The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1895-07-13
1WING AND HAND
Rev. DR.. Talmage Talks on the HUI
man and Supernatural
A. Seen in the Bible-The Human Hand
that Wrote 1t Shows the Accom-.
panlment of the Wing ef
InsplratisAs

| ~nX manu- Ndb ueilyereu ny Rev.
Dewitt Talmage in the Academy {
music, New York city, based on til
text:
The likeness Of the hands of man was ar
der their wings.-EEekiel H., "a;
While tossed Oh the sea betwee
Australia and Ceylon, first particE
larly noticed this text; of whish The
and there l made riSniorandum. Thi
chapter is all a-futter with cherubim
Who are the cherubim? An order O
angels, radiant, mighty, all-knowina
adoring, worshipful. When painter o
sculptor tried in temple at Jerusalem
or in marble Of Egypt to represent tn,
ehefnbim, he made them part lion, o.
par. OK, or part eagle. But much o
that is an unattended burlesque of tn,
cherubim whose majesty, and speed
and splendor we will never know unit
lifted into their presence we behold
them for ourselves, as pray by the
pardoning grace of God we all may
But all the accounts Biblical, and ali
the suggestions human, represent the
cherubim with wings, each wing about
seven feet long. vaster, more imposing
than any plumage that ever foated in
earthly atmosphere. Condor in flight
above Chimborazo, or Rocky mountain
eagle aiming for the MONDAY sun, or
albatross in play with ocean tempest,
presents no such glory. We can get
an imperfect idea of the wing of chern-
BIN by the only wing we see-the
birds which is the arm of the
bird, but in some respects more won
derous than the human arm; with
power OF making itself more light, or
more heavy; of expansion or contrae.
tion; defying all attitudes and all
abysins; the bird looking down with
pity upon boasting man as he tolls up
the sides of the Adirondacks, while
the wing with few strokes puts the
highest erags far beneath claw and
bealf. But the birds wing is only
feeble suggestion of cherubim's wing.
The greatness of that, the radiance. of
that, the Bible again and again sets
forth.
My attention Is not more attracted
by those wings than by what they re.
veal when lifted. In two places In
Ezekiel we are told there were hands
under the wings; human hands; hands
like ours. 1.-The likeness of the hands
OF a man under the wings" We have
all noticed the wing of the cherubim.
but no one seems yet to have noticed
The human hand under the wing.
There are whole sermons, whole an
thems. whole doxologies, whole millen-
NUNS in that combination of hand and |
wing. If this world is ever brought to |
iod, 1T will be by appreciation of the
act that supernatural and .human |
agencies are to go together, that which |
oars, and that which practically |
works; that which ascends the beay-
ms, and that which reaches forth to
arth; the joining of the terrestrial
md the celestial; the hand and the
wing. We see this union in the con.
tructions of the Bible. The wing of
Inspiration is in every chapter. What
ealms of the ransomed earth did
saiah fly over? Over what battle
elds for righteousness; what corona
ions; what dominions of gladuess:
ghat rainbows around the throne did
t. John hover! But in every book of
he Bible you Just as certainly see the
uman hand that wrote it.
Moses, the lawyer, showing his hand ;
the ten commandments, the founda- .
on OF all good legislation; Amos, the
erdsman, showing his hand in smiles {
rawn from fields and focks; the fish ,
men apostles showing their hand
hen writing about Gospel nets; Luke. /
he physician, showing his hand by q
wing especial attention to diseases t
'red; Paul showing his scholarly ,
Ind by quoting from heather poets, u
Id making arguments about the re- ]
ERECTION that stand as firmly as on a
e day he planted them; and st. John Q
ows his hand by taking his imagery r
ON the appearance of the bright 4
iters spread around the island of {
limos at hour of sunset, when he L
eaks of the sea of glass mingled 8
tn fire; scores of hands writing Il
parallels, the miracles, the a
omises, the hosannas, the raptures. u
consultations, the woes of ages. Oh. a
Bible is SO human; so full of heart L
ats; SO sympathetic; so wet with o
IRIS; so triumphant with palm d
anches. that it takes hold of the hu- 81
N race as nothing else ever can take B
Id OF teach writer in his own IL
lie: Job. the scientific; Solomon, the la
Tal-blooded: Jeremiah, the despond- m
:; Daniel, the abstemious and heroic d,
y, we know their style so well that do
need not look to the top of the sy
re to see who is the author. No We
re conspicuous the uplifting wing ar
Inspiration than the hand, the warm CO
Id, the flexible hand, the skillful ci,
Id OF human instrumentality. "The &c
'ness OF the hands of a man was un. hs
the wings" ri
gain, behold the combination of NV or
in all successful Christian work. TT
stand or kneel in our pulpits, and in,
al meetings, and reformatory asso- sa
ions. offering prayer Now, if any, m,
lg has wings, it is prayer. 1t can CHI
farther and faster than anything l tn,
now think of. In one second of t;o
from where you sit it can fy to tn,
throne OF God and alight In En- de-
I'd. In one second of time from on
re you sit it can fly to the throne of or
and alight in India. 1t can girdle NJ
earth in shorter time than You an,
seal letter, or clasp belt, or WA
K an eye. Wings, whether that ca,
yer starts from an infort,. xa I