The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-03-29
PERMANENCE OF GODS DEGREES
II. W. BEECHER.

Have you ever stood upon the
edge of the ocean, and seen the In
coming of the water? Have you
noticed how each particular wave
that runs in, breaks out nearing the
shore and spends itself? But the
sea does not break. The ocean is
everlastingly full: and for every
spent wave there comes another to
be spent. Though the individual
waves suddenly eliminate and per-
ish, the great sea remains unWaEted
and inexhaustible.
When we look upon the ocean of
human life, we see that from the
earliest periods to the present mo-
ment, its Individuals have been for
ever changing. But there is some
thing higher than individuals.
There is divine thought, a divine
decree, concerning the race upon the
earth. And it seems as mmutable
to-day as when it first began to exc
cute itself. There is neither weak
ness nor age visible upon it.
If You go still further back, to
that out of which every other ele-
ment of social composition springs
the divine purpose in the establish
ment of the human reason and NOR
al sentiments-you will find the
same to be true. There has been
progress, evolution, attainment, va
riety, culture, development, In the
reason of man but the thing itself
is essentially just the same that it
always has been. Ever since the
beginning of the world Gods
thought has been exactly what it it
now. The loves of men now are
just what the loves of men were be-
fore the flood, Fancy, enthusiasm,
hope, fear, every single element that
belongs to the heart of man, was the
same six thousand years ago that it
is now. There has not been the
slightest change in these things.
That which God meant and CON-
manded has stood fast. And yet,
in each individual case it has per-
ished. 1t is ever perishing in its
individuals, and it eyer abides in Its
great substance and flow.
as it has been with individual
thought and feeling and experience
so 1t has boon with the family. The
lessons that make the first spelling,
book of the world arc the alliances
and the families that are formed
Although there have been variations
J in the family, the ordinance of the
household has been one and the
same perpetually. Upon this there
, have been endless actions from the
might as well attempt 70 modify thG
: sun or the planets as to attempt Il
: modify the ordinance of God and
the household.
That which has been true of the
: family has been true of all the de
velopments of civilized life aud o
society. Gods creative purpose
Code formative decree, the counse
of the Divine mind, that establish
/. ed tho great outlines of material lifi
{; has never been thwarted, denied
3 wrinkled or crushed. 1t abides.
= So, although when we look at tn
, details of things, and go along tn
track of individual experience, W
/. arc painfully impressed with tn
c feeling that human life Is transient
4 although every generation has occa
e sion to cry with sad descant in viey
:, of the mutations which they witnes
G on every hand, yet these mutation
o are taking place withiH the spher
}, Of system that is divinely planne,
I that ia inYincible, and tnat abide
d forever. The word Of the Lor
0 stands sure, and, nothing shal
i change it. The heaYens and tn
earth shall pass away, but not on
jot or little of GODS lazy, Gods de
= cree, Gods purposes shall changs
5 THAT which decayeth and Eaxet
% old Is ready to vanish away" bU
l. nothing else. That which is perfel
It will undergo mutations, but ths
l. which is according TO the Divine dc
cree is permanent.