Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-06-21

usual channels as rivers and lakes and
oceans. At Omnipotent command the
waters bouncing 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. aud our adora.
ton is intensified, but after oll we find
ourselves at the foot OF n mountain we
cannot climb, lowering over a 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 MS we eXclaim: ''Lo, these are
parts of his ways. But how little q
portion is heard of him? But the thun,
der of his power who can understandT p
So all those who have put together
systems Of theology have discoursed
also about the wisdom of God. Think
OF a wisdom which can know the end
from the beginning. that knows the
thirtieth century as well as the first
century. We can guess what viii hap.
pen, but IL is only Il guess. Think of a
mind that can hold ali the past and al
the present and all the future. We can
contrive and invent on small scale
but think Of wisdom that could con
trive universe. Think of a wisdom
that can learn nothing new, a wisdom
that nothing can surprise. all the facts,
scenes and occurrences of all time to
come as plainly before ii as though
they had already transpired. He could
have built all the material universe
into one world and swung 1t, n glorious
mass, through immensely, but behold
his wisdom in dividing up the gran
deurs into iDnumerable worlds, rolling
splendors on all sides, diversity, ampli-
tude, majesty, infinity. 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
a human race and, before 1t started,
built for it world like this, pouring
waters to Stake 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 ancicnts, 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 II IL
only the millionth part of that wisdom
that has come TO mortal appreciation.
Close next to every discovery is a 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 botanlst 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 n small
regiment of the armies of light, the
hosts Of heaven, which have never
passed in review before mortal vision.
What n God we have!
Past Understanding.
A tradition says that Abraham OF the
Old Testament was, when an infant.
hidden In n cave because OF the perse-
eutions OF Nimrod. The first time the
child came out OF the cavern IL was
night, and he looked up ut star and
cried, This is my God-' But the star
disappeared, and Abraham said, "No.
that cannot be my God" After awhile
the moon rose. and Abraham said.
That Is my God" But IL set, and
Abraham was again disappointed. Aft
er 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 "the Father of the Faith.
ful All that the theologians know of
Gods wisdom is insignificant compar-
ed with the wisdom beyond human
The human race never
has had and never will have enough
brain or heart to measure the wisdom
OF God. 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 un-
searchable are his judgments and his
ways past finding outr' The other au-
thor was the scientist who composed
my text. think he wrote IL during a
for the chapter SAYS
much about the clouds and describes
The tremor of the earth under the re-
Ierberations. Witty writers sometimes
iepreciate the thunder and say II is the |
lightning that strikes, but 1 am sure
iod thinks well OF the thunder, or he |
would not make so much OF II, and all |
Up and down the Bible he uses the
hunder to give emphasis. 1t was the |
hunder that shook Sinai when the law |
vas given. 1t was with thunder that
he Lord discounted the Philistines at
spen-ezer. Job pictures the war horse
IS having neck clothed with thunder.
't. John In an apocalyptic vision again
md again heard the thunder. The
hunder, which Is now quite well ex-
'lained by the electricians, was the
empowering mystery of the ancients.
md, standing among those mysteries.
ob exclaimed: 10, these are parts of
Ills ways. But how little a portion Is
heard OF him? But the thunder of his
'ower who can understand
So. also, all systems OF theology try
o tell us what is omnipresence-that is.
iod's capacity to be everywhere at the
anne time.- Where is God" said a hea-
hen philosopher to Christian man. The
answered, LET me first ask
'ou where he is not?" The child had
right when, asked how many Gods
re there. and he answered, "One.p
How do Won know that 90 he 49,. 81