The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-06-17
ANofeworthvD iscourse.


The Rev. F. Thompson, of Hilo, occupied the
pulpit of the Fort Street Church on Sunday last, and
preached to a full audience from the text, ID Cor.
IOI5. Casting down imaginatious, and every
high thing that exaIteth itself against the knowledge
Of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christi The range Of the SER
mon was on 's The undue pride or exaltation of in
tellect - and was sn able production, and listened to
with marked attention. We have noted several
passages that particularly fixed our attention.
Look around YOU brethren, and take note Of the varieties
0f intellect which enter ia various ways into this conflict with
religion. There Is, drst % al, mercenaTy intellect. This in
on a rrve1 understanding. You take % much, and Won
0n : ~ ~ - rbzf .nhisct 3: v,, advocate thaT me Of nolicv:
yu denouDce This institutions YOU attack that theory You
Again. there Is selfadyerti-ing intellect. Here is a vain
man. who h-s certain powers Of thought and expression This
intellect IS bent on achieving a reputation, no matter how Il
viii wri c something startling. or, as it would say, original 1t
win deny all that has been affirmed, ana depreciaIe all that
has been held in reverence. When il asserts that this Or that
Book OF she Divine Scripture is but a collection Of foolish
Legends, il viii take a certain pleasure in thinking Of all the
varied perplexity, and yexauon, and distress and hustle, and
elaboration which viii be caused among the reilsious persons
who may chance TO meet with its irritating production
Probably il has no wish 70 inncf unnecessary pain. but It's
object Is notoriety, and notor1eiy IS only "lthih IL feaeh nhder
again. there is sensuaH1ed intellect intellect under the
guidance and command % animal passion This i no fancy
species. II would not be difficult TO point to whole Eteratures,
power and beauty OF language, whose entire drift and purpose
is TO rouse in the imagination and veins Of man those fiery
passions which are his worst enemies
Again. there is that self-reiant or cynical intellect, too
reSuecting 70 he the slave Of sense. Yet it is lust as little free
as is the NEST mercenary- or vain, or sensUalIZed thought
since in truth it is the slave OF a sublime egousm. But lis
enslavement is well disguised and its cold. clear, incisiye
energy passes among men for the very bloom and majesty Of
perfect Intellectual freedom"
Speaking of the skepticism of men of the highest
intellect as to matters of a spiritual character, the
speaker said
Among students of the natural world. we find no such
unworthy constituencies respecting the power and range Of the
astronomer whether beyond The stars ami suns that reveal
themselves to his telescope, there are stars and suns which
even his most powerful instruments cannot as yet enable him
To detect. lie will tell you that by calculations based upon
his observations, he can determine the existence and move
- - o., - - n n n6niiI,de 81 susce TOO remote
10 be apprehendud with exactness and in detail, even by the
most penetrating Of his formula He will reply not merely
THAI the existence Of such bodies Is possible, but that the
anaoges of his science lead hun TO regard il as nothing less
than certain"
Remarking that man claims that mystery is incon-
sistent with that intellectual dignity which becomes
US, even when we are listening to the Most High
God, a mystery was defined to be a truth, but a
hidden truth, and the idea was well illustrated as
follows:
at is clear that the wonderful world in which We men pass
this stage Of our existence, whether the higher world Of faith
be open to our gaze or not. is n very temple OF many aud
august mysteries. You viii notice perhaps, when next You
walk abroad in Gods temple,-iu tie swelling buds, or the
already full-blown ho%ers IN the fresh green OF The opening
leaf everywhere and IN everything the evidence OF The exist
ence and movement Of a mysterious power which you can
neither see. nor touch nor define, nor measure, nor understand.
This power lives speechless, nOiseIess, unseen, yet energetic,
in every bough ABOVE your head, in every blade of grass be-
Meath your feet. IL bursts forth from the grain into the shoot,
from the branch into the bud It bursts into leaf, and flower,
and fruit. It creates bark and hbre it yields grace Of form
and lustre of color. Ii is iucessant in its labor it ia prOdigal
Of its beauty il is uniformly generous and bountful in its
gifts 70 man. Yet in Itself, what is iii = r You may
well pause in wonder and awe before il, for Of a truth it is a
mystery -"
These are but a few of the many pearls of thought
that were profusely scattered through this noteworthy
discourse, of which our limits will not permit a
further notice.