The Farmington times., 1918-12-06
THE HAND OF GOD

and hid themselves in the cave of
Makedah, and the Amorites were de-
livered unto Joshua.
There came also another time when
the sea was divided and the children
of Israel passed dry shod between the
walls of the parted waters. And,
when the hosts of Pharoah followed,
the waters closed in upon them, en-
quilted their chariots and swallowed up
the armies of the Egyptians, foot,
horse and draggoon, to the last man.
And upon still time again, amidst
the revelry and the drunken feast, the
doom of Babylon was written against
the candlestick on the plaster of the
wall in the palace of Belshazzar.
1t was all very long ago, in the days
of old, and the hand of God was on the
world.
And, things like unto these have
happened now, and in every thought
full mind the question arises: Is the
hand of God upon the world again?
We have the facts above related
from history. They are chronicled in
the Bible, which, among other things,
is the best authenticated history in
existence. The statements must be
true. No scholar now disputes the
statements set down in the Bible ir-
respective of his religious Beliefs or
whether he have religious beliefs at
all. =,
1t being a perfectly authenticated
| fact that there were times in the past
when God interfered with or directed
the affairs of men in this world, is it
not logical to suppose that He may
well dc so again?
1t is the same old world that God
| flung out of the hollow of His hand.
Man is the same being of soul and
body now that he was before the Py-
ramids were builded or Noah set out
in the Ark on the vast adventure OF
the deluge.
Surely there is as much reason to
suppose that the hand of God is,
therefore, upon the world now as in
any other time of the past.
And, if it be true, the least thought
full man that breathes the breath of
life today may well be sobered to the
most serious contemplation of this
manifestation.
If it be true, then it must also be
true that there is God and that He
still rules the world. And, this being
true, every other fact of which we
have possession sinks into tritiing in
significance.
Without attempting anything far
fetched, is it possible for one who has
knowledge of both old times and new
to find parallels in Bible history with
the events of the past four years?
Not only is this possible, but the
parallels are so sharp and so striking
as to leave one almost breathless with
astonishment.
Is it far-fetched to liken the heroic
stand of Belgium against Germany in
this war to that day when the sun
stood still on Gideon in order that
Joshua might have more time?
The war would have ended with VIC
tory for Germany in less than three
months after it began had not Bel
gium barred the path of the German
as he rushed with his mighty armies
to Paris. Neither France nor Eng
land was ready. 1t all depended on
Belgium to make the sun stand still
until they could be ready.
And that is just what Belgium did.
In all the annals of wars there has
never been a stand so heroic. Albert
of Belgium is the Joshua of our
times.
And again, even as the sea was part
ed for the children of Israel, and they |
passed safely between the parted walls |
of the waters, so have the great ships |
passed with 100000 Americans |
through mine-sown pillows and shoals
of deadly submarines, reaching the
shores of France almost unharmed |
and with scarcely the loss of man.
1t was the boast of Germany that |
we could not land an army in Europe |
to fight against her, and she was well
prepared to carry out her boast. But,
our army was landed. Its flag un-
furled in stars of glory on Flanders
fields; its arms turned the tides of bat
tie to victory on the Marne.
There will be explanations of the
wonder of this by those who make
maps and diagrams and who deal in
the chemistry of depth bombs and the
machinery of engines. But will their
explanations wholly satisfy? Will
there not still be something of it yet |
that can be explained only by the ma
ture of miracle?
Now that we know the stupendous
scheme on which Germany planned
this war, and, knowing also how
thoroughly prepared she was to carry
her plans to successful conclusion,
and knowing also how i'll prepared the
rest of the world was to withstand the
onslaught, how shall we explain Ger
many's utter defeat?
1t was the hand of God that defeat
ed Germany. There is no other ex-
planation that can ever hope to sat-
isfy the mind of any sane man.
With her allies armed to the teeth
and trained down to the last minute,
Prussia would have crushed the world
had only man opposed her.
Say what you will, you cannot es-
cape this conclusion when all the facts
are before you. The power of man
IN all the rest of the world stood fu-
,ile to bar the path of Prussia and the
Central Powers when they set forth,
FOUR years ago, to lay the whole earth
subject at their feet.
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