The Wilmingtonian., 1823-12-18
ron THE wILMISGToNIAN.
,Meditations ON q Winter Storm.

the kingdom of Nature, OF PROVIDENCE, ana OF
Grace, is under the immediate direction OF that
Being who is infinite in wisdom, omnipotent in r
power, and eternal in duration. The Lord reign-If
eth,
He Swings an angel-gudes sparrow"
Who is God like unto him fearful in praises,
doing wonders. How awfully grand, and impen- !;
|etrably mysterious are his dispensations How
|unsearchabe his judgments, and his ways past +
finding out Daily occurrences vbrate in ourIe
Iears-" Clouds and darkness are round about
him." while the page of Inspiration powerfully.
linculcates. righteousness and judgment are
1.-The habtations of his throne" Few scenes Illus
ltrate these ideas with more soemnity and gram
deur than stormy winds, boisterous waves andl'
alarming shpwrecks. The season SO fatal to pro-
perty. lives, families, and nations, is now arrived
|" The sounding squadrons OF the sky" reused tol
exertion, loosed from the gigantic grasp of him,
i" who hoIdeth the winds in his fist, and wrought
up to fury fly forth with irresistible impetuosi-l
ty, scattering dread, and menacing destruction,
|All things feel the dreadful shock; all things,
|tremble before the furious blast. The sea foansI
with ragei the atmosphere is hurled into the most
tumuliuous confusion and Nature family depicts
lin the horrors of the hurricane "day of judg-
|ment in miniature"
Barqres and navies are now engupled in the
lyast abyss of "waters under the heavens" or
whirled swift as the arrow, wild as the winds,
across the foaming sea, and buried IN some NIGH
lty heap of sand, dashed in ten thousand pieces
on the summit of some ponderous rock, while
|appaling horror sits threatening on every surge,
INow the "King Of Terrors' rides forth in awful
lmaiesty with numerous mandates from the
/" KING OF KINGS" certifying who, and when and
,where his irresistible scythe is to be levelled
y Now the shri cry of the infant, the loud shrek
lof the terrified female, and the robust voice OF
the mariner, tottering on the mast, trembling in
S the sbrouds, or shudderng on the wreck, pierce
1.-The skies. Now merciless seas rend the sweet
lbabe from its maternal bosom, and bear it to de-
: struction on yon distant mountain, or dash it 10
atoms on that craggy precipce while twof"ld
horror wrihes the agonising heart OF its distrac-
tied parent, who sinks, exclaiming "My child!
c|My child! My child" Now the stout arm OF
e|lnfdelity droops unnerved, into puny mbecility
the adamantine heart trembles-the horrid
blasphemer who "mouthed it against heaven
1.-The beastly drunkard who laughed at futurity-
1.-The filthy libidinous wretch, whose throat was an
" open sepulchre:" the Bible scoffer, whose "words
were sharp swords and spears" The DEIsT, the
y ArHEIsT-the moral, the mmoral-the courage
( ous, and the timid-all cry for mercy, me-cy!-
o FEAR how dost thou enforce the being Of ;
Id God, the guilt of man, the necessity of mercy
lyl and the duty of prayer.
n. But whence all this confusion' What invisible
ne elagent
=. "Rides upon these stormy winds
ih "And manages these seas?
points to Jehovah, and affirms, sII
VS.. |commandelh and rsseth the stormy winds, whic
r. Iiitteth up the waves thereof" What majesti
I'd. Being precedes his august approach with sue
al. destructive harbngers /! "The Lord hath hi
m. way in the whirlwnd, and in the storm, and th
tolclouds are the dust Of his feet" His breath rou
- ses them into resistless fury, his nod controul
is them in the widest career. He holds the rapi
as|and raging hurricane in strengthened reins, an
tn walks serenely on the wings of the wind"
les this vain, ostentatous display of majesty,
Ter does he design to answer important ends by a
i. these terrific commotions The former query
md impious-the latter is correct and proper; IL
The |" stormy wind,"" always fulfil his word" ofpov
is Ter in the convulsion OF nature; Of terror Ill til
fears of his enemies of delayed vengeance in tf
destruction of his foes, and of grace to the PR
seryation and deiverance of his friends
hin Thus the CHRISTIAN PmLosorHEn reads sacre
INSTRUCTION from the "word' of Jehovah, inscribe
on the storm feels its energetic influence in til
by hurricane, and witnesses its dreful execution
the wreck, with mingled feelings of dismay an
astonishment, fear and admiration. solemn an
ndescribabe awe possesses his whole frame, NJ
ice daring TO call in question the EaurTr Of the
,.a vine government, or to arraign the awful dlspe
sations of Jehovah, at the puny bar ofhuman re
son. He lays his hand upon heart, and with II
mouth in the dust, breathes forth Sc was dun
because thou didst it." Rising devoutly serio
he breaks out in inspired language, with rev
o"~ rance, veneration and love, SO Lord, how mar
hin fold are thy works in wisdom hast thou mac
them all The earth is full of thy riches SO
this capacious ocean, which thou hast mad
Ks, wherein are creeping things innumerabe. The
'' go the ships, with all them that do business
,n,, great waters. They see the works of the Lor
4 o and his wonders in the deep; they mount up
e'er the heavens they go down to the depths; the
souls are melted because of troublei they re
to and fro, and stagger like drunken man, al
y are at their wits end. 1Hou hidest thy face til