The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-04-09

so deep, so grand, so stupendous, SO
magnificent that even the intelligence
of angelhood is COMPOUNDED before 1t.
The apostle says, (which things the
angels desire to look into" That Is .
subject that excites inquisitiveness on
their part. That is theme that strains
their faculties to the utmost. That Is
higher than they can climb, and deeper
than they can dive. They have desire
for something too big for their compre-
hension. (Which things the angels de-
sire to look into" But that does not
discredit their intelligence. Noone but
God Himself can fully understand the
wonders of redemption. II all heaven
should study it for fifty eternities they
would get no further than the A Il c Of
that inexhaustible subject But nearly
all other realms of knowledge they have
ransacked and explored and compassed.
No one but God can tell them any thing
they do not know. They have read to
the last line of the last page of the last
volume of investigation. And what de-
lights me most is that all their intelli-
gence is to be at our disposal and COM
ing into their presence, they will tell us
| in five minutes more than we can learn
by one hundred years of earthly surmis-
ing. f
A further characteristic Of these i'm
mortals is their velocity. This the Bible
puts sometimes under the figure of wings.
sometimes under the figure of flowing
garment, sometimes under the figure OF
naked feet. As these superhumans are
without bodies these expressions are OF
course figurative, and mean swiftness.
The Bible tells us that Daniel was pray
ing, 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 a moment the angel Ca
briel flew from that center to this peri
phery. Jesus told Peter he could in
stantly have sixty thousand angels
present if he called for them.
What foot of antelope CT wing OF alba
tross could equal that velocity? Law Of
gravitation, which grips all things else,
has no influence upon angelic momen-
tum. Immensities before them open and
shut like fan. That they are here is
no reason why they should not be a
quintillion of miles hence the next
minute. Our bodies hinder us, but our
minds can circle the earth in minute.
Angelic beings are bodiless and have no
limitation. God may with His finger
point down to some world in trouble on
the Outmost limits of creation, and in
stantly an angelic cohOrt are there to
help it. Or some celestial may be stand
ing at the furthermost outpost OF i'm
mensity, and God may say "Come! and
instantly it is in His bosom. Abraham,
Elijah, Hagar, Joshua, Gideon, Manoah,
Paul. st. John, could tell of their un-
hindered locomotion. The red feet OF
summer lightning are slow compared
with their hegiras. This doubles up
and congresses inanitudes into infini'
tesimals. This puts al the astronomical
heavens into space like IL balls of I
ehild's fsttip. 4Ihis nin< INTO 'ont
tho Here and the There, the Now and
the Then, the Beyond and the Yonder.
Another remark have to make con.
corning these illustrious immortals is
that they are multitudinous. Their
census has never been taken and no one
but God knows how many they are, but
all the Bible accounts suggest their i'm
mense numbers. Companies OF them,
regiments of them, armies Of them
mountainous haloed ty them, skies
populous with them. John speaks of an
gels and other beings round the throne as
ten thousand times ten thousand. Now
according to my calculation, ten thou
sand times ten thousand are one hun
dred million. But these are only the an
gels in one place. David counted twenty
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 c0mpanionship O
ten thousand angels. think they arc
r in every battle, in every exigency, a
every birth, at every pillow, at every
hour, at every moment. The earth full
, of them. The heavens full Of them
They outnumber the human race in thi.
, world. They outnumber ransomet
spirits in glory. When Abraham hat
his knife uplifted to Stay Isaac, it wa
. an angel who arrested the stroke, cry
, ing, Abraham! Abraham!" 1t was 9
: stairway of angels that Jacob saw Will,
3 pillowed in the wilderness. We ar,
' told an angel led the hosts of Israelite
out of Egyptian serfdom. 1t was al
y angel that showed Hagar the foun
' tain where she filled the bottle for tn,
!. lad. 1t was an angel that took Lot GU
of doomed Sodom. 1t was an angel tina
q shut up the mouths of the hungry mons
: tiers when Daniel was thrown into tn,
caverns. 1t was an angel that fed Eli
|. jah under the juniper tree. 1t was al
I angel that announced to Mary the ap
o preaching nativity. They were angel
/. that chanted when Christ was born.
h was an angel that strengthened GU
t Saviour in hisagony. 1t was an angel tina
J. encouraged Paul in tho Mediterranean
A shipwreck. 1t was an angel tina
!. burst open the prison. gate after gate
o until Peter was liberated. 1t was a.
/ angel that stirred the Pool of Sloan
t where the sick were healed. 1t was Al
v angel that John saw flying through tn
|. midst of heaven, and an angel wit
9 foot planted on the sea, and an ange
o that opened the book, and an ange
9 that sounded the trumpet, and an ange