The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-09-30

to say, in the name of believers: "The
desire of our soul is to thy name and the
remembrance of thee" that is, eve desire
sincerely to see thy name, o Lord, glori-
fed in whatever concerns US, and our wish
is never to forget, but always remember
God, whose We are and who has the right
to do with US what he will" Still
further the prophet says, on behalf of
believers: "With my soul have desired
thee in the night; yea, with my spirit
within me will I seek thee early;" that
is, in the night of sorrow and darkness
and danger I Will seek God with my
spirit within me, and not in any mere
external ways of pretended worship, be.
cause when darkness falls upon me it is
God only whom 1 desire with my whole
soul. The description closes with these
words: "For when thy judgments are in
the earth, the inhabitants of the world
will learn righteousness" that is, at such
times all ought to learn righteousness,
and some will. The natural and proper
effect of Divine judgments is to teach
men righteousness.
Secondly, there is description of the
unbelieving crowd in these words: "Let
favor be shown to the wicked, yet will he
not learn righteousness" Prosperity
only hardens such mans heart. "1n
the land of uprightness will he deal uu.
justly aud will not behold the majesty Of
the Lord" that is, even in a country
where uprightness prevails, a Christian
country, and not among heathen people,
even there the wicked may deal with
men frequently in an unjust way, but
certainly and always he deals unjustly
with his God and Father in Heavens 5and
will not behold the majesty of God. And
then the prophet gives US the reverse OF
the picture, and describes the unbeliever
when adversely comes upon him: "Lord,
when thy hand is lifted up they will not
see, but they shall see and be ashamed )"
that is, when the Almighty lifts up His
hand to strike, so that the wicked may
take notice and by repentance escape,
and even when He brings down his omnip.
otent hand to smite the wicked, they will
not see or understand; but the day will
come when they shall see and be ashamed.
For if all that is here exhibited of the
power of the Almighty does not alright,
future exhibitions of it shall harrow up
their souls when too late to be of any
possible benefit. For what are all the
terrors. of earthquakes, at their very
worst, compared with what your eyes and
mine shall see when these heavens shall
be rolled up together as scroll and made
to pass away; and these elements shall
melt with fervent heat, and wicked men
shall be calling on the mountains and
the hills to fall on them and hide them
from the wrath of the Lamb; and when
we shall all see the Son of Man coming
in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory; and when there shall be set
the great white throne aud the books
shall be opened and men shall be judged
out of those things written in the books3
Now, let me ask, in the first place, why
is it that when the judgments of God are
in the earth the inhabitants of the world
will learn righteousness What power
naturally have providential visitations to
teach men righteousness? 1t is simply
that such terrible manifestations arrest
the attention of men, and set them to
thinking who and what that being is who
has such dreadful power and in whose
hands they lie so helpless. He it is who
creates and sustains and actually rolls
round in their proper orbits all these innu-
merable suns and systems, never suffering
one to invade another's plane, and yet
who causes this earth land probably other
similar worlds) to tremble in His hand
as it whirls through its circuit.
Incousiderateness is one fruitful cause
of sinful conduct. Wicked men are
usually thoughtless men. They do not
consider. They run on in their wicked
ways without rejecting that they must
give account of them to God. How often
do sinners, old and young, do what they
have not deliberately intended. How
many times young man is overcome by
liquor who did not count on running to
this excess How little does the profane
blasphemer consider the meaning of the
awful prayer he is really uttering every
time be calls on the Almighty to damn
his soul? Whenever Satan tempts men
to sin, it is commonly the case that the
tempted man yields for the want of con.
sideration. Now, whenever the judg.
ments of God are in the earth, they
arrest the attention of men and set them
to thinking. I do not doubt that there
has been much more reflection on the ter
ribleness of Almighty power since Tues
day night, the 31st August, than ne ever
before gave to this subject in the same
space of time.
The Scriptures say: "The fear ofthe Lord
is the beginning of wisdom" This does
not mean that the fear of God is merely
the first part of wisdom; it is also the
chiet part of wisdom, the head and front
and main portion of it. Not to fear God, T,
not to hold Him in due reverence, is as
wicked thing, in its own nature, as any
bad conduct of men can possibly be.
Dost thou not fear the Almighty? Dost
thou not stand in awe of the Holy and
Just Governor of the whole universe, thou
insignificant, thou feeble, little wretch'
born but yesterday and die tomorrow 7
Then, thy wickedness is surpassed only
by thy follyl Why, it is the spring'head