News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-01-15

sEEn1zs14xa 42Ex&zsssa> thing that man
meets in his every
day experiences prompts him to ask
is 1t trustworthy, dependable?" If a
man buys a fountain pen, he asks,
viii it write all the time?" AS the
aeronaut looks at his biplane or
monoplane, and thinks of being
5000 feet above the earth, he
asks: is it dependable?" If a
man has bit of money and wishes
to lay it aside for rainy day, he asks
of the bank in which he thinks of de-
posting it: rs it safe?" President
elect Wilson recently said: However
! the variation may come, no matter
what the ephemeral feature may be,
no matter what the external form may
be, men are looking for a foothold;
they are looking for some firm ground
of faith upon which to walk"
Is it possible that man can ask with
reference to God: "Is, he depend
able?" The gods of the Egyptians,
Greeks or Romans were super-mun-
dane beings; and man was constantly
asking the question: will the gods
changer" We have a proverb that has
come down the centuries, LAS tickle
as the gods" The ancient religious
devotee would think of his gods as
mercurial, changeable beings, moved
by any wind that blew-he could
never trust them.
If we take the gods of today, and
thou ora fIon in
the days of old-money, place, appe-
tite-men are bowling down to these
and worshiping them, and they may
well ask, Are they dependable?" So
the subject of a dependable God is
immensely practical, and those who
worship the God of the Bible claim
that he is dependable. He is the same
yesterday, today and forever, whether
manifesting himself as Father, Son or
Holy Spirit.
The Bible is full of claims of the
faithfulness of God, and God may be
placed in sharp contrast to the gods
that are in opposition or rivalry. The
true God never breaks a promise, as
the text so clearly claims. There may
be some support to the idea of the
dependability of God, as there is a
demand for this in God; just as we
claim that there is a God because
there is a demand for God. And again
the regularity and uniformity of move
ment of the various parts of Gods
creation is proof of the regularity and
uniformity in the Creator himself. We
know that the rising of the sun can be
depended on; seasons of the year
never fail to alternate; the systems
that swing in illimitable space are so
exact in their movements that those
can be calculated for milen-
NUNS in advance to minutes and sec
and he is as dependable as they.
God has given us many great and |
precious promses''-of blessings ma
terial, blessings to the body polite, |
blessings to the intellectual and es-
thetic nature, and to the spiritual In |
man, both with respect to the expert |
ences of this life, and the eternity |
that stretches beyond.
The challenge of God as to his faith
invites the closest examina-
ton of his character for veracity, con-
for dependability. His
promises have been most specific; in
many cases given to individuals;
dates, locations and circumstances be-
ing definitely proclaimed hundreds of
years before the things promised were
realized Joshua was justified in his
strong assertion as he reviewed Gods
relationship to himself, for
at the beginning of his career Josh.
l:5) God had given specific promises,
and they had been fulfilled literally.
This dependability of God is compre-
hensive. 1t means something beyond
his promises of blessings, and applies
as we'll to the warnings and threat
enings of his word. In the history of
Israel the threatenings because of
iisobedience were as numerous, is not
more so. than the promises of bless
ngs because of obedience. God be-
ing Just as dependable as to the car
rying out of the one as of the other.
If God is proclaimed as faithful God
(Deut 7:9) with respect to keeping
covenant and showing mercy to
thousand generations, it is shown in
he next verse that it is the same God
hat "repays those who hate him face
% face"
God will not change-the restless years
may bring
sunlight and shade-glories of the spring, 1
IN silent gloom and sunless winter hours;
Toy mixed with grief-sharp thorns with
frgrant flowers;
Earth-lights may shine awhile, and then
grow dim,
But God Is true; there Is no change In