The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-11-12

| M CREATURE Is ever puISucu ny uduStl
or harassed by the difficulties that beset
the path of mortal experience, that the
idea of a haven of rest, a rest, place of
safety, somewhere in which lies protec-
ton, does not come up. The cry of the
prosecuted is for projections; the cry of
one who is almost borne down by the
cares and dangers Of the temporal life, is
for some place to hide from besetting per-
plexities, and while the natural trend of
human thought seeking protection would
| be toward the all-wise one, the King of
Kings, it is barely possible that there are
some spirits that seek, like David, to hide
by crawling beneath the wings of the
Divine One, that would not feel at home
there, nor would the sacred wings long
caress them. But the ruling, the consum-
ing aim of such lives is to obtain such a
hiding place.
In Western State lived one of Gods
creatures-many heartless people said he
wasn't, but he was-whose prayer by day,
and song by night, was: "Cover my de-
fenseless head, with the shadow of Thy
Wing" The praise ascended, the rains
fell upon the old farm, the sun shone with
a genial warmth, and the increase" came
to the fields. I'm the name Of the Lord, y
this man plowed his fields, attended
his meadow-lands, and stored away
his supplies for winter; in the
name of the Lord the pious man
butchered and sold the poorest animals,
and made his peck measure to hold but
seven quarts. When the good man fixed,
with much care, a watering-trough by the
roadside spring near his place, people
blessed him, and called him philan-
thropist. But the hitching-rack. and the
watering-trough were placed there with
a far different motive. He only desired
to save the accumulations of the offal at
such place, for fertilizing purposes,
merely because he thought he was get
ting that much off of somebody else for
nothing. But what cared the good man
for the world? Sinful man might COM
pass him around about, but sinful man
was enclosed in his own fat" and what
did he care for the mouthings of world
Hngs? Now place that man safely under
one of the Divine wings, and let him rest,
for the present.
In Western State there also lived a
woman. 1t has been noted ever since the
sacrifice on Calvary that woman is more
faithful and religious than man. And
this woman was pious. She was consid-
crate of the convenience of her friends;
when she sold eggs, she did not ask her
friends to waste a great deal more room
than was necessary, by packing away for
winter the largest eggs, she sold them the
smallest and strongest, and put down the
great bulky ones herself; in the name of
the Lord, this good woman manufactured
apple-butter for market, and, lest it should
work and sour on the hands of her be-
loved customers, she made it about one
half pumpkins; in the name of the Lord,
she went to the extreme of extravaganza
in mixing egg with her butter, to color it,
and to prevent it from becoming too rank
she recklessly mixed costly lard with it !;
her maple syrup was genuine extract OF
shell-bark, warranted not to fade; her
qnart measure was made smaller, because
it looked neater, and was more easily
handled; with great taste the apples she
W IldlhOU "ClC "ICd
the best upon the top, so as to catch the
eye. Some heartless people said to catch
the pocket, too, but this could not be, for
she trusted to herself to do that in any
trade. Now, place this good woman under
the shadow of the other wing.
The man under the one wing peeps
nervously around at the woman under
the other wing, and tries, by the study of
her angelic countenance, to find out how
much her last gallon of molasses measur-
ed, or how many sick chickens she had
sold. Per contra, the good woman peeps
at the seraphic countenance of the good
man, and by the study thereof attempts
to determine how he sold his last turnips.
Now suppose, while we have the specta-
Gle of these two spirits hiding thus be-
meath the sheltering wings, that the Holy
Spirit should arise, and take flight; then
suppose that an angel should seize quill
from the Divine wing, and dipping it in
sunlight, should write the record OF these
two lives. Would they not fly from the
presence of the Divine wing, and the
written story, as from plague?
These are not the kind of people who
find shelter beneath the Sacred wing. The
ex expression of the grand old hymn Here,
Lord, give myself away, 'Tis all that 1
can do" does not mean the modern sense
of the term gj0e aaO0y, although the ac-
| tion of professed Christians frequently
amounts to give-away in the modern
sense. The soul that would seek shelter
beneath the Almighty wing, must come
as having thrown aside all human frail-
ties, at least in so far as they rest upon
voluntary action. The Lord is not 10th
to shelter beneath His wing, those who
come to Him in the right spirit, but this
is hiding-place for oppressed righteous
ness; spirit cannot hide from itself I'M
der such circumstances, no more than
under any other. One cannot rush in
beneath the wing of Divinity, as one
rushes beneath a friendly shed, in a rain
storm. The Lord is not a mere conYen-
ience, He is the great necessity, not to be
trifed with nor put off until convenient
season, but to be sought now, and in full
faith. No man can deceive the All-wise
One. If all the types of character that
have appealed for the shelter of the Di-
vine wing were ranged together-while
there would be many good people, there
would also be as fine a rague's gallery as
eye ever witnessed. The true conception
of the protecting wing of Divinity is as a
place where spirits may nestle with per
feet love and confidence-not place
where spirits hide from pursuit. The
shadow of the great wing is mighty in
extent, but even this is scarcely large
enough to cover all of mortal record. We
may hide under that protecting shadow
as reward for faithful performance OF
duty, but not as protection against the
result of our own misdeeds. To be thus
sheltered beneath the protecting wing Ot