Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-04-25
NATURE AND TIE OLD TESLA
MENT.

We are so used to think OF the Bible
in the light of the New Testament that
we forget some of its most precious and
some of its most remarkable parts.
There is no other such literature as that
OF the Old Testament. Look through
the whole range of classic writing, and
through the whole range of modern
writing; although there are illusions to
the supremacy of God in nature, there
are no such detailed descriptions of,
and no su h loving, lingering Chances
upon natural scenery and phenomena,
as are to be found in the Old Tesla
ment. We are accustomed to look at
the seasons from a purely commercial,
unitarian pc n, of view. AT tue most
we only leaven this with some senti-
ment, with some poetic feeling. In the
main, most men learn to regard things
in the light OF seliishness. When we
look out of the window in the morning.
II is not to see what new phase of power
God has manifested, it is not to see what
is the peculia' drapery of the day tor it
is not always the same); il is to see
whether our purpose, or business or
pleasure, is likely to be checked or
favored by the weather. Everlasting
egotism is that which nc yates US. All
through the day we estimate the wealth
er according to its effect upon our con.
venience and comfort, whether we are
on Journey, on an excursion of pleas
ure, or on an enterprise of profit We
think OF the seasons and of the phe-
nomena around about us almost always
simply with reference to what they can
do Tor us, or what they can do to hinder
us. The na'm al philosopher, perhaps,
TO all this adds still further de, elop-
ment, because he looks at things in the
light of science, The vapors Rave a
meaning to him. Heat. cold, and the
products of heat and cold. mean some
thing to him. He not ces them, but 10
him they are SO many ideas. so many
facts, so many links in the chain of =
theory or sys EN-. All is mundane, all
is earthly, TO his thought.
The poet looks in still third way at
nature. To him light is intrnsically
beautiful, it has such adaptat on to
the eye. The seasons have some po-
etry to him. But never was there such
grouping together OF these in adec uate
MEASURE as in the time If the Hebrew
poets. The Psalmist contemplated ma
ture with great gratitude. The harvusts,
the focks. the kine-all tokens of pros
perity-are brought up in many psalms,
and distinctly pointed out rs topics for
grateful thought. summer and winter,
the time for sowing and the time for
reaping, are set forth in an cconom G
point of view. And the language is
poetic The Old Testament does not
contain any m mute dissecting, as of an
artist mind; or any scene-painting,
seeming to have been done for effect:
or art pictures, as they are called: or
descriptive writ ng; but it contains that
which produces the poetic sentiment,
only upon higher plane. The con-
temptation of natural things is not in
the line of our lower tastes. The tone
of mind OF the Hebrews was nobler and
higher than that of most occidentals.
They saw natural objects in their rela-
ton TO God. When they looked at the
clouds. their first thought was not that
they had rain for us, nor that they fur
nished facts for the natural philosopher,
but that they were Gods chariot, and
that He rode on them and controlled
them. The mountains and hills were
o. God; summer and winter had some-
thing OF God the trees clapped their
hands in praise of God. And though
they did not register these things as
modern science has registered them,
they saw them better than it. and rec
ognized in them argument for praise
and gratitude TO God.
In that spirit we should endeavor to
regard the seasons. We are not merely
TO cons der them as meant tor our
economic conven ence. They are our
servants as well as our mas, ers. We
are not to exclude the lower forms of
sympathy and poetic inspiration in
nature; these are right: but we are es-
pecially to see to it that we come into
sympathy with nature on the higher
side. as being vertically a revelation
from God. For nature is as truly,
though differently. revelation from
God as the Bible. The experiences of
human life, the account of creation,
and the declarative purposes of God,
are recorded in this Book: but the Book
itself requires Interpretation. The
knowledge of the thing to which 1t re-
fers comes later in the history of man.
kind. This BOOK Is the torch by which
we see our way back to read the book
Of nature. And the more we come to
think of the natural world as being q
part of Gods record of his thoughts
aud purpos IS, the more we shall find
on selves impressed thereby, and the
more csppsny it will be to us. Not
only SO, d will be sanctuary to Us.
and wii convey to US, evermore, Q
.ense 81 b, y Fssnce Of God - Chrssti0n
Vatod,