Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1901-06-20

which are only a few crumbling pill
lars left. Sodom and Gomorrah are
covered by waters so beautiful that not
a fish can live in them. Babylon and
Nineveh are so blotted out of existence
that not one uninjured shaft of their
ancient splendor remains. Nothing but
Omnipotence could have put them
down and put them under. The ante
diluvian world was able to send to the
postdiluvian world only one ship, with
very small passenger list Omnipo-
tence first rolled the seas over the land
and then told them to go back to their
usual channels as rivers and lakes and
oceans. AT Omnipotent command the
waters pouncing upon their prey and
at Omnipotent command Sinking back
into their appropriate places. By such
rehearsal we try to arouse our appre-
citation of what omnipotence Is, and
our reverence Is excited, and our adora-
ton Is intensified, but after all we find
ourselves at the foot of a mountain we
cannot climb, lowering over depth
we cannot fathom, at the rim of cir
conference we cannot compass, and
we feel like first going down on our
knees and then like falling fiat upon
our faces as we exclaim. 10, these are
parts of his ways. But how little
portion is heard of him? But the thun-
der of his power who can understands
So all those who have put together
systems of theology have d1scoursed
also about the wisdom Of God. Think
of wisdom which can know the end
from the beginning, that knows the
thirtieth century as well as the first
century. We can guess what will hap
pen, but it is only guess. Think of
mind that can hold all the past and all
the present and all the future. We can
contrive and invent on small scale,
but think of a wisdom that could con-
trive a universe. Think Of a wisdom
that can learn nothing new, wisdom
that nothing can surprise, all the facts,
scenes and occurrences of all time to
come as plainly before it as though
they had already transpired. He could
have built all the material universe
into one world and swung it, glorious
mass, through immensely, but behold
his wisdom in dividing up the gran
deurs into innumerable worlds, rolling
splendors on all sides, diversity, ampli-
tude, majesty, infnity. Worlds, worlds,
moving In complete order, shining with
complete radiance. Mightiest telescope
on one hand and most powerful micro
scope ON the other, discovering in the
plan of God not one imperfection. What
but divine wisdom could have planned
q human race and, before 1t started,
built for it world like this, pouring
waters to slake human thirst and CIV
ing soils capacity to produce such food
and lifting such canopy of clouds,
embroidered with such sunlight, and
surrounding the world with such won
ders that all the scientists of the ages
have only begun to unroll them? WIS
dom in magnitude and In atom, In arch
angel and In mollusk. Think of wis
dom that was able to form without any
suggestion or any model to work by
the eye, the ear, the hand, the foot, the
vocal organs No wonder that Galen,
the most celebrated of medical authors
among the ancients, fell on his knees at
the overwhelming wisdom of God In
the constitution of the human frame.
Our libraries are filed with the wis
dom of the great thinkers of all time.
Have you considered the far superior
wisdom which fashioned the brain for
all those thoughts of the Infinite mind
that built those intellects? But 1T Is
only the millionth part of that wisdom
that has come to mortal appreciation.
Close next to every discovery is won
der that has not been discovered. We
see only one specimen among 10000
specimens. What we know is over
whelmed by what we do not know.
What the botanist knows about the
flower is not more wonderful than the
things he does not know about the
flower. What the geologist knows
about the rocks Is not more amazing
than the things which he does not
know about them. The worlds that
have been counted are only small
regiment of the armies Of light, the
hosts of heaven, which have never
passed in review before mortal vision.
What God we have!
Past Understanding.
A tradition says that Abraham Of the
Old Testament was, when an infant,
hidden in cave because of the perse-
cutions of Nimrod. The first time the
child came out of the cavern it was
night, and he looked up at star and
cried, 'This is my God" But the star
disappeared, and Abraham said, mo,
that cannot be my God" After awhile
the moon rose, and Abraham said,
"That Is my God" But 1t set, and
Abraham was again disappointed. Aft.
err awhile the sun rose, and he said,
why, truly, here is my God" But
the sun went down, and Abraham was
saddened. Not until the God of the
Bible appeared to Abraham was he sat
isfied, and his faith was so great that
he was called 1.-The Father of the Faith
full" All that the theologians know of
Gods wisdom Is insignificant compar
ed with the wisdom beyond human
comprehension. The human race never
has had and never will have enough
brain or heart to measure the wisdom
of God. 1 can think Of only two authors
who have expressed the exact facts.
The one was Paul, who says: "Oh, the
depth of the riches, both of the wis
dom and knowledge of God! How I'M
searchable are his judgments and his
ways past finding outp' The other au-
thor was the scientist who composed
my text. 1 think he wrote 1t during
thunderstorm, for the chapter says
much about the clouds and describes
the tremor Of the earth under the re-
verberations. Witty writer's sometimes
depreciate the thunder and say it is the
lightning that strikes, but 1 am sure
God thinks well of the thunder, or he
would not make SO much of 1t, and all
up and down the Bible he uses the
thunder to give emphasis. 1t was the
thunder that shook Sinai when the law
was given. 1t was with thunder that
the Lord discounted the Philistines at
Eben-ezer. Job pictures the war horse
as having a neck clothed with thunder.
st. John in an apocalyptic vision again
and again heard the thunder. The
thunder, which Is now quite well ex-