The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-24


feet. AS these superhumanS are without
bodies these expressions are, OF course,
hgurative, and mean swiftness. The Bible
tells us that Daniel was praying, and
Gabriel flew from heaven and touched him
before he got up from his knees. How far,
then, did the angel Gabriel have to fly in
those moments of Daniels prayer! Heaven
is thought to be the center of the universe.
Our sun and its planets only the rim Of the
wheel of worlds. In moment the angel
Gabriel flew from that center to
this periphery. Jesus told Peter he could
instantly have 60,000 angels present. if he
called for them. What foot of antelope or
wing of albatros3 could equal that velocity
Law of gravitation, which grips all things
else, has no influence upon angelic momen-
tum. lmmensitieS before them open and
shut like fan. That they are here is no
reason why they should not be quintillion
of miles hence the next minute. Our bodies
hinder us, but our minds can circle the
earth in a minute. Angelic beings are bodi-
less and have no limitation. God may, with
his finger, point down to some world in
trouble on the outmost limits of creation, and
instantly an angelic cohort are there to
help it. Or some celestial may be standing
at the furthermost outpost of immensty,
and God may say Gomez and instantly it
is in His bosom. Abraham, Elijah, Hagar,
Joshua, Gideon, Manoah, Paul. st. John,
could tell OF their unhindered locomotion.
The red feet OF summer lightning are slow
compared with their hegiras. This doubles
up and congresses intnitudes into in
fininitesimals. TINS puts all the Gstronom-
ical heavens into a space like the balls Of a
child's rattle. This mineles into one the
here and there, the now and then, the
beyond and yonder.
Another remark have to make concern
ing these illustrious immortals is that they
are multitudinous. Their census has never
been taken, and no one but God knows how
many tLey are, but all the Bible accounts
suggest their immense numbers. Com
panies of Them, regiments of them, armies
OF them, mountain tops haloed by them,
skies populous with them. John speaks of
angels and Other beings round the throne
as ten thousand 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 twenty thou
sand of them rolling down the sky in
chariots. When God came away from the
rivon rocks of Mount Sinai, the Bible says
he had the companionship of 10000 angels.
| think they are IN every battle, in every
eXigeacy, at every birth, at every pillow,
ut 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
uplifted to slay Isaac. it was an angel who
arrested the stroke, crying, abraham
Abraham!" 1t was a stairway Of angels that
Jacob saw while pillowed in the wilder
ness. We are told an angel led the hosts of
lsraelites out Of Egyptian serfdom. Ii was
an angel that showed Hagar the fountain
where she flied the bottle for the lad. 1t
was an angel that took Lot out of doomed
Sodom. 1t was an angel that shut up the
mouth of the hungry monsters when Daniel
angel that fed Elijah under tho juniper
tree. 1t was an angel that announced to
Mary the approaching nativity. They were
angels that chanted when Christ was born
1t was an angel that strengthened our
Savior in his agony. 1t was an angel that
encouraged Paul in the Mediterranean Ship
wreck. 1t was an angel that burst open the
prison, gate after gate, I'm il Peter was lib
Grated. 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, aud 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 that poured out the
vials, ,and an angel standing III the sun. 1t will
be an angel with upliftei hand, swearing
that time shall be no longer. In the great
final harvest Of the world, the reapsrs are
the angels. Yea, the Lord shall be revealed
from heaven with mighty angels. O, the
numbers and the might and the glory of
these supernalsl Fleets of them Squad
rons of them Host beyond host! Rank
above ranki Millions on millionsl And all
10 hax
This leads me to speak of the offices of
these supernals. To defend, to cheer, to
rescue to escort, to give victory to the right,
and overthrow the wrong that is their
business. Just as alert to-day and efficient
as when in Bible times they spread wing,
or unsheathed sword, or rocked down peni-
tentiaries, or filled the mountains with
horses of fire hitched to chariots of fire
and driven by reinsmen Of fire. They have
turned your steps hundred times, and you
knew it not. You were on the way to do
some wrong thing, and they changed your
course. They brought some thought
of christian parentage, or OF loyalty
to your own home, and that arrested
you. They arranged that some one should
meet you at that crisis, and propose some
thing 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 inn
preston to be this morning made upon your
soul, tarrying with one foot upon the door
step Of yonr immortal spirit, and the other
foot lifted for ascent into the skies. BY
some prayer detain him until he can tell OF
a 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: 81
cannot stand it any longer. / believe | will
take my life. Where s the rall train, or
the deep wave, or the precipice that will
end this torment of earthly existencep But
suddenly your mind frightened. Courage
came surging into your heart like oceanic
tides. You said: God is on my side, and
all these adversities no can make turn out
for my good" Suddenly you felt a peace
a deep peace, the peace of God that passeth
all understanding. What made the changes
A sweet, and mighty and comforting angel
Of the Lord met you. That was all.
What an incentive to purity and right
eousness Is this doctrine that we are con
tinually under angelic observation Eyes
ever on you, SO that the most secret misdeed
is committed in the midst Of an audience of
1mmoFtals. No door 80 bolted, no darkness
so Cimmerian, as TO hinder that supernal
eyesight. Not critical eyesight, not jealous
eyesight, not baleful eyesight but friendly
eyesight, sympathetic eyesight helpful eye
sight COnflanfiai clerk Of store with