Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-12-25
MUM BIER %
or hell is bound to beatl
Tho Rocks of Israel.

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'll And there stands the rock with name
Il 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 a 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 I go on with my study Of
the geology of the Bible, or God among
the rocks, l 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
i of Gods plans and cure our Impotence
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, l
guess we will have to wait. God is
never in hurry, except about two
things. His plans, sweeping through
eternity, are beyond our mprehension.
They have such wide circle, such vast
ness of revolution, such infnitude, that
we cannot compass them. Indeed he
would not be much Of a 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 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 it's 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 tho 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 thousand years
as one day" Do not expect that Uz-
zah's oxen, even if they do not shy off,
but go straight ahead, can keep up with
the fire shod lightnings.
But that was not a slip of the tongue
when said that God is never in hur-
ry except in two things. Those two
things are when he goes to save re-
pentant sinner and comfort praying
mourner. The one divine hurry was set
forth in the parable Of the prodigal son,
when it says, thu father ran. " He was
old, and | suppose had as much as he
could do to walk, but the sight of his
bad boy coming home limbered the stiff
knees and heightened the shortened
pace of the old man into an athletic
stride. 1.-THE father ramp Put it into
your oratorios. Sound it with full or
chestra. Repeat it through all heavens,
1.-THE father ranl" O soul farthest
off, come back, and God, your Father,
will come out to meet you at full run!
The other time when God is in hurry
is when a troubled soul calls for COM
fort. Then the Bible represents the di-
vine gait and swing and velocity by the
reindeer, saying, "Be thou like roe or
young hart on the mountains Of
Bether." That parenthesis l put in
thinking that there may be some repent
ant sinner who wants to find pardon or
some mourning soul who needs comfort,
and therefore I mention the two things
about which God is in great hurry.
Be Patient.
But concerning all the vast things Of
Gods government of the universe be
patient with the carrying out Of plans
beyond our measurement. Naturallsts
tell US that there are insects that arc
born and die within an hour and thas
there are several generations of them in
one day, and if one of those July insects
of an hour should say: "How slow
everything goes! I was told in the
chrysalis state by wondrous instinct
that l would find in this world seasons
of the year-spring, summer. autumn
and winter. But where are the au-
tumnal forests upholstered in fire, and
where are the glorious springtimes, with
orchards waving their censers of per-:
fume before the affairs Of the morning?.
do not believe there are any autumns,
or springtimes. "
If then golden eagle, many years;
old, in cage nearby heard the hum Of
that complaining insect, it might well
answer: 30 summer insect Of an
hour, though your life is SO short you
cannot see the magnificent turn of the
seasons, can testify as to their reality,
IOT uGNo SccA tllSLa AOAA. w oSAA - "t@S
young and before I was imprisoned in
this cage / brushed their gorgeous leaf
age and their fragrant blossoms with
my own wing. You live an hour, I have;
lived 80 years. But in one of my fights
high up, the gate of heaven open for
soul to go in or seraph to come out,
I heard the choirs chanting, From ev-
erlasting to everlasting thou art God.
And it was an antiphonal in which all
heaven responded, From everlasting to
everlasting thou art God O man,
o woman, so far as your earthly ex-
istence is concerned, only the insect OF
an hour, be not impatient with the
workings of the Omnipotent and the
Eternal -
And now, for your solace and your
safety, ask you to come under the