The Iola register., 1901-06-21


clans, was the overpowering mystery
of the ancients, and standing among
those mysteries job exclaimed: 40,
these are parts of His ways. But how
little a portion is heard of Him?
So, also, all systems of theology
try to tell us what is omnipresence--
that is, Gods capacity to be every
where at the same time. "Where is
God 2" said a heather philosopher to
Christian man. The Christian an
swered: LET me first ask you where
He is not?" The child had it right
when asked how many Gods are there
and he answered; "One." How do
you know that?" he was asked again.
He answered.: "There is only room
for one, for He fills earth and IIeav-
en-" An author says that If man
were set in the highest heavens he
would not be any nearer the essence
of God than If he were in the center
of the earth. / believe it. If this
Divine essence does not reach all
places, what use in our prayer, for
prayers are being offered to God on
the other side OF the earth as well as
here, and God must be there and here
to take supplications which are of
fcred thousands of miles apart.
Ubiquityl No one has it but God.
And what an alarm to wickedncss. an
everywhere present Lord, and what a
reinforcement when we need helpl
God on the throne and God with the
kneeling child saying its evening
prayer at his mothers lap. God
above you, God beneath you, God on
the right of you, God on the left Of
you, God within you. No pantheism,
for that teaches that all Things are
God, but Jehovah possesses all things,
as our souls possess our bodies. God
at the diameter and circumference of
everything, as close TO you as the
food YOU put to your lips, as the coat
YOU put upon your back, as the sun
light that shines in your face APP
probation of that. If through Jesus
Christ, the atoning Saviour, we are
right with God, ought to give MS a
serenity, tranquility, that nothing
could upset. Would it make us
gloomy? No, for God is the God OF
| Joy and will augment our happiness.
God in fun possession of MS is a
thought out of which you ought to
make anthems and cntwine garlands
and kindle Examinations.
So every system of theology has
attempted to describe and define the
Divine attribute Of love. Easy
enough is it to define fatherly love
motherly love, coniugal love, frater'
nal love, sisterly love and love OF
country. but the love of God defies
all vocabulary. For many hundreds
of years poets have tried to sing II
and painters have tried to sketch it
and minister's of the Gospel to preach
IL and martyrs in the fire and Chris
tians on their deathbeds have ex
tolled it, and we can tell what it il
like, but no one has yet fully told
what it is.
Only glimpses of God hsvo we il
this world, but what an hour IL will
be when we first see Him, and we will
have no more fright than feel wheI
now see you. 1t will not be will
mortal eye that we will behold Him
but with the vision of a cleansed, for
given and perfected spirit. OF all tn
quintillion ages of eternity TO us tn,
most thrilling hour will be the frs
hour when we meet Him as He is
This may account for something yoI
have all seen and may not have nm
derstood. Have you not noticed tina
after death the old Christian look
young again or the features resum
the look of 20 or 30 years before
The weariness is gone out of the face
there is something strikingly restfu
and placid; there is a pleased loo
where before there was n disturbe,
look. What has wrought the change
] think the dying Christian saw God
At the moment the soul left the bod
what the soul saw left its impressio
on the countenance. | think that
what gave that old Christian fac
after death the radiant and triumph
ant look. The bestormed spirit ha
reached the harbor; the hard battl
of life is ended in victory. The bod
took that look the moment Heave
began, and the curtain was completed
, | lllltu anu hht SlbiiNo VI DNhbNdH
presence rushed upon the soul. Th
departing spirit left on the old man
face glad good-by, and that frs
look gave the pleased curve to the dy
) ing lips and smoOthed out the wrir
kles and touched all the lineament
with an indescribable radiance.
Last summer we journeyed thol
, sands of miles to see the midnight su
from North Cape, Norway. We stoo
on deck in the arctic seas, our watche
in our hands, and ii was II o'cloc
at night, but light as an ordinar
: MONDAY. Then ii was half past /
o'clock at night, then it was IS mil
| utes of 12, but "A long, wide, thic
; cloud hung over the sun. Are we
l be disappointed as thousands hay
been and the journey here failure
! Ten minutes of ~, and the sun is sti
1 hidden. But about five minutes of /
I the cloud lifted, and the midnight SUI
) the most wondrous spectacle of a
. the earth, appeared, pouring forth
!, refulgence that turned the arctic sc
Q into % miles of Dearls and ruhips n n