The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-12-29
cRANDEuRs OF THE FROST.

DIR. Talmaee DIscourses OF the Winters OF
TEXT: ssBy the breath Of God frost Is
gtven."-Job xxxvii., 10.
Nothing Is more embarrassing to an
organist or pianist than to put his finger
one key Of the instrument and have II
make no response. Though all the other
keys are in full play, that one silence de-
stroys the music. So tn the great cathe-
dral of nature II one part fails to praise
the Lord the harmony Is halted and lost.
While fire and hail, snow and yapor re-
frost made no utterance the orchestral
rendering would be hopelessly damaged
and the harmony forever incomplete. ]
am more than glad that can tell that the
white key Of the frost sounds forth as
nightly as any of the other keys, and
when David touches 1t In the Psalms 1t
sounds forth the words: "He scattereth
the hoar frost like ashes," and when Job
touches 1t In my text, 1t resounds with the
words: "By the breath Of God frost is
given" Ea. .--...
In this course Of Sabbath morning SER
mons on "God Everywhere" 1have already
addressed you on the astronomy Of the
Bible; or, God among the stars; the con-
chology OF the Bible; or, God among the
shells; the ornithology Of the Bible; or,
God among the birds; the pomology OF the
Bible; or, God among the orchards; and to-
day speak to you of the winters Of the
Bible; or, God among the frosts.
As no one seems disposed to discuss the
mission of frost, depending upon Divine
help, I undertake It. This Is the first
Sabbath Of winter. The leaves are down.
The warmth. has gone out OF the air. The
birds have made their winged march
southwark. The landscape has been
SCARED by the autumnal equinox. The
huskers have rifled the corn shocks. The
night sky has shown the usual meteoric
rsstlessness OF November. Three seasons
Of the year are past, and the fourth and
last has entered. Another element now
comes in to bless and adorn and instruct
the world. It is the frost. The palaces Of
this King are far up In the arctic. Their
walls are glittering congelation. Windsor
Castles and Tuileries and Winter Palaces
and Kenilworths and Alhambras OF ice.
Temples with pendant chandeliers OF Ice.
Thrones OF iceberg, ON which eternal 81
lence rsigns. Theatres on whose stage
eternal cold dramatizes eternal winter.
Pillars of ice.i Arches OF ice. Crowns Of
ice. Chariots of Ice. Sepulchres Of Ice.
Mountains of ice. Dominions Of ice. Eter-
nal frigidity. From these hard, white, bur-
nished portals King Frost descends and
waves his silvery scepter over our temper
ate zone. You will soon hear his heel on
the skating pond. You already feel his
breath in the night wind. By most con-
sidered an enemy coming here to bcnumb
and hinder and slay, shall show you that
the frost is friend, with benediction
divinely pronounced and charged and sur
charged with lessons potent, beneticent
and tremendous. The Bible seven times
alludes to the frost, and we must not
ignore it. by the breath Of God frost Is
given"
Is a season OF suffering. l remember two
rough wood cuts years ago, In book or
newspaper. They were called "a Winter
Scene" The snow had begun to fall, and
in the door of comfortable home stood a
healthy boy, with ruddy cheek, tippeted
and mittened, shouting with glee: 1T
SHOWS! 1t snows!" In the wood cut op-
posite stood boy looking out OF the broken
window of a wrerched tenement, himself
wan and hungry and shiyering with cold,
and as he sees the white flakes begin to
fall he cries out with apprehension and
horror: "Oh, my God! 1t SHOWS! It snows!'
But while the frost means to some severe
priyation, we who have the comforts OF this
life ought to be able to take an intelligent
and inspiring view Of my Intense text, BY
the breath OF God frost Is given"
First, I think OF Frost as painter. He
begins his work on the leaves and con-
tinues it on the window panes. With pa
lette covered with all munner OF colors in
his left hand and pencil OF crystal In his
right hand, he sits down before humblest
bush in the latter part Of September, and
begins the sketching ofthe leaves. All are
.penciled, one by one, but sometimes q
whole forest in the course OF few days
shows great velocity of work. Weentx, the
Dutch painter, could make in summer
day three portraits of life size, but the frost
in ten days can paint ten mountains in life
size. ..
Michael Angelo put upon one ceiling his
representation 'ofthe 'Last Judgment" but
the frost represents universal confagrationn
upon three thousand miles OF stretched-out
grandeur. Leonardo da Vinci put upon O
few feet of canvas our Lords Last Supper
for all ages to admire, but the frost puts the
cleaning chalices Of the imperial glories
OF the last supper of the dying year on the
heights and lengths and breadths OF the
Allegbanies.
You will soon waken on cold morning
and find that the windows OF your home
have during the night been adorned will