The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-11-20
Sc. Matthew'S II. &. Church.
REV. O. q. oURRIE, PASTOR.
TExT.-EzskIel l, 10, II.

REV. o. q. oURRIE, PASTOR.
TExr.-EzskIel l, lG. II.
Estkters vision Of The whosls.
We understand by vision mn ap-
partition. which, while the senses nre
closed, Ia let down by God upon the
mind from the Spiritual World, and
which therefore becomes to the witness
OF 1t, rs much as the Divine word itself
an authoritative revelation, These APP
paratlons or visions are OF two kinds,
first, that Of spiritual persons In their
proper identity, as the appearance oil
our Lord TO Saul, Moses and Elias at
the TRANSPORTATION, or the frequent
manifestation Of angels; secondly, what
might be called parable pictures, as the
vision TO Moses OF the glory of God,
the vision to Isaiah Of the 'Holy Oae,
high and lifted up, whose train filled
the temple or the vision TO st, John oil
the Judgment, when the heavens seemed
to depart as a scroll, and the noun
tains and Islands to move from their
places. The great vision OF Ezekiel be.
longs to the latter class. isa picto-
rial and authoritative representatlon Of
the method Of Divine Government,
whether OF the world, Of nations, or OF
individuals. Just as In other sacred
books there are exhibited to us plctori-
ally the progress OF the Church, the
method OF the judgment, the glory OF
Heaven, and the terrors of He'll, so
this passage SETS before us, In the form
OF a picture, the mode Of Divine Prov
ideuce.
On this morning, therefore, when we
are met together to thank the Almighty
God for the provIdences toward ia OF
the past year, what Is known az Eze-
kiel's vision Of the wheels seems an
appropriate subject for considerable
The first thought that occurs to us
about 1t Is the righteousness of Cod
dealing. He employs in his work many
agencies, mutually dependent on each
other, wheels within wheels And
again there ia no part Of His conduct
toward US that has not a secret OF Its
own; a secret purpose or motive, that
Ia for the present as uniathomable as
the depths OF sea or sky whose pecu.
llarly deep blue or green, as the beryI,
the wheels are spoken OF AZ resembling
wheels within wheels The cRusea OF
events are frequently unknown, the
gravest events are commonly uufore-
seen, and the results OF events are dif-
ferent from what we looked for. The
wheel-as 1t were-that brings the loss
of Simeon and Benjamin, and threatens
to bury us in grief, Is at the same time
moving secretly, wheel we did not
see, that Is preparing to work out for
us far more exceeding glory.' On
the other hand the wheel that brings
the hearts desire, the wealth to King
Solomon, or the dignity to Haman,
plays upon another wheel In conceal.
ment that sends leanness Into the soul
Not only, however, iB wheel within
wheel, but wheels within wheels. ,
Secondary movements move others yet
beyond them, and these again still 9TH
ers, the originating impulse being often
the veriest tritle. Jacob gives the coat
TO Joseph, but that coat moves the
jealousy OF his brethren, and that the
sale to the Ishmalites,, and that the
sale to Potiphar, and that the
imprisonment, and that the interpre-
tattou Of the buffers dream, and that
the Interpretation OF the dream OF Phar.
aoh, and that the promotion TO be
ruler In Egypt, and that the briging
thither OF Jacob, and that the servitude
OF the Israelites for 400 yesrs-'wheels
within wheels.
90 PgS SB0
Turning to the form OF the symbol
you will observe Q strange. popularity
Of Providence Indicated, namely: the
liability OF Its events continually to
recur. This seems to DO the basis of
what 10 called the system OF Types. /
know OF no part OF the Gospel scheme
that WAS not previously Indicated
many times, though at periods far
apart. or Christ Himself the types are
very numerous. Again the temple Is q
repetition OF tho Tabernacle, though
upon a higher level, and similarly the
Christian Church Of the Temple. Even
the Paradise that Is to como has sim
ilArity 10 the Paradise that was, (See
the Revelation Of st. John.) And our
Lord shows that the final Judgment Is
q repetition on D grander scale OF
delugeof Sodom and Gomorrah, the
destruction OF the Egyptians and the
last day Of Jerusalem. We will 20
further. We believe that the whole Of
the ante deluvlan and the post deln>
Wan record down TO the calling OF
Abraham is not merely a history In
the proper sense OF the word, but Is an
actual series OF prophecy.
But while the motion OF Providence
Is that Of wheel (evenIs periodically
repeating themselves) II Is likewise
one OF continual advancement. The
temple ls like the Tabernacle only
much better. The Christian Church 10
like the temple, but In the interval the
chariot has moved forward to a higher
level. National wars and sIps and
follies continually come back again,
unbellef and superstition periodically
recur, but at each recurrence the people
are on higher grade, and are nearer
the fulflllment OF the end for which
they were made. Tho chariot wheels
go round, but in the going round 90
forward. This Ia our consolation in
looking ut the present condition OF the
world. II would seem that there 10
now repetition among us OF the crime
and unbelief OF one hundred years ago.
The present passion Tor suicide has cer-
tainly not been equalled since that
period. Inc same may be said OF in-
temperance; In this respect tho world
has clearly got back again 10 the close
OF the 18th century. In the matter OF
lntidelity the parallel Is remarkable,
Itis as II Shaftesbury and Boiling brolse
had risen from their graves, with all
that grinning crew by whom the most
serious things were regarded ~ sub
ject OF Jest.
At the same time wo cannot despair;
the analogy OF the past tells US that the