Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-12-04


would not purchase for you machine as ex-
ouisite and wonderful as your own hand.
Mighty hand In all its bones and muscles
and Joints learn that God Is good.
Behold the eye, which in its Photographic
Gallery. in an instant catches the mountain
and the sea. This perpetual telegraphing
of the nerves; these joints, that are the only
hinges that do not wear out; these bones and
muscles of the body with fourteen thousand
different adaptations; these one hundred
thousand glands these two hundred million
pores; this mysterious heart. contracting four
thousan1 times every hour; this chemical
process Of digestion; this laboratory. beyond
the understanding of the most skillful philos-
ophy, this furnace, whose heat is kept up
from cradle to grave; this factory OF life,
whose wheels an spindles and banis ar3
God directed. Ii we could realiz9 the won
ders OF our physical organization we would
be hypochondriacs fearing every moment
that some part OF the machine would break
down. But there are men here who have
lived through seventy years, and not nerve
has ceased 10 thrill. or muscle TO contract,
or lung to breathe, or a hand to manipu-
late.
take step higher and loos at mans
mental constitution. Behold the benev-
olence of Col In powers OF perception as the
faculty OF transporting this outside world
into your own mind saths rin5 into your
brain the majesty Of the storm and the
splendor OF tue day dlwI, ant lifting into
your min the OCEAN rs easily as you might
put a glass % W ltsr 70 yOI: lips
Watch the Law OF assoc atiol, or the mys'
ferrous linking t,gotler of all You ever
thought or knew o. felt, AMI then giving yo1
the power 10 take hold OF th3 cieS line aut
draw throu III your mind the long train VITA
indescriba de velOcity-)ns rhOug It starting
III hundre AMI this again thou'anf-1'
e chirp Of one bril- sometimes wakes q
whole forest of voices or the thrun OF one
string will rolse an orchestra.
Watch your memory-that shelf binder
that goes forth to gather the harvest OF the
nast aad bring it into the present. Your
power and velocity of thought-thought OF
the swift wing ami the lightning foot;
thought that outspea15 the star aud circles
through the heavens AMI weighs worlds,
aud. from posing amid wheeling constella-
tons. comes down to count the blossoms in
tuft OF mignonette then starts again 70 try
the fathoming Of the bottOnless, and the
sealing of the insurmountable, to be swat
Lowell up in the incOmprehelsble and lost IN
God
In reason and understanding man Is alone.
The OK surpasses him in strength, the ante
lope in soeed, the hound in keenness OF nos
tril the eagle in far reaching sight. the rab-
bit in quicsness CT hearing, the honey bee
in deicacy of tongue, the spider in tnenesS
of touch. Mans power, therefore. consist
eth not in what he can lift, or how fast he
can run, or how strong a wrestler he can
throw-for in these respects the OK. the os-
trich and tbs hyena are his superlors-5ut
hv his reason he comes forth to rule all;
through bis ingenious contrivance to outrun'
outfit, outwrestle. Outsee outhear, Guido.
At his all conqIering decree the forest
that has stood for ages step aside to let MN
buIld his cabin aud cultivate his farm. The
sea which has ravel AMI foamed upon the
race has become n crystal pathway Tor com
merce to march on. The thunder clou1 tdat
slept laZily above the mountain Is made 70
come down AM carry mail bags. Man, dis
satisfied with his slowness OF Advancement
shouted TO the water AMI the fire, Come
and iftm Come and draw CONS and
helpm Aud theg s9erei AYE. aye, we
come" and they joined hands-the fire and
G water-and the shuttle5 fly, and the rail
train ratties on, AMI tho stea nship comes
coughing, painting, flaming across thu deep
lie elevates the telescope To the heavens,
and as easily as through the Stetho'cops thu
physician hears the movement OF tue lung
the astronomer catches tins pusation OF diff
ferent systems of worlds throb0ing with
life He takes the microscope aud discoY-
ers that there are hundreds OF thousin Is OF
animacu 8 living. moving, wor%ng, dyinS
within circle that could be covered WIN
the point Of a pin-anImalS 20 which ram
drop would be an ocean, rose Leaf a hem'
sphere, and th5 flash OF FREELY lasting
enough TO give them light to several genera
tons.
take a step higher ami look at mans
moral nature Made in the image Of God.
Vast capacity for enjoyment; capable at first
of eternal joy AMI though now disofders1,
still. through the operative force OF
heavenly grace able to mount up TO more
than its original felicity faculties that may
blossom and bear fruit inexhauStlbly. I'M
mortality written upon every capacity;
soul destined to range in unlimited spheres
of activity long after the world has put on
ashes. AMI the solar system snail have
snapped its axle, and the stars that IN their
courses. fought against Sisera, SHALL nave
been s.ain and buried amid the toIng
thunders Of the last day.
You see that God has adapted everything
TO our comfort and advantage. Pleasant
things for the palate: music for the ear;
beauty for the eye; aroma Tor the nostri;
kindred for our affections; poetry for our
taste. religion for our soul. We are put in
a garden, and told that from all the trees
we NAV eat, except here and there one.
He gives the sun to shine on us, and the
waters to refresh US and food to strengthen
us. and the herbs yield medicine when We
are sick. and the forests lumber when W.
would build a house or cross the water III
ship.
The rccks are transported for our foun-
dalton. and metals upturned for our cur
rency. and wild beasts must give Us cover
ing. and the mountains must be tunnelei
20 let us pass. and the fish Of tao SEA come
IN in our net. and the birds OF the air drop
at the flash OF our guns and the cattle on
thousand hills come dOwh u give Us meat
For us the peach orchards bend down tler
fruit and the vineyards their purple cluster.
i O feed and rerresl our intellect, ten tnou-
sand wonders in nature ami Prov ience -
wonders OF MIN ant boiy. wonders OF
earth and air, and deep analogies AMI anti
theses all colOrs and sounds, lyrics In th3
air. idyls in the field, conAa ,ratiOns IN tls
sunset, robes OF mist On the mountains ana
the "Crand March" OF God in tue storm.
But tor the soul still higher adaptation.
a fountain in which it may wash; ladder
by which it may Climb: song OF endless
triumph that it may sing, crown OF I'M
fading light that it may wear. Christ came
TO save it-came with cross on His back;
came with spikes in His feet: came when no
one else would come, to do a work which no
one else would do. See how suited to mans
condition is what God has done for him.
Man is a sinner; here is q pardon. He has
lost Gods image: Christ retraces 1t. He Is
helpless; Almighty grace is proiferei. He is
a lost wanderer: Jesus brings him home. he
is blind, and at one touch Of Him who cured
Bartimeus, eternal glories stream into his
SOU. Jesus Using Thy grace Cure of worst
disease Hammer to smite off heaviest
chain Light for thickest darkness Grace
divinei Devils scott a. il and men reject it,
but heaven celebrates it!
wish you good cheer for the national
health. Pestilence, that in other years has
come to drive out its thousand hesrses II
Greenwood and Laurel Hill, has not visited
our nation. IL is glorious thing to be
well How strange that we should keep our
health when one breath from marsh or the
sting OF an insect or the slipping OF foot or
the falling of tree branch might fatally
assault our lfs. Regularly the lungs work,
and their motion seems to be n spirit within
us painting after its immortality. Our sight
falls not. though the air is 50 full Of objects
which by one touch could break out the
souls window. What ship, after years
tossing on the sea, could come in with so
little damage as ourselves, though We arrive
n II arn wears VOYAGE TO-DAY.