Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-09-22

mountain ranges, which ran up and
down the continents, giving strength
to the land as the vertebra does to tho
human frame.
The work went on for ages upon
ages. The divine workman's tools
We're fire and storm and hail aud pencil
OF ice and volcanic eruption. A mighty
workman is God. Mighty are the ele-
ments and the times which he used as
the means for his creation OF the hills.
We must honor the divine strength of
the Creator OF the hills. That strength
alone was sufficient to pile up the Mat
terhorn and Mount Chimborazo and
Mount Gualtahera and Mouat Nevada
de Sorata and Mount Everest. ON.
nipotent as well as eternal is our Lord.
He alone hath created the hills and
created Us. Who Is "He that formeth
the mountains and treadeth upon the
high places OF the earth? The Lord.
the God OF hosts, is his name"
The beauty OF the Mountains.
But as I go wandering over the east
ern valleys with this herdsman OF my
text l say TO him: Amos. why do YOU
praise the hills? OF course it is right
and proper for one OF your poetic tenn
permanent to admire the gigantic cliffs
and the rocks. In the evening-hour it
Is beautiful to see the white clouds
waving their garments In the faces OF
these grim monsters, but. Amos, you
are not Nimrod nor an Esau. You do
not leave your fiocks and as a mighty
hunter pursue the wild goats that leap
from crag to crag. You care nothing
about Staying the hungry lion. unless
he comes down to steal one of your
lambs. Why do you not praise the val
leys and the green fields and harvests
and the orchards 2" Then see the old
prophet turn and look at me with
quiet smile as he answers: Friend, 1
am praising the green fields and the
vineyards and the orchards when 1 am
praislng the mountains. Do you not
know that the beauty and fertility OF
the valleys are dependent upon the
strength OF the hillsr The storlx builds
her nest in the Or tree. the grass grows
for the cattle, the grapes hang heavy
upon the vines and the harvest fields
are filed with grain merely because
the mountains shed their waters into
the valleys" Then say, Amos,
when thou art praising the God OF the
hills thou art rendering thanks unto
the divine Creator, whe feeds and
clothes and houses us" Then the old
prophet answers: Yes, my son. The
Lord of the hills is the God who is the
practical provider for the everyday
wants OF his Children
But though the God OF the hills feeds
and clothes US In the valleys. as he
feeds rhe birds OF the air and the
lilies OF the field. how few of us ever
stop to think OF his kindness and good
ness and care. Indeed we have been
accustomed to be fed and clothed by
him so long that few OF us ever stop
to give him thanks. We think the
blessings have come from the soil and
are the works OF our hands and not
from his hills. We feel great deal
toward God as a little boy felt toward
the care Of his father, with whom l
was talking some time ago. His
father was playing with him ADD teas
Ing him. The boy turned quickly and
said, IL don't like you" What" I
said to the boy, you don't like your
papa? What would you do &c your
papa should die? Where would you
get your clothes?' "Oh." answered
the boy, mamma makes me those.
Papa has nothing to do with them"
"Well," said. smiling. whose money
buys them, IL not papa'sY' mo"
he answered still more positively.
mamma makes them: papa has moth
Ing to do with them" Then l said.
"But IL your papa should die or GO
away where would you get your din
nerf" Again the little fellow said.
'Tbe groceryman would bring me
that" but who pays the grocery
manV Nobody" said he: "all that
mamma has TO do is TO tell the man to
Sring the dinner and he brings Il.
That Is all" So with some OF us. We
do not recognize the fact that the
divine Father does anything for us.
We do not believe that the God of the
hills has any part In our haryests. We
say, Our hands planted the corn
We think God has nothing to do with
our Clothes because our sheep grew the
wool. We assert that Cod has nothing
TO DO with our homes because our
lumber Is turned into the boards which
are nailed Into the walls. "Oh, no."
says Amos, that is not true; the God
or the hills waters the fields. He gives
drink and food TO the focks. He
nourishes the trees into mighty forests
IL IS Cod. and God alone. who provides
an Ought we not to give thanks TO
the God Of the hills who clothes US
and feeds us today?
An Incident of Thaekeray.
The providing OF our everyday wants
should be continually Acknowledged he
fore God. DIR. Taylor told q beautiful
incident about the life OF William M
Thackeray. After the author OF "yani-
~ Fair" had finished bis American lee
lure tour he was returning home.
When the ship was within a few hours
or Liverpool there was a farewell meet
Ing or the passengers in the main Sc.
loon A prominent minister arose and
spoke about as follows: Friends, we
must now part. Iwant to teil-you how
much have enjoyed this trip. 1t Is
a solemn fact to know that most of
us will never meet again until we as
semble at the Judgment seat OF Christ"
With that Mar. Thackeray arose and
said: cit Is solemn to think that we
are all to assemble at the Judgment
seat or Christ, but II Is even more sol
emn for me to think that every minute
or every hour OF every day God is hold
ing me In the hollow OF his hand and is
feeding me and clothing me wherever
may go. So, kastead OF thinking about
the Judgment seat at this time. IL nv
fellow passengers are willing. / would
Ike TO have our ministerial brother
lead US in prayer and thank God Ser
the care he has taken OF US during the
last ten days when we have been ON
snipDoard together. No storm has
wrecked us. No harm has come to us.
We shall soon be at home with our
friends" Aye. William NJ. Thackeray
wss right. 1t Is our duty to think OF
the God or the Judgment, but 1t is
also our duty every day to thank the
God OF the hills who feeds and clothes