Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-02

4
Tho word 'love" Is as warming and cheer
ing correspondinRly the words hatred ana
| ''selfshneSs' are cold and discouraging. tr
| some who all their lives have been immersed
in a world OF selfish frtEiditv the real quality
| Of the word ''love" ia disallowed, disputed.
| claimed not to exist. Nevertheless there -
craving in every human beinG for love, pure
/ and sincere, though never expected 10
/ be found. This craving OF the human heart
| foc love and sympathy Increases as the years
| 20 by. Inevitable reverses and failures Tor
| the majority take the place OF anticipated
| successes. However strong. courageous or even
| brutally fierce has been the warrior IN the
pattle for bread and fame and earthly glory
| he Graves ultimately. in mis- partial or COM
| plete disaster. the love which he has never
| shown to others, ever really expected that
| others would show to him. Whether he sue
cumbs to financial disaster or TO immortality,
or to narcotic stimulants or 70 disease II
matters not witch the balm OF Gilead Tor the
| wounded soul is love.
| Sometimes this love comes from the partner
of life. the wife or the husband; sometimes
/ from parents or children, sisters or brothers.
| Thank God for these sometimes" and for the
/ evidence they afford us of some measure OF
the image Of God in humanity! But alas:
| in a vast majority of cases the failure, the
disaster suffered not only shatters hope put
\ cools friendship and DESTROYS the semblances
functory admiration! At such time the
| message Of the love of God and Christ is
/ balm. indeed IL it comes to the wounded ana
discouraged one And our thought is THAI par
| ticularly at this time of the wear, such dis
| enlargement is apt to be born in upon large
numbers Of the human family. With the open
| ing of the new year. many properly mace
l fresh resolution to themselves. or to thslS
| friends or TO the Lord-to live more nools
| lives. to be tue to their Creator to themselves;
| to their COMPANIONS in lfe-in general, to al
| of their interests and OBLIGATIONS But the
| first month Of the year has witnessed trials,
testings and to many has brought defeat and
| dscoura cement.
"COme Weary and Heavy Laden"
| to
| couraged ones to hear the voice Of Him that
| speaketh from heaven. telling them OF HIS
| love, sympathy and His Willingness TO and
those who will accept His assistance. Hark-
ening obediently to His voice. the hour OF
| defeat may be changed to the hour Of victory
by the Lords assisting grace: Just as many
| a time in earthly warfare victory has been
| wrested from defeat by he ARRIVAL OF rem
| forcements at the opportune moment. The mo
| ment of disbursement and hopeless despair
! and loss of confidence in earthly progress Is
! the opportune moment for Inc discouraged ore
to recognize his need o< the Saviour AMI 10
| cry unto Him and forthwith receive The rem
| forcements promised from Him has de-
| clared, My strength is made perfec. IN your
/ weakness" and. again. Come unto me- az
! will give you rest. Take NV "Jke upon you
and learn of me: for 1 am meek and lowly
of heart and We shall find res unto your
| souls" Matt. 11:2S-30s)
| Ahl but It requires faith to believe In Of
| Saviour whom we have never seen, and with
| whom we not acquainted and especlaIy
|
scented to us as having prepared from before
| the foundation of the wo I'D for our eternal
torment. INV can we assure ourselves sci =, %, OF
| the cruel that has psen pictured 10 US.
| but instead of loving, generous kind, taithtuI
friend-a God who delighteyh not IN our trn1-
| BILE, who reioiceth not in lniuuity, who re-
joiceth not in eternally torme1 .nS his crea-
| lures, nor even in destroying them eternaliy
| in the second death. but. CONVERSELY, in GOING
| us good. in exhibiting towards all who Will
| receive 1t. His loving kindness and tence
! mercy, enabling them more and more In tne
| language Of our text, to appreciate the height
| and length breadth and depth of His love,
and who eventually will have all men saved
| Crecovered) and brought to knowledge OF the
truth and TO obedience and character develop
ment TO life everlasting in the paradise u
God?
''There is a Wilderness in Gods
Mercy"
This is the message which we bear to the
/ troubled and discouraged ones. They must
| take our word for it, until they have time 10
take up with us a thorough STUDY OF the scT ,,
lures and to demonstrate to themselves that
| the Justice wisdom, love and power OF 600
are all enlisted the behalf Of Adam and his
race-to do us good, to save us from our sins
and from dead and dying condition in which
we find ourselves, mentally, morally and phys
ically. Nor should IT be so difficult TO exer-
else this degree Of faith. The scriptures de-
clare, He that cometh unto God must believe
that he is, an dthat he is a rewarder or them
that diligently seek him." (Heo, Ito. rms
inviting US, he will not spurn us when we
| respond to his call. Moreover 1t should appeal
to every reasonable mind that God should De
! Just and loving towards all. The thought OF
an angry, vindictive, torture-loving, unloving
Creator should be rejected instantly by every
rational mind, as being ungodlke, demoniacal
| And no doubt this would have been so had 1t
not been that the misconception on the subject,
which the apostle calls the doctrine OF devils
| was imposed upon our minds from our very
earliest childhood and often by those whom we
properly loved and whose piety we reverenced
but who were themselves deceived.
! 1t is high time that more reverential more
lloving, theological views were seen by all man
kind II is the lack of this true theology that
is driving many away from the Lord and His
falsely so-called'-Higher Criticism, Christian
Science, Evolution, Theosophy, ETC., ETC.
| 1 Tim. 6:20.
Length, Breadth, Height, Depth
We are not able to tell the wonderful meas
ures Of Gods love-nor can others tell them.
Indeed, the apostle suggests the privilege
of approaching these measurements is granted
only to the saints" and to these in proportion
| to their saintness. Thus babe in Christ,
though beloved Of the Lord and carefully cher
ished, cannot, infantile saint, compre-
bend these measurements Of Divine character.
When first he believed in the Lord he saw
something Of Divine love and mercy, which
influenced him and drew him to the exercise
of faith and the announcement OF sin. From
that standpoint Of justification by faith he
| could see more Of the Lord, and appreciate
more the measurements Of his greatness. Then
before the Lord and made a full surrender to
him in response to the invitation, IT beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies Of God
that we present your bodies a living sacrifice
holy. acceptable unto God which is your rea-
sonable service Rom. 12:1
! Having thus done all in his power and laid
himself at the Lords feet, he received the
begetting Of the Holy Spirit. not with outward
show or demonstration. but with inward grace
and the enlightenment Of the of his
| Outstanding. From this new standpoint of con-
secration and harmony with the Divine will.
| he began to more of the length, more Of
| the breadth, more of the height, more of the
depth of Gods love, and hourly daily, month
| ly, yearly, If living I'D 60 his privileges faith
fully. he has been growing in grace growing
! in knowledge, growing in opportunity to sec
these measurements of the Divine character.
Note that this is the very expression of our
text and context: the reception by faith Of
Christ into our hearts as a rule, brought
strengthening mighty STRENGTHENING by His
Spirit in the inner man to the new nature.
AS this Spirit of Christ dwet resided in our
hearts bv faith II tended to root up and to
ground in His character-likeness, which is
the same that of the Father-love. Now.
then, all this experience makes US able to
comprehend with all saints these measurements
of our Creators character as others cannot