The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-02
THE CLOUDS HIS CHARIOT"
DIR. qALnAGE'S SUNDAY MORNING
DISCO lN3E.


The Brooklyn Divine.
BEoo1LyN, September 30.--[special. The
hymn sung at the opening Of the services III
the Brooklyn Tabernacle this morning was;
'Weleome, sweet day Of rest,
That saw the Lord arise"
After expoun2ing appropriate passages OF
Scripture, the Rev. IT, Dewitt Talmage, DID,,
took the text: Psalm civ. 3: "Who maketh
the clouds His chariot" DR.. Talmagc said:
Brutes are constructed 80 as to look down.
Those earthly creatures that have wings when
they rise from the earth still look down, and
the eagle searches for mice in the grass and
the raven for carcasses in the field Man
alone is made to look up To induce him to
look up God makes the sky picture gallery,
Dusseldorf, Louvre, Luxembourg, Vati-
can that ecipses all that German or French or
Italian art ever accomplished. But God has
tailed so far to attract the attention OF most Of
VS. by the scenery Of the sky. We go into
captures over flowers in the soil, but have little
IT no appreciation of the "norning glories"
that bloom on the wall OF the sky at sunrise or
the dahlias in the clouds at sunset. We are
IN ecstacies over a gobelin tapestry or bridal
veil OF race fabric, or q snowbank Of exquisite
curve, but see not at all, or see without emo
ton, the bridal wells OF mist that cover tho
face Of the Catskills or the swayng up
holstery around the couch of the dying day, or
the snowbanks Of yapor piled up in the
heavens.
My text bids us lift our chin three or four
inches and open the two telescopes which un-
der tho forehead are put on swivel easily
turned upward, and see that the clouds are
not merely unintercsting signs of wet or dry
weather. but that they are embroidered cano-
pies OF shade; that they are the Conservatives
Of the sky; that they are thrones of pomp;
that they are crystalline bars; that they are
paintings in water color; That they are the
angels of the mist that they are great cathe-
drals of light with broad aislcs for angelic feet
10 walk through and bow Mt affairs of amber
and alabastcr; that they are the mothers of
the dew; that they arc ladders for ascending
and descending glorieS, Cotopaxis OF belching
fame, Niagaras Of color; that they nre the
masterpieces OF the Lord God Almighty.
The clouds are n favorito Bible smile,
and the sacred writers have made
much use Of them. After the deluge
God hung on cloud in concentric
bands the colors of tho spectrum saying: II
do set my bow In the cloud Asa mountain
is sometimes entirely hidden by tho vapors, SO
eays God, 81 have blotted out as a thick cloud
thy ttansgressions" David measures the di-
vine goodness and found it so high he apostro-
phizcd Thy faithiulness reacheth unto the
clouds" Az sometimes there are thousands
OF feeccs OF rapor scurrying across the heavens.
so SAYS Isaiah, will be tho converts in the mil.
lennum "as cioudes and rs doves As in
the wet season no sooner does the sky clear
than there comes another observation, so, says
Solomon, ono ache or ailmeut OF old folks has
no moro than gone than another pain comes
las clouds return in the rain" a column of
illumincd cloud led the Israeites across the
wilderness. In the book of job Elihu watch
Ing tho clouds, could not understand
why they did not fall or why they
did not all roll together, the laws Of evapora-
tion and condensation then not being under
stood. and lac cries out: "Dost thou know tho
balancing of the clOuds2' When ] read my
text it suggests to me that the clouds are the
Creators equipage, and their whirling masses
are the wheels, aud the tongue of tho cloud is
Tie pole OF the celestial vehicle, and the winds
are the harnessed steeds, and God 10 the Royal
occupant and driver "who makoth the clouds
Ills chariot"
To understand the psalmist's meaning in
the text you must know that the chariot of
old was sometimes sculptured brilliancy
made ont OF ivory, sometimes of solid silver,
and rolled on two wheels which were fastened
e. thc axle by stout pins, and the awful defeat
81 Oenomaus by Pclops was caused by the fact
that trait1reus chariOteer had inserted q
Inch pin Of wax instead of Inch pit of
iron, All of the six hundred
chariots of Pharaoh lost their Inch
pins n the Red Sea, for the Bible says; 1.-The
lord took off their Wheels" Look at tho long
flash Of Solomon's fourteen hundred charos,
and the thirty thousand chariots OF the Philis-
where a king or queen keeps the coaches of
state, ns have, you know that kings and
queens have great varieties of turnout. The
Keeper tells you: "Ths is the state carriage
and used only on great occasions" This is
the coronation carriage and in ii the king rode
ON the day lac took the throne" I'm this the
queen went 10 open parliament" This is
the coach in which the ear and tho sultan
rode on the occasion of their visit" All costly
aud tessclatcd and enriched and emblaZoned
tla.s Rgl 1rtx t,iya al,
reins Of the ten white horses In his
hands, and amid mounted troops and bands in
full force sounding tho national air the splen-
dor stars and rolls on under arches ontwined
with banners, and amid the huzza of hundreds
OF thousands OF spectators the scene is memoir
able. iut my text put all such occasions into
mSign' tcance, rs II represents the King of the
universe 'ning to the door Of his palace, and
the gildod .purs of the heavens rolling up TO
his feet and he stepping in and taking the
rains OF the gAlloping winds IN His hand starts
in trlumphal ride under the arches of sapphire
aud oyeJ the atm0 spheIic highways of opal and
clrySollte, tho clouds His chariot
MY hearcr7, do not think that God belittlos
Him, eli when lis takes such Conveyanee Do
you know that the clouds are among the most
wondtcuS and majestic things in the whole
uni' erse2 do You know that they are flying
lakes and rivers and oceans? God waved His
land over them and said Come up highcr!'
and they oheYcd the mandate That cloud
instead OF being, as it seems, a small gathering
OF vapor few yards wide and high Is really
seven or eigh; miles across, aud is n mountain
from us base 10 its top. fifteen thousand feet
eighteen thousand feet, twenty Thousand feet,
and cut through with mvincs five thousand
feet deep No David did not make fragile
or unworthy representation of God in this text
when he spoke OF the clouds as His chariot.
liut rs | suggested IN the case of an earthly
king He has His morning cloud chariot and
Ills evening cloud chariot--the cloud chariot
iu which He rode down TO Sinai 10 open the
law, and the cloud chariot in which He rode
down 70 Tabor to honor the gospel, and the
cloud chariot in which lie will couIe to Judge
uent.
When lie rides out in His morning chariot at
this season. about six o'clock. he puts golden
ccyueiS ON the dome of cities, and sivers the
rivers. aud out of the dew make diamond
ring for the finger Of every grass blade and
bids good cheer 20 invalds who in the night
said would 10 God il were morning -
From this morning cloud chariot lie distr-
butte light. ligh for the oarth.a light for the
heavens and light for the land, and light for
the sea, great bars of il, great wreathes Of IL,
great columns Of IL % world fun Of 1t. Hail Him
in worship as every morning lie drives out in
His chariot of morning cloud, and cry with
David; "My voice shalt Thou hear in the
morning. in the morning will l direct my
p,gtVes 10 Thee and look nm - / reioirN IN