The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-01-21

tive out before the battle II won They
are keer, and sharp Of mind. but have
no physical endurance. They have the
Ak head, but no handle. The body II
the handle Of the sorl.
Let all those who toll for their edu-
cation remember they are especially
favored. and IL things go against them
and the Ak head should fly the heIye
that very Underwent may some time
turn out advantageously. as the acci-
dent by the river Jordan. which SEEM
ed to finish the young students capac-
ity TO help build the new seminary.
resulted in a splendid demonstration
OF the power OF Elisha's God 10 help
any one who helps himself. No Ak that
was ever welded has wrought so we'll
as that ak. the handle and head OF
which parted.
Notice. also. how God is superior to
strongest law of nature. the law OF
gravitation. The stick that Elisha
threw into the Jordan foated. but the
ax head sank. By memorable law il
must 60 down into the depths of the
Jordan, yet without so much as q
touch the hard. heavy metal sought
the surface. There ii is. the floating
a. head. What Il rebuke TO those who
reject miracles on the ground that they
are contrary to nature, as though the
law were stronger than the God who
made the law! Again and again in Bible
times was that law revoked. Witness
the scene on the banks of the same Jor-
dan, where, in after time. the AK head
sank and rose. Elijah stood there,
wearing cape Of sheepskin, when there
was a mighty stir in the air and a
flashing eqUipage descended. Elijah
stepped into il, and on wheels Of fire.
drawn by horses Of fire. he rose. Fifty
men for three days searched the noun
tains TO see if the body Of Elijah had
not been dropped among the rocks and
picked at by birds Of prey. but the
search was in vain. The law Of gravi-
tation had been defeated.
Wonders of Divine Power
There Christ stood by his disciples
on the Mount Of Olives after his COM
ing out of the sepulcher. No ladders
let down for his ascension, but his feet
lift from the hill, and he goes up until
the curtain Of cloud drops. and be is
invisible. Law of g%ravitation again
embarrassed. Enoch. Methuselah's ia
Their. escaping death. wen up bodily
and will haye no need of resurrection.
So will all the good who shall be still
alive at the end of the world. They
will not need wings. Every one of the
millions of our planet who loved and
served the Lord. if then alive. will "be
caught up" as the Bible says. body as
paralyZed. God mightier than any law
he ever created. Oh. l like the mira
Giles because they show God independ-
ent Of everything.
Notice also the divine power in the
backwoodS. Wonderful things were
done at the cities of Jericho and Jeru-
salem and Babylon and Nineveh. and
the great cities Of u time have seen
the divine power. but this miracle of
my text was in the backwoods. far
away from the city. in the lumber dis
tricts, where the students had zone to
cut timber for the new theological
seminary. And if this sermon shall
come. as it will come. like my other
sermons for the last thirty years. with
out missing a week, let me say to those
far away from the house of God and
in the mountain districts that my text
shows the divine power in the back
woods. The Lord by every stream as
be certainly was by the Jordan, on ev-
cry mountain as surely as he was on
Mount Zion. on every lake as on Tt
berias. by every. rock as by the one
whose gushing waters slaked the thirst
Of the marching Israelites.
Do not feel lonely because your near
est neighbor may be miles away. be-
cause the width Of the continent may
separate you from the place where your
cradle was rocked and your fathers
grave was dug. Weakened though you
may be by lions roar or %panther's
scream. God will help you. whether at
the time the forest around you raves
in the midnight hurricane or you suffer
from something quite insignificant. like
the loss of an AK head. Take your
Bible out under the trees, if the wealth
er will permit. and after you have lis
tened to the solo Of a bird in the tree
tops or the long meter psalm Of the
thunder. read those words Of the Bible.
which must have been written out Of
doors: THE trees Of the Lord are full
Of sap. the cedars Of Lebanon which
he hath planted. where the birds make
their nests; as for the stork. the fir
trees are her house. The high hills are
q refuge for the wild goats and the
rocks for the comics. Thou makest
darkness. and it is night. wherein all
the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
The young lions roar after their prey
and seek their meat from God. The
sun ariseth. they gather themselves to-
gether and lay them down in their dens.
Man goeth forth unto his work and to
his labor until the evening. o Lord.
how manifold are thy works! In wis
dom hast thou made them all. The