The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-09-10

I 3O~ the end Of the rain
s7------l bow. or the persist
snt effort to discover the fountain of
perpetual youth. An, how vain ard dis
appointing is mueIss of the struggle and
search Of human kind! Much seeking,
out little indingt Fayerish, persistent
quest Tor fading joys and perishable pos
sessions, and never realization of de-
sires or satisfaction of soul! It Is be
cause the things sought for are either
unattainable, OF, il attainable, are dis
appointing and unsatisfying when
gained. It is the search for the gilt
tering gem, which, when within the
grasp, proves naugEt but the worthless
baable of tinsel and gilt. Search for
happiness, wealth, power, business, so
c1al Or intellectual preferment and sue
cess, and when the prize is won at last,
after the first delightful thrill Of pos
session has passed, it proves unsatisfy-
Ing. The ideal is never attained. It
Is always just beyond the reach. But
not SO the search after God. God is the
attainable and the satisfying reward of
every hungry, seeking soul. He is the
Findable God" But how many there are
who doubt this. How many believing
It, yet grow weary in their search, and
tail to reach the goal of Gods presence
But there are those who seek Him with
their whole desire and He is found Of
them. Many, like Job, cried out, as they
struggled through darkness and dis
couragement and suffering: "Oh that I
know where I might find Him!" The
way seems SO long. Faiths eye grows
dim and the heart faint and discouraged,
but at last the soul merges into the
light Of His presence, and Gods voice
is heard, even as Job came face to face
with Him IN the WhirlWind, and heard
Him speak His rebuke and pronounce
His blessing The seeker after God
always comes into the Divine presence,
II faith fGi1 not and the heart turn not
from its purpose. seek and ye shall
ind" was Jesus encouraging promise.
The seeker shall be rewarded, but how
much is involved in the seeking!
HE declaration of our texG tnas ttff IIe
(God) was found of them hasrefer-
enee to a spiritual apprehension and APP
probation of the Divine God-head. Man
may and does find God in the nature
about him. God is everywhere IN His
universe. The efforts of the atheists
and the Darwinian scientists have never
succeeded in eliminating Gcd as tz
Factor and Conscious Presence ia the
heavens and the earth which tsdeclare
His handiWork" and reveal His wis
doIa and power. God is found in every
starry height and every retreating and
shadowy depth. His presence is found
upon the wide expanse of the fathomless
sea; upon river, lake and sparkling rill.
The rugged mountains mark the course
Of His mighty tread through the earth.
and the gentle valleys display the YER
dure and Beauty of His omnipotent hand
The woods are vibrant with the life
which has been bestowed by Him The
birds in joyful note; the insects with
their busy hum OF lazy swinging on
the gentle breezs; the thrifty ant, with
hurried passage through his forest jun
gle Of grass on definite business bent.
the animal creation from the little SOUR
Tels that find their cozy home in the
friendly. hospitable heart of the great
tree, or the sleek-coated gopher that
burrows meath the mellow sod, or the
rabbits that scurry away before the in
truding presence of man, and then stop
long enough to raise their saucy, in
quisitive heads above the tall grass and
woodland flowers to watch you as you
pass; up to the graceful, swift deer that
takes one fieeting glance at you as you
invade his leafy arbor and then dashes
away eth the speed of the wind to some
more secluded retreat-al1, all speak Of
God and declare His presence in the
world which He las made
A ND man may find God all about him.
y He may be conscious of His pres
enee. He may realize that God is every
where in His nature. He may be among
those who in loving appreciation hold
communion with NATURES invisible
forms and hear her speak / varying lam
guage. with God as the keynote of it
all But such recognition of God, such
finding Of Hg~n. is not the experience to
which our text has reference God is
to be found and known in deeper and
fuller and richer sense than this Man Is
qufckened soul finds God to Whom
the natural heart and mind of man are
q complete stranger. Who by search
ing can find out God2a The searching OF
the natural man will never be rewarded
by that finding of God which reveals
Him in His saving, cleansing, keeping.
fruetifying power. So the finding of God
means more than the superficial, the
intellectual conception of God. 1t
means the quiekening of the heart to
the deepest sense OF the need of God. and
the expanding and en1arging of the
heart to the realities and consciousness
Of God When the whole desire goes
out after God. then is He found of
those thus yearning for Him Have
YOU found God. or are you still a stranger
to Him? And if stranger to Him here,
i stranger to him in toe life to come
God may % found. He waits for TIE
sinner to find Him in saving power. He
waits for the saint to find Him in in
ereasing sallness and power. He is the
.Eindable God" and if man finds Him
not. he alene Is to blsane: he has not
sought Him with the whole desire
~ JR text introduces us to one of the
~ bright pages of Judahss history. It
ratnts for us in the colors Of the glorious