The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-01-25
createst passages

| .S and the giver Of
life to all who
sSS$ss .M~M walk therein.
While there are
many voices in the world and none Of
them without significance, as Paul says
In his first letter to the Corinthians,
there is one voice greater than all 9TH
ers, and yet one to which few listen
the voice of God.
1t takes more firmness to keep ones
balance in these days than ever be-
fore. The voices around us are so
many, so insistent and so varied, that
one hardly knows where he stands and
what to believe. Yhe voice Of events
is such that few men are making pre-
dictions any more. The world was full
Of prophets Of the Immediately inn
pending golden age five years ago, but
their occupation is gone. It seems un-
believable that in a little more than
six months the victorious central pow
ers have been broken to pieces by the
entente allies, but it is so. Sir George
Adam Smith said to President Wilson
quite recently: "For four years have
been schooling myself in the incredi-
BILE, till it has become terribly familiar
to me-"
We can believe almost anything
these days, and the reason is that man
has lost trust in his own forecastings.
If man has lost this trust, is there any
being in the universe that has not done
so? We firmly believe there is, and
| that one is God, who sits son the cir
Gle of the heavens" and calmly looks
upon the connections of this planet
and the interests of thousands much
greater. Is it not wise, therefore, to
listen to his voice?
God speaks in creation and provi-
dence. 'The heavens declare the glory
of God and the armament showeth his
handiwork." Eclipses occur to the
second. and not a jar is felt in the rev.
olutions of the innumerable worlds
about us. In the study of our every
day life God speaks to us in law that
never for moment gives up it's domi-
nation. His prosperity calls for our
gratitude, his infection of adversely for
our penitence and his faithfulness for
the years gone by declares that be-
cause he is Interchangeable that faith
fitness will continue.
But God speaks to us through his
Son as in no other way, for the Son is
"the express image of the Father
Many quickly accept the proposition
that God thus speaks, but the voice OF
Christ is married. because their Christ
is a mere caricature. They have &C
copied what man has said about
Christ as a true picture Of Christ
Some conceptions Of Christ are drawn
from the paintings that are exhibited
some get their ideas of Christ from de
scriptions found in popular literature
especially fiction; some get their ideas
even from such agnostics as Renan ant
Strauss; and some get theirs from
what they see in those who profess tt
love him, this picture often being
, false.
Where do we get the right picture
We have no hesitation in saying in tn
Holy Scriptures. There we have fore
CLEANS of him In the Old Testamen
that are trustworthy; there we see l
in what he says and in what he doe
, in that wonderful life which ended o.
the cross; there is made plain tn
great plan Of redemption that he cam
, to give to men, with the whole futur
aglow with his coming glory.
There is no subject that 'most cor
J Germs men on which God has no
] spoken. This statement is mad
. thoughtfully. 1t is not meant tina
, every detail of mans life and exper
/. ence is met by specific word, but tina
0 as to the principles that should guild
: man, touching even the minutiae of life
t there is nothing missing. The Bib
] tells man where Ee is going, what b
t is in himself, his standing before God
d that he is sinful; that there Is no hep
8 except in simple faith on Jesus Christ
that heaven is a reality-and hell 0
j we'll; that his only guide in this Iii
' is the Word Of God, which is put int
0 his hands in the form that he can rea
:. and study.
9 Has single word that God ha
d said about individuals, cities and n
+ lions IN the past failed? Is thel
i anything in the great picture
\ given In Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zecharial
I Daniel, the Gospels and other Scril
q lures that is untrue? AS his Word ]
the past has never failed, it Is reasol
able to believe that HIS Word as
the future will not fail. Find out whit
God says in his Word and act on
; Tor God viii have the last word