Democratic messenger., 1892-10-29

DIR. Tainagc Selects n Text from Exodus
and breaches N Powerful Discourse-A
Peroration of Wonderful Force and
Beauty of Expression.
BROOKLYN, Oct 23-The capacity of
the Tabernacle was ie.;.l this moruiia
by the vast crowd thal filed it in every
part as soon as the doors were opened.
After reading and commenting on sew
eral passages of Scripture illustrative of
Gods providential dealings. DR.. Tai
mage gave ont the hymn beginning
God moves in mysterious way
His wonders To perform.
His sermon was on the text Exodus viii.
10. ..ihe Finger of God"
Pharaoh was sulking in his marble
throneroom at Memphis. Plagne after
plague had come, and sometimes the
Egyptian monarch was disposed to do
better. but at the lifting of each plague
he was as bad as before The necro-
mancers of the palace, however, were
compelled to recognize the divine move
ment, and after one of the most exas-
perating plaques of all the series they
cried out in the words of nv text,
This is the finger of God''-not the first
nor the last time when bad people said IA
good thing. An old Philadelphia friend
visiting me the other day asked me if
had ever noticed this passage of Scrip
ture from which today speak. | told
him no, and said right away. That is
a good text for n sermon
We all recognize the hand of God and
know it is mighty hand. You have
seen man keep two or three rubber
balls flying III the air, catching and
pitching them so that none of them fell
to the floor. and do this for several min
utes. and you have admired his dexter
ity. But have you thought how the
hand of God keeps millions and millions
of round worlds, VI. sily larger than our
world, flying for centuries without let
ting one fall? Wondrous power and
skill of Gods hand. But about that
am not to discourse. My text leads me
to speak of less than fifth of the divine
hand. This is the finger of God. +"
Only in two other places does the Bible
refer To this division of the omnipotent
hand. The rocks on Mount Sinai are
basalt and very hard stone. Do Won
imagine it was "a chisel that cut the ten
commandments in that basali. No: in
Exodus we red that the tables Of stone
We're written with the finger of God. ="
Christ says that lie cast ont devils with
''the finger If God" The only instance
that Christ wrote ii word he wrote not
with pen on parchment, but with his
finger ON the ground. Yet. though 50
seldom reference is made i'll the Bible
to a part of Gods hand, if You and I
keep our eyes open and our heart right
we will he compelled often to cry out,
This is the finger of God" 1t is my
intention before long to begin n series of
sermons ON The Astronomy of the Bi
bic. or God Among the Stars" The
Of the Bible, or God Among
the Birds" The Pomology of the Bible,
or God Among the Orchards" THE
lchthyology Of the Bible, or God Among
the Fishes" The Geology of the Bible,
or God Among the Rocks" The Wa
tiers of the Bible. or God Among the
Seas The Zoology of the Bible, or
God Among the Beasts" The Precious
Stones of the Bible. or God Among the
Amethysts;" The Conchology of the
Bible. or God Among the Shells" THE
Botany of the Bible. or God Among the
Flowers" The Chronology of the BIZ
bic. or God Among the Centuries" and
1 -.
and get myself into the habit of seeing
the finger of Gud everywhere and in
everything; but this morning | want
to induce you 10 look for the finger of
God i'll Your personal affairs.
PEovIDTNTIAI. GESTURES.
To most Of MS scsticnlation is natural.
If stranger accost you on the street
and ask you the way To some place, it is
as natural as 10 breathe for you to level
your foreiinger this way or that. Not
one ont of II thousand of you would
stand with your hands by your side and
make no motion with your finger. What
ever You may say with your lips is em-
phasizcd and rc-enforced and translated
by your finger Now God i'll the dear
old Book says To MS innumerable things
by the way Of direction. lie plainly tells
us the way 10 go. But i'll every exigency
of our life. if we will only look, we will
find a providential gesture and provi-
Dental pointing. 50 that we may conf
IDENTIFY say. This is the finger of God"
Two or three times III my life. when
perplexed on questions of duty after
earnest prayer. have cast lots as to
what should do. In olden times the
Lords people cast lots. The land of
Canaan WAS divided by lot. The cities
We're Givi,:Cd among the priests and
Levites 10y lot. Matthias was chosen to
the apostleship by lot. Now casting
lots is about the most solemn thing YOU
can do. 1t shorld never be done. except
with solemniiy like that of the last
Judgment. 1t is Il direct appeal to the
Almighty. II after earnest prayer you
do not seeIn 10 get the divine direction.
| think you might without sin write
upon one slip Of paper Yes and upon
another NO" or some other decisive
words appropriate 10 the case. and then.
from YOUR mind the identity
Of the slips ot paper. draw the decision
and act upoa ii. In that case | think
you have Il right 10 take that indication
as the finger Cf God. But do not Go
that except rs the last resort and with a
devouiness that leaves absolutely al
with God
For ,nEc!, ;l:at concerns rs we have
10 responsibility, and we need not make
eppe;,l 10 Tie Lord for direction. We
are not res es.'onsible for most of our sur
roUEGinSs. We are noi responsible for
the country Of or b;r,h, nor for whether
we are Americans. or Norwegians, or
Sco;clnmcn. or lrishmen o. English
men. We aye not responsible for the
age III w.:.s,.l We live. We are not re-
spcnsib.e Tor our temperament, be ii
nervous q: cg:,.a;.c. b..:oas or SAN
gui:ic. A.e :.' OK responsible for our
features. be they homcly or beautiful
We are not responsible for the height or
smallncss of our stature. We are not
responsible for the fact that we are mem
tally dull or brilliant. For the most of