The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-12-01

III.
Providence, in Grace-preserying
mercies, delivering mercies, sanctify-
ing mercies, comforting mercies, tenn
poraEmercies, spiritual -mercies, eter--
nal-mercies. The theme demands an.
angels tongue. 8 ~ 81. ~ vi
[. Think of the high endowments
of our nature. Raised above the dull
and lumpish forms ofinanimate cfea4
ton, and above ! the, beasts thatper
ish, God has gwen to us this Intel
lectual being -these thoughts that
wander through eternity, and highest
of all these gifts he has stamped up
on mans soul his oyp gloriops image
tive work7theT lord of this lower
world. The earth hath he given to
the children Of men," and this
outer world, mans transient home,
is furnished in manner worthyits
noble inhabitant.. Yes, all, nature is
poetry-all is beauty to the eye and
music to the Look at the land
scape God has painted - the wild,
rugged mountains, and sweet howery
wales; the majestic rivers and gentle
streamlets; the waving forests and
grassy meads; . the hills clothed with
focks, and the valleys covered over
with corn" Yes, the beautiful is
everywhere Had we eyes to see
them, our mercies are bright and
countless as the stars, and lovely and
fragrant as the flowers. How pure
the joy of him who, not merely in
aesthetic rapture, but in true filial
gratitude, can survey earth's fairest
scenes and ayswith Cowper,
any Father made them all"
But there is music as well as beauty
arouRd us. The solemn chimes Of
ocean, " fountains that MARBLE meloJ
dious immense 10 the harp Of the
winds, now breathing its soft eolian
strains, and now sounding the wild
notes of the storm, the roaring. eata-
ract and the thunder of Gods powers
These are the choral symphonies"
with which earth with her ten thous-
aud voices, hymns her Maker praisel
How sad that mans Hngrateful heart
should be the only
a. Earring and dissonant thing
Amidst this general dance and minstrelsy.'s
Surrounded by such gifts-en-
dowed with organs to perceive,
and soul to enjoy these
beauties and harmonies of nature
that man has neither piety, nor sense
who cannot take up the words of
Millions Psalm:
'These are thy glorious works. Parent of
These declare Ils thy goodness beyond
Or the words of noble
psalm, 20, Lord, how merciful are
thy works in wisdom, hast thou made
hem all; the earth is full of thy rich
esl n
III. But l will mention the loving
of the Lord " in his provi-
lential dealings with us. We believe
n an presiding, all-embracing
Providence. IF we do not, our
presence here to-day is a mockery-
We believe in God the Father,
We do not believe in
chance. We believe the Creator is
5he governor of all things. We
IAN not accept the theory which at
tributes the events of time to the ope-
,ations of dead mechanical laws which
would express, its creed thus: God
the world, at first, in all its
Tondrous mechanism, impressed upon
L certain laws, wound it up, like
,lock, and then retiring, left it to run
until its machinery wears out !" No,
We believe God is present in all His 4
creatures and in all their actions,
hat he guides the fight of angels,
md marks the fall of a sparrow; that
He telleth the number of the stars
md counts the hairs of our head that
bur world rolls beneath sleepless eyes,
obedient to His touch, and blessed
with His paternal smile. The Lord |
let the earth rejoice" This
is one OF the songs'in which His trust
ful children praise Him.
In considering Gods providential
dealings, think of our personal mer
cies in the year that is gone. What
path has not bloomed with flowers
from which we may, this day, gather
the honey Of praise? Our lives have
been preserved. We have gone out
and come in, and no evil has betallen
us. For this experience of protecting
care, we ought to thank that God y" In
whom we live. and move, AID have
our being" For what catalogue of
disasters in the past year on the great
of travel! What railway
brushes, bringing death IN forms so ter
rible What wrecks on ocean, lakes
and rivers. whelming multitudes in
watery graves Yet some of US have
travelled thousands of miles and re-
turned safe home. Perhaps the very
train before us was plunged into the
chasm, or hurled from the
cleaning track Or the very steamer
1pon which we had expected to sail. :
and which we we're so vexed that we N
lid not reach, was rent to atoms BY
.hc explosion, or wrapped in a wind
ng sheet of fame These things draw \