The Tupelo journal., 1909-05-07

"Yea, my Lord, that I might under.
stand" faltered Esdras.
Il am sent unto thee to show thee
three ways and to set forth three
similitudes before thee. Wherefore,
If thou canst declare unto me IN I
will show thee also the way that
thou desirest to see and I will show
thee from whence the wicked heart
cometh."
Tell on, my Lord" eagerly ex-
claimed Esdras, for the yearning in
his heart was after the truth of God.
Then said Uriel the angel:
Go thy way; weigh me the weight
of the fire, or measure me the blast
of the wind, or call back again the
day that is past"
What man is able to do that, that
thou shouldst ask such things Of me?"
exclaimed Esdras in amazement.
IF / should ask thee how many
great dwellings are in the midst OF
the sea or how many springs are In
the beginning of the deep, or how
many springs are above the f1rma.
ment, or which are the outgoings OF
paradise, ~peradventure thou wouldst
say unto me: I eve went down
into the deep, nor as yet into hell;
neither did l ever climb up into
heaven Nevertheless, now have I
asked thee but only of fire and of
wind and of the day where through
thou hast passed. and of things from
which thou canst not be separated,
and yet canst thou give me 10 answer
of them" :
A long and painful silence followed,
In which there were peculiar STIR
rings in the heart of Esdras and a
pricking of his conscience as he
realized the wicked blindness of his
own heart. Then the angel again
broke the silence and said:
Thine own things and such as are
grown up with them thou canst not
know; how shouldest thou then be
able to comprehend the way of the
Highest, and the world being now out
wardly corrupted, to understand the
corruption that is evident in thy
sight?"
But it were better that we were
Eot at all than that we should live
still in wickedness and to suffer and
not to know wherefore" exclaimed
Esdras.
81 went out into a forest said the
o-~aJ ao~I tho %ro~o {ND1y counsel onI
said: Come, let us go and make war
against the sea, hat it may depart
away before us and that we may
make more woods The floods of the
sea also in like manner took counsel
and said: Come, let us go up and
subdue the woods of the plain, that
there also we may make us another
country The thought of the woods
was in vain, for the fire came and
consumed it. The thought of the
floods of the sea came likewise to
naught, for the sand stood up and
stopped them. If thou vert Judge
now betwixt these two" continued
Uriel, whom wouldst thou begin to
justify? Or whom wouldst thou con
DENIM"
verify it is a foolish thought that
they both have devised" spoke up
Esdras, thoughtfully, "for the ground
is given unto the wood; the sea also
hath his place to bear his floods"
"Ah," replied Uriel. Thou hast
given a right judgment; but why
;,,Irocf thoy not fhucn1f alcn1 Tor
like as the ground is given to the
wood and the sea to his floods, even
so they that dwell upon the earth
may understand nothing but that
which is upon the earth, and he that
dwelleth above the heavens may un-
derstand the things that are above
the height of the heavens"
Over the soul of Esdras there
swept a flood of contrition and of a
need of greater wisdom, and he cried
out in eager pleading:
81 beseech thee, o Lord, let me
have understanding"
"The more thou searchest," re-
sponded Uriel, 'the more thou shalt
marvel; for the world hasteth fast to
pass away and cannot comprehend
the things that are promised to the
righteous in time to come. For this
world is full of unrighteousness and
infirmities. But Of the things con-
corning which thou hast asked me
will tell thee. Listen: The evil is
sown, but the destruction thereof is
not yet come. By asu hath God
measured the times and by NUMBER
hath he numbered them. He doth
not move or stir them until the said
be fulfilled"