Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1897-11-27
TAe sAELLs N TAe eIeLE.
Dr. Talmage Draws an Interesting Les
son From Them.

"Conchology % the Bible, OF God Among
the shells az found In the text Exodus
xxx. 90. And the Lord said unto Moses.
Take unto thee sweet spices. stacte and =
onycha"
Tou may not have noticed the shells %
che Bible be- said. although I'm this early
part % the second book God calls you %
consider and employ them. as he called i
Moses 90 consider aud employ them. The +
Onycka % my text is a shell found on the .
hanks % the Red Sea. and Noses and his /
army must have crushed many % them un- /
der foot as thev crossed the hisectet waters I
onycha on the beach aud Onycha Ga the un- /
folded bed 90 the deep.
7 shall speak ofthis she'll IA n beautiful /
and practical revelation of God. and as
true a. the frst CHAPTER o. Genesis and tine I
last chapter 81 Revelations or every
thing between. Not only d. this she'll. the
onvcha. found in the Red Sea. but ia the
waters of India. 10 not only delcctatcs the
eve with its convoution 30 beauty. white
and iustrous and seTiatcd. bat hlesses che
ucstril- with punrruf aroma. spoke 20
YOU last sabbath 81 God in ths great; now
/ speak or God I'm the small God in the i'm
finite. and God in the intnitesimal-
10 "a n secret tnlt YOU mas Ncep Tor me-,
that in all the realas % che natural world
there "a nothing for me 50 fascinating. 30
completely absorbing. 80 full oi divine
succestlveness a. shen. What' More
entertaining than a bird. which can sing,
when q she'll cannot slngt We'll. thcre you
have made q great mistake. PICK up the
onychs from the banks ~ the Red sea. or
pick up "a bivaive from the beach ~ tho
Atlantic Ocean. and listen. ana You hear
whole choir OF marine voices bass, alto,
4 sOprRno-in an unknown tongue. hut
seeming 60 chant. asI put tbesp 20 my ear
The sea d. Hts and Ho made o..
A. the shell is only ths house and tho
wardrobe 90 Insignificant animals OK thc
+ deep. why all the wonder and beauty ot
/ construction Gods care ior them IS the
only reason. fAud n God provide 80 muni-
have wardrobe and ia helterf Wardrobe and
shcltcr for periwinkie; shall there not be
wardrobe aud shelter for "a manf~' " ould
Cod give 4 coat of mail for the defense ~ =
Nautilus aud leave you no defense against
the storm Dafa lie build o stone house
4 for n creature that lasts "A season aud leave
witnout hons -. soui that taxes hold ga
centuries aud lcon-,
Bui while yoa get this pointed lesson Of
nr0vldcntinl care from tne sheuct creA.
lures 81 the deep. nOglce IA their construe-
tion that God helps them % help them
selves. This house OF stone in which they
live is not dropped on them aud ls not butt
/ around them. The material Tor 10 cNuoct
from their own bodies and is adorned with
/ "a col0red nuid fr0m the pores OK their own
r neck it ~ a most Interesting thing 90 SEES
{ these crustaceIn animals fashion their own
y + homes out 0f carbonate ol lime ami mem-
s brane. And ali of this g. a mighty lesson
s - those who are waiting Tor Others % build
. their fortunes. when they ought 70 20 %
g work and like the m oliusks. build their
4 own fortunes out ot thcir own brain. 0ut ol
their own sweat. out of their own indus
4 tries Not q mOllusk on all the beaches oi
- nN the seas would have a house 90 shell u
- 10 had not itself butt oae. DO not wait ia
g Others 60 shelter you or prosper you Al
e. the crustacvous creatures OF the eArtn
a from every flake or their covering an,
a. FROM every ridge % their tiny castles cog
4 Atlantic and Pacific and Mediterranean
T. coasts say Help yourself. while Cos
y helps you 70 help youfsclf.' Have gfea
& F expectations from only two persons No
n and yourself. Let the onychA ot my tx
il become your prerSptCr.
30 But the more l examine the shells. IN
it more am impressed that God is God d
"a f emotion Many scott az emotion. an
Z seem 70 think that God il a God OF col
d / geometry. and iron laws. and eterni
m apathy. and enthroncd stoicism- No. n
il The shells with OverpOWcring cmphHs
w deny IL. While law and order reign ia "a
lt universe. YOU have uut 60 see the laNist
at ness % color On the crdStacea, all shod'
ga OF crimson from the faintest blush 20 ullo
90 OF battlefield. all shades ot blue, a
l shades OF green. all shades Of all c0io
e., from deepest black % whltest light, ia
ar called out on the shells with no more ord
te than a mother premedltaIes or caicuiat
how many kisses and hugs she shall ~
he her babe wasing up IA the morning su
ke light. Yes. Ny God H. an emotional Go
u And He says. I've must have cOlOrS az
.e- let the sun paint ali Of them ON the scrt
ay OF that shell. and we must have musi
on and here il a carOi Tor the robin. and
eal psalm for man, and a doxOlogy Z
,u- the scraphim, and resurrcsti
Ter trumpet for the archaugel. Aye,
"A showed Himself God OF subliJ
lat emotion when lie hung Himself on a
mn world in the personality OF Christ 70 sa
on IT, without regard TO the tears 1t wOu
take. or the blood IL would exhaust, or I
TO agonics it would crusR out. When l :
the L0Uvres and the xembOurgs and {
er Naticans OF divine painting strewn alO
nd the eight thousand miles Of coast. anC
Ose I hear. ia a forest, on a summer mOrnli
de / musical academies and Haudel societies
ust full Orchestras. 1 say God l. a God OF en
ike tiOn, and IL He observes Mathematics, 10
hat mathematics set 20 music, and His nsu
)od are written not In white chalk on bla
bad boards, but written by hnger OF sunlil
ent on walls OF jasmine and trnmpet-croeY
tnd In my study OF the e0ncnOioSy OF
yas BiDle. this Onycha OF the text also impres
- me with the fact that religion - perful
liar What else could God have meant when
hev said 10 Moses: Take unto thee ~
ing spices stacte and oaychR. Noses took {
can shelf OF the Onycha, put IL over the IRE.
row as it crumbled into ashes, a. exhaled
aud odor that hung Ia every curtain and hl
n IL the ancient tabernacle. and its sweet sn'
Inal escaped from the sacred preciacts and 81
on rated the outside air.
dav Perfumel That is what religion h.