The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-11-08
Anheysnn yntelli9enser.
Illustrations OF Providence.
BY REV. +. y. ZABEIsKIE, d. d.
From INcw York OtScrrer.

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From INcW York Otscrer.
No one believes in real God, unless
he believes in an actual governor, as we'll
as creator, of the worlds. The theory
that God tied himself hand and foot with
his own claws" virtually abdicating III
their favor as to 50 many little gods, is
the feeblest kind Of panthcism. Even
though it could be shown (as is assumed
BY the whole corpse Of question -beggars)
that lie has never iuterposed, and never
will, for the temporary arrest Of any law
in other words, changing for the time
the mode of his working, for that is all
which divine law can mean TO any one
but an athest--it were absurd TO suppose
that one, who is as Omniscient as he Is
omnipotent, could not frame his plan Of
the universe so as to include IN the un-
disturbed operation Of his laws all which
he desired to bring about. Or, if you
please, he who had evolved this "univer.
sally frame" out OF q gcrminal cell could
involve in that cell every ioresccn event
including all that lies within the
narrow scope of the human will, and all
that would enable him TO guarantee the
answer of believing aud righteous pray
er. And every forcsecn event." with
God. means everything whatsoever
We know at least that he has made
provisions for the interplay of our will
free, and even tickle as il seems tc be
with his own, and for the interpOsition
of our most sudden aud random action
into tho working out ofhis fixed purpose.
This is one Of the most familiar facts Of
observation, and most notable lessons Of
history. The greatest events, the entire
<,f i1,;u ,y,,riI hny turual
the most trivial incidents accidents we
call them in our current speech. 1t has
been wittily said that if Cleopatra's nose
had been the Ell h of one inch longer,
the Augustan age Of Rome would never
have dawncd there would never, in
fact, have been a Roman world. Chath.
ANS gout, which mounted to his brain
during the critical juncturc when the
Tea Duties bill WAS passed, may easily
have given US our Fourth Of July.
Kinglake Gyavely attributes the invasion
of the Crmca to the fact that the Duke
Of Newcastle read his dispatch to Lord
Ragland to the Cabinet Immediately af
ter they had dincd tand wincd p together
and were in cOmat0se state. Napoleon
is said to have made his fatal bluudcr in
assuming the offensive ut Lcipsic, while
suffering from Indigestion arising from
II surfeit of mutton and onions. There
is great reasons to suppose that his ne
phew would never have allowed him to
be pushed into the German war, but for
wasting disease which rendered him no
longer the cool, clear headed and self.
poised man Of former years.
Let mo append two or thrco illustra
tions drawn from my recent reading III
American history. The political prestige
rI Il nf 'rhn.nnv
Jefferson were largely duo to his author
ship of, and consequent identification
with, the Declaration of Independence
His writing of that document arose from
his being the Chairman oflhe committee,
and his chairmanship was al accident"
since the place would naturally have
been assigned to Richard Henry Lee,
who moved the appointment of COM
mittee to draft such paper, but who WAS
called away by the illness of his wife.
The Louisiana Purchase" which BE.
cured for US the continent from ocean to
ocean, "the largest transaction in real
estate that the world has ever known"
was only possible by its having been
negotiated under singular conjunction
of circumstances, which existed for that
brief space Of time, and never before or
since. These were : the eb :olute and ar.
bitrary power ofthe young Napoleon; his
pressing need just then of ready money,
and the large financial credit Of the
United States at Amsterdam; the gen.
: eral ignorance of the extent or possibili-
ties Of the domain the willingness of
Spain to give up New Orleans, and the
determination of France that Great
Britain should not have it; the anxiety
OF England 70 check the growing empire
nf x,c
TO strengthen our Republic ns the only
world. 1t was the sudden whm of n
single will, which then happened to be
France and President Gilman we'll says {:
"The mighty deeds Of Napoleon's sword
have been undone but the stroke OF his
pen wrought change which now, after
four.score years have passed, is no more
liable to counterchange than the Missis.
sippi is to flow into the lakes" 1t ia
worth our while to quote further his
suggestive remarks. The Missouri
compromise, the annexation of Texas,
the Northwestern boundary disputes, the
acquisition of California and of the
Northern providences Of Mexico the dis.
covery of gold and silver, the Nebraska
bill, the Mormon difficulty, the Indian
policy, the Alaska purchase, the Pacific
Railroad, the lsthmus Canal question.
the Chinese immigration-who can say
that any OF these controversies and
events would ever have come to the front,
if Spain or Great Britain had remained
in control Of that half Of our domain
which lies beyond the Mississippi"
If human will can have such shaping
of the worlds history and the destinies
Of men, what may not the will of tho
Almighty and all,wisc God effect? Who
at least, shall make the shallow denial of
special providence?
A suggestive illustration occurs in the
life of Alexander Hamilton, showing
that it was due to his own stubborn and
arbitrary will that Aaron Burr was elevat-
ed to prominence snd Importance as his
rival In Ne, York, and ultimately in
national politics. IN tho election of the
first u. S. Senator from New York,
Hamilton named Gen. Schuyler as one,
with universal consent. But instead of
leaving the other Senator to tho choice
of tho party, he insisted on the election
of Rufus King, Massachusetts man.
iuat rnma dnwn into tho Gtato Th;, oo.