Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-10-24

you can from careful and constant
study Of the Bible, and then look up
and look out and look around, and see
II you can find the finger of God.
A most interesting, as well as most
useful, study is to watch the pointing or
the finger OF God. In the Seventeenth
century South Carolina was yielding
resin and turpentine and tar as her
chief productions.
BUT THOMAS SMITH
noticed that the ground near his house
in Charleston was very much like the
places in Madagascar where he had
raised rice, and some Of the Madagas-
car rice was sown there and grew so
RAPIDLY that South Carolina was led to
make rice her chief production. Can
you not see the finger of God in that In
cident? Rev. John Fletcher, o. Eng
iaud, many will know, was one OF the
most useful ministers Of the gospel who
ever preached. Before his conversion
he Joined the army and had bought MS
ticket on the ship for South America
The morning ne was TO sail someone
spilled on him a kettle of water, and he
was so scalded he could not 90. he was
very much disappointed, but the ship
he was going 20 sail on went out and
was never heard Of again. Who can
doubt that God was arranging the lie
of John Fletcher? Was il merely ac-
cidental that Richard Roddo, a Cornish
miner, who awas on his knees praying,
remained unhurt, though heavy stones
fell before him and behind him and on
either side Of him, and another fell on
the TOD Of these so as 10 make roof
over him?
Why did not Columbus sink when In
early manhood he was aioat six miles
FROM the beach with nothing TO sustain
him TILL he could swim 10 land but
boats oar? wonder il his preserva-
ton had anything to do with America.
Had that storm that diverted the MGy-
folger from the mouth Of the Hudson
FOR which it was sailing, and sent 1t
ashore at Cape Cod, no Divine super
VISA? Does anarchy rule this world, or
God2
NATIONS ALSO WOULD
do well to watch for the finger OF God.
/ rejoice that there are many encour-
aging signs For our nation, and one is
that this presidential campaign has less
malignity and abuse than any preSlden-
tial campaign since we have been ma
ton. Turn over 10 the pictoIials, and
the columns of the political sheets OF
the presidential eXcitementS all the way
back aud sec what contumely Washing
ton and Jefferson and Madison and Mon
! L. thrnnnb
see the almost entire absence OF all that.
The political orators l notice this year
are apt 10 begin by eulogizinG the hon
esty and good intentions OF the opposing
candidate, aud say that he Is better than
his party. Instead Of vtriOl, camomile
flowers That we seem TO have escaped
the degradation Of the usual Quadrennial
bilHngsgata is an encouraging fact.
Perhaps this betterment may have
somewhat resulted from the sad
ness lowering over the home OF
one Of the candidates, sadness In
which the whole nation sympa-
thizes. Perhaps we have been so ab-
sOrbed in paying honors to Christopher
Columbus that we have forgotten to
anathematze the prominent men OF the
present. No man in this country Is
fully honored until ne is dead. What
ever be the reason, this nation has es-
capped many Of the horrors that ordina-
rily accompany the Presidential contest.
But not let Us pause too long in hiarity
about the present and forget the fact
that there are not only tenn poral posi-
biitieS far greater than those attained,
but higher moral and religious POSSIBLE
tiles. The God OF our fathers is the
God OF their children, and His finger
points us to higher national career
than many have yet suspected. For
our churches, our schools, our colleges,
our institutions Of mercy, the best days
are yet TO come.
BUT, NOTICE THAT THIS FINGER
of God almost always aud in almost
everything points forward and not
backward. All the way through the
Bible, the lamb and pigeon on the altar,
the pillar of fire poised above the will
dernesS, peace Offering, sin offering,
trespass Offering, fingers Of Joseph and
Isaac aud Joshua and David aud Isaiah
and Micah and Ezekiel, all together
made the one finger of God pointing to
the human, the divine, the gracious,
the glorious, the OmnipOtent, the gentle,
tue pardoning and suffering and atom
ing Christ. And now the same finger
OF God is pointing the world upward to
the same Redeemer and forward to the
time Of his universal domination. My
hearers, get out Of the habit OF looking
back and looking down and look pand
look forward. II Is useful once in
while 10 look back, but you had better,
for the most part OF your time, stop
Renaissance and begin anticipation.
We have, none Of US, hardly begun yet.
If we love the Lord and trust him
and we may all love him and trust
him from this moment on-we no more
understand the good things ahead OF Us
than a child at school studying his A B
c eau understand what that has 10 do
with reading John Ruskin's Seven
Lamps OF Architecture" or Dante's
''Divina Commedia." The satisfactionS
and Joys We have as yet had are like the
music boy makes with his first lesson
on the violin compared with what was
evoked from his great orchestra by my
dear ana illustriOus and transcendent,
but now departed friend, Patrick Gil
more, when he lifted his baton ana all
the strings vibrated, and all the trum-
pets pealed forth, and al the flutes ear
oiled, and all the drums rolled, and all
the hoOfS Of the cavalry charge, which
he Initiated, were in full beat. Look
ahead The finger of God points for
ward.
"cH, BUT" SAYS SOMEONE,
"I am getting old and have a touch OF
rheumatism in that foot, and l believe
something is the matter with my heart,
and l cannot stand as much as | used