The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-09-20
rrIr T~E~TnIGTON ~ oHA

arc packed with strength to fly, to lift
to destroy. So the wings of God are
strong wings. Mighty to save. Mighty
to destroy. l preach him-"the Lord,
strong and mighty-the Lord, mighty
in battle!" He tapped his wing, and
the antediluvian world was gone. lie
Tapped His wing and Babylon persisted.
He tapped His wing and Herculaneum ,
was buried. He tapped His wing and the
Napoleonic dynasty ceased. Before the
stroke of hat. piniOn a fleet Is nothing.
An army Is nothing. An empire is moth !
ing. A world is nothing. The universe
is nothing. King-Eternal, Omnipotent
He asks no ounse from the throne OF
Heaven. He takes not tho a~rchangel
into His cabinet. He wants none to
draw His chariots, for they are the
winds. None to load his batteries for
they are the lightnings. None to tie
the sandals of His feet for they are the
Clouds. Mighty to save. Our enemies
NAV be strong, our SORROWS violent. Our
sins NAV be great. But quicker than
an eagle ever hurled from the crags
n hawk or rayen, will the Lord strike
back our sins and our temptations, II
they assault us when we are once seated
ON the eternal rock OF His salvation.
What a blessed thing it is to be defend
ed by the strong wing of the Almighty
Stronger han the pelican's wing,
stronger than the. albatross' wing,
stronger than the condor's wing, are the
wings of tho Almighty.
Ihave only one more thought to pre-
sent. The wings under which Ruth had
come to trust were gentle wings. There
= ,.rE,o. than n fnathnr Won
have noticed when u bird returns from
flight, how gently it stoops over the
nest. The young birds are not afraid
of having thoir lives trampled out Dy
the mother bird; the old w~hip-poor-will
dfops into its nest OF leaves, the oriole
into its casket, of bark, the humming
bird into its hammoclc of moss-gentle
as the light. And so, says the Psalmlst'
He shall cover thee with his wing. ",
the p%entleness of God!. But even that
figure does not fully set it forth, for
have sometimes looked into the birds
, nest and seen a dead bird-its life haV'
ing been trampled out by the mother
bird. But no one that ever came under
the feathers Of the Almighty was trod'
: den on.
; Blessed nest! Warm nest! Why will
men stay out in the cold to be shot o.
.. temptation and to be chilled by the
: blast when there is divine shelter
|, More beautiful than any flower l eve
saw are the hues of a birds plumage
: Did you aver examine it? The black
. bird, floating like a flake of darkness
through the sunlight; the meadow lark
, with head OF fawn and throat OF velve
u and breast of gold; the red fiamingo fly
, ing over the Southern swamps, hk
: sparks from the forge of the setting sun
Q the pelican, white and black-morninI
y and night tangled in its wings-giv
:. but a very faint idea Of the beaut
- that comes down over the soul when o
= it drop the feathers of the Almighty
- Here fold your wings. This Is tn
only safe nest. Every other nest wi
be destroyed. The prophet says 81
70 Though thou exalt thyself like tn
% eagle, and set thy nest among the star
:, vet will / bring thee down, saith til
Lord of Hosts" Under the swift wing
=, under the broad wings, under the stron
y. wings, under the gentle wings OF I'll
~ Almighty, find shelter until the
- calamities be overpast. Then whe
"A you want to change nests it will on
~ be from the valley of earth to tt
~ heights of Heaven, and instead OF "tl
wings Of a dove" for which Dav
~ longed, not knowing that in the FIR
., mile of their flight they would give OF
u YOU will be conducted upward by Il
Lord God of Israel, under whose win
~ Ruth, the beautiful Moabitess. came
our trust
~ God forbid that in this matter OF et'
=. nal veal or woe we should be me
on stupid than the fowls of Heaven II
"a the stork knoweth her appointed tin
. and the turtle and the ran and t
~ swallow observe the time of their goiI
~ but my people know not the judgemeI
of the Lord"