The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-01-04

But what gladdens me. and at the same
time overwhelms me, Is that those worlds
are inhabited. The Bible says so, and what
a small idea you must have OF God and His
dominion il you think it only extends across
this chip Of world which you AMI now
inhabit. Have you taken this ides OF all
the other worlds being inhabite1 as human
guess-work9 Read Isaiah, forty. .afth chapter,
eighteenth versa thus saith ths Lord that
created the heavens Col himself that
formed the earth and made 1t; he hath es-
formed it to be inhabited" Now. IL He in
habited the earth 80 that 1t would not be
created in vain, would He make worlds hun.
dreds and thousands Of times larger and not
have them inhabited? Speaking OF the IN
habitants Of this world, he says, "The ma.
tions are as the drop Of bucket"
If all the inhabitants Of this world are as
drop of q bucket where are the other
drops Of the bucketi Again and again tse
Bible speaks Of the host Of heavaI and the
word ''host" means living creatures, not
inert masses, and the expression "hosts OF
heaven" must mean inhabitants OF other
worlds. The psalmist cries out, "rhy mercy
Is greatabove the heavens" IL there were
no inhabitants above the heavens what use
Of any mercy? Again, the Bible exclaims,,
"Thy goodness is great above the heavens"
What could be the use Of His goodness
above the heavens II there were no 1nhabit-
ants to enjoy it, Again, the Bible says,
"He has set thy glory aoove the heavens"
And here my text comes in with its idea OF
a mansion Of many stories, ut is He that
buildeth His stories in the heaven"
Is it possible that we who live on the
ground floor Of this many, storied building
are the only tenants, and that the larger
rooms and the more gorgeously upholstered
rooms and the more brilliantly chanie'iered
rooms above it are uuinhabitedl Besides
this we ara positively told in the Bible that
two other worlds are inhabitei-the world
angelic and the world diabolic. These two
worlds added to our own make 1t positive
that three worlds are inhabited. Why then
stop with three worlds Of living beings when
there ara not only millions but billions OF
worlds? Are they all standing like e1pen.
sively furnished houses in time or financial
panic marked ITO Let" and no one to take
them? AL around us iu this world we see
economy Of omnipotence.
II Christ was going to feel the hungry
seven thousand in the wilderness, He made
use Of the boys five loaves and two fshess'
expending no more Of creative power than
was needed. sWaste not" God hath writ
ten all over this world. Aud do you sup.
pose that God would waste world materaai
In our solar system to the amount OF what
has been estimated as seven hundred trllhons
miles of solid contents, and that only 2
small part as compared with other syFamA
which 90 to make up this many storied man
sion Of the text, where it says, ut ls De tnaS
buildieth His stories in the heavensT
Did Professor Hersche! and his astssf
Catherine. In finding worlds find only
worlds uninhabited and wastes Is Cerezt
which Piazzi discovered in 1901, wastedl II
vesta, that Olbsrs discovered In lSU1S
wasted9 Is Prospsrine, which Prdfessor
Luther discovered In 1883. wasteds IS
Urania, which Professor Hind discovsrsiin Ia
1854, wasteie Is Pandora, discovered IN
1855 by Professor Ssarle, wasteis Are the
fifteen thousand stars recorded in one year
in the observatory at Washington YAstedf
Is all except the billionth part OF the uni
verse wasted! My hearers Is 1t posabUS
that God would run such splendid gpassei-
ger train of parlor cars through the heaveass
an keep it running If thers wers no Ipassssa--!
gers? &
judging from the extent Of the uuiysrss
do YOU think God would put all Hib fsmfy
on such limits as this world msrk1f u -
king have palace OF one hundred roonA
Will he INIT all bis princes and princessss Ia
one comparatively small roous A. ae
highest happiness Is in making Others hap,y,
Is it not certain that God would occrpy
larger places than our small eartat with %.
ines capable OF happiness? Bestdee shiA
wSy all the worlds farthest on am farshest
up covered with lighti What is the Bs Of
LIGHT If there are no eyes Of tnhabitaEBto
enjoy and employ that lights
/ admit that scientific explorenou naAc
discovered that around many worlds sners
is an atmosphere in which lungs hke ours
could not breathe, and there arc hsets %
colds that physique like ours scouE .nop
endure. But do you suppose that Nc nave
the only kind Of lungs that God can nake!
DO our bodies exhaust divine ingenuity and
must He make all the intelligent crestures
with our respiration or pulsatou or nasti-
cation or digestion or habitu1d OF nos
make them at aili Because organiams IKE
ours cannot live in Mercury OF 5atufn or
Jupiter or the sun we have no right % con-
cIude that those globes are ifeles.
Without any telescope and without any
observatory and without any Astr0ncmloai
calculation, know that tbs other worlds:
are inhabited, because my Bible enC com.
mon sense tell me so. 1t has beN estmateai
that in the worlds belonging nM Snr 49,
system there is room for az least y enSy'nye--
trillion of population. And f6elisveitisail
occupied or will be occupied by intehgene
beings. God will not fill them with brutes.
BE would certainly put into those woridS.
beings intelligent enough to appsectkte the
architecture, the coloring, the grandear ths'
beauty. the harmony Of their mrroonomgs.1
Yea. the inhabitants Of those worlds have
capaciry OF locomotion like curs, Tor they
would not have had ouch spacious oppoFtun-
ity for movement If they had not poWers
of motion. Yea, they have dght else why
the light and hearing; else hbw get On With,
necessary language and how clear snem'.
selves from advancing perilsf Yea, ~ TOD
made our human racs IN His, own image he
probably made the inhabitants of other
worlds in His own image-in other wordS
it Is as near demonstration as ] care TO have
il. that while the inhabitants or other
worlds have adaptations Of bodily st-ucture
to the particular climate IN which they
dwell there is yet similarity OF mental and
spiritual characteristics among all the IN
hsbitants Of the universe Of God, and made
in His image they are made wonderfully
alike ,s.f, q
Now what should be the praetica. result
of this discussion founded on Scripture and
common senseg It is first Of all 10 enlarge
our ideas of God and so intensity our ad-
miration and worship. Under such nsld-
GRAFTON how much mora graphic th 5inia
question, which seems to roll back u pave
OF Ln6 AlIulSuLy duo say sAARss -
arm like GodY' The Contemplation en-.
courases US with the thought that Sod
made all these worlds and popuiate aem
it will not be very much Of an undd King
for Him to make our little world ov6 gain
and reconstruct the character OF It's popuia-
tions as by grace they are to be recon-
structe1. -,
What a monstrosity of ignorance that the
majority of Christian people listen not 20
the voices OF other worlds, although tns
of God" and again, "The works OF the Lord
are great and to be sought out. How much
have you sought them outi You have been
satisfying Yourself with soma things about
Christ, but have you noticsdI that Paul calls