Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1902-11-27
BEAUTY OF THE LORD
Divine LONELINESS Is Purify
ing.
Rev. j. Il. Butler Makes brief Serm-
on from Following Verse
In Scripture
Let the beauty Of the Lord our God be up

Let the beauty OF the Lord our God be up
on us Ps. eO-1T
As the great sea some times swelis
beyond it's usual bounds, and rushes in
to some inilowing stream, reversing its
current and enlarging It's volume, so
sometimes from the boundless heart OF
God there flows into human life divine
impulse, manifesting itself In u great
wish. The earnest desire expressed in
our text is an impulse OF this sort. Oh!
that the same great wish might take
posses of all our hearts today. The
wish is father OF the deed. Wishes
whether dark or divine are prophetic
OF destinies.
The Psalmist was reaching after the
beautiful. Man has discovered himself
too great to be satisfied with simply
the physical necessities of life.
Primitive man sat in his cave, salts
fed with a handful of raw flesh or a
bundle OF roots, bnt he has climbed out
Of his cave into the palace. Footsteps
/ fall lightly upon velvet carpetings.
| Paintings and libraries feast the soul,
while sweet strains of melody float
magically through the spacious apart
ments Of the modern home. Beauty,
iuexhaustable, is above and about W.;
but as yet how little appreciated. A
train load OF boot blacks sent by a
benevolent gentleman OF Detroit To eu-
JOY the Worlds Fair for day, rushed
through the Art building with whoop
ali unconscious of the wealth of beauty
that entranced for weeks the most Gull
tured people of the world.
Americas greatest pulpit orator
once said t"they are the richest men
in the world who are laying up the
brightest, the clearest and most help
full and noble conceptions of Cod"
These beauties of painting, archi-
lecture or landscape are only hints Of
the infinite graces that linger in the
a pervading Spirit OF God. Physical
beauty becomes type of spiritual
loveliness
AS winters spotless mantle silently
conceals the earth's decaying and re-
pusive forms from human eye, and
then in spring as quietly departs, leav-
ing the soil purified and refreshed, so
may the mantle Of divine beauty fall
upon our souls today, covering our mis-
takes and pre- JUDGES and purifying our
motives. AS the mantle of SUNSHINE
gently warns the earth, calling forth
flowers, foliage and fruitage, In like
manner may the beauty of the Lord
come upon our lives today, making us
rich tt morrow in manly heroic deeds.
AS well might we try TO grasp the
various tints Of the rainbow, and one
by one bring them down to analyze and
define, as TO attempt to describe the
various elements OF the beauty in Gods
character. But let US glance at some
of them. FIRST. there is joy. The most
joyful being in this universe is God.
The troubles and vexations of this life
are to Him only ripples on the surface,
while the infinite sea OF His Joy rests
calm and undisturbed.
Another element is compassion.
Where is there more beautiful pic
ture than that drawn by our Savior
where the good Samaritan halts by the
wayside to look upon the bruised and
bleeding form OF an unfortunate man
who had fallen among thieves. Gently
placing him upon his own beast and
taking him TO an inn, he kindly cares
for him.
Then there is gentleness. The same
Hand that planted the mountains gen.
thy strokes the infants brow and wipes
the tear Of grief from the mothers
cheek. 1t plants the lily and shapes
he snowflake.
Here also is inspiration. Travel
stained, foot sore, scorched, pill
grims Of earth, lift your eye this
day TO the ever flowing fountain OF
divine 10 spiration. Here Is refresh
ment and life. Finally, behold 10 our
Lord unfaltering constant hop, fulness.
Not the shadow Of an apprehension
or doubt can cross his pathway. With
the scope of boundless eternities In
which TO work; with ipexhaustable re-
sources at hand; and with no other mo-
tive than that of universal good will
toward all his creatures, he absolute
ly knows that all things shall work to-
gether for good to them that love
Him"
Foley's Honey and Tar for coughs
and colds: reliable. tried and tested |