The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1899-08-25
GOOD WILL OF GOD.
Continued from. First Page.

Why did the Almighty select the He
brew race rather than the Egyptian, or
the Greek? Why did Christ ordain the
fishermen of Galilee to be His Apostles,
rather than men who possessed the learn
ing of the schools? In the thorn-bush
of Mount Sinai we see an indication of
the nature of the answer The exact
variety of this thorn bush is uncertain.
The Hebrew term is one of wide appli
cation and does not mark the precise
plant In question, In the Saptuagint it
is rendered by a word (Batos) which
signifies the wild lack-berry bush. But
1t is evident that it was no stately tree.
or towering palm, but a worthless shrub,
very likely the wild acacia, that is yet
found in those parts. 1t was not an IS
teemed plant, but for that very reason it
is type of the church on its human side.
In Jotham's fable the bramble bush is
viewed as source of peril, Judges TX
15.) but that possage does not aid us here,
since the term employed is not the same
The world does not cherish very
high opinion of the church We are
frequently reminded by our outside
critics that the organization of the
church is weak, that her. comprehensive
ness is absurd, and that many faults may
be pointed out in the constitution, and
administration. In many cases we adj
nit the charge. Much of this criticism
is true, and we knew it before the enc
mics told us of it. The Holy Spirit de-
liberately chose to dwell in a frail, I'M
worthy ana inefficient organization, so
that He might show forth the power of
a patience that is surprising and of a
grace that is transcendent. The bush as
such is worthless, but that same bush as
the dwelling place of Omnipotence be-
comes ''great sight" We may wonder
that it should please God to do SO, but
we can not doubt that He has done even
this.
At the Pan Presbyterian Council held
in Philadelphia some years ago, one
speaker spoke in rather contemptuous
terms of the Sunday School. as weak,
unsteady, lacking in true vitality. And
he added this remark: "You all know
by what devices the Sunday School is
kept alive. 1t is by fairs, festivals. ban
ners and by gifts, prizes and celebra-
tons at Christmas, and by summer pic
MICS" On the following day another
speaker. alluding to this address, said:
"He never made worse mistake in his
life than he did that moment" Shall
we look at the Sunday School from the
human point Of view? or shall we regard
it as the bush in our text? The means
employed may be poor enough from the
standpoint of human wisdom, yet there
may be in it Of the wisdom of God. If
the Holy Spirit were not in this enter
prise, neither church nor Sunday School
would have the vitality that they have
to this day. In word, it is not because
the bush is worthy of praise or admira-
ton, but because of Him who has chosen
to make it the abiding place of His
glory.
Second:-"A wonderful tenant. Not
a flash of lightning, but "dwelt."
This is impressive, solemn. a token
that we cannot overlook. Mark the
soul in the body. The soul is immaterial,
the body is temporal The soul has no
quickly weary, or taxed to its uttermost
And the soul is spirit, while the body is
matter. In the case of the divine Com
forter who abides in the church, SINH
lar striking contrast may be noted. He
is holy, mighty, dlvine while the church
is tainted, feeble, human. Yet there can
be no doubt in either case that there is
such union. No one can deny the diff
ference between dead body and a live
man, hence we must admit that the soul
does really occupy that body till the
marvellous change which is called death
intervenes. Even SO, when we read the
records OF the past, the history of what
God hath wrought through this same
church, we are compelled to admit that
He does dwell in the same thing which
appears to the world so loose, so frail,
and so Enthusiastically.
A fire suddenly lights up the land
scape in broad Canadian forest. See
how the flames leap from tree to tree.
In very short time what marvellous
change is brought about. A change
from stiffness to the terrible roar of
confiagration; from the peace and safety
of ordinary life to the frightgful peril of
deadly risk But the most significant
point is this. There were many trees,
now there is only one fire. That fire
turns many into one. 1t is just so with
the grace of God in His spiritual in
dwelling. 1t is unlike the fire in that it
is for blessing and not for cursing, but
like it in that it operates as if by miracle
TO bring one thing out of many things,
Variety indeed in the church. Many
tastes many plans, many rules, rubrics,
liturgies, hymns and many mistakes, but
one God over all blessed forever, and
one glorious final victory by His grace
and power.
This wonderful tenant never deserted
His church, even in the darkest hour
when men despaired of final success
The promise, "Lo, / am with you al.
ways, even unto the end," is true in one
age no less than another. History tells
us of the so-called Ozark ages" but the
darkness of that period is easily exag-
gerated. There was no time so dark but
that His grace was known and felt in the
souls of men as mighty impelling force.
1t is true that there was a time when
less progress was made than in the CEN
turtles before and after. But even then
some lives were kindled into divine
glow, and some trophies were left for
the encouragement Of future times. A
period that was really dark in all which
that word implies could never have be-
queathed to posterity such hymn as the
TIE Deum laudamus, or the Veni, Creator
Spiritus, or the Jesu suavissime. An age
that can create great hymns must have
possessed the vital essence Of goodness.
Indeed we know from many sources that
such was the case. Religion takes on
various forms, but its essence must be
the same in all periods. And those
sdark ages" after the shipwreck of the
old Roman civilization and before
the time of the renaissance and the