Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-02-04
DIVINE CERTAINTIES.
Gods Eternal Word the Only Sure
and Abiding Foundation.
Every Promise Has Been re~<e by
Christ and Finds I<s FulnIIment
In Him-Sermon by the .HiRh-
way and Byway- Preacher
Copyright. 1893. by A. ". Kellogg News
paper Col


Chicago. February J. 1903.
Text; For all the promises of God in
Him are yea and in Him Amen. unto the
glory Of God by us."-lI Cor. l:2e.
n sure thing. That is what the world
is looking for. The business man, the
hnancier, the leader in the industrial
world, are all looking for sure thing,
and put their money, their brains and
their energy into that which promises
permanency and success. But under
the swift changes of the ever-chang ing
human conditions, the sure thing OF
to-day becomes the fading memory O!
tomorrow. The sure thing Of to-day
in the scientific world. becomes the I'M
certainty and incomplete fact in the
light of the new discoveries of to-mor-
row. The accepted wisdom and theory
of to-day in the intellectual world lose
their force and meaning as the chang
ing line Of thought and doctrine of to-
morrow is developed. Trace the course
of human thought and events back
through history's pages and behold
how the thriving plant Of one age and
generation has become the decay and
mold Of the next. Man is as the grass
of the field, and his energy, his achieve
ments, his wisdom and his theories all
flourish in theirday and then pass away
to give place TO new generation, a new
age with its own Hire Of activities and
its own peculiar thoughts and theo-
rieS. That which is Of man i ephem-
eral, and the sure thing is not to be
found in him.
The earth on which his feet rest and
over which they move i'm weaving the
activities and intr.cacies Of life had its
foundations laid in the young and
budding days Of the universe, and it
has remained through the ages which
have rolled around since then to the
present day. 1t has nourished its tecm-
ing population. has fed and sheltered
the children of every cline and nation,
and has then opened its dark bosom
and mingled its dust with the mortal
clay Of the human frame The lofty
mountains that rear their rocky
lengths through the continents. and
the oceans that roll in ceas cless flow
at their feet, have seen each century
as ii has uniolded in tie mighty piano.
rama of time. and yet the earth, its
mountains and its vast waters, are TO
pass away. The scientist will tell YOU
that. lie even dares sometimes to fig
ure out the probable time. And - the
earth is not a sure thing.
The silver light of the full-orbcd and
beautiful moon flooded with its soft
glow the sleeping earth the other
night. As | rejoiced in the n ght glory
Of the heavens the thought swept over
me: And even thou, oh. moon, will
yet fail in thy light. Thy glowing face
shall be yelled and the universe which
has known thy faithful return, and thy
cheering light, throughout the cen
turtles will know thee no more. ARG
thou, oh, stars! that have geInmed
the heavens and sparkled i'm ceaseles>
splendor since God studded His uu.-
verse with your flashing beauty to be
silent witness to His glory. thy day
are numbered on the calendar of time.
Thou to whom Abraham so long. long
ago lifted his eye of faith and sought to
count your innumeTable host rs they
marched across the heavens that he
might learn the number of the progeny
which God was yet to give him, thou
art yet TO fail and fall from thy airy
heights." And while unused the great
the western sky and was lost to view.
The stars blinked out last good-by
and faded slowly from sight and in the
east the great glowing, resplendent
sun swept up the heavens and bestowed
the warmth Of his goOd-morning kiss
upon the welcoming face of the glad
earth. Thus had he done day after
day, day after day. throughout the
years--and the centuries which have
elapsed since he was hung as a great
light in the heavens. Was here sure
thing? Nay. verify. for thou oh. sun!
thou king Of the heavens. shalt feel thy
Hfe-giving heat turned to the chill of
death; thy light shall he swallowed IN
and thou shalt cease thy faithful Jour
ney over thy well-worn path. No. the
sun. moon and stars cannot claim per
manency and give us n sure thing. for
He whose hand laid the foundatiops
OF the earth and hung sun. moon ami
stars in the heavens, has said: "Heaven
and earth shall pass away"
And the lips Of the Son of God had
not ceased to move as He spoke the
doom Of the heavens and the earth ere
He had given man n sure thing on
which TO stand. for lie went on to de
clare in the same sentence: But Nv
words shall not pass away" Here
then is the sure thing that shall abide
with God throughout the unendinr
eternities. And our text gives us a re.
casting OF the thought in the mold Of
PauIs mind as. in writing TO the
Corinthian church, he declares: "AIl
the promises Of God in Christ are yea.
and in Christ Amen, unto the glory Of
God by US"
The mariner in the midst Of the
vast ocean studies the stars and
takes his bearings. Then he is sure
OF his location and knows the exact
direction in which TO steer 10 bring
him to the safe shelter Of tho home