St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-12-19

,E1Hy said that H e
changes not. Man,
wv in thought and prr-
J = pose, and plan and
oeslre and ambition, is here to-
0ay and there tomorrow. He is
ncAie, vacillating, .changeable, but
.ne lnnnlte God is Interchangeable. This
~ COOS own word concerning Himself:
! am the Lord. change not" The
God who walked with Adam in the gar
ucn "a the cool OF the day and communed
Win him is the same God who walks
ana talks with men to-day when they
Keep IN step with the Divine will and
Wnen they have ears to hear and hearts
20 understand. The God who extended
mercy to Noah because of his faith, and
VINO executed judgment upon the
wicked and >unbelieving world, is the
same God to-day who is extending His
oHer OF mercy and His warn
An9 OF judgment The God of
Abraham. Isaac and Jacob. the
covenant-making and covenant-keep-
ing God, is the same covenant-mak-
ing and covenant-keeping God to-day.
The term Lord in our text is in small
caps and should be rendered Jehovah,
which is the covenant name of God to
the jews. II am Jehovah God (the
Covenant-God), and change not"
Such was He in the days of Israel and
such IL He to-day. The God who when
sin had entered into the world declared
that the seed of woman should bruise
the serpent's head" is the same God
who go loved the world that He gave His
Son as sacrifice for sin. The God who
IL revealed in the Bible as the God of
Light and the God of Love has always
been such in character God changes.
not In character, He changes not in His
purpose towards man, He changes not
ia His attitude towards sin. And be-
cause God changes not, man ought to
know God and be in harmony with Him.
M ANS conceptions of God change,
ly1 but God changes not l want to
emphasize the contrast presented here
Ia this declaration. No matter what
man thinks of God, no matter how his
views may change concerning God, this
remains true, that "God changes not
But mans ideas and conceptions of God
do change. Human experiences, en-
vironment, training, peculiarities Of
thought and disposition. all are con-
trihutive causes to a miscOnception OF
who and what God is. Scarcely any
two persons have exactly the same idea
of God But He is not many gods. He
ID one God, and God who changes not
He Isl, however, the God of many, and
longs TO be the God of ALL Everyone
has some idea of God, some conception
or misconception Of His character. A
popular view held of God to-day is that
cf His universal Fatherhood-that con-
ception OF God which eliminates hell
and the judgment, and makes, every
member Of the human race child of
His and entitled at last to place in
the Father's House. Another concep-
ton OF God which prevails largely in
the minds Of people is that God is God
of favoritism-that is, that He has Sc
Iected by an arbitrary act Of His will
certain ones upon whom to bestow His
favor. while others are left to struggle
and suffer and perish alone. Then there
are the fatalists, whose conception is
that as God is all-knowing, He is. all
iieterminative, and hence human life
ia but the inevitable and Interchangeable
working out of the Divine purpose and
viii. They believe that God has fixed
the limit of life, the events of life, the
{ tendency and development OF life. and
is attempt to change the seemingly in
eyftable plan is to attempt the impos-
sfble and fight against God. At the
either extreme are those who have a
vague, uncertain idea of God which en-
Z eonrages them to believe that He is a
rnod-natuIed, easy-going God who will
be too indulgent and loving to punish
for sin; that by some hook or crook, or
clever excuse on their part, they will
~ able to turn aside the wrath Of God
ana to get into Heaven. And with this
conception of God stilling the troubled
ronscience and oiling the wheels of self
,rdnlRence and sin. they slide through
lsfe and into eternity. Others there are
Tho believe that God is one whose
favor and esteem can be bought by good
vorks. They eliminate the necessity
n salvation by faith in Jesus Christ,
.nd estimate persons fitness for
heaven by those virtues which he pos
aesses in himself, and the good deeds
vhich he has wrought.
n~ HESE are some Of the commoner
conceptions which people have of
rcd Int. as we have said. hardly any
two persons entertain exactly the same
sdaa az God. And yet these differences
= mt to be accounted for by charging
80 18th yariableness and shadow of
tnrntng. for He changes not" But
,.v are due to human conceptions and
,.,ssconceptions of who and what God
\. G There are two explanations or rea-
", .cns for these differences of views:
r,rst. the finite mind OF man in seeking
s, orasp and encompass the thought of
~ eternal and all-powerful God has
,,,ired much Of error with the true rev.
.1.tion OF God Second, revelation of
go h. 1t little or much, has come to
100 as the result Of the study of Gods |
Word and prayer and meditation there
-, Those included In the first class |
,,,av he likened unto man blind from
va birth attempting to understand and
describe the beauties OF nature. the glow
ing sun, the flower-decked fields. the
s- 80 and the graceful. verdant hills
ralling skyward in the distance The
..s,,rr woman who, under the skillful |