The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-05-17

every knee shall bow. All Heaven
must come down on its knees, apostles
on their knees, the archangel on his
knees. Before whom? man? No, He
is God. The Bible says every tongue
shall confess-Bornesian, Malayan,
Mexican, Italian, Spanish, Persian,
| English. Every tongue shall confess.
TO whom? God. The Bible says Christ
the same yesterday, today and forever
Is that characteristic of humanity? Do
we not change? Does not the body en-
! tirely change in seven years? Does
not the mind change? Does not the
heart change? Christ the same yester-
day, to-day, and forever. He must be a
God.
Philosophers say that the law OF
gravitation decides everything, and
that the centripctal and centrifugal
forces keep the world from clashing
and from demolition. But Paul says
that Christ's arm is the axle on which
everything turns, and that Christ's
hand is the socket in which everything
is set Mark the words, "Upholding-
unfolding all things by the word of
His power" Then He must be a God.
Then look at what Christ says of Him
self. Now, certainly every one must
understand himself better than any
one else can understand him. II / ask
you where you were born, and you tell
me, 81 was born in Chester,
England" or 81 was born in
Glasgow, Scotland" or 81 was born
in Dublin, Ireland" or II was born
in New Orleans, the United States.
You being man of integrity, should
believe you If I asked you how many
pounds you could lift, and you should
say you could lift 100 pounds or 200
pounds, or 300 pounds, should believe
you 1t is a matter personal to your
self You know better than any one
else can tell you. If l ask how much
estate are You worth, and you say SlO,-
600 or 500, 900, or s5O0,O0O, | believe
what you say. You know better than
any one else. Now, Christ must know
better than any one else who He is and
what He is When l ask Him how old
He is He says: Before Abraham was,
am" Abraham had been dead zoos
years. Was Christ 2,O2s years old? Yes,
He says He is older than that. Before
Abraham was, am" Then Christ says
81 am the Alpha" Alpha is the first
letter of the Greek alphabet, and Christ
in that utterance declared: 81 am the A
of the alphabet of the centuries"
Then He must be God. Can a man
be in a thousand places at once?
| Where two or three are gathered to-
gether in My name, there am l in the
midst of them" This everywherative-
ness, is it characteristic of a man or of
God? And, lest we might think this
observation-disclosures would cease. He
goes on and He intimates that He will
be in all the cities of the earth-He will
be in Europe Asia, Africa, North and
South America the day before the world
burns up. "Lo am with you always,
even unto the end of the world" Why
then He must be God.
Besides that He takes divine honors
He declares Himself Lord of men,
angels and devils. Is He? If He is, He
is God. If He is not He is an impos-
tor A man comes into your store to-
! morrow morning. He says: 81 am the
great ship-builder of Liverpool; have
built hundreds of ships" He goes on
to give his experience. You defer to
him as man of large experience and
great possessions. But the next day
you find out that he is not the great
ship-builder of Liverpool, that he never
built ship. that he never built any
thing. What is he then? An impostor.
Christ says He built this world; He
built all things. Did He build them?
If He did He is God. If He did not He
is an impostor.
A man comes into your place Of bust
ness, with a Jewish countenance and a
German accent, and says: 81 am a
Rothschild, the banker of London; /
have the wealth of nations in my poclS-
ct; loaned that large amount to Italy
and Austria in their perpleXity." But
after while you find that he has never
leaned any money to Italy or Austria;
that he never had large estate that
he is no banker at all; that he owns
nothing. What is he? An impostor.
Christ says He owns the cattle on a
thousand hills; He owns this world; He
owns the next world; He owns the uni
verse; He is the banker of all nations.
Is He? If lie is, He is God. Is He
not? Then He is an impostor.
A man enters the white house at
Washington. He says: l am Emperor
William, of Germany; l am travelling
incognito: | have come over here 70,
recreation and pleasures; l own castles
in Dresden and Berlin" But the presi
dent finds out the next day that he is
not Emperor William, that he owns nc
castles at Berlin or Dresden. that he
has no authority. What is he? Ar
impostor, Christ says He is the King
over all, the King immortal, invisible
If He is, He is God. If He is not, He
is an impostor
Strauss saw that alternative, and he
tries to get out of it by saying that
Christ was sinful in accepting adora
ton and worship. Renan tries to get
out of it by saying that Christ-not
through any fault of his own, but
through the fault of others-lost Hi:
purity of conscience, and he slyly init
mates that dishonorable women haC
damaged His soul Any thing but be
lieve that Christ is God.
Now you believe the Bible to be true
If you do not you would hardly have
, appeared in this church. You would