The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-12-24
THE UNITED OPINION. FRIDAY MORNING DECEMBER a. 1897

prevail against it," Would he close his
sermon on the mount with a peroration
that would resound through centuries,
standing on rock SO high that it over.
looks Lake Galilee to the right, and on
a clear day overlooks the Mediterranean
to the left, hear him stamp his foot
on the rock beneath him as he cries to
the surging multitudes at the base Of
that rock, "Whosoever heareth these
sayings of mine and doeth them will
liken him unto a wise man, which built
his house upon a rock, and the rain de-
scended and the floods came and the
winds blew and beat upon that house,
and it fell not, for it was founded upon
a rock >"
All, my friends, we want swarthy,
a stalwart, brawny religion We have
a great many people who can sit and
gently rock the cradle of their infantile
hopes, and can family smile when good
is accomplished, and walk softly
through sickroom, and live inoffen-
sive lives, and manage to tread on no
ones prejudices, and their religion is
at the best when the wind is from the
northwest and the thermometer at 70
degrees F., and they have their spheres
and may God prosper them. But we
want in this great battle for God against
the allied forces of perdition some John
Knoxes, some Martin Luthers-men of
nerve and faith and prowess like the
Huguenots and the pilgrim fathers and
the Dutch at Leyden keeping back the
enemy until the tides of the sea came
in. Lord God of the rocks, help us in
this awful struggle, in which heaven
or hell is bound to beat
Tho Rocks of Israel.
How much the rocks have had to do
with the cause of God in all ages! In
the wilderness Gods Israel were fed
with honey out of the rock. How the
rock Of Horeb paid Moses back in gush-
ing, ripping, sparkling water for the
two stout strokes with which he struck
it! And there stands the rock with name
i guess the longest word in the Bible
-sela- hammahlekoth, and it was worthy
of resounding, sesquipedalian nomen-
clature, for at that rock Saul was COM
PEELED to quit his pursuit of David and
go home and look after the Philistines,
who were making flank movement.
There were the rocks of Bozez and Sc
neh, between which Jonathan climbed
up and sent flying in retreat the garri-
son of the uncircumcised And yonder
see David and his men hidden in the
rock of Adullam and Engedi.
But while / go on with my study of
the geology Of the Bible, or God among
the rocks, get more intelligent and
helpful idea of divine deliberation.
These rocks, the growth of thousands Of
years and, geology says, of millions of
years, ought to show the prolongation
Of Gods plans and cure our impatience |
because things are not done in short or
der. Men, without seeing it, become
critical of the Almighty and think,
Why does he not do this and do that
and do It right away? We feel some
times as If we could not wait. Well, . f,
guess we will have to wait, God is
never in hurry, except about two
things. His plans, sweeping through
eternity, are, beyond our comprehension.
They have such wide circle, such vast
ness of revolution, such infnitude, that
we cannot compass them. Indeed he
would not be much of God whom we
could thoroughly understand That
would not be much of father who had
no thoughts or plans larger than his
babe of one year could compass. If God
takes millions of years to make one
rock, do not let us become critical if he
takes 20 years or a century or several
centuries to do that which we would
like to have done Immediately. Do not
repeat the folly of those who conclude
there is no God or that he is not in
sympathy with the right and the good
because he does not do certain things in
the time we set apart for their perform
ance. Do not let us hold up our little
watch with its tiny hour hand and min
ute hand and by it try to correct the
clock of the universe, its pendulum
taking 500 years to swing this way and
500 years to swing that way. Do not
let us set up our little spinning wheel
beside the loom in which God weaves
sunrises and sunsets and auroras. We |
have the best of authority for saying
that lone day with the Lord is as
thousand years, and a thousand years
As one day" Do not expect that w.
sah's oxen, even if they do not shy off,
out go straight ahead, can keep up with
he fire shod lightnings.
But that was not slip of the tongue
when | said that God is never in hur-
y except in two things Those two
Kings are when he goes to save re-
)entant sinner and comfort a praying
The one divine hurry was set
orth in the parable of the prodigal son,
when it says, "the father ram" He was
I'D, and | suppose had as much as he
ould do to walk, but the sight of his
,ad boy coming home limbered the stiff
nees and heightened the shortened
ace of the old man into an athletic
tribe. 1.-The father ranl" Put it into
our oratorios Sound it with full or
hestra. Repeat it through all heavens,
The father RAMP o soul farthest
If, come back, and God, your Father,
viii come out to meet you at full runl
'he other time when God is in a hurry