Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-10-27

Science digs into the earth and finds
deep down the remains of plants, and
so the Bible announces plants first.
Science digs down and says, Marine
animals next" and the Bible says,
Marine animals next" Science digs
down and SAYS, Land animals next"
aud the Bible responds, Land animals
next" "Then comes man" says sci
ence. "Then comes mani" responds
the Bible. Science digsinto the regions
about the Dead SEA, and fiifds result of
| fire, and masses of birthstone, and an
nounces wonderful geological forma
tion. "Oh, yes" says the Bible: "Moses
wrote thousands of years ago The Lord
rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah
birthstone and fire from the Lord out of
heaven and David wrote, "lIe touch
eth the hills and they smoke" SO |
guess we will hold on TO our Bibles lit
tie longer. A gentleman in the ante
room OF the White House, at Washing
ton, having an appointment with Mr..
Lincoln at five o'clock in the morning,
got there fifteen minutes early, and
asked the servant, "Who is talking in
the next room?" at is the President,
SIT. Is uouN Wllu .NO,
sir; he is reading the Bible. He spends
every morning from four To five o'clock
reading the Scriptures.
My text implies that God controls
volcanoes not with the full force OF
his hand, but with the tip of His finger
Etna. Stromboli, and VeSuviuS fawn at
| His feet like hounds before the hunter.
These eruptions OF the hills do not be-
long To Pluto'S realm as the ancientS
thoug ght. but TO the Devine dominlons.
Humboldt counted two hundred of
them, But since then the Indian archipe-
| lago has been found to have nine hun
dred of these great mouthpieces. They
are on every continent and in all lati-
tudes. That earthquake which shook all
America about six or seven summers
ago, was only the raving around OF
volcanoes rushing against the sides OF
their rocky cavernS trying To break
out. They must come to the surface,
but it will be at the Divine
call. They seem reserved for the
punishment of one kind OF sin. The
seven cities they have obliterated were
celebrated for one kind of tranSgreSSion.
Pro1igacy was the chief characteristic
of the seven cities over which they put
their Smothering wing: POmpeii Her
culaneum. Stable, Adma, Ieboim, Sod
ON and Gomorrah. II our American
cities do not quit their proiligacy, If in
high life and low life dissolutenesS does
not cease 10 be joke and become n
crime, If wealthy libertiniSm continues
TO find so many doors OF domestic lie
open to its fainteSt touch, if Russian,
and French, and American literature,
stepped in pruriency, does not get ban
ished from the newS-Stands and ladies'
parlors, God will let loose some
of these suppressed monsters OF
the earth. And tell these
American cities that it will be more
tolerable for Sodom and GOmorrah in
the Day of Judgment, wherer that Day
of Judgment be in this present century
or in the closing century of the earth's
continuance. The volcanic forces are
already in existence, but in the mercy
of God they are chained in the kennels
of SubterraneOuS fire. Yet let proiii-
gacy. whether it Stagger into lazaretto
or sit on a commercial throne, whether
laugh in a faded shawl under the
street gaS-light or be wrapped in the
finest array that foreign loom ever
wrought or lapidary ever empearled,
know right well that there is volcano
waiting for it, whether in domestic life,
or social life, or political life, or in the
! foundations of the earth from which
sprang out the devaStationS that swal-
lowed the cities of the plain. "He
toucheth the hills and they smoke.
THE JORDAN.
At last between two trees l got a
glimpse Of river. and said, 'What is
that?" THE Jordan" was the quick
reply. And all along the line which
had been heightened by other pilgrims.
some from America, and some from Eu-
rope, and some from Asia, the cry was
sounded, THE Jordan. The Jordan.
Hundreds OF thousands of pilgrims have
chanted on its banks and bathed in its
waters Many Of them dip a wet gown
in the wave and wiring ii out and carry
it home for their own Shroud. 1t Is an
impctuous stream and ruShes on as
though it were Fastening to tell its
story 20 the ages. Many an explorer
has it whelmed, and many boat has 1t
wrecked. Lieutenant MolineuX had
copper -bottomed crafts split upon
| its shelvings. Only one boat,
that of Lieutenant Lynch, ever
lived to sail the whole leugth of it. At
the season when the SHOWS on Lebanon
melt, the rage of this stream is il ke the
Conemaugh when JOhnstown perished,
and the wild beasts that may be near
run for the hills, explaining what Jere-
miah says: "Behold he shall go up like
lion from the swelling of Jordan" No
river so often changes its mind, for it
turns and twists, travelling two hundred
miles TO do that which in straight line
might be done in sixty miles. Among
banks. now low, now high, now OF
rocks. now of mud, and now OF sand,
laving the feet OF the terebinthS and
oleanderS. and acaciaS, and reeds, and
pistochios, and silver poplars. The
river marries the Dead Sea OF Galllee,
and did ever so rough groom take the
hand of so fair bride?
This is the river which parted to let
an army of two million lsraelites across
Here the skilled major-general OF the
Syrian host, at the seventh plunge,
dropped his leprosy, not only by mirac-
ulouS cure, but suggesting to all ages
that water and plenty OF it, has much
to do with the sanitary improvement oi
the world. Here is where some theoIoS-
ical students Of Elisha'S time were cut
ting trees to build theological semi
nary, and an axe-head not sufficiently
wedged to the handle flew off into the
river and sank. and the young man de-
plored not so much the loss of the axe
head as the fact that it was not MS
own, and cried, "AlaS. it was Dor
rowed." and the prophet threw a SUCK
into the river, and, in defiance OF
the law of gravtation, the iron
axe-head came to the surface and
noated like cork upon the
caught it. a miracle performed to give
one an opportunity to return that which
was borrowed. and a rebuke in all ages
for those who borrow and never return,
their bad habit in this respect so eStaO-
lished that it would be miracle If they
did return it. Yea; from the bank OF
this river Elijah took team of fire, show
ing that the most raging element is ser
want OF the good, and that there Is no
need that a child of God fear anything;
for. il the most destructive OF all ele-
ments was that day fashioned into We
hicle for departing saint, nothing can
ever hurt YOU who love and trust the
Lord. am so glad that that chariot oil