Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1898-08-03


ing down. Yes IL was in
consonance with humiliations that
went before and self-abnegation tina,
came after. when on that memorable
day in Herod's temple He stopped
down and wrote on the ground.
Whether the words lie was writing
were in Greek or Latin or Hebrew i
can not say. for He knew all those
languages But he is still STOPPING
down, and with his finger writing on
the ground; in the winter in letters OF
/ crystals, in the spring in letters OF
( flowers, in summer in golden letters of
harvest, in autumn in letters of fire
on fallen leaves. How il would sweeteu
up and enrich and emblazon this
world could we see Christ'S caligraphy
all over il. This world was not flung
out into space thousands OF
years ago and then left to look
out for itself Ii is still under the di-
vine care. Christ never for half n sec
ond takes His hand off Of il. or il
would soon be shipwrecked world. a
defunct world, an obsolete world, an
abandoned world. a dead world. Let
there be light" was said at the begin
ming. An6 Christ stands under the
wintry skies and says, let there be
snowtiaSes to enrich the earth; and
under the clouds of spring and saws,
come We blossoms and make redolent
the orchards, and in September dius
the branches in the vat of beautiful
colors and swings them into the hay
air. No within of mine is this. With
out Him was not anything made that
was made Christ writing on the
ground.
If you could see his hand in all the
passing seasons, how il would illume
the world All verdure and foliage
would be allegoric and again we would
hear Him say, as of old; Consider the
lilies OF the field. how they grow" and
we would not hear the whistle of n
quail or the cawing Of raven. or the
-oundelay of brown thresher. with
ont saying. Behold the fowls OF the
air. they gather not in barns, yet your
Heavenly Father feedeth them" and a
Dominic hen of the barnyard could not
cluck for her brood. but we would
near Christ saying, as OF old. How
often would l have gathered thy chill
dren together. even as hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings" and
through the redolent hedges we would
hear Christ saying, 4 am the rose of
Sharon" we could not dip the season
ing from the salt cellar without think
ing of the divine suggestion. sYe are
the salt of the earth. but If the salt
hath lost its SAVIOR IL is fl for nothing
but to be east out and trodden under
foot of men"
Let rs wake from our stupidity and
take the whole world as parable.
Then, If with gun and pack of hounds
we start off before dawn. and see the
morning coming down Oft the hills to
meet Us, we would cry out with the
evangelist: The day spring from on
high hath visited U.S. or caught in a
srowstorm, while struggling home.
eyebrows and beard and apparel ali
covered with the whirling flakes. we
would cry out with David: Wash me.
and / shall be whittier than snow In
picture gallery of Europe there is on
the ceiling an exquisite fresco. but
the people having TO look straight up.
II wearied and dizzled them and bent
their necks almost beyond endur.
ance; so great looking glass was put
near the floor, and now visitors only
ror and they see the fresco at their
feet. And SO much of he high Heaven
OF Gods truth is reflected in this
world Us in a mirror, and things that
are above are copied by things around
us.
What right have we TO throw away
one of Gods Bibles-aye the first
Bible He ever gave the race? We talk
about the Old Testament, and the New
Tes ament, but the Oldest Testament
contains the lessons of the
natural world. Some PEOPLE like the
New Testament so well they discard
the Ola Testament Shall we like the
New Testament and tine Old Tcstament
so well as 10 depreciatc The oldest.
namely that which was written be-
fore Moses was put aloat on the boat
O.; leaves which was calkcd with as
phaltum. or reject the Genesis that
was written centuries before Adam
lost a rio and gained a wife7 No no,
When Deity stoops down and writes
ON the ground let us read st..
would have no less appreciation OF
the Bible on paper that comes out Of
tne naner mill, but ] would urge an
probation OF the Bible in the grass.
the Bible ia the sand hill. the II ole in
the reranium. the Bible in the aspho-
del. the Bible in the dust. some one
asked an ancient king whether he had
seen the eclipse OF the sun. No. IS
said he II nave so much 20 study on
earth have no time TO look az Heav.
en-. And IL our faculties were an
awake iu the study Of God we would
not have time 90 20 much further
than the first grass blade have no
fear that natural religion will ever
contradict what wc call revealed re-.
ngion have no sympathy with the
followers Of Aristotle. who. after the
telescope was invented. would no,
look through It, lest Go contradict some
OF the theories OF their great master
shall be- glad 90 put against one lid
Of the Bible the microscope and
against the other did Of the Bible the
telescope
But when Christ stopped down and
wrote ON the ground what did lie
write? The Pharisccs did not ston Cd
examine. The cOward-. ygiiuped Of
their own conscience. fed peil NELL.
Nothing viii hay man like On
aroused conscience Dr. stevens in
bis History OF Mcthodism. SAYS that
when Rev Zen jamin Abbott. 81 oldcn
times was PREACHING nf n-ofa .,,.l..t.