The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-12-29
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON GV
DR.. w. w. W.. WILSON,.
. Theme: Divine Guidance.

Brooklyn, N. "A JIG DStAHO
Avenue NJ. E. Church Sunday morn
ing the pastor, the Rev. DR.. w. w. W.
Wilson, preached at appropriate ser
mon on "Divine Guidance" The text
was from Deuteronony32:2: AS
the eagle stirreth up her nest, flut-
tereth over her young, ~spreadeth
her wings, taketh them, heareth them
on her wings; so the Lord alone did
lead him, and there was no strange
God with him" DR.. Wilson said:
1t was a supreme moment in the
history Of Israel when Moses, their
law-giver and leader, was about to be
taken from them. Standing at the
base of the mountain, to whose sum-
NIT God had called him and from
which he was to receive a view OF the
promised land, ere he was gathered
to his fathers, he collected the people
about him and proceeded to deliver
to them his farewell address, words
ever fraught with greatest interest to
the nearer. At the close of his ad-
dress he breaks forth in r%apturous
song, one Of the richest and sub
FINEST climaxes of which Is the one
of the text.
1t Is supposed that the habits Of
the eagle were noticed and studied
by Moses in his life in indian, and
that as he reviewed the history OF
Gods people he realized that the one
was entirely apropos to the other.
While following her motherly instinct
she had with great care and labor
prepared her nest, gathering a tw1g
here and another there, a branch
from this spot and another from that,
each one requiring a separate flight
to her distant and barren home, and
although she had with the material
furnished prepared it In the most
careful manner, twining and inter-
twining, inlaying and OVERLAPPING, pro-
viding for the comfort and con-
venience Of her offspring, as well as
for the security Of the same, no yes
sci ever being more securely anchored
amid the tempest than her nest
against the eddying storms which
swept her mountain home, yet when
her offspring reached a sufficient size
and gathered strength enough to sally
forth and seek their own food, yet for
fear Of falling, or Of hunger, inclined
to remain, the same talons and beak
that carefully provided the nest would
ruthIessly tear 1t asunder and make 1t
so positively uncomfortable that they
were compelled to fly or If they still
refused she would destroy the nest
altogether-no nest being deemed as
valuable as what it contained.
Just so with God in His dealing
with His people, Israel. There was
no resting place He did no. provide
and none He did not disturb. HIS
tory repeats itself. The same is &C.
curing with US to-day. No sooner
are we comfortably fixed in any re-
spect, than the disturbing hand Of God
comes and tears up the nest and
throws US for our good, upon our own
resources, when, depending upon
them, assisted by Him, we develop a
greater hardihood. 1t is because of
this that governments change, for
tunes are wrecked, society is dis
turbed, homes are despoiled, and
even churches undergo the mutations
which are everywhere seen.
But not only does the eagle stir up
her nest and utterly destroy it, If
need be, to get her fedglings out Of
it, thus placing them upon their own
resources, but she flutterS over them
and rises above them, and by the
rapid motions Of her own wings,
teaches them to use theirs. Sir
Humphry Davy tells us that he once
saw a very interesting signt above
one Of the crags of Ben Nevis as he
was going in pursuit Of black game.
Two parent eagles were teaching
their offspring, two young birds, the
maneuvres Of fight. They began by
rising from the top of the mountain
in the eye Of the sun. 1t was about
midday, and bright for that climate.
They at first made small circles and
the young birds initiated them. They
poised on their wings waiting until
they had made their fret fight, and
then took a second and larger gyra-
ton, always rising toward the sun
and charging their circle Of fight, SO
as to make a gradually ascending
spiral. The young ones still and
slowly followed, apparently flying
better as they mounted, and they
continued this sublime exercise, al
ways rising, until they became mere
specks in the air, and the young ones
were lost, and afterWard the parents,
to his aching sight.
How like Gods treatment Of Israel.
He not only stirred up their nest, but
lowered above them in the pillar Of
cloud by day and the pillar of fire by
night, ever going before and leading
them on to newer and greater con
quests, where they trusted in Him
and to ignominious defeat where they
didn't. So God in Christ hovers over
and Is ever lear US.
Notice Him in childhood, how ODE.
dent; In manhood, how industrious;
in poverty and persecution, how pa.
tient; in trials, how submissive; in
abuse, how forgiving; in death, how
triumphant; in His ascension with
open hands bestowing blessings on
q world which gave Him a manger
for a birthplace and a cross for a
deathbed. He is in all respects our
leader. He shows US how to go, and
goes before US. How can we hope to
succeed without Him?
A traveller in a mountainous coun.
try asked a fellow traveller to give
him a description Of a road, which, he
did. But fearing that he would not
remember it he wrote it down, and as
he took the chart and started he
looked up the rugged rocks and be.
gan to despair, and folding the paper
he started back, when a voice was
heard, BE Of good cheer. Don't
despair. Follow me-"
We had oral descriptions at first Of
the heavenly way. And they were
afterward put in writing, the Bible
being given US. But better than this,
which of itcn1f a1Ona iS ,ade0uate