The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-11-27

and in many
happy moment their chief JOY.
Cd There is kind OF certainty
about this text that gives IL pc
culiar value. I'VE know that all
things work together for good" IL
is not a surmise but a conviction;
not conclusion based merely upon
the testimony OF others, but pos
session of our own experience. We
know il from the word OF God. and we
would rather trust that than our own
understanding. We know II indeed
from the very nature of the case, for
given the existence Of a God, holy,
just, all-powerful and good, IL must
be as the text says. To deny IL is TO
deny God. We know IL from the his
tory OF the world and of mankind
whose pages are Illuminated with its
truth, but especially do we know It
from the record OF our own lives. II
We are true Christian men and wom-
en-, we can look back over the past
year In all It's vicissitudes and set
our seal to IL as fact.
(2) There is universally In the
range of the text which gives II a
peculiar value. I'VE know all things
works together for good" What a
measureless compass there is in that
declaration! In the mind OF the in
spired writer the "all things" as in
dicated by the context, are very espe-
cially "the sufferings of this pres
ent time" but there is no reason
why we may not employ the language
In the broadest and most comprehen-
sive sense. Things known and things
unknown, defeats and victories, losses
and gains, the small and the large.
all are working together for good to
them that love God. IL is easy to be-
lieve this when all is prosperous and
happy, but faith clings to It when
the clouds lower and the storms rage.
1t is that which distinguishes the
| Christian from the man of the world.
CD There is a sense of divine ac-
| tivity in the text "All things work
! together for good" God does not al
low things to come to pass by chance.
but has an arrangement in everything,
plan, a purpose bringing forth ef-
fects. He is continually subverting
and conserving. scattering and bring
| ing together, i'm order that he may
| find stones to polish for a. temple into
which he may enter and permanently
! abide.
(D Then think OF the harmony ex-
| pressed-"all things work together
for good" There is no discord or
opposition in the heavenly counsels,
| though we may not always perceive
this with our eyes of flesh. Like Han
nah More's dialogue OF the two
weavers, we may sometimes think
that
| rhe good are troubled and oppressed,
And all the wicked are the blessed.
But when we reach that world OF light.
| And view these works OF God Alright,
| Then shall we see the whole design,
And own the work is all divine.
But finally, II is the particularly OF
this text that we need most TO dwell
upon. II Is TO Them That Love
Cod" and to them only, that all
things work together for good. But
men in their natural state do not
love God, nor can they love him.
| There must be created within them
the clean heart and renewed within
them the right spirit before they can
love God. And this is Gods own
work in them, which he does when
they believe his testimony concerning
his son. Jesus Christ Have you done
this? Have you yet by faith received
Christ as your Savior and confessed
him as your Lord? There was a time
when Paul who wrote these words
did not himself love Cod. though he
was very religious and very active in
HIS religion. But one day he saw
Christ in the glory and submitis1
himself 20 him. and all this was
changed. He then loved God bscaose
he had come 10 know that God first
loved him and sent his son 10 be the
propitiation for his sins.
And so this text gives US Paul's
own testimony. He had had q won
derful life especially after his rsmsrk.
able conversion. Read his own de-
scription of II IN Second Corinthians
from Chapter II. Verse 21 20 Chap
ter IL, Verse II. and see villa; II must
have meant 10 him 10 utter such
words as these. In everything had
he seen the hand Of Cod 70 wildly
and the most unpromising circum-
stances rebound 20 HE own go.d.
that no mathematical ssvposic.on
could have been more clearly demon
strated to him than thia