The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-07-05

and when it comes to removing death,
or the sting of death, which is sin, or
indeed, any of the darkest shadows
that cloud our lives we find that it has
made no progress at all. Sin and sor-
row and death are still the great facts
of human experience.
Nor has mans wisdom given us. any
knowledge OF God and life beyond
death. The wisest man that ever lived
was baffied in his searching out of the
| things that are done under heaven and
was unable, by wisdom, to discover
anything about God save "his eternal
power and Godhead." God must re-
veal himself. And he has done so
in the person of his son, of whom it
| Is written: "Who of God is made un-
to us wisdom" And the apostle, des-
canting upon the wisdom Of the world,
says, ''The Jews require a sign and
| the Greeks seek after wisdom; but
we preach Christ crucified, unto the
Jews a stumbling block, and unto the
Greeks foolishness; but unto them
which are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God, and
the wisdom of Cod And behold the
wisdom of God put to death in the
place of a skull, the utter wreck of
human wisdom. That place of skull
| is Gods estimate of the wisdom Of
men; the cross erected there is mans
estimate of the wisdom Of God.
How did man acquire this hoasted
| wisdom? 1t was by listening to 81
ltan's lie. The pursuit of knowledge
was the career upon which tbat arch
| liar proposed to set the race. and in
following his fatal suggestion there
was forfeited that higher wisdom
(which God ordained before the world
unto our glory" and (which none of the
princes of this world knew; FOR had
they known it they would not have
crucified the Lord Of glory"
For twenty-five hundred years after
the creation, "the invisible things &c
God were Clearly seen even
his eternal power and Godhead." Writ
ten across the heavens with accuracy
and clearness was that revelation, the
heavens declaring his glory and the
armament showing his handiwork.
But men "did not like to retain God
In their knowledge" and processing
themselves to be wise they became
fools' and changed the truth Of God
into lie." Then began their guess
Ing and from that hour one school of
thought has displaced another, and
systems Of philosophy have chased
each other like shadows across the
hills of time. And still, "the world
by wisdom knew not God" and "the
message Of the cross is to them that
perish foolishnesS" but "the wisdom
of this world is foolishness with God''
and "the Lord knoweth the reasonings
Of the wise that they are vain." But
after that in the wisdom of God the
world by wisdom knew not God, 1t
pleased God by the foolishness OF
preaching to save them that believe"
and 1--WE preach Christ the power of
God and the wisdom Of God"
Happy and wise alone is he who at
the cross Of the Lord Jesus has hum
bled himself as a sinner to accept the
one 'made sin" there for him. There,
and there alone, shall he find the ans
swer to the eternal question, "What is
truth?" for the lips that cannot lie
have furnished the one final answer
forever: II am the Truth" Oh, the
marvel Of divine wisdom! The very
murder of the son Of God, outcome Of
Satan's lie that men in pride and self
will still cling to, is the highest wis
dom of God, for it is his perfect pro-
vision for human sin and guilt--yea,
for every need of the human heart. II
you do not believe it, challenge you
to come and see for yourself.