Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-05-01
STARS REFLECT | |
GODS GREAT LOVE-
They Are Symbol of Crca
tors Care for Individual
Existence. ,...,
LOVE BACKED BY POWER
Dr.. Ii. D. c. MacIachlan Says
He Who Loves Us Made
the World.
LOVE BACKED BY POWER

Rev. II. n. c. Maclachlan. ID. DiS
pastor of Seventh street Christiant
church. took The Comfort or tho{
stars" as the subject of his seFmot,
yesterday morning. lie read from
Psalms li7:3-4. and said that sirce
this Psalm was first sung. mans
knowledge of nature has bee,
greatly increased. lie said in. part:
I'VE know far more about the stars
than this old Hebrew singer. II a
modern writer were speaking OF
them, he could say a great dcalmore
than that God numbers and names
them He could tell of tho wonders
OF the celestial mechanics: OF the
thought pc ralyzinE distances that
separa,s tho fixed stars one from
another; OF their size which we can
express in figures. but cannot even
in imagination grasp: Of their chem
Istry and evolution.
Truth Still Is Ample.
But. when we turn to the. nrst
part OF our text. VIC find something
beyond which. after all these cen
turtles, We cannot go. The truth
declared is still as ample. the.words
are still as fresh as when they were
uttered 1900 years ago. He healeth
the broken in heart. and bindeth up
their wounds
But it is of the connection be-
tween tho two l would specially
speak. What is the connection be-
tween stars and broken hearts?
What has the divine astronomy got
to do with the divine pity? ,
TART of the answer lies on tho
face of the text. The stars, in the
Psalmsts thought. are symbol.
OF Gods care for individual exist
ences. lie numbers them all by
N Of "a
this thought and that OF the familiar
18th Psalm: The heavens declare
tn" glory of God, and the armament
showeth His handiwork.' There the
singer views the heavens as
whole
1T is the celestial system In the
sweep and majesty OF its periodic
movements, and not the particular
stars. that interest him, and their
lesson is that ofsthe glory and
power of God. But here the Psalmist
singles out the stars. thinks of them
in their singleness. and sees in
them Il proof OF Gods loving care
over each separate atom of His crca-
| ton.
in the mass there is majesty and
power: for the individual there is
pity, tenderness and love. There is
the universe in its Wilderness, God
creation in all its separateness, God
loves 1t.
Answers the Doubt.
This answers the doubt that will
sometimes creep into our hearts
when the bigness OF the universe
and the majesty of its laws over
whclm our minds.
But there is still another thought
| in our text, not less comforting and
reassuring. Gods loving care for
us is backed by His power. The
| God who loves us Is the God who
| made the world.
Love. to be efficient. must have
| power back OF It. One of the great
est tragedies In life is that our love
is limited in it's eXercise-limited by
our native capacities. limited by our
situation in life. limited by circum-
| stances over which we have no con-
! troll.
"But it is not so with God. The
God who heals the broken hearted is
| the God who made the stars. Back
| Of His love is infinite power. What
| Iie desires TO do He can do"