The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-21

gospel lifeboat is being pushed through
the raging, surging, stormy seas.
We cannot Explain why sin was ever
allowed to come into the world. But after
we accept its advent as a fact, then the
cross, on account of our eternal danger,
can become our all in all. With the saint
ed Gotthold we may say before the FAM
ing fires of eternal death: For my own
part my soul is like a hungry and thirsty
child. and l need Christ's love and con-
ISOLATION for my refreshment. l am a
wandering and lost sheep, and | need Him
as a good and faithful shepherd. By
soul is like a frightened dove pursued by
a hawk, and l need His wounds for
refuge. | am a feeble vine. and l need
His cross to lay hold of and wind myself
about. | am a sinner. and | need His
righteousness. | am naked and bare. and
l need His holiness and innocence for
covering. | am in trouble and alarm and
/ need His solace. Simple and foolish am
I, and / need the guidance of His Holy
Spirit Am | arraigned by Satan at the
divine tribunal. He must be my advocate.
Am | In afflction, He must be my helper
Am | prosecuted by the world, He must
defend me. When | am forsaken. He
ust be support; when dying, my life;
when moldering In the grave. my resur-
rection." Why did God let sin come into
the world? We cannot understands 1t. But
after we have accepted the fact that the
good God has allowed sin to come into the
world for purpose, then, on account Of
eternal danger threatening us, we see as
never before glorious sacrifices, both hui
man and divine We see on account OF
salvation from sin how Christ's blood will
not only lift us above the angels but
how through Christ we may become
part of God himself A mystery An I'M
fashionable mystery Yet mystery
which makes heaven blaze with triumph
ant and far reaching light l
Mystery Of the Resurrection.
Mystery of the resurrection: How Is
the transformation between earth and
heaven to take place? We know not We
cannot explain The more we study 1t
the deeper becomes the mystery. But
though the resurrection Is a mystery,
though we cannot by human reason I'M
derstand how these poor bodies OF ours
can be so transformed that they Will live
forever. we can when reason hats, pro-
coed under the higher guidance OF faith
and accept the assurance of the scrip
lures, that this mortal shall put ON I'M
mortality" and that II our earthly house
of this tabernacle be dissolved we have
a building of God, house not made with
-
this body which we lay In the grave, CIV
ing II over to corruption, ever be revivedY
We do not know how. but we believe God
and exclaim in triumph with the patri-
arch. Il know that my Redeemer liveth,
and at last He shall stand upon the
EARTH and after my skin, even this body,
Is destroyed, then without my flesh shall
see God" Nor or we left exclusively TO
faith for nature herself gives us hint
-. efrxr tGfn INF q n
be encouraging. The other day my little
girl brought TO me a paper box, in which
she had confined a caterpillar. This cater
pillar had wrapt itself up in cacoon.
The cacoon looked exactly like shroud.
After awhile the caterpillar will emerge
from that cacoon transformed into
beautiful butterfly. You cannot explain
that transformation. Neither can l. Shall
we witness the wonderful process of the
caterpillar's metamorphosis from worm
to butterfly and yet refuse TO believe
that God can. If he will. transform the
physical body into heavenly body?
Marvellous Transformations.
We see marvellous transformations in
the natural world taking place all around
us. We cannot explain them. Shall we
therefore refuse TO believe them? Pick up
In your hand. II you will, a common
chestnut. 1t has within its simple shell
a soft substance, which looks for all the
world like lump Of hard -four pressed
together. Yet in that simple substance
in miniature is every known part OF the
chestnut tree. Within that shell Is the
root. the bark. the branch. the leaf. If
that simple nut can change into the
branches OF the wide Speeding tree. may
not we believe that our physical bodies.
under the divine chemistry. may undergo
an equally wondrous change which we
cannot comprehend any more than we
can tell how or when the Transformation
Is to take place? A mystery. a mystery.
How do we 60 down mortal and come up