The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-04-06
AMOS OF TEKOA.
DR.. Talmage Tells the Life Story
of the Inspired Herdsman.
Interesting Facts Concerning the Seven
Stars and Orion-The Starry Firma-
ment and How Consolation
Can There be Found
What Amos Saw.

ueclui every -udy lcooouS, odoSu upon viz
text, Amos ", s: Seek Him that
maketh the seven stars and Orion" The
eloquent divine spoke as follows:
A country farmer wrote this text
Amos of Teloa He plowed the earth,
and threshed the grain by new thresh-
ing machine just invented, as formerly
the cattle trod out the grain. He gath
cred the fruit of the sycamore tree, and
scarified it with an iron comb just be-
fore it was getting ripe. as it was nee
take from it the bitterness. He was
the son of poor shepherd, and slut
tered; but before the stammering rustic
the Philistines, the Syrians, and Pheni-
clans, and Moabites, and Ammonites,
and Edomites, and Israelites trembled.
Moses was lawgiver, Daniel was a
prince, Isaiah a courtier, and David a
king; but Amos, the author of my text,
was peasant, and, as might be sup
posed, nearly all his parallelisms are
pastoral, his prophecy full of the odor
of new-mown hay, and the rattle of
locusts, and the rumble of carts with
sheaves, and the roar of wild beasts de-
vouring the flock while the shepherd
came out in their defense. He watched
the herds by day, and by night inhab-
through these branches he could see
the stars all night long, and was more
familiar with them than those who have
tight roofs on our houses, and hardly
ever see the stars except among the
tall brick chimneys of the great towns.
But at seasons of the year when the
herds were in special danger, he would
stay out in the open field all through
the darkness, his only shelter the cur
tain of the night heaven, with the
stellar embroideries and silvered tas-
sells of lunar light.
What life of solitude all alone with
his herds! Poor Amos! And at IL
o'clock at night, bark to the VOLTS bark,
and the lions roar, and the beasts
growl, and the owls te-whit-te-whO,
and the serpent's hiss, as he unwilling
| ly steps too near while moving through
the thickets!sSo Amos, like other herds
men, got the habit of studying the map
of the heavens, because it was so much
of the time spread out before him. He
noticed some stars advancing and others
receding. He associated their dawn
and setting with certain seasons of the
year. He had poetic nature, and he
read night by night and menth by
month, and year by year, the poem OF
the consultations, divinely rhythmic
But two rosettes of stars especially at
tracted his attention while seated on
the ground, or lying on his back under
the open scroll of the midnight heav-
ens-the Pleiades, or seven stars, and
Orion. The former group this rustic
prophet associated with the spring, as it
rises about the first of May. The lat
ter he associated with winter, as it
comes to the meridian in January. The
| Pleiades, or seven stars connected with
all sweetness and joy; Orion, the her.
aid of the tempest. The ancients were
the more apt to study the physiognomy
and juxtaposition of the heavenly bod
les, because they thought they had a
special influence upon the earth; and
perhaps they were right If the moon
every few hours lifts and let's down the
tides of the Atlantic Ocean, and the
electric storms of the sun, by all scien
tifc admission, affect the earth, why
not the stars have proportionate effect.
And there are some things which
make me think that it may not have
been all superstition which connected
the movements and appearance of the
heavenly bodies with great moral event:
on earth. Did not meteor run or
evangelistic errand on the first Chris
mas night and designate the rough
cradle of our Lord? Did not the stars in
their courses fight against Sisera? Was
it merely coincidental that before the
destrucioa of Jerusalem the moon wa.
eclipsed for twelve consecutive nights.
Did it merely happen so that new
star appeared in constellation Cassie
pea, and then disappear just before
King Charles IN. of France, who wa.
responsible for the st. Bartholomew
massacre died? Was it without signifi
canoe that in the days of the Roman
Emperor Justinian war and famine
were preceded by the dimness of tn,
sun, which for nearly year gave nj
more light than the moon, although
there were no clouds to obscure it?
Astrology, after all, may have beer
something more than brilliant heath
enism. No wonder that Amos of tn,
text, having heard these two anthems o
the stars, put down the stout rougl
staff of the herdsman and took into HI
brown hand and cut and knotted fin
gers the pen of a prophet, and advised
the recreant people of his time to re
turn to God, saying: Seek Him tina
maketh the seven stars and Orion.
This command, which Amos gave IS
years, Il. c., is just as appropriate fo
us, 1892 A. d.
In the first place, Amos saw, as w,
must see, that the God who made tn,
Pleiades and Orion must be the God o
order 1t was not 50 much star her
and star there that impressed the in
spired herdsman, but seven in on,
group He saw that night after night
season after season. and decade afte
decade, they had kept step of light
each one in its own place, a sisterhoot
never clashing, and never contestin;
precedence From the time Hesio,
called the Plciades the seven daugh
theirs of Atlas" and Virgil wrote in hi
Enid of stormy Orion" until now, the,
have observed the order established TO
their coming and going; order writtel