The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-18

OF mules back. The homage cherubic,
seraphic, archangclic, to the paving of 624
cents of tax to Caesar. From the deathless
country TO q tomb built to hide human
dissolution. The uplifted wave OF Galilee
was high, but he had TO come down,
before, with his feet, he could touch 1t,
and, the whirlwind that rose above the
billow was higher yet, but he had to come
down before, with his lip, he could kiss it
into quiet. Bethlehem u STOPPING down.
Nazareth a STOPPING down. Death between
two burglars STOPPING down. Yes, 1t
was in consonance with humiliations that
had gone before and with self abnegatlons
that came AFTER when on that memorable
day in Herods temple he stopped down
and wrote on the ground.
Whether the words lie was writing were
in Greek or Latin, or Hebrew, | cannot
say, for He knew all these languages But
He is still stoopingdown aud with His fin
ger writing on the ground, in the winter
in letters OF crystals, in the spring in let
tiers OF flowers, in summer in golden letters
OF harvest, in autumn in letters OF fire on
fallen leaves. How it would sweeten up
and enrich and emblazon this world could
we see Christ's caligraphy all over 1t. This
world was not flung out into space thou
sands OF years ago and then left TO look
out for itself. 1t is still under the divine
care. Christ never for half second takes
| His hand of Of it, or it would soon he u
shipwrecked world, n deiunct world, an
obsolete world. an abandoned world, a
dead world. "Let there be light" was
said at the beginning. And Christ stands
under the wintry skies and says. Let there
be snOwilases to enrich the earth; and
under the clouds Of spring and says, Come
ye blossoms and make redolent the or
| chards; and in September dips the
| branches into the vat OF beautiful colon
aud swings them in the hazy air No
whim OF mine IL this Without Him
was not anything made that was made.
| Christ writing ON the ground. II we could
see His hand in all the passing seasons,
| how il would illumne the world. All
yerdure aud foliage would be allcgoric, and
| again we would hear Him say as OF old,
Consider the lilies OF the Geld, how
they grow" and We would not hear the
whistle OF quail or the c0wing OF Il
raven or the roundelay OF a brown
throshcr, without saying "Behold the
fowls OF the air, they gather not into barns,
yet YOUR heavenly Father ieedeth them, "
and Dominic hen OF the banyurd could
not cluck for her brood yet We would hear
Christ saving as Of old, "llow often would
| have gathered thy children together,
even rs u hen gathered her chickens under
her wings; and through the redolcnthedgcs
We would hear Christ saying, 81 am the
rose OF Sharon" We could not dip the
seasoning from the salt cellar without
thinking Of the divine suggestion, "le are
the salt OF the earth, but II the salt has
lost its SAVIOR il is iit for nothing but 10 be
east out and trodden under foot OF men.
let us wake up from our stupidity and
take the whole world as n parable. Then
II with gun and pack OF hounds We start
of before dawn and sec the morning com.
ing down of the hills 30 meet rs We would
cry out with tho evangelist, "Ghe day
spring from on high hath visited u.s." or
caught IN "a snow storm, while struggling
home, eyebrows aud beard and apparel all
covered with the whirling flakes, We would
cry out with David, wash me and
shall be whilur than snow" In picture
gallery OF Europe, there is on the ceiling
an cquisite lrcsco, but people having "a
look straight up, Il wearied and diDiod
them, and bent their nccks almost beyond
endurance, 80 q great lO0king-glas. was
put near the floor aud now visitors only
need 10 look easily down into this mirrOl
aud they see the ir,sco at their feet And
80 much OF all the heaven OF Gods truth
IL reflected In this world as In mirror and
the things that are above are copied bN
things all around NJ. What right have ",
to throw away one Of Coils Bibles, aye
the first Bible he ever gave the racer W,
talk about the Old Testament and the New
Testament. but the oldest Testament con
tains the lessons Of the natural world
Some people like the New Testament N
well they discard the Old Testament
Shall we like the New Testament and the
Old Testament 80 well ~ to deprcciaie th,
oldest; namely, that which was written
before Moses was put ailoat on the boat o
leaves which was ctiked with asphalium
or reject the Genesis aud Reyo
latiOn that were written ceniu
ries before Adam lost rib an,
gained n wife? No, no; when Deity stoop
down aud writes on the ground, let n
read IL. Iwould have no less appreciation
, OF the Bible on paper that comes ont q
the paper mill, but would urge apprecin
, ton OF the Bible in the grass, the Bible II
! the sand bill, the Bible In the gcunium
the Bible In the asphodcl, the Bible in th
, dust. Some one asked an ancient Kin
, whether lac had seen the eclipse OF th
4
do on earth, | have no time to look d
/, heaven" Aud II our faculties were a
I awake IN the study VI God, We would no
, have time 10 10 much further than th
first grass blade. | have no fear that mai
| ural religion will over contradict what "
a call revealed religion. | have no sympl
4 thy with the followers OF Aristotle, whS
a after the telescope was invented, woul
/. not look through Il lest il contridic, som
j. OF the theories OF their great master.
a shall be glad 10 put against one II
]. OF the Bible the microscope, an
q against the other lid Of the Bible II
!. telescope.
But when Christ stopped down an
4 wrote on the ground, what did ho writ
u The Pharisccs did not stop 10 oxnmin
10 The towards whipped Of their own COT
rs science, He'd pellmcll. Nothing will ilay
II man like an aroused conscience. u
At Stevens, In hrs "llistory OF Moth0lism,
N says that when the Rev. Benjamin Abbo
10 OF oldcn times was preaching, he q
n claimed: "For aught know there ma
f. be- a murderer In this house, and a una
Al rose In the assemblage aud started for u
l. door aud bawlcd aloud. cpnicssing 10
Vi murder he had committed fifteen yea
IN before. Aud no wonder these Pharlsco
* reminded OF their sins, took to their hcc
d but what did Christ write on the groun'
Nc The Bible does not state. Yet, as Chr
80 never wrote anything except that one
no you cannot blame us for wanting TO kn0
in what he really did write, But ] am c.
a tain lac wrote nothing trivial, or nothii
m uniinportant. And will you allow mo
10 say that think / know what lac wioie