Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-11-22

what had never been apparent hefare-ood com
miserating. God redeeming. God recreAtings all
ssyereIgn, all gracious; because all nndeserved.
hrom beginning TO end il Is grace ''reignng in
! car asa,yation. not only appearing. but apPear-
| Tag with majesty: noe only shining but tri-
umpbingi Providing all things. bestowing al
things, working in us all things necessary to eur
happiness here. and our felicity and glory here
atteFs And whilst in every respect this grace is
tfee. foregoing, Distinguishing. sovereign. eff
,ss,aai iSh eternal yet Il Is ever
as % satisfy justice. secure holiness. maintain
truth, and multiply the happiness of its sab
leets indefinitely. And whilst therefore. my
brethren. the great Lord is fearfully appalling
as ne is seen only in the great demonstrations Of
his being and OF his power, yet here in this new
aud gracious revelation he has been pleased to
make OF himsel We find divine warrant. and
look up with holy confidence, and with exultant
Joy exelaim, This God is our God for ever and
ever: he will be our guide even unto death
we haye time only to offer few reflections
suggested by this diseu lsion. a- -.
firsf. 1T is impossible to contemplate God in
nature without having the attention arrested BY
the constantly occurring evidences of his won.
Is settled in heaven. Thy fsithfuiness i unto
oil generations: thou hast established the earth,
and Il abideth. They continue this day accord
ing p thine ,o!dinanessi for all are thy ser,
theoi0gian. interpreting these Scriptures, has
said. that in these verses there is affirmed to
be an analogy between the word of God and the
works OF uod. 1t Is said OF his word. that IT Is
settled in heaven, and that it sustains its
faithsulness from one generation to another.
L is said OF his works. and more especially o.
those that are more immendiately around rs,
even of the earth which we inhabit. that as Il
was established at the FIRST SO it abideth after
wards. And then. as if to perfect the assimlla-
tion between them, it is said of both in the 9lst
verse, They continue this day according to
thine ordinapees; for all are thy servants
thereby identifying the sureness Of that word
which proceeded from his lips with the unfailing
constancy of that nature which was formed and
is upholden by his hands" The smallest child
who strikes his little bell and is charmed with
the sound produced repeats the experiment
again and again, with an assured expectation OF
the same result, and nature never disappoints.
never deeeiyes him. The constantly recurring
seasons, the blooming spring with all Its luxurt-
ance. the ripening summer with all its wonder.
ful processes. the scared autumn. the bleak and
rigorous winter, the laundering storm, the
screaming tempest, the busy and eyer-actlYe
drops that form the little rivulet as they dash
down the mountain side seeking their level IN
which the ocean responds in his ebbings and
1owings. to the calls of each successive moon;
the constant growth and decay observable every
where throughout the vegetable and animal
kingdoms-these, and thousand other con.
stantly and regularly occurring phenomena, all
assert aud demonstrate that censtaRey OF which
wespeak.
And as has been wisely and beautifully
views Nature never has been known to re-
eede from her constaney, but for the purpose OF
giving force aud demonstration to the authority
of the Word. Once under the operations OF q
stupendous miracle, did the W ord take the
precedeney of Nature, but ever since hath
Nature resumed her courses, and is now PROV
ing, by her steadfastness. the authority OF that,
which she then proved to be, authentic by her
deyiations." When the word was first usheIed
in, nature gave way for q period, after which
she moves in her wOnted order, and will so
move till the present sys TEN oI thlngs saali
holden BY Natures eonstaney, shalt then re-
ceiye its accomplishment at Natures dissolu-
tion. And, o, how God magniheth his word
above all his name, when he tells that heaven
and earth shall pass away. ,but that his Word
shall not pass away; and that, while his
creation shall become wreck, not
one jot or one title OF his testimony m
shall fail. The world passeth away, but the
Word endureth for ever; and ii the faithfulnes5
of God stand forth 50 legibly on the face OF the
temporary world, how. surely may we reckon
on the faithfulness of that Word, which has a
vastly higher place in the eounseis and fulfil
ments of efeTnity2
And now permit me- in the second place and
lastly, to remark. that in the closing words OF
my text is TO be 4ound the true and only solu-
tion Of all our perpleIities, under the stunning
blows that fall on us, often like thundeIboits
from above. They strike light for our blind
eyes, that brings cheer and good hope to our
stricken, aching bosoms. where, else, Wouid
brood cherries and perpetual night.
20 Thou who Griest the mourner's tears,
How dark this world would be,
If pierced by sins and sorrows here,
We eould not fly to Thee
q. who could bear hfe's stormy doom.
Did not This. wing nf love -.,.-.z
Come brightly waiting through the gloom.
