The record-union., 1897-08-03
"CAN WE KNOW"
Last Sundays Sermon by Elder B
L, Howe.

At the meeting conducted by Elder
B. L. Howe, at the corner of Ninth
and streets, on Sunday evening the
subject of his discourse was, Can We
Know?'
First-Can we know that the Word of
God is true?
Secondly-Can we know that Christ's
coming is near?
Thirdly-Can we know that we are
ready to meet Him?
The opening text was found in II.
Sam. xxii:31: GAS for God, His way is
perfect: the Word of the Lord is tried"
(or 'tested"-margin, ''refined'). After
gold is refined it is pure, free from
dross. THE Word of God is quick and
powerful diving and active r. W, and
sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit, and of the joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.
Neither is there any creature that is
not manifest in His sight, but all things
are naked and opened into the eyes of
Him, with whom we have to do"
(Heb. iv:12-13) And again, when We
received the Word of God We re-
ceived it not as the word of men,
but as it is in truth, the Word of God,
which effectually worketh also in you
that believe" WIEN we receive the
Word of God in this way it refines and
purifies Us.
When God says: eff we confess our
sins He is faithful and just to forgive
US our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteOusness. The same power is
present to accomplish that, as was
manifest, in the creation of the world,
for, by the Word of the Lord We're the
heavens made and all the host of them
by the breath of His mouth. For He
spake, and it was done; He command
ed, and it stood fast" and HE is before
all things, and by Him all things con-
sist."
We know that the Word of God is
true, because it has been tried and test
ed and proved true. Long years ago
before the Jews had even entered the
Land of Canaan" an exact description
of the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D.
40 was given. The prophecies foretold
the rise of the four universal king
doms. Babylon, Medo-P Persia, Grecia
and Rome, naming two of them.
The general who led the army in
the overthrow of Babylon was named
hundreds of years before he was born.
The prophesy foretelling the surrender
of Turkeys independence was fulfilled
to the very day. From these prophesies
and many others all may know that
the word is true
SO we may know when the coming of
Christ is near, even at the door. He
tells us so plainly of the time and
manner of His coming that no one
need be deceived. He says: Behold,
/ have told you before. Wherefore, if
they shall say unto you, behold, He
is in the desert. go not forth; behold,
He is in the secret chambers; believe it
not
Why believe it not? For, as the light
ming cometh out of the east, and shin
eth even unto the west; so shall also
the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matt. xiv :25-21)
In answer to the questions of the
disciples, Christ said: Immediately
after the tribulation of these days Cor
as Mark puts it), In those days after
that tribulation; shall the sun be dark
ened, and the moon shall not give her
light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven. Those days ended in 1913, and
the tribulation which was shortened for
the elects sake, ended about twenty
five years earlier. Between these two