The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-11-03
GODS
MESSENGERS
BY REV. STEPHEN PAULSoN

80 '"O supp NiiN ANdliAA'o ~
the universe-God and man. From
time to time messages are exchanged
between them and that Is religion.
When man speaks to God 1t is prayer
and worship. When God speaks to
man II Is guidance aud inspiration.
What God did once for prophets and
apostles, He does for merchants and
husbandmen.
Not that Gods messengers always
speak with human voices. He speaks
through mans inner consciousness,
through memory, through some Incl.
dent or occurrence in your life. To
David God spoke by the sad and stern
prophet. To Solomon He spoke
through fear to Peter through a
simple meal spread on the shore OF
the lake. And so every day Gods
messengers stand at the door Of your
soul bringing encouragement or
warning, or Oyertures of love from
Prof. A. N. Ten Eyck, superinten
The voice of conscience in mans
soul is the voice Of God What won
derful picture of the accusatory power
OF conscience is drawn In Shakes
peare's tragedy of Macbeth After ac.
complishng his purpose on Duncan
Macbeth goes into his wife's room and
locks the door 1t is midnight and the
stars are shining brightly, and II is
30 still that they can hear each others
heart beat. But Macbeth hears foot.
steps approaching the door, and a
voice which says: Sleep no more:
Macbeth hath murdered sleep" Like
Jacob the guilty king had met Gods
messengers, and eyermore he was to
hear In the night the football OF the
unseen pursuer. that Nemesis which
was upon his track. Oh. 1t is a long
and thrilling journey that man makes
through life, and every day the mes.
sengers OF God meet him. and some
times he heeds their message. but
often he takes his own way and wan
ders off into the desert
The life drama of which this meet.
Ing with the divine messengers is a
part. has to do with the education of
Jacob. He had deceived his aged and
blind father. robbed his brother, and
Is now fleeing from his wrath. He Is
In the desert and is overcome by re.
morse. and he fears that armed men
may overtake him and bring him back
10 punishment. In that day he prayed
that night might come and hide him.
When night fell he was alone with
nature and God. The stars above him
seemed to pierce into his soul like
accusing eyes. He knelt and prayed
and then he fell into a troubled slum.
Der. And 1t seemed to him that a
bright star heightened into a long
beam Of light that reached to the
earth, and the beam of light broad.
ened into stair up which the angels
OF God took his prayer and penltence,
and down which they brought encour.
agement and mercy. And hope began
10 stir in his heart that God might
pardon his sins. and that in Gods mer.
cy he might redeem the future.
How human and real is this chapter
in the story of mans soul IL might
be a page torn out of our own biog.
raphy. The epoch of divine messen.
gers is not gone. There IL no life so
isolated no talent so small. but that
God has for It his message and pur.
pose. In the river that flows to the
sea, the individual drop loses Its iden.
tity, but In the great river of human.
ity that flows to eternity. there Is no
loss of individual identity. Each soul
Is as 1t were separate star divided
by millions Of miles from its neighbor.
Jacob went on his way aud the
,P -
your own story. Do not look for some
great manifestation when God speaks
10 you. When God made Himself
known TO Elijah great earthquake
shook the foundations OF the noun.
tains, but God was not in the earth.
quake: and a fire come which bis.
tered the rocks. but God was not In
the fire; and a windstorm came which
uprooted the trees, and God was not
in the storm; and there came a still,
small voice. and God was In that still
fmall voice.
so the messengers OF God come 20
you In the still small voice Of daily
experience. Memory bears In her
arms the sheayes Of the yesterday,
and 1t Is to you messenger Of God
Alone in the desert, Jacob remem.
bered his past life with all It's sordld
ineanness The faces Of his aged par.
ents and Of his wronged brother came
un before him. Some mems sins 20
before them into judgment and some
march like caravans under the guild
nnce of memory.
What an illustrated volume is the
book of memory. In this very mo
ment you may open 1t upon your lap
There is the old house where you
we're born, and here are the faces OF
your playmates. Now you walk old
paths. and now you look upon the
faces OF friends separated from you
by many years. What magic is here .
Yet what sacred ministry.
In the desert Jacob feared the con,
sequences of his misdeeds. and fear
may also be a messenger of God. A
wise man OF old said The fear Of the
Lord Is the beginning of wisdom" II
n wisdom indeed that fears to do
wrong. that turns man from evil pur.
poses. Such fear may save a mans
soul, even as the warning OF danger
at the edge OF precipece may save
mans life.
Love Thy Nelghbor.
Ieaue Christ tOOk hia atann AT tha