The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-11-15
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE By THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: A Heavenly Guard-Mission OF
the Angeis-Have Much to Do with
the Everyday Affairs Of Life-A Guard
ian Angel For Every One.
copyright, Louis Klopsch. 1891

ian Angel For Every One.
Copyright, Louis Klopsch. 1891
WASHINGTON, D. C.-The brilliant beings
supposed by some to be imaginary are by
DR.. Talmage in this sermon shown to be real
and to have much to do with our everyday
life. The text Is, Judges kill, -, And
the angel did wondrously."
Fire built on a rock. Manoah and his
wife bad there klndled the flames for sac.
rlflce IN the praise OF God and In honor OF
a guest whom they supposed to be man.
But rs the flame rose higher ana higher
their stranger guest stepped into the flame
and by one red leap assembled into the
skies. Then they knew that he was an
angel Of the Lord. "The angel did won.
drously."
Two hundred and forty.eight times does
the Bible refer to the angels, yet never
heard or read n sermon on angelology.
The whole subject is relecated to the
realm mythical, weird, spectral and un,
and wicked. Ofthelr life, their character,
their habits, their actions, their veloclties,
the Bible gives US full length portraits, and
why this prolonged and absolute silence
concerning them? Angelology Is my
theme.
There arc two nations OF angels, and
they are hostile to each other-the nation
OF good angels and the nation OF bad an
gels. OF the former I chiefly speak to-
day. Their capital. their headquarters,
their grand rendezvous, Is heaven, tut
tEelr empire Is the universe. They are
distinct race Of creatures. No human be-
ing can ever join their confrat ernlty. The
little child who In the Sabbath school
sings, II want to be m angel" will never
have her wish gratiaed. They are super
human, but they are OF different grades
and ranks, not all on the same level or the
sumo height. They have their superiors
and interiors and equals. 1 propose no
guessing on this subject, but take the Bible
for nv only authority. Plato, the philoso-
pher, guessed and divided angels into
supercelestial celestial and subcelestial
Dionysius, the Areopaglte, guessed and
divided them into three classes, the su-
preme, the middle and the last, and each
Of these into three other classes, making
nine in all. Philo said that the angels were
related to God, as the rays to the sun.
Fulgentlus said that they were composed
Of body and spirit. Clement said they
they had been in danger Of falling, but
now are beyond being tempted. But the
only authority on this subject that I re-
spect says they are divided into cherublm,
seraphim, thrones, Nominations, principal.
itie., powers. Their commander In chief
Is Michael. Daniel called him Michael.
st. John called him Michael. These
gu ptrnal beings are more thoroughly or
ganized than any army that ever marched.
They are swlfter than any cyclone that
ever swept the sea. They are more radiant
than any morning that ever came down
the sky. They have more to do with your
destiny and mine than any being In the
universe except God. May the Angel OF
the New Covenant. who is the Lord Jesus.
open our eyes and touch our tongue and
rouse our soul while we speak OF their
deathlessness, their intelligence, their
numbers, their strength, their achieve
ments.
Yes, deathess. They had cradle, but
will never have grave. The Lord remem-
bers when they were born, but no one
shall ever see their eye extingutshed or
their momentum slow up or their existence
wrinkle or decrepitude or hlndrance,
as young after 5000 years as at the close OF
their fret hour. Christ said OF the good
In heaven, "Nsither can they die any more,
for they are equal to the angels" Yes,
deathess are these wonderful creatures OF
whom I speak. They will see world after
word 20 out, but there shall be no fading
OF their own brilliance. Yea, after the last
world has taken its last flight they will be
ready for the widest circuit through I'm
menslty, taking a quadrillion OF miles In
one sweep as easy as pigeon circles
doyecot. They are never sick. They are
never exhausted. They need no sleep, for
they are never tired. At Gods command
they smote with death In one night $4,000
OF sennacherib's host, but no fatality can
smite them. Awake, agile, multipotent,
deathless, immortal
further characteristic OF these radiant
folk Is intelligence. The woman OF Tekoah
was right when she spoke to King David OF
the wisdom Of an angel. Wo mortals take
In what little we know through eye and
ear and nostrll and touch, but those beings
have no physical encasement, and hence
they are oil senses. A wall five feet thick
Is not solid to them. Through 1t they go
without disturbing fake Of mortar or crys-
tai OF Sand. Knowledgel It flashes on
them. They take It in at all points. They
absorb it. They gather 1t up without any any
hindermsnt. No need OF literature for
them. The latters of their books are stars.
The dashes OF their books are meteors. The
words of their books are consultations.
The paragraphs OF their books are gala1-
les. The pictures OF their books are sun
rises and sunsets and midnight auroras
and the Conqueror on the white horse with
the moon under his feet. Their library is
an open universe. No need OF telescope TO
instantly they are there to inspect and e4-
plore 1t. All ASTRONOMERS, oil geologies, all
botanies, all PHILOSOPHERS, at their feet.
What IN opportunity for intelligence Is
tLeirsl What facilities for knowing every
thing and knowing 1t right away!
There Is only one thing that puts them
to their Wits end, and the Bible says they
hsye to study that. They have been study
ing 1t all through the ages, and yet war
~ Nav f,,1It
wonders OF redemption. These wonders
are 80 high, so deep, so grand, 30 stupen-
dous, 80 magnificent, that even the To-
telIigence cf npgelhood Is confounded be-
fore 1t. The apostle says, (which things
the angels desire to look into" That Is
subject that excites inquisttivepess on their
part. That Is theme that strains their
faculties 10 the utmost. That Is higher
than they can climb, deeper than they can
dive. They have desire for something
too big for their prehension. (which
things the angels desire to look into"
But that does not dlscredlt their intelI-
gence. No one but God Himself can fully
understand the wonders Of REDEEM ption.
II all heaven should study it for fifty
eternities, they would get no further than
the A q OF that inea baustible subject.
But nearly NIL other realms OF knowledge
they have ransacked aud explored and
mpassed. No one but God can tell
them anything they do lot know. They
have read to the last word OF the last line
OF the last page OF the last volume OF in.
vestIRation, and what delights me most Is
that all their intelligence IL to be at our
disposal and, coming into their presence,
they will tell us In five minutes more than
we can learn by 100 years OF earthly sur
missing.
A further characteristic OF these immor.
49, Ill 1Nba
sometimes under the figure OF wings, so;ne-
times under the figure Of II flowing gar
ment, sometimes under the figure OF naked
feer. As these superhulnans are Without