The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-22

tnnn sccluentaI, Or was not even quite
natural In young man, who was tray-
cling the ssme way, and. feeling lonely,
had taken r'tner u fancy for her COM
pany. In fact, so entirely did no M AXE
IL all seem axe favor done to himself,
hist she scarcely thanked him, aud not
for moment did she realizs that all
the comfort and case OF her iJurney, of
which ste rather boosted atterward,
were entirely owing to his care and
atteD TONS.
"iiearkcn unto me, o house of Jacob. and AL
borne by me from the belly, which are carried
from The womb: and even To your old u. q Il am
he: aud even TO boar hairs will carry yon
and will deliver you" Usa. Xvi. 8, ~.
40, LORD thou hast searched me, and known
me. Thou knowest my devastating and mine
uprising; thou undcrstandest my thoughts afaT
on. Thou compasscst my path aud my living
down. and art acquainted with all my ways. For
there is not word in my tongue, but, 10, q
Lord, thou knowest It altogether. Thou hast be-
Get me behind and before, and laid thine hand
upon me-" (Ps. cxxxix. 15).
ALI our lives long God has been car
ing for us, but how listle ws have ap-
preciated HIS care (! II the old lady in
our story had ever found out what .he
owed to her young friend. would she
not, think you, have been sorely erieyed
that she had not better appre Glazed his
services, and had failed to thank him "a
he deserved ? And shall not we one
day have to feel the same grief towards
our hidden God?
"Yet thou, in thy manifold mercics. forsookcst
them not in the wilderness: the pillar OF the
cloud departed not from them by day, 10 lead
them in the way; neither the pillar OF 6rc by
they should go" (Neh. tx. 19).
FOR Israel ha IN not been forsaken, nor Judah
OF his God, OF the Lord OF hosts though their
land was oiled with Gin against the Holy one OF
Israel" der. II. 81.
Even though their Hand was "hlled
with sin against the Holy One of Israel"
still He did not forsaks them. through
all the time OF Israel's hacksliding,
although often unable because Of the
hardness Of their hearts to manifest
Himself, yet still he WAS with them,
their hidden Csretaker and Protector.
the book of Esther Is striking ex-
emplificaticn OF this. The name Esther
means secret or hidden, and the whole
book is story OF the hidden presence
OF Goa in the midst OF His people, at q
time when their backsliding had so
blinded their eyes that they could not
see Him. No. once in the whole book
Is the name OF CD mentioned, yet His
oyerruliug Gre and guidance wore
never more manifest than in the events
here recordt q. The children OF Israel
seemed as far as appears, TO have for
gotten God, and to have left Him out of
all their thoughts; and to them, no
doubt, 1t must as @ seemed as II He had
likewise forgotten them. But behind
all their neglect OF Him, and His SEEM
ing forgetiulness Of them, He held the
reins of His provide ce. and by series
OF apparently natural events, and by
most unlikely means, using q drunken
king, q deceiving woman, sleeplese
Ms ht, an upssars servant, and ma
licious enemy as links in the chain. He
brought TO pass His will concerning
them, and saved them in the time Of
their need. And just so He does con-
tinually now for His people, watching
over them the most tenderly at the very
moments when He seems the most hid
den. And this is the case even when
the hiding has been caused by our own
unfaithfulness or bsckslidipg. We may
forsake Him. but He never forsakes us.
no matter how much 1t may seem as II
He had.
II Sc ms TO me that 1t is the greatest
in6delity to say OF God, when He is hid
den from our sight that He has forsAken
US. The simple truth Is that He could
no more forsAke US than loving
mother could forsake her child. re-
mem Der once theologian WAS arguing
the matter out with me. and undertook
to assert that there were sins for which
even b mother would torsake her child;
and can feel to this day the tempest OF
mother love and Indignation what tore
my heart, as burst into tears. and with
difficulty restrained myself from
ordering him out of my o.encs
poor failing at once! AM (,
human mother, could feel
30, how much more must the Heavenly
Father feel who made the mother heart
in me, and who has declared Himself to
be God OF love-
And Jesus came and spake unto them saying,
Ali power is given unto me in heaven and 10
earth. Go yc therefore, and teach all nations,
baptiZing them in the name OF the Father and OF
the son, and OF the Holy Ghost: teaching them to
yon: and, 10, am with yon always, evs n unto the
end or the world. Amen" (MaLt. xviii. Is 2W.
Have not commanded thee, BE strong and
OF good conrsge: be not AFRAID neither be thou
dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest" (Jo.h. i. 81.
Statements such as these might be
multiplied indefinitely, for the Bible Is
simply full Of them. And ] do NOS my
self see how any child OF God can dare,
In the face Of them, even 80 much as TO
suggest th.t God has forsaken him. Il
is simply an impossiblity; and the only
thing TO do Is to recognise that IL
is impossible, and never to admit the
idea again.
The story OF Joseph gives us a very
strikinr illustration OF the hidden work
ing Of God Nothing could see N m ore like
having been forsaken Of God than the
long series OF misfortunes that be,ell
Joseph, beginning with the cruelty OF
his brethren, and ending wi tn being for.
gotten In prison. There was no sign or
token In it all OF anything but the
wickedness and malice OF mon. And
yet, when Joseph was trying in after