The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-20

great mammals on the gravely hill-tops!
And the miEhtier, and the grander, and
the deeper and the higher the explorations,
the better for our cause. As sure as the
thunderbolts of the Almighty are stronger
than the steel pens Of agnostics, the ark
of God will ride on unhurt, and Uzzah
need not fear any disasters upsetting. The
apocalyptic angel flying through the midst
of heaven proclaming TO all nations, and
kindred, and people, and tongues the un-
searchable riches of Jesus Christ are
mightier than the ehying off of a yoke of
oxen.
The geology of the Bible shows that
our religion Is not a namby- PANTY, nerve
less. dillettantish religion. 1t was pro-
jected and has been protected by the God
of the Rocks. Religion balm? o, yes.
Religion a soothing power? o, yes.
Religion a beautiful sentiment? o, yes.
But we must have God of the Rocks,
a mighty Cod to defend, an omnipOtent
God to achieve, a force able to overcome
all other forces in the universe. Rose of
Sharon and Lily of the Valley is He.
combination of all gentleness and tender
ness and sweetness? o. yes. But If the
mighty forces now arrayed for the de-
structiOn of the nations are to be met
and conquered, we must have a God of
the Rocks. The Lion of Judah's Tribe,
as well as the Lamb who was slain" one
hundred and thirty times does the Bible
speak of the Rock as defense, as arma-
ment, as refuge, as oVerpOwering strength
David the psalmist, lived among the
rocks, and they reminded him OF the Al
mighty and he calculates: The LOrd
Iiveth: blessed be my rock" Lead me
to the rock that is higher than l." And
then as If his prayer had been answered,
he feels the strength come into his soul,
and he cries out: 1.-The Lord is my Rock
He shall set me upon rock Would
the Bible present n sublime picture OF
mothery desperation in defense of her
children, 1t shows US Rzpah on the rock
for three months, with disheveled hair ana
wild screams, fighting back vultures ana
jaCkals from the cOrpscs of her sons.
Would the Bible set forth the hardness
of the heart and the power of gospel TO
overcome it, it tells us of the Hammer
that breaketh the rocks in pieces Would
our Lord represent the Durability OF ms
church against all assault, he says: upon
this Rock will l build my church, and the
gates of hell shall not 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 overOOks Lake Galliee 10 the
right and on a clear day oVerlooks tne
Mediterranean to the left, l hear MN
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, i
will liken him unto wise man, Whlch
built his house upon rock ana the ram
descended and the floods came, ana the
winds blew and beat upon that house'
and it fell not for it was founded upon
rock" All my friends! we want
sWarthV a stalwart, a brawny religion. we
have a great many people who can SIT ana
gently rock the cradle of their mfantile
hopes. and can family smile when good
is accomplished, and walk softly through
a sick-room, and live inoffensive lives, ana
manage to tread on no ones preJudlces;
and their religion is at the best when the
wind is from the northwest and the ther-
mometer at 20 degrees Fahrenhelt; ana
they have their spheres, and may Goa
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 ta1th,
and prowess like the Huguenots, ana me
Pilgrim Fathers, and the Dutch at Ley
den keeping back the enemy until the
tides of the sea came in. Lord, God OF
the Rocks! help us in this awful strug-
gle. in which heaven or hell is bound to
beat.
How much the rocks have had to do with
the cause of God in all ages! In the VII
derness Gods Israel were fed with honey
out of the rock How the rock of Horeb
paid Moses back in gushing, 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- hammalekoth, ana
it was worthy of a resOunding, sesquiped-
allan nomenclature, for at that rock saul
was compelled to quit his pursuit of Da-
vid and go home and look after the Philis-
tines. who were making a flank move
ment There were the rocks of BoZez and
Seneh. between which Jonathan climbed
up and sent flying in retreat the garrison
of the uncircumcisad. And yonder see Da-
vid and his men hidden in the rock of
Adullam and Engedi
But while l go on with my study OF the
geology Of the Bible. or. God among the
rocks. l get a more intelligent and help
full idea of divine deliberation. These rocks,
the growth of thousands of years, and ge-
ology says, of millions of years, ought to
show the prolongation of Gods plans and
cure our impotence because things are
not done in short order Men, without see
ing it, become critical of the Almighty and
think, Why does he not do this and do that
and do it right away? We feel sometimes
as if we could not wait Well, guess we
will have 10 wait. God is never in hurry,
except about two things. His plans, sweep
ing through eternity, are beyond our COM
prehension. They have such wide circle,
such vastuess of revolution, such infini-
tude, that we cannot compass them. In
deed, he would not be much of a God whom
we could thoroughly understand. That
would not be much of a father who had no
thoughts or pans larger IMAM HIS bdpe u
one year could compass. If God takes mil
lions of years to make one rock, do not let
us become critical if he takes twenty years,
or a century, or several centuries to do
that which we would like to have done inn
mediately. 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
ence. Do not let us hold up our little watch
with its tiny hour hand and minute hand.
and by il try to correct the clock of the
universe, its pendulum taking five hundred
years to swing this way, and five hundred
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 nave the best of
authority for saying that "one day with
the Lord is as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day" Do not expect
that Uzzah's oxen, even if they do not shy
off, but go straight ahead, can keep up
with the fire-shod lightnngs.
But that was not slip of the tongue
when l said that God is never in a hurry
except in two things. Those two things