The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-10-13

T THE sERMoNIor THE PRESENTS. r

rs & THE sERMoNIoF THE PREsENT.
Mr.. FrothsngAom 7alks the Three Greet
Pouers, Thought, Use, and Loce--
3 9lne Gates Ajar." t..s ae>si.g
The first text of the callow student,
fresh from the dry browsings of the the
olcgical schools, the last text of the min
lister, ancient in days and ways, is that
sentence which Mr. Frothingham chose
as the suggestion of his lecture yesturday
mornlng-"In my Fathers b ouse are
many mansions He spoke LOT the ten
der, unspecifc, not doctrinal, and entire
~ natural meanings which. Christ had
given to these words, and'of the breadth
and exaltation which His recognition of
God in nature had impaired to the world
He made His home by living init.
g What is thelworld, said Mr. Frothing-
ham. but house of many chambers ?
Here is Spain, an apartment of Romance;
England, one great worship: Germany,
school of science; Rome, chamber of
glorious Art. We are citizens OF. all.
Our home is where we d,oeJI not where
we stay 1t is where we plant our loves,
make our life interests. The mind makes
the world, the heart makes the home.
Gods house is just what we ourselves
make it. The narrow, bigoted soul,
proud of its own faith, lives in a small
and mean space. To such the Fathers
house can never be Home. In that
House, builded in eternity and infnitude,
is the mansion of Thought, of Truth.
You are where your thoughts are, and the
truer those thoughts are the nobler your
world will be.
Another great Chamber of this house is
that of Use You can never fndseven a
useless chip or leaf. II has been said
that there are things-fowers, for in
stance-which were made for the sale OF
their beauty simply. / took up Darwin
the other day, and read of his great dis
cov-ry-that the beauty and fragrance of
the flower are necessary to its existance,
serving as they Go to attract the insect
which conveys to it the fertilizing pollen
There is no idleness even in the daisies
and violets. To know God one must first
learn this lesson Of Use; the triaers are
always atheists. K
The doctrine of Immortality used to be
void of the sentiment Of usefulness. An
gels stood in shining rows around the
Throne, clothed in white garments with
crowns of gold on their heads, playing
the harp, and ever singing hymns. Then
came our busy age, wherein men give all
their sowing, reaping-working in every
direction. Say these men: "We don't
know how to sing, and we don't want to
learn golden crowns are certainly less
comfortable than other head-gear; we
want to work, and we don't want to go to
Heaven on those termsl" So the whole
idea of Immortality became in measure,
unreal if there were nothing to do, there
was nothing to hope for Then followed
the idea that then we were to thi2k, to
love, to be of service to have something
to do, perhaps, for those we leave behind.
Goethe said once that he had never been
able to believe that thought could cease !;
his perplexity had always been in regard
to the serviceableness of the other slife
and added /" Well don't think we need
have any apprehension about that; there
will always be nuts enough to crack !"
Lately was published woman's book,
the Gates Ajar," book for which the
demand was enormous, which was devour
ed by people of all creeds. Tis a weak
book; there's little in it tits faneiful,
sentimental; but it holds the great idea
that in Heaven there are people who
think aud work. She, an orthodox WON
an, took the Bible at its word simply
If there were golden streets and houses,
there must be people walking in them
children playing in them, living in them.
And this idea She worked out, not in a
brilliant way, not with any philosophic
al accuracy or breadth she simply made
Heaven useful. 1t is the thought of Use
that has made real to us the Immortal life.
The Mansion of Love is the great
dwelling after all. The thought that God
is Love outweighss all other thoughts
How shall we get that love? 1t is to love
with all ones heart here One grain of
earnest, loyal, devoted, unselfsh affection
isenough to make the whole world home
like. To love another better than ones
self is to begin heaven here.
The greatest lesson of all is that the
Fathers mansions are within ones own
breast. Heaven is here; the world of
hope, anticipation, feeling, is all here.
We have it here first, if we have it at all.