The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1899-11-01


real and to have much to do with our
everyday life. The text is Judges xiii,
10, and the angel did wondrously.''
Fire built on rock. Manoah and his
wife had there kindled the flames for
sacrifice in praise of God and in honor OF
a guest whom they supposed to be
man. But as the fame rose higher and
higher their stranger guest stepped INTO
the fame and by one red leap assembled
into the skies. Then they knew that
was an angel Of the Lord. The angel
did wondrously'
Two hundred and forty-eight times
does the Bible refer to the angels, yet L
never heard or read sermon on angel
ology. The whole subject is re!egated
to the realm mythical. weird, spectral
and unknown Such adjournment is
un-Scriptural and wicked. OF their life,
their character. their habits, their ac
lions. their velocities, the Bible gives us
full length portraits, and why this pro-
longed and absolute silence concerning
them? Angelology is my theme.
There are 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 | chiefly speak to-
day. Their capital, their headquarters,
their grand rendezvous, is heaven, but
their empire is the universe. They are a
distinct race of creatures. No human
being can ever join their confraternity.
The little child who in the Sabbath
school sings, I want to be an angel
will never have her wish gratifed. They
are superhuman. but they are of different
Io<. al all thn .lf1lla
level or the same height. They have
their superiors and interiors and equals.
/ propose no guessing on this subject,
but take. the Bible for my own authority.
Plato, the philosopher. guessed and d.
vided angels into supercelestial, celestial
and subcelestial Dionysius, the Areopa
Cite, guessed and divided them into three
classes, the supreme, the middle and the
last, and each of these into three other
classes, making nine in all. Philo said
that angels were related to God, as the
rays to the sun. Fulgentius said that
they were composed of body and spirit.
Clement said they were incorporeal. All
gustine said that they had been in dan
ger of falling but now are beyond being
tempted But the only authority on this
subject that [ respect says they are di-
vided into cherubim seraphim, thrones,
Nominations, principalities, powers. Their
commander in chief is Michael Daniel
called him Michael. st. John called him
Michael. These supernal beings are more
thoroughly organized than any army that
ever marched. They are swifter than
any cyclone that ever swept the sea.
They are more radiant than any morn
ing that ever came down the sky. They
have more to do with your destiny and
mine than any being in the universe ex-
cept 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 death
lessness, their intelligence, their numbers,
their strength, their achievements.
The Deathless Angels.
Yes, deathless. They had cradle. but
will never have a grave. The Lord re-
members when they were born, but no
one shall ever see their eye extinguished
or their momentum slow up or their ex-
istence terminate The oldest of them
has not a wrinkle or decrepitude or
hindrance. as young after 5000 years as
at the close Of their first hour. Christ
said to the good in heaven, Neither can
they die any more, for they are equal
unto the angels" Yes, deathless are
these wonderful creatures of whom |
speak. They will see world after world
go out, but there shall be no fading of
their own brilliance Yea, after the last
world has taken its last fight, they will
be ready for the widest circuit through
immensely. taking a quadrillion of miles
in one sweep as easy as pigeon circles
a doyecot. They are never sick. They
are never exhausted. They need no sleep,
for they are never tired. At Gods con,-
mand they smote with death, in one
night, 185, 600 Of Sennacherib's host, but
no fatality can snite them. Awake,
agile, multipotent, deathless, immortal!
A further characteristic of these radi-
ant folk is intelligence. The woman of
Tekoah was right when she spoke to
King David Of the wisdom of an angel.
We mortals take in what little we know
through the eye and ear and nostril and
touch, but those beings have no physi-
cal incasement, and hence they are all
senses. a wall five feet thick is not solid
to them. Through it they go without dis
turbing fake of mortar or crystal Of
sand. Knowledge! 1t flashes on them.
IuCJ Ldhc IL al d. ali pOiulS. Iney ID-
sorb it. They gather it up without any
Underwent. No need of literature for
them The letters Of their books are
stars. The dashes Of their books are me-
teors. The words of their books are con
stellations. The paragraphs of their
books are galaxies. The pictures of their
books are sunrises and sunsets and mid
night 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 see something mill
ions Of miles away, for instantly they are
there to inspect and explore it. All as
tronomies, all geologies, all botanies. all
PHILOSOPHERS, at their feet. What an OPP
portunity for intelligence is theirs! What
facilities for knowing everything and
knowing it right away!
Wonders of Redemption.
There is only one thing that puts them
to their wits end, and the Bible says
they have to study that. They have been
studying it all through the ages, and yet
| warrant they have not fully graspei it
the wonders of redemption. These
wonders are so high, SO deep, so grand,
SO stupendous, SO magnificent, that even
the intelligence OF angelhood is confound-
oil y.nf :