Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-12-09

the spirit OF the infinite tod had trav.
eled out of the dim eternity of the past |
into this world of time and seuse. l
turned my eyes to catch tie first sight |
OF His chariot whee:s rs they came !
rol ing IN from the line of the horizon. |
As the chariot OF the King came sweep
ing through the patrlarchal times 1t |
seemed 30 dim that l could hardly tell |
whether ! saw it or not. As it came |
out of The patriarchal period and enter
cd upon the time of the prophets
and the law it seemed to reach |
higher ground. Through obscurity and
distance it began to take oat-
line. As it nearer and nearer came the |
outline began 10 grow more distinct,
and at length it stayed itself. The char
lot Of the living God stayed itself at the
foot OF Sin-i. He who sat in it was in
visible. He was still an unseen God.
Tue voice of His law came forth from
Sinars top; came forth from the midst
OF tho lightnings and lhundeI,ngs where
He stood, but no form was seen. Hs
was still un invisible God. There was a
wisdom III its utterances, and an .au.
thority in its tones that tore, d npon my
mind the conviction th It il was the very
voice of God. Hitherto the Ininite|
One had been an unseen God. But 81
the light OF prophecy began to throw Its
beams backward upon the scene OF
Sinai. the admiration OF the image Of
tho unseen God began to take outline.
Mount Sinai was the back ground. the
dark and cloudy backgroumd upon
which the image Of God manifest in
the flesh" began to shadow itself forth.
As the prophets, each postursd in his ApH
propriate place. between Sinahand Beth.
lehem. held up their flaming hsmbsaux,
and their conyerging light tell upon the
Sinai picture. the shsdJwy form OF the
living God took clearer outline. The
form iu shadow was therefore to be .
form OF substance. The one had lis
birthplace at Sinai, the other at Be b.
lehem. But the shadow form, whose
background was Mount Sina', rs the
light Oi prophecy, generation alter gen.
GRAFTON fell upon it wi, b fuller radiance,
lowered up III such mighty proportions
of majesty and mercy that it covered
the whole halt sky OF the past; lowered
up LII such lofty and luminous propor-
,lons as 10 look aud bs seeu from the
O,her horizon of time. In tho Old
Tsstament and scriptures l saw tho
shadow of God manifest in tho flesh be-
fore l sawsthe subsistence in the New.
EVIDENCES OF CONVICTION, 1,-
1 have not the time now fully to unfold
tho evidences which led me to = convic-
ton OF the divine authority OF the bible.
l have only time to indicate the track
along which those convictions travelled.
In ali the law and the prophets. could
not tail to obssrvs that there were pro-
phelic mentions OF q divine man who
| was to como. Isaiah, volcing the hope
OF humanity, had said, TOO years before
the event was to take place: ''UntO N
child 10 born unto Us . son 10 given
and tho government shall be upon bis
shoulders !; and his name shall bs called
Wonderful, Counselor, tho mighty God,
the Everlasting Father. the Prince oI
Pace" lcould put no other interpre-
tAtion upon the passage than that 1t
was tho promise from heaven of n di.
vlnely human being who should admin
lister Gods government tor the benefit
of man. l observed that tie prophet
Micah had made known to the worlC
700 years before He was to come the
place where He should be born. ''Thot
Bethlehem Ephrath, though thou III
little among the Thousands OF Judah
yet out OF thee shall He come forth untt
me that Is to be ruler in Israel. Who's,
goings forth have bsen from old, from
everlasting" observed that Jeremiah
among other prophets. had declared o
what lineage He should come. That b
should be OF the house OF David. BE
hold the days come. saith tho Lord. .tha
will ralse unto David riEhteou
branch. and king shall reign and pros
and justice on tbs earth, an.
> bs called. the Lord. Our Righteous
nsss'" l observed that the pa riarcl
Jacob had mentioned the time at whicl
he would come. 1.-The sceptsr shal
not depart from Judah, nOr . law
7 giver from bstween his feet till Sailol
! come, and unto Him shall the gather
ing OF the people be-" And hat DAME
b d 800 years before his coming declar
cd the year in which he would come
! "Twenty weeks are determined upo
thy psople. and upon thy holy city, t
inish the transgresslon and to make =
end oil sins, and to make reconciliation
for iniquity, and 10 bring in everlastin;
3 righteousness and to seal up the vislo
! and the prophecy, and to anoint ih
Most Holy" Seven weeks OF year
[ths language OF the prophecy was 49
years, and that was to be the year q
His coming. observed that Malact
! had declared the fact that this mys erl
] Gus person would have i"fr,uu
: er who would herald bis coming
l The spirit OF God had saId b
D the mou b OF Malachi, "behuld! / vii
send my messenger. and he shall pre-
, pare tho way bsioIe me, and the Lor
! whom 70 seek shall suddenly come int
D His temple. even the messenger OF tn
> covenant whom ye delight IN" "Be
. hold! He shall come. saith the Lo d {
o hosts" Last OF AL, observed tbs
u Isaiah had said, 700 year. before Ill
!; coming. thai, when He should mt
s He would he rejecle by men. and b
u put TO death. In the fifty third chapte
i OF this book he had sel forth the wnol
! terrible scene. very naturally asks
l myself the question, Is it possible tbs
d these prophecies could have been put
!, lished After the occurrence of tue even,
t to which they reier? did not wish
o to be imposed upon in my investif IL alto
l Il matter OF history that these prophecis
J. were all translated into the Greek Lac
d kuage and placed in the Alexandria
r library at least $50 years before th
. Christian era.
4 CHRIsr's IDENTITY.
The next question was An easy on,
e but OF thrilling interest. Did anv sue
It mau IS spoken OF in these prophscie
3 appear at the time and in the place an
! under the circumstances indicated
q Did such man then and there tax
u his place IN human history! NJ
b whole sou. hsre began to be filed Wit
e the rxpturous tumu.t of conviction this
: the infinite God hsd faltilled lis might
u promise to the world. The histuri
q Christ stood before me. just at th
: time declared, there appeared anon
9 men the most remarkable parsonage th
> world ever saw. The most wouderiu
;. in whatever light We view Hin
Q whether we contemplate His superna
It ural wisdom. or the influence lie hs
q sxerted upon human affairs. Huma
q wisdom had put forth its mightiel
efforts. Tbs mor.i philosophers, r.
y tiring into their clol.lers. and givin
a Themselves up to meditation. in eac
10 successive age lad added their luc,
It brations to what hsi gone before, t,