Show NO ESCAPE fROM fiOD'S PRESENCE Dr W. W M. M Paden Delivers Eloquent Sermon at First Presbyterian Church TEXT IS PSALM 1 We May Defy Him Himl but We Wet Cannot Elude Him Himl Taking raking as his text Psalm l 0 Whither shall I 1 go S-O from Thy Spirit t Whither shall I flee nee from Thy Presence Pres ires I ence Once Dr W W. M. M Paden ladon of ot the First Presbyterian church corner South Temple Tern Tem lempIe plo pIe and C street preached an eloquent sermon at the tho morning service sor yesterday yester Pres Pres- day on No Escape From Gods God's ence enco He lIe said In part but We e may Ignore Gods God's presence wo we cannot escape It we may defy dery Him but we wo cannot elude Him we wo may hide our faces from Him but His eye eyu is ts on onus onus onus us all the time Ume Ills Justice may moy be beslow beslow slow of foot but It never grows cold Wo We cannot escape the Spirit of or God Gall we I cannot get out of ot Ills His presence We Wo cannot live without Him we were born of or His Ills breath We lose Ills His image when His breath leaves us To rid ourselves of His Indwelling Ind presence presence presence pres pres- ence would be not only onh to repudiate our dehumanize ourselves birthright but to Even though we commit such spiritual suicide the everlasting and ever el present present pres pres- and loving ent eat Spirit goes on living from making our He lie whom we prevent spirits saintly brings roses out of our ashes for all nil life tIe l Is born bornand bornand and nurtured b- b by the tho breath of Godif God If It He lie gather unto Himself His Ills Spirit and breath all flesh flash shall perish to to- to gether gather And If It our natural life Ufo depends on the presence o of the Spirit much moro more does doos the Ufo life we call spiritual A As AGod God breathed tho breath of life Into mt Adam so must we receive from tram Him tho life that Is life Indeed Even I though we refuse to receive tho the In Inspiration inspiration In- In of oC Iris Ills Spirit that Spirit I abides with us still The so called natural virtues the fine thoughts which I como come to the tho worst of at men are arc duo to Ills His presence A man without one touch I of ot sympathy with the Spirit of or God Coh I would become a demon lemon and his heart rt would be a bit of hell nor would he thus escape Gods God's presence for says sas Psalmist Though I 1 make my bed In hell Ho no Is there Like hp till Air Wo We In the tho teachings of at tho scriptures scripture's this Spirit of oC God Is likened to tho the atmosphere atmosphere at at- in which we move or the thc air all which we breathe breathe to to the tho mighty might ru rushIng rushing rush rush- hIns h- h Ing Ins wind or the goings Eoln s of the evening e breeze In the tops toP of mulberry trees We Ve must reckon with It it wo we cannot c live e without our real life depends on our receiving or responding to It and It IC wo 0 e lose hose this life it Il will be because we try to live 11 anti and yet et be he rid of this breath of God As well try to live without atmosphere or live without breathing A As well expect your our bit of oC native land to be wholesome If never ne visited b by winds from heaven hen You have hl only to read rend the Scriptures and think to recognize recognize reeo rec ree- o nhe the lie pervasiveness of or this gospel gospe of ot the Spirit Sometimes it comes to us on oli the wings s of the wind He the lie winds His messengers or angels Sometimes we are swept Into the current current current cur cur- rent of heavenward hea life b by storm stormy eruptions of spiritual power power power-It It was so at Pentecost our spirits are arc refreshed and quickened b by sent heaven breezes and oftener still b by the changed tono tone of or tue tho atmosphere In or ItS havo known tji LIlli t e p. p t JI C n by hy Wo ho storm 11 hf f us 11 the lift Ot or inspiration of tho the visiting breeze or the vitalizing atmosphere Who I o has felt ell tI tho ho touch of tl this I of of- of cd Inspiration it conies comes comess as s a sunset zephyr and moves mo the waters of your sleeping conscience It makes you ou think or stirs sUI'S your 11 0 heart with ten tender er memories memories mem mem- ories ones or mayhap it H Is more like the breath which comes at sunrise It wakens wakens wakens wak wak- ens your sleeping aspirations as the stirring of oC the lie leaves lea wale wakens en the birds There are arc doves es In the hearts of the tha worst of us Poor things things' Too often otten we smother them in Sn the deadly atmosphere at atmosphere atmosphere at- at of oC selfishness or sensuality or keep them In dark clark ca cages es fit on only I for Cor or owls and bats How Ho the they beat their wings s as ns they teel eel the touch or catch gleams of or the tho light t of or their native o air Gentle n of or Spirit There Thero is no telling all the lie gentle ways was of the lie Spirit It co comes lOtS lOt'S In tho the touch of a baby's babs fingers er or 01 the lie clinging clinging cling cling- ing ing- In I grasp rasp of or your our little childs child's confidence confidence confidence con con- in the lie yearning look or serious glance of oC your mothers mother's or ora fathers father's a ther's eyes eyes eyes-eyes eyes closed mayhap long Ions years e rs ago ao It comes to you OU In Inthe the lie altered tone of at your our comrades comrade's life or the holler touch of your loved ell ones one's affection Your very cry silent times seem to palpitate with spiritual presence presence pres pres- ence Then we respond to the gentleness which woos us wo so ourselves receive new spiritual power our lives JIves become breezes from heaven When n our friends respond to our Influence the they are lifted when they thoy to our wills they do ho tho ho will of or God and the further further fur fur- ther titer they ther enter into our affections the nearer the they get to the lie heart of God Coil Are Arc our lives such breezes Do the they refresh and lift Do they the remind our friends of oC the tue will and love of oC th lie Spirit I have known a woman whose presence was a breath from heaven hea 1 I hove have known a man tho lie atmosphere t of whose lito was a n living evidence of at Christianity I have ha In my 10 mind a ii bit bitof bitof bitof of sunset living which contained the Inspiration of the twenty third Psalm and anti more than once I ho have 0 burled buried achild a achild achild child whose sunrise years were as s tho the years ears of a 0 ministering angel And if each one of u us UH were what that wo we ml might ht be he our lives would remind those we meet of the thc lie text Whither shall I go from Th Tb Thy Spirit |