Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-02-24

that jesus gave himself TO suffer and
die. Does rot this prove the inpor
lance OF man? II man Is not more
important than She stars. how can YOU
account for the fact that weeks. Der
haps months, before Jesus was born in
the manger mt Bethlehem God sent a
stellar messenger 60 guide the wise
men from the east? Would a star ster
out of it's course and with finger OF
light become a guide to man? Does
not the fact that star was a messen-
ger TO man at the first Christmas morn
prove TO you that God has enrolled
among the astronomical hosts mighty
forces which. if necessary, are ready
to serve us and our interests? How
this ''star of the east was able to slim
it's chains and run down the boule-
wards of the heavens we know not.
Some OF the astronomers declare the
star Of the east was not a single
star at all, but in order TO lead those
wise men God wheeled into line two.
three. perhaps fifty, thousand, stars
and focused all their lights upon the
stony crib. But. whether the star in
the east was single star or twenty or
a hundred stars, one fact we know
God made the heavens, with their con-
stellations, and they are at his COM
mand: they are his servants, and they
do his will"
But we are not compelled to put our
world in harmony with worlds millions
and billions Of miles away to find some
of the mighty forces God is able and
willing to command for mans life and
service, for mans safety temporal and
safety spiritual. We can hear God
speaking to man In the voice OF the
storm. We can see him smiling In
laughing eyed sunbeams. Furthermore.
we may learn that this voice and this
smile i'm answer to believing prayer
will come for mans blessing II We only
ask him for an atmospheric blessing.
When one Of the Princeton students
once asked DR.. Alexander, Professor,
do you ever lose your faith IN GodF'
he replied. "Never, except when the
wind is from the east" Yet we should
know that Gods greatest blessings can
come to rescue man sometimes when
the wind Is from the east" There
fore you and 1 as believing Christians
have right to pray for clear weather
during freshet as in times OF drought
we have n right TO pray for rain. Thus
If it is best for us God will answer our
prayers atmospheric.
That Strong East wind.
Gods power extends to all meteoro-
logical phenomena. Not yet have the
wonders OF the storm been reduced to
system. The weather bureaus prog
nostications frequently fail. AS with
Washington. as with Joshua, as with
Moses, Gods hand is outstretched for
the rescue OF his people. What Incl
dent In history Is so astonishing a. that
OF the passage OF the Red sea? The
children Of Israel, fleeing from Egyp-
tian enslavement, were caught in a
trap. In front OF them wus the sea.
Behind the earth was shaken with the
revolving chariot wheels and the thun-
dering cavalry hoofs OF the pursuing
soldiers Of Pharaoh. What happened?
Moses said: "Fear not, my children;
fear not God will rescue US" Moses
then stretched out his hand over the
sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go
back by ~ strong east wind" In other
words, in answer to Moses prayer God
sent strong east wind. which blew
back the waters so that the Israelites
might flee away from their masters.
And TO show what the power OF this
cast wind was Major General Tullocll
or the British army a few years ago be-
fore the London Geographical society
read paper in which he declared that
he stood a few years before I'm exactly
the same place where those Israelites
were supposed TO have crossed. One
night he felt a strong east wind blow.
1t blew so hard that I'm one night IL
blew back the waters and left the ships
which We're once riding mt anchor
stranded on dry land. God answered
Moses prayer. lie answered IL through
the agency OF the east wind.
God exercises the same control over
his animate creation that he has over
the winds, and with this, too, he oper-
ates for the benefit OF his people.
After the children OF Israel had been
for months living upon the mamma in
the wilderness they began to crave
meat. They cried unto Moses: "Give
us flesh TO eat! Give us heshr' What
happened? The Bible says: There
went forth n wind from the Lord and
brought quails from the sea and let
them fall by the camp - . as it were
two cubits high upon the face OF the
earth" This does not mean, as Mr..
Hastings declares, that the Lord by
an east wind piled up dead quals
about the Israelite camp two cubits
high. But IL does mean that the east
wind blew the quails. against their
VIII, straight toward the Israeiites.
The wind was so powerful that the
birds, heavy OF body and short OF
wing. had to fly low on account OF the
tornado. And as they few low the
men killed them. God answered the
prayer OF Moses. He answered II In
the shrieking OF winds.
Some Modern Miracles.
But why go back In Biblical history
TO ind how God has aided his children
In the voice OF the winds? What about
the Spanish armada under the golden
duke" Admiral Sidonia, with its 129
ships. defeated from invading British
harbors not by the English cannon,
but by the tornado which swept the
English channel ia 1888? What about
the storm which prevented Napoleon
attacking Wellington at Waterloo in
the early morning and which delay
was a great factor in the triumph OF
the English? What about the dense
and impenetrable fog which settled in
New York harbor in the early morning
of the day on which Washington and
his troops escaped from Long Island
and made it possible for the American
boats to row to safety under the very
guns OF the British feet, which could
have annihilated them? What about
the frost which came in answer to
Americas prayer just at the right time
after a thaw which destroyed the 10
Gusts by the millions a few years ago
in our western states, where they wefe
destroying the crops everywhere
Were not those storms and those frosts
the voice OF God in answer to prayer
annlino IN tho aiH of hiS chitdra,c T