The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-02-25
WHITTIER THAN SNOW.
Job Found Wonders, Mysteries
and Theology in Snow-Flakes.
Many Beautiful COngelations in the Pas
sages of the Bible-Dr. Tai
IMAGES Sermon.

DIR. Talmages sermon Sunday was
from Job xXxviii., 90: Hast thou entered
into the treasures of the snow?"
Grossly malignant is the season of
winter. The spring and summer and
autumn have had many admirers, but
winter, hoary-headed and white-beard-
ed winter, hath had more enemies than
friends Yet without winter the human
race would be insane and effortless.
You might speak of the winter as the
mother Of tempests; l take it as the
father of whole family of physical,
mental and spiritual energies. The
most people that I know are strong in
proportion to the number of snow
banks they had to climb over or push
through, in childhood, while their
father drove the sled loaded with logs
through the crunching drifts high as the
ieIces. At this season of the year
when we arc SO familiar with the snow,
those frozen vapors, those falling
blossoms of the sky, those white
angels of the atmosphere, those poems
of the storm, those Iliads and Odysseys
of the wintry tempest, turn over the
leaves OF my Bible and-though most
of it was written in cline where
snow seldom or never fell find many
Of these beautiful congelations.
Though the writers may seldom or
never have felt the cold touch of the
snowflake on their cheek, they had in
sight two mountains, the tops of which
were suggestive. Other Kings some
times take off their crowns, but Leb-
anon and Mt. Hermon all the year
round and through the ages never lift
the coronets of crystal from their fore
heads. The first time we find deep
fall of snow in the Bible is where Sam
uel describes fight between Benaiah
and lion in a. pit; and though the snow
may have crimsoned under the wounds
OF both man and brute, the shaggy mon
ster rolled over dead and the giant was
victor. But the snow is not fully recog-
nized in the Bible until God interrogates
Job, the scientist, concerning its Won
6ers, saying: "Hast thou entered into
the treasures of the snow?"
rather think that JOB may have ex-
amined the snowflake with micro
scope, for, although it is supposed that
a microscope was invented long after
Jobs time, there had been wonders Of
glass long before the microscope and
telescope of later day were thought OF.
So long ago as when the Coliseum was
in it's full splendor Nero sat in the En-
reror's box of that great theater, which
held 100000 people, and looked at the
combatants through gem in his finger
ring. which brought every thing close
up to his eye. -Four hundred years be-
fore Christ, in the stores at Athens,
were sold powerful glasses called
"burning spheres" and Layard, the ex-
plorer, found a magnifying glass amid
the ruins of Nineveh and in the palace of
Nimrod.. Whether through magnifying
instrument or with unaided eye, can
not say, but am sure that Job some
how went through the galleries Of the
snowflake and counted its pillars, and
found wonders raptures, mysteries,
theologies, majesties, infnities walking
up and down its corridors as a'result Of
the question which the Lord had asked
him, /. HAST thou entered into the treas
ures OF the snow?" !. 80. 80 g "a ~.
Oh, it isa wonderful meteor! Hum
boldt studied it in the Andes $4,000 feet
above the level of the sea. De Saus
sure reveled among these meteors ir
the Alps, and DIR. Scoresby counted
ninety1six varieties Of snowflake annie
the Arctics They are inshapeof stars
in shapeof coronets, in shape Of cylin
ders, sfe globu1ar, are hexagonal, arr
pyramidal, are castellated. = After {
fresh fall of snow, in one walk 70,
trushIunder your feet Tuileries Wind
sor Castles, st. Pauls, st. Peters, st
Mark Cathedrals, Alhambras and Sy
aenham Palaces innumerable. know
It depends much on our own condition
what impression these flying meteor
of the snow make. I shall not forge
two rough and unpetending wood-cut
which saw in my .boyhood side by side
one picture of Q prosperous farm-hops
with all signs of comfort, and la'
warmly-clothed looking out of the doc
apon the first furry of snow, and hi
mind no doubt filled with the sound o
jingling sleigh-bells, and the frolic wit
play-fellows in the deep banks, and he
clapping his hands and shouting: II
SHOWS! II snows!' s ~
The other sketch was of . boy, hag
gard and hollow-eyed with hunger
looking from the broken door of !
wretched home, and seeing in the fall
ing fakes prophecy Of more cold an
less bread and greater privation, wiring
ing his hands and with tears rollin
down his wan cheeks, cry: "Oh, m
God! Itsnowsl It snows!" Out of tn
abundance that characterizes most @
our homes may there go speedy relic
to all whom this winter finds in wan
and exposure. 30
And now propose for your spiritua
and everlasting profit, If you will &C
cept my guidance, to take you throug
some of these wonders Of crystallizs
ton. And notice first, God in the lii
ties. You may take Alpenstock an
cross the Mer de Glace, the Sea of Lex
and ascend Mount Blanc, which rise
into the clouds like pillar of the Gres
White Throne, or with Arctic explore
ascend the mountains around the Mort
Pole and see glaciers 1000 feet hig
grinding against glaciers s, 900 feet higl
But will take you on less pretentiou
tourney and show you God in the snow
flake. There is room enough betwee
its pillows for the great Jehovah
stand In that one frozen drop on Ii