The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-02-04
GI. IllnIE's- SUNDAY SERMON,
4 GOSPEL MESSAGE
subject: ga Farmers Counsel"
Text, "5eek Him that maketh the seve
stars and Orion. Amos V. s

SOdhttl ihkAuct NtOto tuls ttNt, AfDOS VI
Tekoa. He plowed the earth and threshed
the grain by a new threshing machine Just
Invented, rs formerly the cattle trod cut the
grain. He gathered the fruit OF the syca-
moro tree n s~cariiei II with an iron comb
just before 1t was getting ripe, rs II was nee
essary and customary In that way to take
from Il the bitterness. He was the son OF a
poor shepherd and suffered, but before tbs
stammering rustic the PhiIistlnes and Syrians
and Phonlcians aud Moabites and Ammon-
ties aud EdomiIes aud I2raelites tremblei.
Moses was a law giver, Daniel was n
prince, Isaiah a courtier and David n king,
but Amos, the author Of my text. was a peas.
ant, and, as might be supposed, nearly all
his parallelisms are pastoral, his prophecy
full OF the odor OF new mown hay, and the
rattle Of ~locusts. and the rumble of carts
with ~sheaves, and the roar OF wild beasts de-
vouring the flock while tho shepherd came
out In their defence. He watched the herds
by day, and by night inhabited a booth made
out OF bushes, SO that through these branches
he could see the stars all night long, and
was more familiar with them than we who
have tight roofs to our houses and hardly
ever sea the stars except among the tail
brick chimneys OF the great towns. But at
seasons OF tho year when the herds were IN
special danger he would stay out in the
open field all through tho darkness, his only
shelter the curtain OF the night heaven, with
the stellar embroideries and silvered tassels
OF lunar light.
What n life OF solitude, all alone with his
herds! Poor Amos! And ut IL o'clock Mt
night bark to the VOLTS bars, and the lions
roar, and the bears growl, and the owls te-
whit, te-who, and the serpent's hiss as he
unwitiingly stops. too near while moving
through the thicketsl So Amos, like other
herdsmcn, got the habit OF stu iying tho map
OF the heavens because 1t was so much of the
time spread out before him. He noticed
some stars a lvanc NC and others reccding.
He associated their dawn IN | setting with
certain seasons OF the year. He had q poetic
nature, and hc r al night by night. and
month by month, aud year by year, tho poem
OF tho considerations, divinity rhythmic.
But two rosettes OF stars especially attracted
his attention while seated on the ground or
lying on his back under the open scroll Of
the midnight heavens-the Pleiades. or
seven stars, and Orion. The former groun
this rustic prophet associated with spring.
rs 1t rises about the LIST OF May. Tho latter
he associated with tho winter, as It comes to
tho meridian In %January. Tho Pleiades, or
seven stars. connected with ali sweetness
and Joy; Orion. the herald Of tho tempest.
The II .en,s were the moro apt to study the
physiognomy and juxtaposition OF tho
heavenly bodies because they thought they
had a special influence upon the earth, and
perhaps they were right. III tho moon every
lew hours lifts and lets down tho tide, OF
the Atlantic ocean AMI the electric storms In
the sun. 10y all sc entiiic admission, affect
the earth. why not tho stars have proper
Tomato elfecty
Aud there are some things which make me
think that 1t may not have been all SUPER
stitution which connected tho movement
and appearance OF the heavenly bodies with
great moral events on earth. Did not u
meteor run on Gvangelistic crrand on the
first Christmas night mud designate the
rough cradle OF our Lordp Did not the stars
In their course fight against Sisera? Was It
merely coincidental that be ore tho destruc-
ton OF Jerusalem the moon was hidden for
twelve consecutive n,Rhts2 Did 1t merely
happen so that n new star appeared in con
stelintion Cassiopeia. and then disappeared
iusr before Charles TX OF France who wns
responsible for the st. Bartholomew mas
sacre diedy Was it without Significance
that In the days Of tho Roman Emperor
Justinian war and famine were preceded by
tho dimness OF the sun, which for nearly u
year gave no moro light than the moon, nj.
though there were no clouds to obscure ii?
Astrology. after all, may have been some-
thing more than u brilliant heathenism. No
wonder that Amos Of the text, having card
ICE WV uulltuiS VI inc SluTS, Dut GOWN
h estout, rough staff of the herdsman and
took into his brown hand and cut and
knotted fingers the pen OF n prophet and al |
vised the recreant people OF his time to re.
to God. saying, 'Seek him tina. maketh
the seven stars ami Orion" This command. |
which Amos gave TS5 years b.. c., Is Just "a
appropriate for us, 1897 A. ID.
In the fret place Amos saw, as We mus,
see, tina. the God who made the Pleiades aud
Orion must be the God Of order. 1t was not
so much u star here and q star there that i'm
pressed the inspired herisman, but seven In
one group and seven In another group. He
saw that night after night and season after
season, and decade after decade, they had
Kept step Of Hight, each one In its own place, u
never clashing and never contest
Ing precedence. From the time Hcsiod called
the leiad the ''seven daughters of Atlas"
and Virgil wrote in his "IFneid" OF "stormy
Orion" until now. they have observed the
order established for their coming and 90
ing; order written, not in manuscript that
they may be p~igeon-holed. but with tho hand
the Almighty on the dome OF the sky, so
That all Nations may read it-Order, persist
ent order, sublime order. omnipotent order.
What n sedative TO you and me. to whom
communities aud Nations sometimes seem
going pe!lmell, and the word ruled by ONE
at haphazard. and in nil directions nal.
administration! The God who keeps seven
worlds in right circuit for 5000 years can
certainly keep all the affairs Of In Iivlduals
Nations and continents in adjustment.
had not better fret much. for the peas
argument oflho text was right. II God
ian take caro- OF tho seven worlds OF the
md tho four chief worlds Of Orion,
lie can probably take care OF the one world
We inhabit.
So l feel very much M my father felt ono
lay when we wers going TO the country mill
o get a grist ground, and |, a boy Of seven !
ears, sat In the back part OF the wagon, and
)ur yoke OF oxen ran way with US, aud
llong n labyrinthine road through tho
woods, 80 that | thought every moment We J
would be dashed to pieces, and | mnlea d
errible oulcry OF fright, aud m father :
urncd TO me- with n ince perfectly calm AMI Il
aid: "De Witt, what are YOU crying aboutl :
guess we can ride rs fast us the oxen eau {
un." And, my hearers. why should We he d
Iffr lghted and lose our equilibrium in the y
wifi movement OF worldly events, especially I
we are assurel that 1t is not n yoke of
steers thrt ara drawing us on, bat q
hat order and wise government are in the Il
'oke? Il
In your occupation, your mission, your Il
do the best you can and then trust II
Col, and II things ARE all mixed and dis 81