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

God and the Bible.
FOUNDATION TKxr:-"Oh, thst knew where
might find Hint that might come even to His
I'LL my mouth with arguments Behold.
! go forward. but He is not there; and backward
where He doth work, but l cannot behold him:
Ae hideth Himself on the right hand, that can.
not see Him-JoB xiii, 80.
ION. that 1 knew where 1 might find
Him" This despairing cry was uttered
fifteen centuries before Christ; and one
can perhaps understand that in those
dark days there might have seemed 10
De some cause for its utteranco. But
that 1t should ever be uttered now, by
any soul that possesses the Bible, and
has even the slightest faith in Christ,
would seem impossible. did we not
know, alas that 1t is too .often the cry
OF Christian hearts. In fact, il is almost
one OF the greatest difficulties in the
lives OF many Christians. that God
seems so to hide Himself from their
longing gaze, and that this hiding seems
so often to be In anger or in neglect.
This is especially the case in our every
day lives. Ga Sundays, in church SER
vices, or In prayer-meetings, we may be
helped by our environment TO feel the
presence OF God more:consciously; but
in the ordinary business and hustle Of
everyday life, we arc apt to lose this
consciousness; and then. because we do
not feel his presence, we think He cam
not be there.
"Aw s why sleepcst thou. o Lord: arise, cast
race, and forgettest our afiction and oar oppres-
sion' For our soul is bowed down TO the dust:
ssa belly ''''v''h unto the EARTH tFs Xiv.
viii the Lord csst on forever and will He be
Favourable no more! ls His mercy clean gone
for eveif doth Ills promise fail for eyermoreS
dath Too forgotten to be graciousY hath He in
anger shut up Bis tender merciess(Ps Xvii, 9.W
The natural hear. Is continually ask
ing such questions as these. Because
we cannot see the hand of God in our
affairs, we rush to the conclusion that
he mas lost sight of them and of US.
we look at the "seemings" Of things
Instead of at the underlying facts, and
declare that, because God IL unseen, He
must necessarily be absent. And espe-
cially is this the case II we are con-
ecious OF having ourselves wandered
away from Him and forgotten Him. We
Judge Him by ourselves, and think thst
He muse have also forgotten and for,
saken US. We measure His truth by
our falseness, and find It hard to believe
He can be faithful when we know our
serves to be go unfaithful. But there is
neither common sense in this, nor
Divine revelation. AS regards common
sense, how utterly foolish it is, I
might even ssy idio,ic. to make our
feelings the tes. of Gods &C .ions: as IL
ne came and went in response 20 the
G ntinual changes In our emotions. Such
IDEAS would turn the Omnipotent, ever
present Gcd, into mere helpless pun
pet, pulled by tho strings OF our varying
ieellngs! But this, OF course, ia incon-
ceiVanle; and, "a regards Divine revela-
tion, is also equally impossible; for the
uoo revesIed to US in the Bible Ia a God
VINO mover. under any conceivable cir
cumstAnces, leaves us, or forge.s US, or
neglects our interests. He 10 shown to
us there as a tender Shepherd, who per.
forms with the utmost fidelity all \
snepnerd's duties; who, does not iorsako
bis sheep In the cloudy and dark day.
nor desert them when the wolf cometh:
but who always draws nearer In eyery
time OF need, and goes after each sheen
that wanders until He finds 1t. The
hlreling heeth when danger appears,
because he Is an hireling. but the good
Shepherd only sticks closer than ever.
~ IL impossible to imagine good
IOrBhRiEG Dis
sheep. In fact, 1t Is his duty to stick
by them under all circumstances, and
to watch over them and care for shem
every moment. And the God who ia
thus revealed to us as 8 good Shep-
herd" must necessarily be as faithful 10
His respons. bilities as an earthly shep-
nerd Is required to be to his. His care
OF us may be hidden care, but it is
none the less real. and all things In the
daily events of our lives are made 90
work subeervient to His gracious pur-
poses towards US. He may seem to have
forgotten US. or neglected us, but il can
never be anything but . seeming, forit
would be impossible for the God who is
revealed to as in the face OF Jesus
Christ to do such thing.
But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me.
and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can woman
forget her sucking child, that she should not nave
compassion on the son OF her womb! YEA they
may forget, yet will / not forget thee Behold. /
nave craven thee upon the palms OF my hands:
thy walls are continually before me-" t!sa XIX
lflG.
What an overwhelming answer 30 the
cry OF any heart that thinks God has
CONTINUED on SIXTH pAeE)