The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1899-11-03

demptiOn. These wonders are so hlSh,
so deep, so grand, so stupendous, so
magnificent, that even the intelligence
of angelhood is confounded before it.
The apostle says: (which things the
angels desire to look into" That is
subject that cxcites inquisitiveness on
their part. That is theme that strains
their faculties to the utmost. That is
higher than they can climb, deeper than
they can dive. They have desire for
something too big for their compre-
hension. (Which things the angels
desire to look into" But that does not
discredit their intelligence. No one
but God Himself can fairly understand
the wonders of redemption. If all
Heaven should study it for so centuries,
they would get no further than the
A B C of that inexhaustible subject.
But nearly all other realms of knowl-
edge they have ransacked and explored
and compassed. No one but God can
tell them anything they do not know.
They have read to the last word of the
last line of the last page of the last
volume of investigation, and what de-
lights me most is that all their intelli-
gence is to be at our disposal, and, COM
ing into their presence, they will tell
us in five minutes more than we can
learn by 100 years of earthly surmis-
ing.
Another remark have to make con-
cerning these illustrious immortals is
that they are multitudinous. Their
census has never been taken, and no
one but God knows how many there
are. but all the Bible accounts suggest
their immense numbers-companies of
them, regiments of them, armies OF
them, mountain tops haloed by them,
skies populous with them. John speaks
of angels and other beings round the
throne as ten thousand times ten thou
sand. Now, according to my calcula'
ton, ten thousand times ten thousand
are 100. 100000 But these are only the
angels in one place. David counted 90
900 of them rolling down the sky in
chariots. When God came away from
the riven rocks of Mount Sinai the
Bible says He had the companionship of
10000 angels. 1 think they are in every
battle, in every eXigency, at every
H. y
every moment, the earth full of them,
the heavens full of them. They out
number the human race in this world.
They outnumber ransomed spirits in
glory. When Abraham had his knife
uplifted to slay Isaac it was an angel
who arrested the stroke, crying: "Abra-
ham, Abraham!" 1t was the stairway
of angels that Jacob saw while pillowed
in the wilderness. We are told an angel
led the hosts of Israelites out of Egyp-
tian serfdom. It was an angel that
showed Hagar the fountain where she
filled the bottle for the lad. 1t was an
angel that took Lot out of doomed
Sodom. 1t was an angel that shut up
the mouth of the hungry monsters
when Daniel was thrown into the cav
erns. It was an angel that fed Elijah
under the juniper tree. 1t was an angel
that announced to Mary the approach
ing nativity. They were angels that
chanted when Christ was born. 1t was
an angel that strengthened our Saviour
in His agony. 1t was an angel that en-
couraged Paul in the Mediterranean
shipwreck. 1t was an angel that burst
open the prison, gate after gate, until
Peter was liberated. 1t was an angel
that stirred the pool of Sloan, where
the sick were healed. It was an angel
that John saw flying through the midst
of Heaven, and an angel with foot plant
ed on the sea, and an angel that opened
the book, and an angel that sounded the
trumpet, and an angel that thrust in
the sickle, and an angel that poured out
the vials, and an angel standing in the
sun. It will be an angel with uplifted
hand swearing that time shall be no
longer. In the great final harvest of
the world the reapers are the angels.
Yea, and the Lord shall be revealed from
Heaven with mighty angels. Oh, the
numbers and the might and the glory
of these supernals-feets of them,
squadrons of them, host beyond host,
rank above rank, millions on millions,
and all on our side if we will have them!
Whatan incentive to purity and right
eousness is this doctrine that we are
continually under angelic observation!
Eyes ever on you, so that the most Sc
cret misdeed is committed in the midst
of an audience of immortals. No door
SO bolted, no darkness so Cimmerian,
as to hinder that supernal eyesight.
Not critical eyesight, not jealous eye
sight, not baleful eyesight, but friend
ly eyesight, sympathetic eyesight, help
full ayesight. Confidential clerk of
store. with great responsibility on your
shoulder and no one to applaud your
work when you do it well and sick with
the worlds ingratitude, think of the an
gels in the counting room raptured at
your fidelity! Mother of household,
stitching, mending, cooking, dusting,
planning, up half the night or all night
with the sick child, day in and day out,
year in and year out, worn with the
monotony of life that no one seems
to care for, think of the angels in the
nursery, angels in all the rooms of your
toiling, angels about the sick cradle, and
all in sympathy!
Railroad engineer, with hundreds of
lives hanging on your wrist, standing
amid the cinders and the smutch,
rounding the sharp curve and by ap-
palling declivity, dicharged and dis
graced if you make mistake, but not
one word of approval if you take all the
trains in safety for ten years, think of
the angels by the throttle valve, angels
by the roaring furnace of the engine,
angels looking from the overhanging
crag, angels bracing the racing wheels
off the precipice, angels when you
mount the thunderbolt of a train and
angels when you dismount! Can you
not hear them, louder than the the bell
at the crossing, louder than the whistle
that sn11nds lie the scraa m Of q Il rincr