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THE KING’S BUSINESS to do as they pleased, no matter how vile and corrupting the pictures were that they part-out. But the thirty millions of dollars of which they boasted that they were bringing to the city annually would be no compensation for the ruin of a single girl or boy. The highest ambition of many a high schoolgirl is to become a moving picture actress, receive the applause of an evil- minded public and the large pecuniary remuneration that it is supposed one will secure in such a posi tion. Any young woman who goes into such a work is exposing herself to awful danger. It has resulted in the ruin of many a young life. The attitude that serious-minded Christian people ought to take toward the whole institution is not difficult .to discover, if one really wishes to please God. Every child of God should come out and be separate and refuse to touch the unclean thing (2 Cor. 6:17). '
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A great many people are staggered at the awful things that are now occurring in Europe, and are wondering hów they can be reconciled with the doctrine that God is love. They think that if there is such a God as the Bible teaches, that He ought to step in and interfere—
Why Does God Permit Atrocities
in Europe?
and they hold God responsible for what is going on. But why should God interfere ? God has a plan, and it is a large plan, a plan formed in the eternity back of us and that takes in the eternity ahead of us, and into this plan He takes the sins of men as well as their acts of righteousness, and even the malice of Satan. It is the most silly folly to think that any man can comprehend God’s plan, and not only-still more silly folly but hardened wickedness, to attempt to criticise the actions of an infinitely wise and infinitely holy God because He permits or does things that we in our finite foolishness cannot understand. God in His wisdom permits men to find out their foolishness and their sinful ness, and their utter failure, by the awful results that come to them and to others through their schemes and their sins. There is something immeasurably worse than suffering, and that is sin. A man must learn in the bitter school of experience what an awful thing sin is. The human race has grown exceeding proud; they hatfe thought they could get along without God, and God has in a measure for a time withdrawn His hand to let men see just how well they can get along without Him, and these awful calamities are the result. But even in these days God does restrain and mould, the affairs of men, and makes even the wrath of men to praise Him, and the remainder of wrath He does restrain (Ps. 76.TO). God is not to bíame for what is going on. Man is to blame, and Godwin the final outcome will bring good out of it to. the only persons that deserve good—those who love and serve Him. The things that are occurring, even the most awful of them, are only what God in His infinite grace -has told men would occur if they forgot Him. But what about the awful things that even earnest Christian people are permitted to suffer? The answer is simple: These things that appear so awful will work together for good with other things for them. We may not be able to see just now how they do, or how they- can, work together for good, but we shall see some day. Even for a Christian to be massacred is no real/loss, for that simply means to depart to ,be with Christ, which is very far better (Phil. 1 :23), and this light affliction which is but for a moment worketh out for those who suffer more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17), and the sufferings of this present time,
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