Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-24
THE FINGER OF GOD.
1t Points Us Upward and Onward to
a Better and a Higher Life.
NATIONS GUIDED THE SAME WAY.
Encouraging Signs Of the Times in This
Political Campaign.
TILMAGE'S LATEST SUNDAY SERN0N

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.l
BROOKLYN, Oct 23-Dr. Talmage's tex
this morning was Exodus viii, 10: 'The
finger Of God"
We all recognize the hand of God and
know 1t is a mighty hand, You have seen q
man keep two or three rubber balls flying
in the air, catching and pitching them so
that none of them fell to the floor. and dc
this for several minutes, and you have ad
mired his dexterity. But have you thought
how the hand of God keeps millions and
millions Of round worlds vastly larger than
our world flying for centuries without let
ting one fall? But about that 1 am not to
discourse.
The only instance that Christ wrote a
word, He wrote not with pen on parch-
ment, but with His finger on the ground.
Yet, though so seldom reference is made in
the Bible to part of Gods hand, If you and
] keep our eyes open and our heart right,
we will be compelled often to cry out, This
is the finger of God"
nj want to induce you to look for t hnger
of God in your personal affairs. In every
eIigency OF our life, If we will only look, we
will find Providential gesture and Provi-
dental pointing, so that we can con fidently
say. "This is the finger of God"
We are not respo nsible for most of our
surroundings. We are not responsible for
the country of our birth, nor for whether
we are Americans, or Norwegians, or Scotch
men, or 1rishmen or Englishmen. We are
not responsible for the age in which we live.
The Finger Visible to the One Concerned.
There are wrong things about US all. which
make me think that $50 years ago there was
some terrible crank in our ancestral line
Realize that and it will be relief semi-in
finite. Let us take ourselves as we are
this moment, and then ask, (which way?"
a direction from car6fnl
and constant study of the Bible, and then
lock up and look out and look around, and
see If you can find the finger of Coo. 1t is
a remarkable thing that sometimes no one
can see that finger but yourself
Follow the divine pointing, as You see it
although the world may call you fool.
There has never been man or woman
who amounted to anything that has not
sometimes been called fool. Nearly all
the mistakes that you and 1 have made
come from our following the pointing of
God. But now, suppose all forms of dis
aster close in upon man. suppose his
business collapses. Suppose he buys goods
and cannot sell them.
He stands wondering and saying: 81 do
not see the meaning of all this. / have done
the best could. God knows l would pay
my debts ii l could, but here am hedged in
and stopped" What should a man do in
that case? Go to the Scriptures and read the
promise about all things working together
for good and kindred passages? That is
well. But he needs to do something beside
reading the Scriptures. He needs to look
for the finger of God that is pointing toward
better treasures, that is pointing toward
eternal release, that is urging him to higher
realms.
The Divine Finger in Politics.
Nations also would do well to watch for
the finger of God. What does the cholera
scare in America mean? Some say it means
that the plague will sweep our land next
summer. l do not believe word of it.
There will be no cholera here next summer.
1t is evident to me that the finger of God Is
in this cholera scare, and that He is point,
ing this nation to something higher and
better. 1t has been demonstrated as never |
before that we are in the hands of God. He |
allowed the plague to come to our very gates |
and then halted it. The quarantine was |
right and necessary. but oh how easily the |
plague could have leaped the barriers lifted |
against it. |
Out of that tolemnity we onght to pass up |
to something better than anything that has
ever yer characterized US rs a nation. We |
ought to quit our national sins, our Sabbath ]
breaking, and our drunkenness, and our i'm |
ourities, and our corruptions oIall sorts as /
people. The tendency is in Standardization ,
1t our prosperity to forget the mercy OF God /
hat has kept us from being blotted out for |
our crimes and that still multipiies our tenn /
ooral prosperities. Forward and upward! |
see you not the finger of God in this protect
ng mercyf
rejoice that there are many encouraging |
signs for our nation, and one IS that this /
campaign has less malignity |
Ind abuse than any Presidential campaign
since we have been nation. The political /
Drators 1 notice this year are apt to begin
" eulogizing the honesty and good inten-
ions of the opposing candidate, and say
hat he is better than his party. Instead of |
-itr1ol, camomile flowers. Perhaps this
Detterment may have somewhat resulted
rom the sadness lowering over the home
If one of the candidates.
Points Forward, Not Backward.
Let us not pause too long in hilarity about
he present and forget the fact that there are
lot only temporal possibilities far greater
han those attained, out higher moral and
eltgious possibilities. The God of our
athers is the God of their children, and
His finger points us to hig her national ca
eer than many have vet suspected. For
Institutions of mercy, the pest days are yet
o come.
But, notice that this finger of God almost
.lways and in almost everything points for
yard and not backward. And now the |
anne finger of God is pointing the world |
pward TO the same Redeemer and forward |
0 the time of His universal domination.
iy hearers, get out OF the habit of looking
ack and looking down and look up and
Ook forward 1t is useful once in awhile to
Ook back, but you had BETTER for the most
art OF your time, stop reminiscence and
egin anticipation. We have, none of u.s.
ardly begun yet. If we love the Lord and
rust Him-and you may all love Him and !
rust Him from this moment on-we no more |
Understand the good things ahead of us