GOD'S WITNESSES IN THE HEAVENS.
MEN may seek by every subterfuge of subtle reasoning to prove the non-existence of God. But God has His witnesses in the heavens, the work of His hands. The critics of the Word of God, for instance, are stumbling over a dead fish—not a whale, for the Bible does not call it so—and they are seeking to use their own stumbling-block to batter down the citadel of God's truth. That criticism of the Word of God which seeks to take away its vitality and its inspiration, and every claim it has to being the light of the world—that criticism is filling the pulpits of the popular churches to-day with a Christless Gospel, a Spiritless Bible, and a Godless creation. The acceptance of those theories is shriveling the spirituality of the churches as sere and dead as the autumn leaf; it is drying up the fountain head of missionary contributions as the volcanoes of St. Pierre dried the streams that used to rush down its grassy slopes; it is taking the love of foreign mission work out of the hearts of the people as the wells of the valleys are dried up by subterranean fissures; and as a result of this, it is turning the desire of worship into the channel of self-worship and the worship of gold. It is stealing away the faith of the people as the stealthy thief deprives the thoughtless householder of his jewels and his wealth. When the man awakes, his possessions are gone; he had them, and now they are not. But in every part of the universe God has His witnesses, and they are testifying to His existence, His power, His wisdom, His care, and His undying love. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard." Ps. 19:1-3. All the creations of God are bearing witness for Him—in their own language, it is true, but speaking in a voice that can be heard by all, and in a language that all who will may understand. The stars that twinkle to us through infinite space are telling us of the wisdom and power of Him who made them and gave to each its orbit and the glory of its radiance, and set a bound for its habitation which it might never pass. The mind may think out into space till it reaches the faintest star that glitters into our view; think out into the great depths through which the radiance of mighty suns wearies in its flight, and sinks just as its trembling finger-tips have touched the shore of our vision; think out, and out, and out, till thought itself, like a fledgling sparrow, flutters and falls in the impossible purpose; and still we are in the work-shop of the Almighty, whose works are tonguing the praises of the common Maker. The great audience-chamber of the Infinite is peopled with His witnesses. In the presence of such a concourse presumptuous indeed is the human atom that comes to the bar of eternity to present his little brief upon the non-existence of Him by, and in, and through whom all these consist. Truly, it is wisdom's voice which says, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." His works are His witnesses. Are you familiar with the testimony they are bearing for your benefit? In the midst of the jangle of voices that are seeking to cast discredit upon the Word of God it is our privilege to know in our heart of hearts that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. S.