, Ga.
Office Over First National Bank.
TONSORIAL ARTIST
For anything in the tonsorial lina
don’t fail to call on
WILLIAMS
Next Door to Post Office.
Experienced alL workmen Everything and courteona up-to-daU. a t>
tention to
——— I. — — a. ■ ■ I .1 —■—
PROMINENT PEOPLE.
Ellliu Root. Secretary of State, said
he would accept the New York Sena
torship.
Senator Elkins denied that, his
daughter is engaged to the Duke of
the Abruzzi.
A movement was begun to over¬
throw Charles F. Murphy as the lead¬
er of Tammany Hall.
Dr. Waldemar .Tochelson left New
York City on a two years’ ethnologi¬
cal expedition among the Aleuts.
In his annual report Rear-Admiral
pnisbury recommended restoring the
rank of Vice-Admiral of the navy,
u on j a j me> RO n of the pretender,
Don Carlos, has been appointed a
captain-general in the Spanish army,
At Christiania King Haakon head
; cd the pu t,ii c subscription for Captain
Amundsen’s polar expedition with
$5000.
At Stockholm, Sweden, William
Marconi, of wireless telegraphy fame,
ifJ to l)0 awar q e d the next Nobel Prize
in physics,
Wi iliam T. Goodwin, Bank Corn
missioner of Rhode Island, was ap
pointed temporary receiver of the
Central Trust Company, of Rhode
Island,
It was announced that President
Roosevelt’s work on The Outlook
would he that of special contributing
editor, and that he would begiu on
March 5, 1909.
Under the will of Mrs. Jane S.
Townsend, of Rugby, England, the
j sum o{ 550,000 will go to Yale Uni
( versity as an endowment fund for a
| chair 0 j history In memory of the
dea( j gon 0 £ Mrs. Townsend,
j William Howard Taft will be the
! seventh President with a surname of
1 only one syllable. The others were
John Adams, John Quincy Adams,
1 j ames K. Polk, Franklin Pierce,
1 Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B.
Hayes.
It is easy for a man who is a “big
gun” to keep the wolf from the door.