Oar peace-branch from ab0ve2
Then sorrow, touched BY Thee, grows bright
With more than rapturss ray,
As darkness shows us worlds OF light
We never saw by day"
The words, "He will be our guide even
unto death, clearly express all that is
meant by yProyidence-dod experimenting con-
trolling, directing. overruling, disposing all
The arguments that prove God. prove Proyi-
dence. and so vtce Dersd so that, TO deny Pr0yl-
dence, IL to deny God. Whoever. therefore. does
not recognize God in all that trsnspires under
his divine administration, fulfilling his actual
or perIlissiVe purposes. hetrays his inadelity,
and is in shoreless sea OF adventure. speeula-
|, ton, and darkness. knowing neither whittier he
shall drift, nor where he shall sink If God
be governor, he must have subjects over whom
he exercises his rule; and beipg supreme. IL he
does not cavern, II is because he cannot or that
he will not. The first Of these suppositions is
absurd and impiOus. because IL cannot be diff
fcult to control and manage. where il was easy
to create. The latter is equally absurd, because
il would argue indi ference TO the very things
that were intended, and do most strikingiy illus
trate and establish, his glory and majesty. TO
suppose that be governs part oil his universe,
and il Indifferent to the other part is to draw 9
line where he has not authorised human wis
/ dom to interp0se its Determinations. Besides,
+ the very idea Of his supremacy implies univer-
| sal dominion. Then, il he governs the whole,
he must govern every part. for the whole j.
made up Of its several parts, and must include
every part.
How this reasoning accords with inspired
| scripture will appear, amongst the thousand
| things there written. by what is said Of the
! falling sparrow; of the numbered hairs of our
/ head; of the provision made for the wild
ravens; Of the clothing of the grass which
to-day is, and to- 0-morroW is east into the oven
| of the ice aud snow, and Of the hoar frost he
| sepdeth upon the earth and how he melteth
them all again; how he rides upon the storm,
| shaking the cedars OF Lebanon, and causing
the binds to calye; how he doeth ell his pleasure
| in the armies of heaven. and amongst the in
! habitants Of the earth. How in the execution
| of his purposes. He putteth down one aud set
teth up another"
! / know, indeed. that this subject rises i'm
| NeasVrAhiy EhoTe humsn capacity to compre-
hend. and to grasp 1t in its mighty proportions.
| The universe itself though only the footstool Of
! the Great Maker can be seen By US only
in a comparatively few compressed phases
| of it. Mans foundation is in the dust
his life is in his nostrils The horizon Of hi
vision is but few miles distant, whilst ali above
! is infinite and incomprehelsihle space. IN Whrh
/ reYQlve unnl1bsrea Rerlds, Compared with
| WHICH ours is hut the sLlail dust OF the balance
/ And yet this universe is bat the evidence and
! the illustration of the still more incomprehen-
/ sihle and mysterious Maker. If, therefore
/ whilst you gaze upon the works of his fingers
| you are lost in wonder. love, and surprise, how
becoming is it not, when you gaze on his infinite
| Majesty. as he reveals it. even in the severe
| mysteries of his providential dispensations Ia
| be still. 10 be dumb. and without muIm9Tiae
\ word accept With holy reverence, with meek
| submission aud with unshaksn confidence in his
| rectitude, the divine, consoling lesson, Hs
/ guides me y
| God does not, brethren, address himself to the
comprehension Of bis creatures. He is constant
/ IL announcing to them facts. truths, PROPOSE
| tions, both in tae kingdom Of nature and ol
Erace, and in the book of his Providence but
\ then these facts and propositions. thoggh
/ clearly enough stated and it mar he
understood as facts snd propositions,
| Auther So that, vhilst By them you may
/ have discovered his .being and purpose his viii
| and his grace, you have not and cannot cast
| your thoughts halfway to the nnscaled height
and to the ineffable perfection OF his transcend
| ent and mysterious nature. or TO tEs unsearch-
able Purport Of the great ideas contained in the
/ propositions themselves.
| f4od in ali the deliverances Of himself to his
| creatures must: Ct necessity, be incomprehen-
/ slhie-. 'Esthe Infinite speaking to the Arite.
rs the greater approaching 20 Gil and bless the
( lesser Eut tkon the lesser can never contain
1 tae greater. Arrays and ever where. therefore,
[ and in every variety Of speech and calling. hs
I in the words Of his grace there arc discovered
| height aud depth and breadth Of love which no
1 human lines can ever meaenre. SO, too when
/ By his providerce no touches your per-ou on
/ your interest. you stand and look and listen,
bar you see rot his hand; nc language nor
| speech IS heard-Ton only know il Is God. And
\ thea ron looE again. ana 8 voice comes from
the excellsEt glory, but lts words are addressed
/ not to your comprehension, bat 10 your faith .
/ Trust ye IN TIE Lord Jehovah, faT IN