WITH eyes turned in upon self, man soon loses sight of God; with his thoughts busy with self-interest, he forgets the hand that is measuring out his life.
THE sin of the ancient world—the thing that made their sorrowful course possible—was forgetting God. That is the sin, too, of the present age; men are forgetting God now, putting Him far away from them. In that age men "did not like to retain God in their knowledge," and so He "gave them over to a reprobate mind." The same disinclination to remember the Creator is seen to-day in every walk of life, from the feeder of swine to the polished orator who essays to feed the mind and soul of man.
"RACING from God" might fittingly be inscribed over the "triumphal arch" through which the twentieth century enters in. The wild racing of the high-power horseless carriage of to-day is typical of the religious attitude of the world. Forgetting God, the heathen world went farther and farther into sin, sinking lower the farther they went. At the same time they thought they were advancing toward the light. The present age is fleeing from the knowledge of God, and it claims to have just within its grasp the greatest light the world has ever known. It may be that the "light" of this age will not lead to the same grossness as did theirs of ancient times; but that it will lead to the same goal—soul ruin—is beyond dispute; for the author of the present great "light" was the author of that will-o-the-wisp which, in the days of Tyre and Babylon, Memphis and Carthage, was leading its followers to ruin. Away from God there is only one goal. The world is turning away from God. It will find but one goal.
WE are in the age of philosophy and psychology. The temples of these cults are called churches, and the people imagine they are listening to religious teachings when the expounders of occultism and philosophy are teaching their doctrines from a pulpit and denouncing the Word of God which proves their dogmas false.
Photo by E. J. Drake. Nevada Falls, Yosemite Valley. Height of Fall, 605 Feet.
IT is not necessary that man should forget his Creator. The world is full of His handiwork. We can not look to the sky by night without beholding the dazzling splendor of the rubies and emeralds and diamonds with which He has caught up the sweeping portiers of the halls of infinity. They are shining forth His praise and telling of His love and care. Their speech is heard in all His realm by the ears that welcome the message which they bear. We can not look to the heavens by day without beholding other emblems of His provision, His tender care, and His unfailing love. The chariots of the clouds are dropping down their benedictions while they tell us of the glory of the chariots which bear their Maker up, and the sun is gilding them with a slight tinge of the splendor that shines out from the throne of God. These are all telling us of Him, and bidding us not forget.
BUT God has not left His witnesses in the far reaches of space alone. He has peopled the earth on which we live with myriad witnesses of Himself, mute or voiceful, openly evident or hidden like jewels of the mine. In the mighty waterfall He has even condescended to paint for us a faint glimmer of His glory. In its roaring waters He has taught us to hear the symbol of His mighty voice. "The floods have lifted up their voice;" but "the Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters." Ps. 93:3, 4. "The Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful." Ps. 29:3, 4. We read in Rev. 1:15 that His voice is "as the sound of many waters." Again: "I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of many thunderings, saying, Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Rev. 19:6. That was the voice of the mighty multitude singing praises to His name. The one who heard it could liken it to nothing but the sound of many waters, and the tongue of the mighty tempest.
SO AS we stand in the presence of the great waterfall and listen to its speech, we can, with our inner ear, hear the voice of God speaking to our soul. He who heeds the voice will find his ear is becoming attuned to its faintest whisperings. He who is absorbed in self will hear but the roar of the waters. To him God's voice is discordant thunder.
THERE are other voices in the earth telling us of God, voices which the mind alone can hear, but which to the ear are dumb. To the upright mind they are unmistakable and their words are filled with all the power of infinity. They are the works of His hand telling us of His wisdom, power, and love. The fields, the forests, the hills, and the heaving sea are filled with such mute witnesses of His majesty; and the soul that can not hear their speech is dumb to the best this old earth has to give. "He putteth forth His hand upon the rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks." Job 28:9, 10. The power of the hand that carved this pictured waterway through the eternal hills, and flung the mighty boulders right and left to let it pass, is past the comprehension or the2computation of the mind of man. Tier on tier He has piled the ponderous blocks that once lay where this thunderous river runs. Age on age it has tumbled its seething waters down this mighty mill-race, and its testifying tongue, vibrant by day and by night, will never cease to tell of the glory of Him who made it until all things are fashioned new.
