The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-01-21

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higher criticism and try to explain this
away and say it was an optical de-
fusion OF Hezekiah, and the shadow
only seemed to go back or cloud
came over and it was uncertain which
way the shadow did 60 and as Heze-
kiah expected it to 60 back he took
the action Of his own mind for theret-
rosrade movement. No; the shadow
went back
,ua.. ON ALL THE DIALs
OF that land and other land Turn
to III. Chron, xxxiii, 81, and find
that away off in Babylon the mighty
men OF the palace noticed the same
phenomenon. And if you do not like
Bible authority, turn over your copy
OF Herodotus and find that away off
IN Egypt the people noticed that there
was something the matter with the
sun. The fact is that the whole uni
verse waits upon God and suns and
moons and stars are not very big
things to Him, and He can with His
little finger turn back an entire world
as easily as you could set back the
hour hand or minute-hand OF your
clock or watch.
AT the opening Of new year people
are moralizing on the flight OF time.
You all feel that your moving on
toward shutdown and many of YOU
are under a consequent depression. I
propose this morning to set the hand
on your watches and clocks to going
the other way. l propose to show
you how to make the shadow OF your
dial like the shadow on the dial of
Ahaz to stop going forward and make
it 60 backward. While looking at the
sun-dial OF Hezekiah and we find the
shadow retreating, we ought to learn
that God controls the shadows. We
are all ready to acknowledge His
management of the sunshine. We
stand in the glow OF bright morn
ing and we say in our feelings if not
with so many words. "This life is
from God, the warmth is from God"
Or, we have rush of prosperity and
we say,
THESE SUCCESSES ARE FROM GOD.
But suppose this day is dark? You
have to light the gas at noon The
sun does not show himself all day
long. There is nothing but shadow.
How slow you are to realize that the
storm is from God and the darkness
from God and the chill from God.
My friends, I cannot look Tor one
moment on interchangeable shadow on
Ahaz's dial without learning that God
controls the shadows and that lesson
we need all to learn. That hecontrols
the sunshine is not so necessary a
lesson, for anybody can be happy
when things 60 right. when you sleep
eight hours nj ght and rise with an
appetite that cannot easily wait for
breakfast and you go over to the
store and open your mail to read
more orders than yon can fill, and in
the next letter you find a dividend far
larger than You have been promised,
and your neighbor comes in to tell
you some hattering thing he has just
heard said about you, and you find
that all the styles of goods in which
you deal have advanced Is per cent
in value, and on your way home you
meet your children in full romp and
there are roses on the center of the
tea table and roses ofhealth in cheeks
all round the table, what more do
you want OF consolation? I don't
pity you a bit. You feel as if YOU
could boss the world. But for those
in just opposite circumstances my
text comes in with an u
OMNIPOTENCE OF MEANING.
The shadow! Oh, the shadow! Shadow
OF bereavement! Shadow OF sickness!
Shadow of bankruptcy! Shadow of
mental depression! Shadow OF perse-
cution! Shadow OF death! Speak out,
On, sun-dlal of Ahaz, and tell all the
people that God manages the shadow!
AS Hezekiah sat in his palace window
wrapped in invalidism and surrounded
by anodynes and cataplasms and
looked out upon the black hand of
the only clock known at that time
and saw it move back 10 degrees, he
learned q lesson that a majority of
the human race need this hour to
learn,-that the best friend man
ever had controls the shadow. The
set-backs are sometimes the best
things that can happen. The great
German author Schiller could not
work unless he had in his room the
scent of rotten apples, and the decay
OF the fruits of earthly prosperity may
become an inspiration instead of a
depression. Ro bert Chambers's lame
feet shut him up from other work,
and he became the world renowned
publisher, and helped fashion the best
literature of the ages. In 1861 the
shadow of the sun-dial of this nation
was set back, and all things seemed
going to ruin, and it was set back
further in 1862, and further in 1868.
and still further in 1865, but there is
not an intelligent and well-balanced
man. North or South, East or West,
but feels it was set back toward the
sunrise. 49,.
BUT PROMISED TO SHOW YOU
how the shadows might be turned
back. First by going much among the
young people. In most family circles
there are grandchildren. BY this di-
vine arrangement most Of the people
who have passed the meridian OF life
can compass themselves by juvenility.
1t is a bad thing for an old man or
woman to sit looking at the vivacity
OF their grandchildren shouting, :'Stop
that racket!' Better JOIN in the fun.
Let the SO-year- old grandfather ioin