Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-10-11

If but forty men shall do it." And the
did. differing enough to show there had beef
| no collision between them, but not contra
| dieting each other on any important poia.
| while they all wrote from their own stand
| point and temperament, so that the matte
| of fact man has his Moses, the romantic ma
| ture his Ezekiel, the epigrammatic his Solo
mon, the warrior his Joshua. the sailor hi
Jonah, the loving his John, the logician hi
Paul Instead Of this Bible, which nov
| can lift in my hand instead Of tn
| Bible tho child can carry to Sunday-school
instead of the little Bible the sailor can pa
in his Jacket when he goes to sea-if it ha
been left to men to write it would have beer
a thousand volumes, judging from tn
amount of ecclesiastical controversy whicl
has arisen. Gods way is different from
mans but it is best. infinitely best
So it is in regard to the Christians life.
If we had had the planning Of n Cdristian's
life. we would have said: "Let him have
eighty years Of sunshine, fine house to live
| IN. Let his surroundings all be agreeable
Let him have sound health. Let no chil
SILVER through his limbs, no pain ache his
brow or trouble shadow his soul"
enjoy the prosperity OF others so much
would let every man have as much
money as he wants and roses for his
| children's cheeks and fountains OF gaiDess
| glancing in their large round eyes. But
that is not Coils way. 1t seems as if man
must be cut, hit and pounded Justin proper
tion as he is useful. His child falls from a
third story window and has its life dashed
out. His most confident investment
tum0les him into bankruptcy. His friends,
on whom he depended, aid the natural
force Of gravitation in taking him dowu.
His life is Bull Run defeat Instead OF
$4,000 advantages he has onlv 1000. Aye,
only 30ll-aye, none at all How many good
people there are at their wits end about
their livelihood, about their reputation? But
they will find cut it is the best way after
awhile. God will show them that He de-
pletes their advantages just for the same
reason He depleted the army of Gideon
that they may be induced to throw them
selves on His mercy.
grapevine says in the early spring:
CHOW glad an to get through the Winter
l shall have no more trouble now. Summer
weather will come, and the garden will be-
very beautiful" But the gardener comes
and cuts the vine here aud there with his
knife. The twigs begin to fall, and the
grapevine cries out: "MurderI What are
YOU cutting me for?" "Ab." says the garden
er, II don't mean to kill you. If did
not do this, you would be the laughing
stock of all the other vines before the season
is over" Months 90 on. and one day the
gardener comes under the trellis, where great
clusters Of grapes hang, and the grape vine
says: Thank you, sir You could not have
done anything so kind as to have cut me
with that knife" "Whom the Lord loveth
He chasteueth." No pruning, no grapes; no
grinding mill, no flour; no battle, no VIC
tory; no cross, no crown.
So Gods way, i'll the redemption OF the
world, is different from ours. II we had our
way, we would have had Jesus stand in the
door OF heaven and beckon the Nations uo
to light, or we would have had angels flying
around the earth proclaming the uDsearch-
able riches OF Christ. Why is it that the cause
goes on so slowly Why is it that the chains
stay on when Col could knock them
off? Why do thrones OF despotism stand
when God could 50 easily demoish them?
1t is His way in order that all generations
may cooperate and that all men may know
they cannot do the work themselves. Just
in proportion as these pyramids of sin go
up in height will they come down in ghast-
illness of ruin.
o thou father OF all iniquityl II thou
canSt hear my voice above the cracking OF
the flames, drive on thy projects, dispatch
thy emissaries. build thy temples and forge
thy chains, but know that thy fall from
heaven was not greater than thy final over
throw shall be when thou shalt be driven
into thy fiery den, aud for every
lie thou hast framed upon earth thou shalt
have an additional hell Of fury poured into
thine anguish by the vengeance OF
our God, and all heaven shall shout at the
overthrow, as from the ransomed earth the
song breaks through the skies: "Halleluah,
for the Lord God omnipoteDt reignethi Hal !
leluiah, for the kingdoms of this world have
become the kingdoms OF our Lord Jesus |
Christi" Gods way in the composition of |
the Bible, Gods way in the Christians life, |
Gods way in the redemption of the world, |
Gods way in everything-differen from |
mans way, but the best.
[ learn from this subject that the overthrow |
Of Gods enemies will be sudden and terrific.
There is the army Of the Midianites down in
the valley of Jezree!. 1 suppose their
mighty men are dreaming of victory. Mount
Gilboa never stool sentinel for so large
host. The spears and the shields of the
1idianites CLEAN in the moonlight and
glance on the eye of the Israelites. who
hover like battle OF eagles, ready to swooD
rom the cliff. Sleep on, o army OF the
With the night to hide them
and the mountain to guard them and strong
arms to defend them, let no slumbering foe
nan dream Of disaster. Peace to the cap
AIMS and the Spearmen.
Crash go the pitchers! Up fare the lamDs
TO the mountains! Fly, fly! Trooprunning
against troop, thousands trampling upon
thousands. Hara to the scream and groan
If the routed foe. with the Lord God AL
mighty after them! How sudden the onset!
How wild the CONSERVATION! How utter the
iefeat! l do not care so much what is
against me 1t God is not. You want a better
word or carbine than 1 have ever seen to go
Il and fight against the Lord Omnipotent
i've M God for my ally. aud you may naf5
Il the battlements AMI battaliOns.
[ saw the eefrauder in his splendid house.
seemed as if he had conquered God as he
God amid the blaze of chandeliers and pier
lirrors. In the diamonds OF the wardrobe
saw the tears OF the widows whom he had
obbed and in the snowy satins the pallor Of
ne white checked orphans whom he had
ronSaj. The blood of the oppressed
lowed in the deep crimson OF the im-
orted chair. The music trembled with
he sorrow of unrequitte1 toll. But the
ave OF mirth dashed higher on reefs o;
oral aud pearl. The days and the nights
ent merrily. Nc sick child dared pull that
liver doorbell. No beggar dared sit on tina:
arble step. No voice OF prayer foated
mid that tapestry. No shadow of a judgment
ny darkened that fresco. No tear ofhuman
mpathy dropped upon that upholstery. ,
OmD strutted the hall, and dissipation
led her cup. and all seemed safe as the
idianites in the valley OF Jezreel. But God {
me. Calamity smote the money market. ,
le partridge left its eggs unmatched. Crash ,,
emit all the porcelain pitchers! Ruin. rout,
smay and woe in the valley OF Jezreell
Alas for those who fight against Gof! Only 2
70 sides. Man immortal, which side are 9
u on? Woman immortal which side are
u oD2 Do you belong to the 80 that are
ing to win the day or o the great host Of '
dianites asleep in the valley, only to be \
used up in CONSERVATION and ruin2 Sud-