The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-04-09

times ten thousand. Now, according to my
calculation, ten thousand times ten thousand
are one hundred million. But these are only
the angels in one place. David counted twen-
ty thousand of them rolling down the sky in
chariots. When God came away from the
riven rocks Of Mount Sinai the Bible says He
had the companionship Of ten thousand an
gels. / think they are in every battle in
every exigency, at every birth, at every pill
low, at every hour, at every moment The
earth full Of them. The heavens full of them.
They outnumber the human race in this
world. They outnumber ransomed spirits in
glory. When Abraham had his knife up
lifted to say Isaac, it was an angel who al.
rested the stroke, crying: Abraham! Abra,
ham" 1t was stairway of angels that ia
cob saw while pillowed in the wilderness.
we are told an angel led the hosts Of israel
ties out of Egyptian serfdom. 1t was an an.
gel that showed Hagar the fountain where
angel that took Lot out of doomed Sodom.
1t was an angel that shut up the mouth Of
the hungry monsters when Daniel was thrown
into the cayerns. 1t was an angel that fed
Elijah under the juniper tree. It was an an.
gel that announced to Mary the approaching
nativity. They were angels that chanted
when Christ was born. twas an angel that
strengthened our Saviour in His agony. 1t was
an angel that encouraged Paul in the Med
lterranean shipwreck. 1t was an angel that
burst open tue prison, gate after gate, until
Peter was liberated. 1t was an angel that
stirred the Pool of Sloan where the sick
were healed. 1t was an angel that John saw
flying through the midst Of heaven. and an
angel with foot planted on the sea, and an
angel that opened the book, and an angel that
sounded the trumpet, and an angel that
thrust in the sickle, and an angel thatpoured
out the walls, and an angel standing in the
sun. It will be an angel with uplifted hand,
swearing that time shall be no longer. In
the great final harvest of the world, the
reapers are the angels. Yea, the
Lord shall be revealed from heaven
with mighty angels. Oh, the numbers
and the might and the glory Of these
supernals! Fleets of them! Squadrons of
them! Host beyond host Rank above
side if we will have them.
This leads me to speak Of the Offices Of
these supernals 10 defend, to cheer, to res
cue. to escort, to give victory to the right,
and overthrow the wrong; that is their bust
ness. just as alert to-day and efficient as
when in Bible times they spread wing, or
unsheathed sword, or rocked down peniten-
tiaries, or filled the mountains with horses Of
| IRE hitched to chariots Of fire and driven bv
steps hundred times, and you knew it not.
You werc on the way to do some wrong
thing, and they changed your course. They
brought some thought Of Christian parent
age, or Of loyalty to your own home, and
that arrested you. They arranged that some
one should meet you at that crisis, and pro-
pose something honorable and elevating, or
they took from your pocket some ticket to
evil amusement, ticket that you never
found. 1t was an angel of God, and perhaps
the very one that guided you to this service,
and that now waits to report some holy
impression to be this morning made
upon your soul, tarrying with one foot
upon the doorstep of your immortal spirit,
and the other foot lifted for ascent into the
skies. BY some prayer detain him until he
can tell of repentant and ransomed soul!
Or you were some time borne down with
trouble, bereavement, persecution, bank
ruptcy, sickness and all manner of troubles
beating their discords in your heart and life.
You gave up; you said: II cannot stand it
any longer. I believe will take my life.
Where is the rail train, or the deep wave, or
the precipice that will end this torment Of
earthly existencer But suddenly your mind
frightened. Courage came surging into
your heart like oceanic tides. You said:
He can make turn out for my good" Sud.
denly you felt peace, deep peace, the
peace Of God that passeth all understanding.
What made the change9 A sweet, and
mighty, and comforting angel Of the Lord
met you. That was all.
What an incentive to purity and righteous
ness is this doctrine that we are continually
under angelic observationl Eyes ever on
you, so that the most secret misdeed is COM
mitted in the midst Of an audience OF i'm
mortals. No doors 30 bolted, no darkness SO
Cimmerian as to hinder that supernal eye
sight. Not critical eyesight not jealous
eyesight, not baleful eyesight but friendly
eyesight sympathetic eyesight helpful eye
sight. Confidential clerk Of store, with great |
responsibility on your shoulder, and no one
to applaud your work when you do 1t well,
and sick with the worlds ingratitude, think
of the angels in the counting-room raptured
at your fidelity Mother of household, stitch
ing, mending, cooking, dusting, planning up
half the night or all night with the sick child,
day in and day out, year in and year out,
worn with the monotony Of q life that no one |
seems to care for, think Of the angels in the |
nursery, angels in all the rooms Of your toll |
ing, angels about the sick cradle and all in
sympathy
Railroad engineer, with hundreds OF lives
hanging on your wrist, standing amid the
cinders and the smutch, round the sharp
curve and by appalling declivity, discharged
and disgraced il you make mistake, but not
one word of approval if you take all the
trains in safety for ten years, think OF the |
angels by the throttle valve angels by the
roaring furnace of the engine, angels looking |
from the overhanging crag, angels bracing |
the racing wheels of the precipice, angels
when you mount the thunderbolt of train
and angels when you dismount! Can you
not hear them, louder than the jamming of
the car coupling louder than the bell at the
crossing, louder than the whistle that sounds
like the scream of flying fend, the an
relic voices saying: "You did it we'll |
Sou did it wellp' If I often speak
of engineers it is because I ride so much |
with them. Ialways accept their invitation |
to ioin them on their locomotive, because |
NOT only gst to my destination sooner, but |
because they are about the grandest men
alive.
Men and women Of all circumstances, only |
partly appreciated, or not appreciated at all,
never feeflone again, or unregarded again
Angels all around; angels to approve, angels |
to help angels to remember. Yea, While all
the GOOD angelsare friends of the good, there
is one special agent your body guard, rms
idea, until this present study OF angelolosy,,
snnnosed to be fanciful, but find it clearly |
stated in the Bible. When the disciples were
praying for Peters deliverance from prison,
and he appeared at the door of the prayer
meeting, they could not believe u was letGl'
They said: lit is his angel" So these dis
ciples, in special nearness to Christ, evidently
belieyed that every worthy soul has an angel. |
Jesus said Of His followers. 'Their angels be- |
hod the face of My Father" Elsewhere it
is said: ''He shall give His angels charge over
thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" Angel
shielded, angel protected, angel guarded,
angel canopied, art thou. No wonder that |
Charles Wesley hymned these words:
Which Of the petty Kings OF earth
Can boast guard like ours,
Enclrcled from our second birth
With all the heavenly powers2
tt,or,,s and Rufinus were put to death for