The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-10
RELIGIOUS READING.
Revelation by Degrees.

Khc eternal God is never IN hurry. a
gradual development is the divine order.
Revelation is not a Jonah's gourd, rising
ap in the night; rather it is like the oak,
for it takes ages to grow. The old preach
BIS said, "Revclation began In Eden, had
its centre point at Calvary, and has its
end In Eternity" The Old Testament
runs into the New; it is a whole; they
harmonic. We read that in Heaven
they have the song of Moses and of the
Lamb, for these songs harmoniZc. The
harmony of the songs they sing there is
a proof of how we'll they harmonizc here.
There is q gradual development; and this
runs through all the works of God.
First there was chaos. The world did
not reach it's present state in few years.
It has taken many ages for the world to
become as we see it to-day--its fields
covered with flowers; its woods filled
with the singing of birds and butterflies
with rainbow-tinted wings hoatnS
through the summer air. One glory
made way for another.
Man was created Ill due time. Creation
is growth. A flower does not open and
grow up in day. First the stem, then
the bud, and then the flower. Man is
not born full grown; his is gradual
growth, a gradual development. Yet
man must play through his programme
in a few years, or death will step in and
stop him; but God has all ages for his
plans. A thousand years with him are
but as day.
We find the same gradual development
in intellectual and moral things. We
grow step by step. Education grows
slowly-inc upon line, prcccpt upon pre-
cept, a little at u time. First picture
book, then book with pictures and a
little reading; and we must ever hold: a
higher book before the child. 1t is so In
revelation. There were 1000 years be-
tween the first Adam and the second
Adam. God was powerful enough to
have brought them close together. Why
not have placed the garden of Gethsem-
ane close to the garden of Eden? Why
should not the Saviour's feet have trodden
the earth in the first century? Thus VIC
see the God of our redemption and the
God of the world is one and the same.
There is the same slow and gradual
progress. Our haste and our little reck-
onings are as nothing to God; he is
never in a hurry-he sees the end from
the beginning. The march of the Israel
ties might have taken only few months
from Egypt to Canaan; but God led
them by path that made the journey
occupy forty years. Christ lived thirty
years before he worked one miracle.
Peter wanted to 60 out at once to preach
chow great the need of itD, but Jesus
said, "Tarry ye at Jerusalem" ''Tarry:"
Redemption is slow, even as the rocks
and hills were Slowly prepared for mans
habitation. Thank God, it was so!
Why2 A full-orbed redemption would
have overwhelmed u.s. God holds him.
self back because of our weakness. We
could not bear vision of his splendor.
Moses said one day, "Show me thy
glory" God placed him in a cleft of the
rock; he could not bear full view of
Gods glory. Thank God for the cleft
in the rock. How weak we are in
presence OF heavenly splendor! Rcmem-
Der Daniel says that on beholding the
vision, ''thcre remained no strength in
me''-hc had lost his breath. John, on
seeing the "sevcn golden candlcsticks,
and in the midst of them one like unto
the Son of man," ''fcll at his feet as
dead" We cannot bear full revelation
of Gods glory. The Bible is not yet ex-
hausted Of all its teachings and truths.
'tOur little systems have their day,
They have their day and cease to he;
They are but broken lights of Thee,
And Thou, . Lord, art more than they"
-Rev. OSSian Dayics.