The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-06-18

he uses the thunder 10 give emphasis. II
was the thunder that shook Sinai when
the law was given. II was with thunder
that the Lord discounted the Phiiistines
at Eben-ezer. Job pictures the warhorse
as having q neck clothed with thunder.
st. John, in an ~apocalyptic vision. again
and again heard the thunder. The thun-
der, which is now quite well explained BY
the electricians. was the overpowering
mystery of the ancients, and standing
among those mysteries Job exclaimed:
"Lo. these are parts OF his ways. But
how little a portion is heard of him? But
the thunder Of biz power who can under
stand?"
So, also, al systems Of theology try TO
tell US what is omnipresence-that is.
Gods capacity to be everywhere at the
same time. where Is Godf'' said a
heather philosopher to a Christian man.
The Christian answered. Let me first
ask you where be is not?" The child had
it right when asked how many Gods are
there and he answered, zone" How
do you know that?" he was asked again.
He answered, There is only room for
one, for he fills earth and heaven" An
author says that if a man were set in
the highest heavens he would not be any
hCoACi IL CSsSdNC "a oOd thdu IL lie
were in the center of the earth. be-
lieve il. If this divine essence does not
reach all places, what use in our prayer.
for prayers are being offered to God on
the other side Of the earth as we'll as
here. and God must be there and here to
take supplications which are offered
thousands of miles apart Ubiquity! No
one has it but God. And what an alarm
to wickedness, an everywhere present
Lord. and what a reinforcement when
we need help! God on the throne and
God with the kneeling child saying it's
evening prayer at his mothers lap. God
above you, God beneath you, God on the
right Of you. God on the left of you, God
within you. No ~pantheism, for that
teaches that all things are God, but Jeho-
yah possesses all things, as our souls DOS
sess our bodies. God at the diameter
and circumference Of everything, as close
to you as the food you put to your lips,
as the coat you put upon your back, as
the sunlight that shines in your face.
Appreciation of that, If through Jesus
Christ, the atoning Saviour, we are right
with God, ought to give US a serenity, a
tranquility. that nothing could upset.
Would 1t make US gioomy2 No, for God
is the God of joy and will augment our
happiness God In full possession Of US
is a thought out Of which you ought to
make anthems and intwine garlands and
kindLe Examinations.
The O~mnip1esence OF God.
We have all been painfully reminded in
our own experiences that we cannot be
here comes the thought that God can be
In oil 1ooac Of tho sauna TINA Nol1ar
the astronomer, went on with his explora-
tons until he concluded that the star AL
cyone, one Of the Pleiades, was the center
Of the universe, and it was a fixed world,
and all the other worlds revoived around
that world, and some think that that
world is HEAVIER and Gods throne is there,
and there reside the nations Of the blest.
But he is no more there than he is here.
Indeed, Alcyone has been found to be in
motion, and it also is revolving around
some great center. But no place has yet
been found where God is not present by
sustaining power. Omnipresence! Who
fully appreciates it? Not /. Not you.
Sometimes we hear him in a whisper.
Sometimes we hear him in the voice Of
the storm that jars the A~dirondacks.
But we cannot swim across this ocean.
The finite cannot measure the infinite.
We feel as Job did after finding God in
the gold mines and the silver mines Of
Asia, saying. There is a vein for the
silver and a place for the gold where
they fine it." And after exploring the
heavens as ar astronomer and finding
God in distant worlds n becoming &C
quainted with Orion and Mazzaroth and
Arcturus and noticing the tides Of the
sea the inspired poet expresses his in
capacity to understand such evidences Of
wisdom and power and says: "Lo, these
are parts of his ways. But how little a
portion is heard of him? But the thunder
of his power who can understand"
So every system of theology has at
tempted to describe and define the divine
attribute of love. Easy enough is it to
define fatherly love, motherly love, conju-
gal love, fraternal love, sisterly owe and
love of country, but the love Of God de-
fes all vocabulary. For many hundreds
Of years poets have tried to sing it and
painters have tried to sketch it and min
listers Of the gospel to preach it and mar
tyrs in the fire and Christians on their
d%eathbeds have extolled it, and we can
tell what it is like, but no one has yet
fully told what it is. Men speak Of the
love of God as though it were first felt
between the pointing Of the Bethlehem
star and the pounding Of the cruci6xion
hammer. But no! Long before that ex-
listed the love Of God.
The nature of God never changes, and
from all eternity that holy passion glow
ed in the Infinite, and l think he was
throwing out worlds into space and in
habiting them and more worlds for the
application Of that love. He may not
have told the other worlds what he did
for this world. as he has not told US what
he did for them. l think the love Of God
was demonstrated in mightier worlds be-
fore our little world was fitted up for HUI
man residence. Will a man owning So
600 acres of land put all the cultivation
on a half acre? Will God make a million
worlds and put his chief affection on one
small planet? Are the other worlds and
larger worlds standing vacant, uninhab-
tied, while this little world is crowded
with inhabitants? No. it takes a universe
Of worlds to express the love of God.
| And there are other ransoms and other