The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-07-02
REV. 1ALMAGrS SUNDAY SERMON.
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE.
Subject, "God in Everything"

You see the Bible will not be limited IN thu
choice OF symbols. There is hardly beast
| or bird or insect which has not been called
| TO illustrate some divine truth--the ox's
| patience, the ants industry. the spiders
sktll, the kinds suretootedness. tho eagles
speed, the doves gentleness, and even the
sparrow's meanness and insignincance. In
/ oriental countries none but the poorest peo-
| pie buy the sparrow and eat it-so very little
| meat is there on the bones, aud so very poor
Is II what there Is Of Il. The comfortable
! population would not think OF touching II
any more than you would think Of eating
bat or lamprey. Now. says Jesus. II God
takes such good care Of poor bird that is
not worth cent, will He not care for you,
| an immortalp
We associate God with revolutions. We
can see divine purpose In the discovery OF
America, In the invention OF tho art OF print
! Ing. in the exposure Of the gunpowder plot,
In the contrivance Of tn. needle gun, in the
ruin OF an Austrian or Napoleonic despo-
tism; but how hard II IS TO SEQ God In the
minute personal affairs of our lives! We
think OF God as making record OF the starry
| host, but cannot realize tho Bible truth that
ne knows how many hairs are on our head.
| IL seems grand thing that God provided
| food Tor hundreds OF thousands of Israelites
| IN the desert; but we cannot appreciate the
truth that, when sparrow Is hungry, God
stoops down and opens its mouth and puts
| the seed in. We are struck with the idea
That God nils the universe with his presence.
but cannot understand how he encamps in
the crystal palace of a dew drop, or Ands
| room TO stand between the alabaster pillars
/ OF the pond lily. We can sec God In tho
clouds. Can We see God In these flowers at
/ our feet?
We are apt TO place God on some great
/ stage-or TO try to do it-expecting Him
there to act out His stupendous projects but
( we forget that the life OF Cromwell, nn
D a laN 9aV Nna l.t =
Is not more under divine inspection than
| your life or mine Pompey thought there
| must be mist over the eyes OF God because
/ Hc so much favored Caesar. But there il no
such mist He sees everything. We say
Gods path is in the great waters. True
| enough; but no more certainly than He is In
the water in the glass on the table. We say
/ God guides the stars in their courses
| Magnificent truth. But no moro certain
truth than that lie decides which road or
street you shall take in coming TO church
! Understand that Col does not sit upon an
indifferent or unsympaihctic throne, but that
He sits down beside you to-day, and stands
beside me to-day. and no affair OF our lives
Is so Insignificant but that 1t is Of import
ance to God.
In the first plnce. God chooses our occu-
patton for US. am amazed TO see how many
people there are dissatisfied with the work
they have to do. think thrpe.fourths wish
they were insome other occupation and they
| spend great deal Of time in regrctting that
they got in the wrong trade or profession. 1
want to tell you that God put into operation
al the influences which led you TO that par
ucular choice. Many OF you are not in the
business that you expected 20 be In. You
started for the ministry and learned mer-
| chandise; you started for the law and YOU
are physician; you preferred agriculture
and you became mechanic. You thought
one way; God thought another But you
nj IN llsr aV,.l Al
past. You ARE TO remember that God
arranged all these circumstances by wlHch
You were made what you are.
Hugh Miller says, III will be stone
mason God sayss'You ~ he 2 geelo-
| gist. David goes out 10 attend his fathers
sheep; God calls him TO govern n nation.
saul goes out TO hunt his fathers asses. ami
before he gets back finds the crown Of regal
dominion. How much happier would we be
II we were content with the places God gave
usI God saw your temperament and all the
circumstances by which you were surround
ed, and believe nine-tenths OF you arc in
the work you are best fitted for / hear n
great racket in my watch. and l find that
the hands, and the wheels, and the spring
ara getting out of their places. send IL
| down to the jewelers. and say, "Overhaul
that watch and teach the wheels. and the
spring, and the hands to mind their own
business. You know man having large
! estate He fathers his working hands in the
morning, and says to one, "You 90 and trim
that vine;' to another. "You 80 and weed
those nowers;" TO another, "You plow that
tough g'ebej" and each one goes to his par
ticular work. The owner OF the estate
points the man to what he knows he can do
best, and so 1t is with the Lord.
remark further that God has arranged
the place OF our dwelling. What particular
city or town. street or house you shall live
IN seems to be a rLero matter of accident.
You so out TO hunt for a house, and you
happen TO pass up certain street, and hap
pen to see sign, and you select that house
Was It all happening so? Oh, no! God
guided you in every step. He foresaw the
future. He knew all your circumstances,
and He selected just that one house as bet
ter for you than any Of the 10000 hqbita-
tions In the city Our house, however hum
BILE the roof and however lowly the portals,
Is as near Gods heart rs an Alhambra or Il
hremlin, Prove IL, you say. Proverbs ILL.,.
SO. He blesseth the habitation of the just"
remark further that God arranges all our
friendships You were driven TO the wall.
You found man just at that crisis who SYM
pathized with you and helped you. You
say, "How lucky i was" There was no
luck about 1t. God sent that friend just as
certainly AS He sent the angel to strengthen
Christ. Your domestic friends, your bust
ness friends. your Christian friends. God sent
them 10 bless you. and IL any of them have
value OF those who remain. II some die, 1t
Is only that they may stand at the outposts
OF heaven 10 greet you al your coming.
You always will have friends, warm heart
cd friends, magnanmous friends, and when
sickness comes 10 your dwelling there will
DO watchers. When trouble comes &c your
heart, there will be sympathzers. When
death comes there will be gentle fingers TO
close the eyes ana fold the hands and gentle
lips to tell ola resurrection. oh, We are com
passed by bodyguard OF friends! Every
man, II he has behaved himself well, Il sur
rounded by three circles OF friends-those OF
the outer circle wishing him well; those in
the next circle willing TO help him; while
close up to his heart are n few who would die
for him. God pity he wretch who has not
any friends.
l remark again, that God puts down
the limit TO our temporal prosperity
The world OF finance seems to have NO
God in H. You cannot tell where man will
land Tine "A ifinant fall ha ria