The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1914-11-26

wv an nOuT OF lTOu-
BILE II has been
- -. their consolation
and In many a
happy moment their chief JOY.
OD There Is a kind OF certainty
about this text that gives II pc
culiar value. We know that all
things work together for good" II
Is not surmise but a conviction;
not a conclusion based merely upon
the testimony of others. but pos
session OF our own experience. We
know II 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 God. holy.
just, allpowerful and good. Il must
be as the text says. To deny II is to
deny God We know II from the his
tory Of the world and Of mankind
whose pages are Illuminated with Its
truth, but especially do we know II
from the record of our own lives II
we are true Christian men and WON.
en-, we can look back over the past
year In all Its vicissitudes and set
our seal TO II as fact.
CD There Is a universally In the
range OF the text which gives Il
peculiar value We know all things
works together for good" What a
measureless compass there is In that
declaration In the mind OF the In
hla at.tl 10,
Dictated 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 broadcast and most comprehen.
siye 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 II is easy to be-
lieye this when all Is prosperous and
happy. but faith clings to II when
the clouds lower and the storms rage
II is that which distin cuisines the
Christian from the man OF the world.
t3) There is a sense OF divine ac-
tivity In the text An things work
together for good" God does not al
low things TO come TO pass by chance.
but has an arrangement In everything.
a plan. a purpose bringing forth ef
fects. He Is continually subverting
and conserving. scattering and bring
ing together. In order that he may
find stones to polish for a temple into
which he may enter and permanently
abide.
ca 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 Mores dialogue OF the two
weavers. we may sometimes think
that
The good are troubled and oppressed
And all the wicked are the blessed.
But when We reach that world of light
And view these works ~ God Alright.
Then shall we see the whole design
And own the work II all divine
But finally. II Is the particularly OF
this text that we need most TO dwell
upon IL is TO Them That Love
God" 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
An L.
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 God. though he
was very religious and very active In
his religion. But one day he saw
Christ In the glory and submitted
himself to him. and all this was
changed. He then loved God because
he had come 10 know that God first
loved him and sent his son to be the
Precipitation for his sins.
And SO this text gives us Paui's
own testimony. He had had a won.
derful life especially after his remark.
able conversion. Read his own de
scription OF II In Second Corinthians
from Chapter IL, Verse Fl to Chap
ter IL. Verse ~. and see what II must
have meant TO him TO utter such |
words as these. In everything had |
he seen the hand OF God 30 wildly |
and the most unpromising circum.
stances rebound 20 his own good. |
that no mathematical proposition
could have been more clearly demon |