Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-20

So Nor height, nor depth, nor any othe.
creature shall be able to separate Us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
The Lesson.
We cannot do better in the beginning of
the study of this topic than to quote from
II. G.. c. Moule in the Expositors Bible.
He says: Some years ago We remember
reading this passage under moving crcum-
stances. On cloudless January night, late
arrived in Rome, We stood in the Coliseum,
a party of friends from England Orion, the
giant with the sword, glimmered like a
specter. the specter of persecution. above
the huge precinct; for the full moon high
in the heavens, overpowered the stars. BY
its light we read from a little Testament
these words, written so long ago to be read
in fhat city; written by the man whose
dust now sleeps at Ire FOntane, where the
eXecutioner dismissed him to be with
Christ; written to men and women, some
of whom at least in all human likelihood,
suffered in the same amphitheater, raised
only twenty-five years after Paul wrote to
the Romans. and soon made the scene of
countless martyrdoms. DO YOU want rel
ic? said pope to some eager visitor.
Gather dust from the Coliseum; it Is all the
martyrs We recited the words of the
Epistle and gave thanks to Him who lad
there triumphed in His saints over life and
death, over beasts and men, and demons.
that great victory; truth and life. they
knew whom they had believed'-their sacri-
flee, their head their king. He whom they
had believed lived in them, and they in
Him, by the Holy Ghost given to them.
Then we thought of ourselves, in our cir
cumstances so totally different on the sur
face, yet carrying the same needs in their
depths. Are we too to overcome in the
things present of modern world, and
in the face of the things to come yet upon
the earth? Are we to be more than con-
querors. winning blessing out of all things.
and really living in our own generation.
(Acts 1880, as the bondmen of Christ and
tine sons of God? Then for us also the alb
solute necessities are-the same truth. and
the same life. And they ours. thanks
be to the name of our salvation. Time hath
no more dominion over them. because death
hath no more dominion over Him. For us.
too, Jesus died. In us, too, by the Holy
Ghost, He lives.
All about us every day we can see wrecks
of human loves. The divorce courts show
records of many. There are perhaps as
many more such wrecks of the marriage
relation which have never passed through
the court and as many in other relations
in life. Separation is a common thing.
Too common alas Loyalty to ones love
is rarer than it should be- And in the
daily relations of this life of ours if we
cannot be loyal and true to our loves al
ways. it is not strange that we are not
true to the God who is unseen. For. if
we love not our brother whom we have
not SEEM
Into the midst of this world of disloyalty.
and weakness. and uncertainty Paul filings
this magnificent challenge to Satan. He
knows in whom he has put his trust and
in whom all Christians put their trust.
He has made test of the great love of the
God who spared not His own Son, but gave
Him freely for us. shall He not stand by
us in any distress or fearful thing that
may come upon us? And if that be so. if
the one in whom we trust is thus shall any
be afraid to stand alone if need be for
Him? Shall anything be large enough or
terrible enough to separate us from Him?
Yet how very little things do separate
Christians from God today, and it must
have been the same way in Paul's time!
Sometimes il is only laugh. The fear
of a laugh has many a time separated
men from Christ; kept them from praying.
made them walk into places their con-
| sciences warned them against. kept them
where they knew Christ being bias
phemed. prevented them from doing the
| little kind act or saying the brave words,
| or standing out against evil in some form.
| Just a little laugh or a sheer on pretty lips
have made weaklings of us many and
many time, when We forgot the love of
Christ. and so became fearful For how
could We fear If We remembered that great
love of Christ. that great power of God.
| that stands like a mighty unseen army
of angels with cleaning swords behind the
children of God. ready to defend them
from anything, persecution or famine, or
nakedness, or sword, or Taught
1t was Paul's deep knowledge of Him in
whom he believed that made him sure
that nothing could separate him there
from 1t is our lack of personal knowl-
edge and deep love for God that makes
some of us so often get separated from
the love of Christ. II we knew 1t as it is
our privilege to know 1t we could not live
without 1t. If we trusted In II as we trust
in the things of this world. In money or
fame or the good opinion Of others. moth
ing, nothing could separate us from the
love of Christ 1t would be all we cared
for in this life. Nothing could make US