The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-09-24
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hope. Everybody that comes near me
thrust at me. Iwonder if there is q God,
anyhoww Everything seems to be 60
ING slipshod aud at haphazard. There
does not seem to be any hand Oh
the helm. Jobs health fails. David's
Absalom gets to be reprobate. Mar
tha's brother dies. Abraham's Sarah
goes into the grave of Machpelah. ''Woe
worth the day in which was born" has
said many Christian. David seemed
to scream out in his sorrow. as he said:
lis His mercy clean gone forever"
Job, with his throat swollen and ulcercd
until he could not even swallow the sa-
Iva that ran into his mouth, eNclaims:
How long before thou wilt depart from
me and leave me aloue, that Imay swal-
low down my spittle ? Have there
never been times in your life when you
envied those who were buried? When
you longed for the gravedigger to do his
work for you? Oh? the faithlessness OF
the human hcartl Gods wings are
broad. whether we know itor not.
Sometimes the mother-bIrd goes away
from the nest, and it seems very strange
that she should leave the callow young.
She plunSes her beak into the bark OF
the tree. and she drops into the grain
field, and into the chat, at the barn door,
and into the furrow Of the ploughboy.
Meanwhile, the birds IN the nest shiver
and complain, and call, and wonder why
the mother-bird does not come back.
All. she has gone for food. After a
while there is a whirr Of wings, and the
mother-bird stands on the edge of the
nest. and the little ones open their
mouths and the food is dropped in; and
then the old bird spreads out her feath-
ers. and all is peace. So, sometimes.
God leaves us. He goes off to get food
fof our soul; and then He comes back
after a while to the nest, and says:
open thy mouth wide, and l will fill
it." and He drops into it the sweet
promises of His grace, and the love Of
God is shed abroad, and We are under
His wings-thc broad wings Of the Al
mighty.
eyes; they are very broad! There is
room under those wings for the l,G00,-
100000 of the race. You say: do
not get the invitation too large, for there
is nothing more awkward than to have
more guests than accommodations" /
know it. The Seamen's Friend society
is inviting all the sailors. The tract
society is inviting all the destitute. The
Sabbath-schools are inviting all the chill
dren. The Missionary society is invlt-
ing all the heathen. The printing pres
ses of the Bible societies are going night
and day. doing nothing but printing in
vitations to this great Gospel banquet.
And are you not afraid that there will be
more guests than accommodations? No!
All who have been invited will not hall
fill up the table ofGod's supply. There
are chairs for more. There are cups Tor
more. God could with one feather o!
His wing cover up all those who have
come: and when He spread out both
wings, they cover all the earth and all
the heavens. Ye Israelites, who went
through the Read Sea, come under! 1e
multitudes who have gone into glory for
the last six thousand years, come under!
Ye hundred and forty four thousand, and
the thousands of thousands, come under!
Ye flying cherubim and archangel, fold
your pinions, and come under! And yet
there is room! Ay!if God would have
all the space under His wing occupied.
He must make other worlds, and people
them with other myriads, and have other
resurrection and judgment days; for
broader than all space, broader than
thought, wide as eternity, from tip to
tip. are the wings Of the Almighty Oh!
under such provisions as that can you
not rejoice: Come under, ye wander
inc. We weary. We troubled, We shining.
We dying souls! Come under the wings
of the Almighty. Whosoever will come,
let him come. However ragged. how
ever wretched, however abandoned, how
eyer woe-begone. there is room enough
under the wings-under the broad wings
of the Almighty! Oh, what Gospel
so glorious. so magnificent IN its provi-
sion! love to preach it. 1t is my life
to preach it. 1t is my heaven to preachi it.
| remark, further, that the wings
under which Ruth came to trust were
strong wings. The strength ola birds
wing-of a sea-eowl's wing, for example
you might guess it from the fact that
sometimes for five, SIX or seven days 1t
seems to fly without resting. There have
been coudors in the Andes that could
overcome an OK or stag. There have
been eagles that have picked up children,
and swung them to the top Of the cliffs.
The fay Of an eagles wing has death in
it to everything it strikes. There are
birds whose wings are 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 antedllu-
wan world was gone. He tapped His
wing and Babylon perished. He tapped
HIS wing and Herculaneum was buried.
He tapped His wing and the Napoleonic
dynasty ceased. Before the stroke OF
that pinion a fleet is nothing. An army
is nothing. An empire Is nothing. A
world is nothing. The universe is moth
Ing. klng-eternal, omnipotent-He
asks no counsel from the thrones Of
heaven. He takes not the archangel INTO
His cabinet. He wants none to draw
His chariots for they are the winds.
None to load His batteries, for they are
the llghtnings. None to tie the sandals
of His feet for they are the clouds.
Mighty to save. Our enemies may be
strong. our sorrows violent. Our sins
may be great. But quicker than an eagle
ever hurled from the crags hawk 5r
raven, will the Lord strike back our sins
aud our temptations, if they assault US
when we are once seated on the eternal
rock OF His salvation. What blessed
thing it is to be defended by the strong
wing of the Almighty! Stronger than
the pelican's wing, stronger than the