The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-09-16
Gods Nature.

A very small part ofour conception of Gods
nature can be put in words. Language is
coarse and inadequate. | say mothers love,
but what does that tell of the height and
depth and breadth of the mothers love. Ian
guage is meagre. say fragrance, but does
that give the difference between the rose and
tuberose, or tell of the scent with which the
whole spring air is laden? Our most thor
ough knowledge ofGod is neXpressible Many
man, who is called an intidel has in his heart
a knowledge of God which he cannot tell, and
many an outcast has a truer ideal of him than
theologans who expound. Suppose that two
of us want to look into pond to see the peb-
bleS at the bottom or the movements of the
fish, but before we begin to observe we splash
the water; how much can we see? Or, two
men point their telescopes, but before they be-
gin to look at the stars they come to angry
words and discussions; how much can they
see? This is the way with theologians They
get angry, full of wrath and hatred, and then,
by their telescopes, expect through this air to
see God, but the man of hatred and wrath and
persecution never Any preaching OF God
that makes him offend a just reason is unjust.
The God of my childhood, thank God, is dead
He never was alive. He was devil The
old theology that taught that God inflicted
pain for the sake of pain is slanderous He is
God of love, mercy, forgiveness and long
suffering Some have barbaric god, others
an intellectual god. That is all they know OF
him. Have you ever seen goodite? 1t is as
ugly as toad, but break it open and it is full
of gems. 1t is crystalline. To some, God
is a goodite. They only see the outside ;
but if they could see the inside It is
said that this teaching will relieve responsible
ity; but what has the old theology done? Half
the people never Ego to church, and of. those
who do, half of them 90 to sleep. If it were
not for the household the church would go to
ruin. The teaching OF the household is almost
always that of love. The old theology made a
few great men at the expense of the thousands,
but the teaching Of religion should be for the
communities not for the few. Persistent kind
ness is more useful than abuse. When my
mother punished me there was something be-
hind the smart, and the mothers love medica-
ted as fast as the hand blistered; but when
the schoolmaster got angry ard licked me that
was different thing. Look at the men in the
church! A few are good great men, but there
are others who are, what they are. They have
got caught in the church and so they stay there
They don't swear, except under great provo
cation; they are good at bargain, and do not
complain of providence when the heavy end
of advantage is on their side; they pay their
pew rent, and, once in a while, send the minis
ter turkey; they support the gospel and brag
! OF 1t. A poor man had lost his WIFE, She
looked up to him and encouraged him and
thought well of him, and God killed her as she
and he were miserable. He would go to church;
| so he stopped in, but no one gave him seat
| so he slipped into one near the door and peo-
| pie looked at him and wondered what he was
doing there; and the minister prayed, but
there was not word for him, and then he
preached sermon about the destruction Of
Babylon, and the poor man went out more
miserable than when he went in.-Hewy Ward
| Beecher