SUNDAY READING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 313, 12 February 1910, Page 7

SUNDAY READING.

WALKING WITH GOD. Notes of a Sermon preached by the Rev. F. P .Kcllow at South Road, New Plymouth. "And Enoch walked with God; and lie was not; for God took him." — Gen. v., 24. So this man Enoch walked with God. Do we believe that? Can you, my hearers, accept that statement as a simple fact? It does not (|uite serve our purpose to >'av t ! :°t it is written in tliis fifth cli;' a <r of Genesis; it is' there in plain w<"< ! s, and it is written twice over, that a fact so sublime nfci.v not bo overlooked or carelessly left out of t'lle record through inadvertence of some future scribe. Read verses 22 and 24. Here is a man of like passions with ourselves of whom it is said that he walked with his God. A GREAT DISTINCTION. That would be a great distinction in any age; yes, even in our most favored Way. Rut that a man like ourselves should have borne such a testimony: lived such a life, in a world of antedehivian ruffianism makes the fact all i the more surprising. TJie brief record of this godly /.man runs thus: "Enoch lived sixty and live years and begat Methusaleh. And Enoch walked with God, after he begat Methusaleh, three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years." And then follows the great affirmation, '"'And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him." Now, does it seem a thing incredible with yon that a man should walk with God? Perhaps when we think of a case like Enoch's —a man who lived in that dim, far-off antedeluvian age —we find no great difficulty in absenting tfc>. the statement that he walked with his God, or that, at least, he was not; and that God may have taken him. But what about such an experience to-day? Is walking with God a credible thing in New Plymouth in this yea/ 1910? Do we assembled here believe that an actual conscious experience, fairly expressed in the words "walking with God," is attainable by us? Now, I everything (Depends upon the answer ■■ you are able to give to that question. Is this' a thing that is credible by you? Well, let us look at it in this way: Man is so constituted and so ; placed that he must sustain ' SEVERAL DIFFERENT RELATION- ! SHIPS, i I and in proportion as these are habitu- j ally and faithfully discharged, so does ; a human life fulfil itself and man attains to his highest dignity and wellbeing. For instance, he has' necessary rela- ' tions with the mere things around him; j the material utilities of life; things ■ which are indispensable to his nurture xnd growth and comfort; and the use : which he makes of these determines Ins I well-being or otherwise in the lower I ranges of his nature. The abuse, or I inordinate use, of these things debas'es | md brutalises manhood. Man's long- I 2ontinued waywardness in these mat-

ters accounts for much tlmt is painfully

disappointing in the life of to-day. Tt is well that One abides with lis, saying,

"I am the way." But man has also broader relations to the universe of things and to his

fellow man. And as he gets just views of these things his mind is fed by Truth, and when he lives in the light of his knowledge he rises in quality of life and experience. But then, again, man has a

UNIQUE AND CROWNING EELA-

TION SHIP—

his relationship to God and the spiritual world. Herein lie the divine possibilities of his nature. The compound lives of many of the lower creatures around him seemed to bespeak a, manifold nature for him who should be the head of creation wliea he appeared. And such we find him.

If a man should go on following the downward pull of his animal nature; if lie should go on habitually following the impulses of his meaner self; then he must come at last to feel the anguish ol' s'ucli madness, and he must by virtue of nature come tinder the law of eternal death.

We cannot in the long run (tefeat our Maker's purpose. We may go the merry pace for a time. Our way may for a time be among devious and flowery mazes and amid delirious pleasures, but such a life, unless repentcu of, must set in darkness and the fire and the worm.

Just think of the accountability of our lives, and just think of God's method with us. Here it is: Ho s'ets us down in these passing scenes, and He says to eacli of us: '•GIVE ME A SAMPLE, "in the short life here, of what your thoughts and your principles will be if I give you eternal life." That's what lie is doing with each of us. Our earthly lives, after all, are only a trial for eternity. And that trial is made in vfow of this fact, that he that is' faithful in that which is least will be faithful also ki much.

Docs it not appear from all this that there is a' great destiny possible to man? Does it not dawn upon us that, in view of our wonderful nature -anil no less wonderful relationships, we may draw near to our Maker, and even commune with Him and walk with Him.

But what about walking with God in this twentieth century? Here in Taranaki, what does that mean? Now we must come down to detail; and first I would say that to walk with God to-(lay, as in every other age. we must draw near to God in CONSCIOUS EFFORT OF THOUGHT. God must be, in a pre-eminent way. the subject and object of our most earnest and deepest thoughts. AVlio ia there amongst men, or what amongst the things on earth, tlwt we really walk with —that shares as nothing else does our companionship? Whoever that person or thing is, it commands' our best and continuous thought. God miufc have that beyond all question or doubt He ruu; „ have the premier place in our thoughts, or we cannot walk with Him. Indeed, we cannot know Him without it. Let your best thought centre in Him. and it will be purified and intensified and deepened Into prayer.

The lower creatures, whether they

be the tiny insects, or birds of the air or tiie beasts which roam the plains or forests, they niu;t seek their food. Now, man comes under the same law. He must seek, but iiis search is more varied and wonderful because of the , greatness of his nature. But the effort i and the joy of his seeking develops and perfects his nature. ' Now, in the second place, mail seeks' | God through his affections. God wants 1 to be loved by man. This love—these - . affections of ours—have a very importi ant part in our communion and walk i | with God. You know how troubled | young converts often are because, as ; ' they say. li.i-y do not feel as they think , they ought, to feel. Well. I can sympathise with them. But it should be < remembered that such feeling is in the first instance the result of implicitly believing the promises of God, and then all subsequent feeling-; are the fruits of real loving communion with the Father of us all, through faith in Jesus Christ. And now, in the last place, to walk with God implies i AN EFFORT OF THE WILL. ! And that is not all; it requires compliance of the will. We shall never know the true Rest of life; we shall never know Peace of soul; we shall never realis'e our nature or destiny; we shall never know or help our fellow man as we ought to know and help him unless we come to God with completely surrendered will and say, "Thy will be done." Then the most wicked conflict of our life ceases, and there is peace, perfect peace. The Child feels the embrace of its Father, and man walks with God.