The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1899-11-03

diseredit their intelligence. No ore
but God Himself can fairly understand
the wonders of redemption. If all
Heaven should study it for 50 centuries,
they would get no further than the
\ Ii c of that ~inexhaustible subject.
But nearly all other realms of know
edge they have ransacked and explored
and comprised. 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 viii tell
ms in five minutes more than we can
learn by 100 years of earthly surmis-
ing.
a further characteristic Of these inn
mortals is their velocity. This the Bible
puts sometimes under the figure of
wings, sometimes under the figure of a
flowing garment, sometimes under the
figure of naked feet. As these super
humans are without bodies. these en-
pressions of course are figuratiyc and
mean swiftneSs. The Bible tells us that
Daniel was praying and Gabriel few
from Heaven and touched him before
he got up from his knees. How far.
then, did the angel Gabriel have TO fly
in those moments of Daniels PRAYER?
Heaven is thought to be the center Of
the universe. Our sun and its planets
only the rim of the wheel Of worlds.
In a moment the angel Gabriel few
from that center TO this periphery.
Jesus told Peter he could instantly have
$4,000 angels present II he called for
them. What foot of antelope or wing of
olbatrCss could equal that velocity?
Law of gravitation, which grips all
things else. has no influence upon an
gelic momentum, Immensitics before
them open and shut like a fan. That
they are here is no reason why they
should not be a quintillion of miles
hence the next minute. Our bodies him
der us. but our minds can circle the
N'i u ~ u minute NHS'll' h'liiES hit
bodiless and have no limitation. God
may with His finger point down to
some world in trouble on the outmest
limits of creation, and instantly an an
gelic cohort is there to help il. or some
celestial may be standing at the farther
most outpost of immensely. and God
may say Gomez" and instantly it is in
His bosom. Abraham, Elijah, Hagar,
Joshua, Gideon. Manoah, Paul, st. John,
could tell of their unhindcred locomo-
ton. The red feet of summer lightning
are slow compared with their hegiras.
This doubles up and congresses infini-
11des into intinitesimnls. This puts all
the astronomical heavens into a space
like the balls Of a child's rattle.
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 mapy there
are. but all the Bible accounts suggest
their immense numbers-companies Of
ihem, regiments Of them, armies OF
them, mountain tops haloed by them,
skies popuIous 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. 00O. 900. But these are only the
angels in one place. David counted 90
Geo of them rolling down the sky in
chariots. When God came away from
the riven rocks of Mount Sinai the
Bible says lie had the companionshipo Of
10000 angels. think they are in every
battle. in every %eNigency, at every
birth. at every pillow, at every hour. at
every moment. the earth full Of them,
The heavens full of them. They out
rnmber the human race in this world.
They outnumber ransomed spirits in
glory. When Abraham had his knife
uplifted TO STAY 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. 1t was an angel that
showed IIagar the fountain where she
filled the bottle for the lad. II 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
ems. 1t 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
chantcd when Christ was born. 1t was
angel that strengthened our Saviour
in His agony. 1t was an angel that en-
couraged Paul in the Mediterranean
shipWreck. II was an angel that burst
open the prison. gate after gate, until
Peter was liberated. II was an angel
tha, stirred the pool of Sloan. where
he sick were healed. II was an angel
that John saw flying through the midst
of Heaven. and an angel with foot plant
cd on the sea. and an angel that opened
The book, and an angel that sounded the
trumpet, ard an angel that thrust in
the sickle. and an angel that poured out
The walls. and an angel standing in the
1t will be an angel with uplifted
hand swearing that time shall be no
In the great final harvest of
the world the reapers are the angels.
Yea. and the Lord shall be revealed from
with mighty angels. Oh, the
Numbers and the might and the glory
Of these snpernals--feets of them,
of them, host beyond host,
rank above rank. millions on millions.
and all on our side IL we will have them.
Whatan incentive to purity and right
is this doctrine that we are
continually under angelic observation!
Eyes ever on you, SO that the most Sc
,ret misdeed is committed in the midst
r 49,