The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-03-04
UNDER SEALED ORDERS.
March 7, 'os-(Acts S:2s-2S).

when nations are at war WIN
each other and 1t is deemed neces-
sary to conceal campaign plans from
the enemy, naval forces are often
sent to sea under sealed orders. No
one knows the destination OF the
feet, but the government officers.
The men who stand upon the bridges
Of the battleships are unaware of
the field Of their operations. Not
until the fleet is out upon the high
seas does the commander break the
seal and read the program for his
evolutions and the plan Of attack.
Plan Of Campaign.
1t was much that way with the
movements Of the church In the be-
ginning. They knew in a general
way that they were to preach the
gospel, both In Jerusalem and in
all Judea, and In Samaraia, and unto
the uttermost parts Of the earth"
but Just when and how 1t was to be
done was all unknown even to the
wisest of the apostles. Gods plan
of campaign included the home, the
relatives. the neighborhood, the ma
hAouns Al CNSl WiaShih6 SiiShSot NV
overlapping each other, but never
ceasing until the world was evan
geliezd. The army OF the Lord steauhy
recognized His invisible leadership.
Unquestioning Obedience.
A striking illustration of this prin-
ciple Is found In the career OF Philip,
the evangelist. He was in the midst
of a great revival in Samaria, the
whole city was being swept with re-
yival fire. when without the slightest
intimation of what was coming he
received orders to report for duty in
the middle of a barren desert 60
miles away, that lay between Jeru-
salem and GAIA. pnllip did not hesi-
tate a second. He knew that the
trains of duty make schedule time
and close connections, and he arose
and went. AT that very hour out
from Jerusalem was coming an
ethiopian, Prime Minister of
Queen Candace of Northern Africa,
continent that had not yet received
ray of gospel light. In his hand
he held manuscript of Isaiah's
prophecy, and he was trying to make
out of whom the old Hebrew prophet
was writing. In obedience to orders
Philip and that Eunuch met at the
junction Of the roads in that desert,
and the evangelist gave the Ethio-
plan his message, mustered him in
10 the service OF a mightier monarch
than an earthly queen, and sent him
ON his way to open recruiting sta
lions for the kingdom all over North
ern Africa. 1t seems like a mere
fortuitous combination OF circum-
stances, this floating together of two
atoms on the boundless sea of life.
but to the man of faith there is
nothing unaccountable or accidental
about it. 1t was mighty illustra-
tion of prompt and unquestioning
obedience to sealed orders. The
hand that guides the planets in their
courses arranged the schedule and
secured the result.
Secret of Success.
Instances like this might be multi
piled all through the ages. Some
of the most far-reaching results in
the realm of morals have been
wrought when the actors were en-
tirely unconscious of the conse-
4uences. Philip possibly never knew
what that conversation in the desert
meant to the world-certainly he
did not know that day that he had
kindled continental fire. This is
the explanation of many of the rid
dies of life. When David was fleeing
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his own son, he was being prepared
TO become the sweet singer Of Israel
Joseph was sold into Egypt but 1t
was all school of preparation for a
throne. Hugh Miller said. Il will
be stone mason; God said, You
will be a geologst." Men study law.
and bring up in the ministry Men
resolve to settle in one place, and
they become itinerants. They desire
to stay in the East, and they go to
the West All the circumstances or
life, all the work, different from
that which we expected. We enlist
in the infantry and serve In the cav
airy. We think we prefer the army,
and bring up in the navy. We have
taste for the rear guard and we
are put on the picket line. We de-
sire to Join the sharpshooters and
We swab the big guns. In other
words, not what the individual
chooses but what the Great Com
mander orders is the principle on
which this campaign is waged. Philip
could have found any number Of rea-
sons Tor staying right where he was.
To all human appearance he could
not be spared from Samaria. To
leave a multitude Of men to go after
one man was preposterous. Jerusa-
lem was much nearer the desert
than Samaria; there was a whole
theological seminary of ministers
there, why not send one of them?
But God uses the men that he can
count on. Napoleon had great
utho 81. H-rt III tn