The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1906-08-17


| rael,' he cried, when great hush had
fallen upon the assembly, for he has
| commanded me in the mountain to say
to the house of Jacob. and to tell the
| children of Israel: 'Ye have seen
what | did unto the Egyptians. and
| now l bare you on eagles wings and
brought you unto myself
AS the words were repeated end ali
> the people heard they bowed low, and
the memories which the words re-
called stirred them as they had not
been stirred before, and reused them
to that religious feryor which hung
eagerly on the rest of the message as
Moses might deliver it.
Now therefore," Moses contin-
ued, If We will obey my voice in
, deed, and keep my covenant, then We
Shall be a peculiar treasure unto me
above all people; for all the earth is
mine"
A great stiffness rested upon the
people as Moses ended the words of
the Lord, and then as though moved
by one spirit, that vast concourse of
people lifted their voices and shouted
until the very mountains on every side
fairly rang and shook with the volume
thereof:
All that the Lord hath spoken we
will do"
And with this promise upon their
lips, If indeed it had not sunk to the
depths of their hearts-it is so much
easier TO utter the pledge with the
mouth than it is to scar and burn
1t into the tablets of memory of the
heart-the people We're dismissed and
with the benediction of the place rest
ing upon them they returned to their
tents, while Moses went back to keep
vigil with God.
The next three days the people were
IN a culver of excitement, for Moses
had returned saying that upon the
third day the Lord would come down
upon the mountain in the sight Of all
the people.
I'VE have seen God in the Cloud |
by day and the Pillar of fire by night. |
what will this new manifestation be-"
And zealously they prepared them
selves for this solemn occasion.
God hath called us to be priests"
they said one to another, repeating
the words of Moses, and with a
beautiful spirit of submission they
fulfilled all the instructions which
Moses had given them
The third day broke as others had
done and the people were early astir
prepared to go forth as was their daily
custom and gather the mamma, when
from the mountain side about which
had settled a thick cloud there burst
thunderings and lightnings. In ter.
ror the people threw themselves on
their faces to the ground, and while
thus Frustrated there came a voice
from the mountain side as the sound
OF trumpet, exceeding loud so that
all the people in the camp heard and
trembled.
Thus Moses found them as he came
through the camp and summoned them
to follow him. Never before had the
sense of the majesty and the power
OF God SO filled them, and without
daring to ask why or whittier they
went, they obeyed Moses voice and
arose and went after him. And they {
came to the foot of the mountain, at I
the point where they had stood three
days before when they had promised I
that all that the Lord had spoken s
they would do, for now they were to ]
learn something of the great God
whom they had so soemnly promised 4
to obey. :
And Is 1t not ever so? In the fervor y
OF the souls better impulses, promises s
are made Of loyalty and obedience, and s
then God leads that soul out to a I
larger and fuller realization Of what c
Is involved in that promise, which +
II the soul had known at first, it would h
have trembled and drawn back from u
"S'oAAAS ZIG pleuS6. mus 1t is that | n
God seeks ever to urge the soul on
and on upward toward him.
What sight that was which burst
upon the startled vision of the Israel
ties. They had seen the religious fes-
,lvltles in Egypt and had looked upon n
ne gods which the Egyptians wor- +
SHIPPED, but surely here was a living 4
iod, for the mount was altogether n
IN a smoke. And fire and smoke
assembled as from furnance, and the y,
Whole mount did quake, while the "
Toice like a trumpet again sounded ~,
orth as it had on the previous occa- a,
lion. %
But now it waxed louder and loud- 9,
r, until Moses lifted up his voice o,
md spake, and God did answer him. 81
o that all the people heard. And God 70
allied Moses up to him in the mount W
nd Moses went up. ="
And all the people saw the thunder IN
ngs and the lightnings, and the noise 81
I the trumpet, and the mountain 10