Read—A Confused World Needs a Guide—Page 3 "THOU GOD SEEST ME" b Agnes Lewis Caviness HE grand old man of England, Mr. Gladstone, in what seems to us now a less complex age, was asked, "'What is the greatest question before England at this time ?" And he answered quickly, "The greatest question before this na- tion and before every individual, at this time and at every time, is the question of our relation to Jesus Christ." Evidently Mr. Gladstone could see more clearly than most of us. In a moment he touched upon the one problem which any one may solve. The most of us could not solve any of the great problems of the nations. In fact it begins to look as if no one can solve them. But whether we choose to do so or not, we are every day working on the problem of our rela- tion—our individual relation—to God. "I can tell you what it means, in a sentence," said a great jurist recently, when asked the meaning of the epidemic of crime that is prevalent at the present time : "The people have lost consciousness of God." When we read that sentence over a second time, we think collaterally, "Yes, the persons who do these terrible things surely have lost conscious- ness of God." That is a comfortable, smug sort of way of shifting the responsibility; but for the moment, I refuse to let it go so easily. The people of America,—common folk like you and me,—are in a measure responsible for the crime and the violence of the day, if that jurist is right in his judgment, because we have lost consciousness of God. The consciousness of God is something that does not depend upon our education or age or position. It is solely a matter of the heart. The most of us know little of it, unless it be as we speak of it to our children to keep them from being naughty. Some mothers sing the little lullaby to= their tiny ones, "When I run about all day, When I kneel at night to pray, God sees, God sees." Try saying it to yourself, softly, on your knees. "When I run about all day,"—so much of the day, and so many of the days, are spent "running about" aimlessly, so far as character and destiny are concerned; "when I kneel at night to pray,"—the review time,—"God sees-, God sees !" That God sees is a comforting thought if He sees us in the path of duty; if He sees us in affliction; if He sees us living victoriously. It is a terrifying thought if He sees us living selfishly, in aimless pleasure, in bitterness, in violence to His law. If I believed in torturing my body that I might be more sensitive to spiritual truth, I should be willing to have burned into my flesh the thought that God sees me continually. But even that would not give me an abiding consciousness of 'His presence. Only His law, written on the fleshy tables of the heart, by His own finger, can make it say to me as it beats, "Thou God seest me! Thou God seest me !" - _ A CHAMPION OF THE 1 - BRGNs pz, ADVOCATING A RETURN BIBLE, GOD-BREATHED. 1:41W Imes TO THE SIMPLE GOSPEL COMPLETE, A PERFECT RULE OF LIFE OF CHRIST. AND A PR AGAZ E 113 PREPARATION FOR HIS ss Edited by IMMINENT SECOND I 1 ...,_ A. O. TAIT A. L. BAKER .4 Magazine With a Message APPEARING '' - VOLUME 13 JUNE, 1921 NUMBER 6 THE WORLD NEEDS A GUIDE AN EDITORIAL VERY man and woman sooner or later "So what in the world am I to do with all this confusion comes to the crossroads of life. I do not of ideas before me? Sometimes I think that the endless mean the crossroads in business, or the disagreement in the world of religion is a pretty good sign crossroads in society, but the crossroads that it is all wrong, and I had better leave it strictly alone." in religion. No matter how important Well, friend, your bewilderment is only natural, but al- the decisions that must be made in choos- ways remember this whenever the tempter seeks to dispar- ing a vocation in life, in making the right age religion by pointing to the thousand and one creeds and move in this thing or that, the decisions variations extant, that there is but one God arid one Sav- in the realm of religion are the most important that we are iour, Jews Christ, and that the one source book of truth in called upon to make. this world, is the Word of God, the Bible. God and His In this age of selfish materialism, it is often insinuated, Son are one, and the Bible is the expression of the will and or more often openly said, that religion is only a bylane on pleasure of the united Godhead, therefore a whole-hearted the highway of life. Such a view is absolutely wrong. acceptance of the Bible as the very Word of God will pro- Religion is the great highroad, money-making, education, vide you with a consistent and unerring guidebook. art, pleasure, politics, are only sidetracks. And he who "But," you say, "here are all these differing denomina- makes shipwreck of religion, makes shipwreck of life. tions, and the most of them declare with all their might The Master Himself emphasized that in His remarkable and main that they are based on the Bible, and yet they do interrogation : "What shall a man be profited, if he shall not see things alike." gain the whole world, and forfeit his life ?" Yes, we will grant all that, but that does not destroy our But you ask, "How can I ever make a choice in the argument. You will find in every instance that these di- matter of religion, for religionists themselves are so woe- vergent teachings have come about through man-made in- fully at variance in their views of what is essential and terpretations of the Scriptures, and not through any varia- fundamental that I do not know whose word to take and tions in the Scriptures themselves. It is because men have what to believe ! A few weeks ago two studied the Bible to find proof for their Mormon missionaries came to the door, own theories and ideas that these differ- and they said that Mormonism is the only ences have arisen. When the Bible is ap- thing, and that I should be a Mormon. proached with the sincere purpose of find- The other evening I attended a Christian ing what it teaches, and not what we think Science lecture, and the speaker told us it ought to teach, there is no variation in very emphatically that Christian Science belief of its doctrines. is the thing we need. I have a very dear In this time of confusion and turmoil friend who is a Catholic, and she advised and general amnesia, men will do well to me to read 'Faith of our Fathers' for, she take down that Book from the shelf and said, 'the great and only true church is the study it. Study it independently of the Roman Catholic Church' ! About a month interpretation that any man or church has ago some one of the Russellite persuasion placed upon it. Forget Methodists, Pres- left a circular under the door which says byterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, that the world is going to end in 1925, and Campbellites, and all other denominations that everybody is going to be saved. A and shades of belief, and study the Bible sister of mine who lives in New England for yourself. Open its pages with a prayer is a Seventh-day Adventist and she writes on your lips for an open mind and a recep- me that only those who faithfully perform tive heart. Read it through from Genesis the will of God will be saved, and that to Revelation, not hurriedly, but ponder those who spurn the divine love will be over every one of its golden texts and lost. My son is going to the State Univer- divine precepts. When you have done, sity and only the other day he read me you will no longer be in bewilderment. some excerpts from a book that he is study- The path that you should walk will be as ing. In this book, the author, who is a a shining light that shines more and more very learned man, says that there is no unto the perfect day. You will have found such thing as the world's coming to an end, Christ Jesus, "the way, the truth, and the but that we are barely started on a long life." evolutionary journey toward perfection, Will you be one who will be bold enough and we do not have to worry about sin, to launch out for yourself in independent God, or the devil; but if we just sit tight Bible study? Until you do, you will never and hold on, we shall all get there some get away from the crossroads, you will day. And then there's the Baptists who say always be in a labyrinth. But when you that baptism by immersion is necessary to do, you will discover that the way of life salvation, and the Congregationalists who is made plain, and that it is easy to follow say the mode is largely a matter of choice. if you make Jesus Christ your daily guide.