The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-10-09

our soul, and then He comes back after
while to the most anil says. open thy mouth
wido and l will fill it." and Ho drops into it
tho sweet promise OF His grace, and the love
Of God is shell abroad and wo are under His
wings-thc broad wings of the Almighty.
Yes they arc very broad! There is room
under those wings for tho sixteen hundred
millions of the race. You say: "Do not set
the invitation too large for there is nothing
more awkward than to bave moro guests
than accommodations" l know it. Tho
seaulen's friend society is inviting oil tho
sailors The tract society is inviting ail tho
destitute The Sabbath.schools are Inviting
all the children. The missionary society Is
inviting oil tho heathcn. Tho printing
presses OF the Bible societies are going night
and day, doing nothing but printing invita-
tions to this great gospel banquet. And aro
YOU not afrail that there will be more guests
Than accommodations? MOI An who havo
beer invited will not hall fill up the table of
Gods supply. There arc chairs for mor".
There are cups for moro. God could with
ono feather of His wing cover up all those
who have como, and WHOM lie spreads out
both wings thoy cover oil tho Garth and all
tho heavens.
Ye Israelitcs, who went through the Rol
Sea, come unierl Yo multitudaS who have
COMO into glory for the last six thousand
years, come underl Ye hundred aud forty.
four thousand, and the thousands of thou
sands, como underl 9c flying cheruhln
and archangel, fold your pinions, and come
updcr!. And yet there is room! Ay! it God
u-uld have all the space under the wings
occupied he must make other worlds, an ]
pcop,c them with other myriads, and have
other resurrection and judgment days Icr
broader than all space, broader than Thought,
wild rs eternity, from U,, to Tip. aro the
wings of tho Almighty OH under such
provisions rs that can you not rejoice? Come
un Ter, ye wandering yo weary, ye troubled,
yc SHINING, ye dying soulsi Como under the
wings of the Almighty. Whosoover will
como let him come. However ragged, how
ever wrctched, however abandoned. how.
eyer WOO b3oone, there is room enough under
tho wmgs-ander the broad wings of the
Almighty! Oh. what a gospel! so glorious,
so magnificent in its provision! l love to
preac. it. 1t is my lifo to preach it. 1t Is
my heaven to preach it,
/ romark, further, that tho wings under
which Ruth came to trust were strong wings.
The strength of birds wing--of sea fowls
wing for eXample-you might guess it from
tho fact that sometimes for five, six or seven
days it seems to fly without resting. There
have been condors< in the Andes that could
overcome an OK or stag. There have been
swuny thon to tho top OF the cliffs. Tho
lap of an eagles wing has death in it to
every thing it Strikes. There are birds whose
wings arc packed with strength to fly, to lift,
to destroy. So the wings Of Go1 arc strong
wings. Mighty to save. Mighty to destroy
Iprcach Him-''the Lori, strong and mighty;
tho Lord, mighty in battlep Ho ilapped
His wing, and the antediluvian world was
gone: He tapped His wing, and Babylon
perishcd. He Tapped His wing, and Hcrcu-
laneum was buried. lie tapped His wing,
and the Napolonic dynasty ceased.
Before tho stroke of that pinion feet is
nothing An army is nothing. An empire
is nothing. A world is nothing. The uni
verse is nothing. King-eternal, omnipo-
tent-He asks no counsel from the thrones
Of heaven. Lie takes not the archangel into
His cabiuct. lIe wants none to draw His
chariots, for they are tile winds. None to
load His ba tterieS for they are the belightnings.
Mono to tie the sandals Of His feet, for they
are tho clouds. Mighty to save. Our enemies
may be strong, our sorrows violent, our sins
may bc great. Bat quicker than an eagle
over hurled from the crags hawk or raven
will the Lord strike back our sins and our
temptations il they assault us when we arc
0ncs seated on the eternal rock Of Ills saliva
tion What blessed thing it is to be de-
fen lcl by the strong wing of tho Almighty
Stronger than the pelican's wing, stronger
than the olbatross' wing, stronger than the
condors wing are the wings OF the Almighty.
Ihave only ono more thought to present.
Tho wings under which Ruth had como to
trust were gentle wings. There is nothing
softer than O feather. You have noticed
when bird returns from fight how gently
it stoops over the nest. The young birds are
not afraid Of having their lives trample;l out
by tho mother bird; the old whippoor will
drors into it's nest Of leaves tho oriolc into
its cashet of bark, tho humming bird into its
hammoc.; Of moss-gentle rs the light. And
50, says tho psalmist, He shall cover thee
with His wing. Oh, the gentleness OF God
But even that figure does not fully set forth;
for have sometimes looked into tho birds
nest and seen dead bird-its life having
been trarlpled out by tho mother bird. But
no one that ever came under the feathers of
tho Almighty was trodden on.
Blessed nest! warm nest! Why will men
stay out in the cold to be shot of temptation
and to be chilled by the blast whero there is
divine shelter? More beautiful than any
flower ever saw are the hues Ola birds
plunlage. Did you ever examine it? The
hiackbird, floating like a fake Of darkness
through tho sunlight; the meadow lark, with
head of fawn and throat of velvet and
breast of gold the red flamingo, flying over
the southern swaynps like sparks from the
forge OF the setting sun; the pelican, white
and biack-morning and night tangled in its
wiugs.-give but faint idea of the beauty
that comes down over tho soul when on it
drop the feathers Of the Almighty.
Here fold your weary wings. This is the
only safe nest Every other nest will be de-
stroyei. Tho prophet says so: Though
thou exalt thyself like tue eagle, and set thy
nest among tho stars, yet will ! bring thee
down, saith the Lord OF Hosts" Under the
swift wings, under tho broad wings, under
the strong wings, under the gentle wings of
the Almighty find sbolter until these calam-
tiles are overpast. Then when you want 10
change nests it will Only bo from tho valley
Of earth 10 the he ghts ofheaven; and instead
OF "he wings of u doTe," for which David
longcd, not knowing that i'll tho first milo of
their flight they would give out you will be-
conducted upward by the Lord God of Israel,
under whose wings Ruth, tho beautiful
MoahitcsS, camc to trust.
God forbid that in this matter OF eternal
veal or woe we should DO more stupid than
the fowls of heaven; "for tho stark knoweth
her appointed time. and the turtle. and tho
crane and the swallow observe the time OF
their going; but my people know not the
judgments Of tho Lord"