Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-04-27
THE EvER-PRESENT GOD.

THE EvER-PRESENT GOD.
The Lord is everywhere in the uni
| verse. whittier shall 60 from Thy
Spirit, or whittier shall flee from Thy
presence. If ascend up into Heaven,
Thou art there; if / make my bed in hell,
behold Thou art there. If I take the
| wings of the morning and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea, even there
shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right
| hand shall hold me'' God is ..not far
from every one of u.s." He is equally
present with all men, at all times and in
all places. We can no more escape from
this everywhere Presence than we can
escape from space. "Can any hide him.
self in secret places that shall not see
him9 Do not 1 fill Heaven and earth |?
saith the Lord"
Though God is present with all, all
do not realize the fact. God is a spirit,
and His presence must be spiritually
discerned. He manifests Himself with
in by the spirit, and not from without
through the senses. A spiritual frame,
an ear attent to the speech of God, a
heart open to receive Him, alone ena-
bic US to realize His presence. Most
men are so preoccupied with temporal
and temporary concerns that they have
no apprehension of spiritual realities.
God is always near to them, as near as
He is to the saintliest soul. He cares
for them, is striving with them by His
Spirit, yet they do not perceive Him;
HE is not in all their thoughts" Yet
we may be conscious of Gods abiding
personal companionship. eff any man
love me, he will keep my words, and
my Father will love him, and we will
come unto him, and make our abode
with him. An innumerable host of
believers have verified this promise, and
have been sustained in trial, in persecu-
ton and death by the consciousness of
an ever-present God. God does speak
to His people, and make His presence
felt <s4
The manifested presence of God
proves His love and care. His omni-
presence is d proof and pledge of His
universal and special providence. 1t
is inconceivable that the everywhere
present God who knows all things,
knows our condition, thoughts, wants
and woes, is Indifferent to our welfare,
and can or will do nothing for u.s.
The notion that God is an impersonal,
Indifferent, helpless spectator of human
affairs is as irrational as it is unscrip-
tural. If there is an omnipresent, all
wise, omnipotent and benefcent God,
He has the power and the will to care
for every one of His children. He is
over all and in all. In Him we live
and move and have our being There
is nota breath, an inspiration, an aspira-
ton, moment. fact, without God.
He is our ever-present Father, and that
is sufficient proof of His care. The
minutest circumstance that concerns the
welfare of one of His children commands
His attention. He numbers the hairs of
our head, among the most minute and
insignificant things respecting us. He
watches the fall of the sparrow. "Fear
not; We are of more value than many
sparrows. ra.
If God of love is ever and every
where present, ''why is there SO much
misery in the world?'' Men have al
ways made the existence and prevalence
OF evil an argument against the exist
ence and goodness of God, but they rea-
son specifically and falsely. Human
suffering is not the result of anything
that God has done. 1t is the result of
mans wrong doing. 1t exists notwith-
standing all that Infinite Goodness can
do to prevent it, without the sacrifice OF
greater good than could be secured by
its prevention. Men who charge God
with the miseries they see and suffer
miss the profit they might gain through
suffering and the Divine support they
might have in the midst of it. Is it not
an evidence of infinite goodness that,
when men have overwhelmed them
selves in misery by SHINING against
God, He comes to them to mitigate
their miseries and makes the evils they
have brought upon themselves to work
together for their good? 70 the I'M
rebellious and devout sufferer He says:
81 will never leave thee nor forsake.
thee. - BE not dismayed, for am thy
God and will help thee. When thou
passest through the waters / viii be
with thee.'' The sufferings which God
could not prevent, He not only renders
tolerable by giving grace and strength
to bear them, but also renders profitable
by making them to yield the peaceable
fruits and eternal rewards Of righteous
ness. He sustains the trusting soul under
! his Affections and purifies him by means
of them. All that we usually wish is
relief. God says: mo, the profit is
more than the relief. The Affections
which are so g1ieyous to you now shall
a work for you a far more exceedingand
eternal weight of glory N etsf
No man has such strength for work.,
such victory in conflict, such consola-
ton in sorrow, as he who is conscious
that God is always near, and s'lives as
seeing Him who is invisible In the
darkest hours of life he has light and
support within that cheers and bears
him up. IS Even in the hour of death
hetconsiders the pains of his dissolution
to- be nothing more than the breaking
down OF the only partition which stands
between him and the full sight of that
Being who is always present with him,
and is about to manifest Himself to him
in fullness of joy Such a human vic