, 1875-07-26
MY5TERY AND RELIGION,


11s l:ey. Dr. Thomas delivered tho following
scztnon yesterday norn!uE, 4. she FIRST ". f.
Church, taking for his text 1Bt Timothy ill.,, l6.
Aud. wsh9ns ccntr '.rrsy. great Is tho mystery al
EltnAs t}"l ~ak taAnlftst IN tbs deRh jnattett in
ths .ts se"" Of a:e's rFcache, unto lie asntllcs,
Ltlitfed OIL III tile world, received into K,ory.
To the ch!1d's n.nd everything il noycl, but
nothing IL tn,Bscrioas. Feeling the euci:4nlmont
Of Dew world. aad eaEer to learn. it accepts
facts and things 1T 1t fluids tLcm, or As thoy seem
to ha 1t hA nat yet harmed TO quoa:iun .n-
pelanres. Hsr 10 loo~ - =. N boyond
To the child the tree falls tbs grass grows. tho
sun shnes that il al. 1t III dark or ool,,
it rains or tnowp, it is winter or s,u.
mer; that in h!E. Qol Il ju.s vi, tnnra
and scos and hears all we Ray or a..
LIZ IL good, ard uerven IL juHt above tho clouds.
Aud 60 1t is With all OF us Until we Lcsiu TO aels
questions and to lock for the lcerur meanings OF
thinsu. aud this must all DO. or 10 content
to never leayo our childhood. Dnt IN suun ~
We tako tho first htep We tlud ourselves s's1-
Eoundcd by mystery, and though ne knock ut
many doors, and slese doors all I.d lis entus,
they only load to larger Eoo1ns aud deeper mss-
tories beyond. The smooth pebble OIL the leasl,
tells Of it's long cnntlic: With thu wayrH, and the
fossls-hanor spea!;s Of tle fr'n tfsa. lived mill
ion years ago, aud tho mountain atsests sone
Wlhulf lDtEG klik AlkEQ ~ Hl I1lt1l tt'|
bis and tho fossil and tile mountain have each
ther doopcs. tl!eir final Boc1ets that may uovcr
be known. Even ourselves nro tue grcateht nlyt-
tery Ut all. II ~ came wa to bo : Vas ihrse over
tina when We wero not, Or shall there ovrr 10
tine when re shall ccAss to toS What ara
ve7 What IL this curio.1s something that
cali myself What IL mild. or body escn in
It's last analysis2 We dout snow. How do ~e
learn ur remcmberi We don't ll,ow. hrar =
| voice that Lave not heard before for twenty
yoass, snu tho ear BAYS have heard that voice.
| befurc. l meet fac. uu tuu street that I have
not aeen for tweuty yeah, anl the eye says
hRye seen that faco beiore. 4 tIelody. child
hood story, brlngs up tho Ioug past, anu tho
heart iH thrilled ~ the toyed sorrOFh Ut other
dsya. And yet every atom thst FORMED tie cyo
and tho ear sud the heart uf twenty yoarH ago
haa IouE sincs dtaappcaled-bcen snollmAted IN
some gus, or concfeted lu Aono other organism.
sheae eyes aud ears ald this uow heart know tic
bightH and sounds anu sentiments OF thc dAya
luug goue? Who r,hll bolye tho enigMsh OF
ceagatess change aud chxpgelcna ideotity !?
You ulsy bring al! philosophy and phil
osopheru about tho alInplobt thought Ut
/ child, and thoy can noser fully explain
tho origin or tho chl nt tI,at ons thought. You
may bring all tbs ncn Of seiouce 4a our world 10
tho mystery Of GUS single 'l.n" u water. and il.
will DEFY tIem all Tllty will tell sou it j. conl-
pused OF oxygen AMI hydrogen. aud that its
atc.ns IL d., NUM- tha. il each ono He1e OK
ih,.tlc to tfr *!-. Vt an orange, the drop Of Wa
ter woulu bo a. large 0ur eaxtsL ILL., What II
o1ygen, and what "a hydtogen, md what ty an
1tom7 Only panes OF certain substances tint
we dspomtnasr gaoes, but OF Whoso essonce Na
know nothing aud tho whole atomic tho,ry At
bottom Eosts only on hypothesis.
1t ~ not strpn,c to rt.!rctlvu mi'ls that ne
dwell In a" "olld vi M,hiers. lLtirct', II u'.o
tim, as leFa myalcrs III it lllan snu:.seE. It Id
this: 1t II net u mystery Why l!l atJut iii sauu!d
b. nIynktGf. Ito Fta"Hll il uli in une "uiI.
Ms usu ill,.tu. 10 Ill hut tho lnHtu mind
the.e IutlHt ever be thu mysterious tHr flc'''.
tl"s arc !itullel. We can $40 aud llcsr Aia
travel but a little distance. Thele unst esrf
10 Ill above, and b0lus, aud Il betoi!l "hc!o
w l,ayo not been. Aud VII over tAa Ina of s'ila
naEEow togdor-land must bo suystery' nave
you over thought what Il Mtana 10 y" ooSoha
myEseEy7 1t il to lAso been o'eFs"Aola, aflo
h4yo soon everything. ~ lavu h.afa eseeytnins,
to have tasted every thing that my taAte. anu 70
hare smslled everything tha8 hss ouor. ana telt
everything that has tecllnE; ~ long ~ there
il place not visited Al object not viewed, \
fruit not tAstoti, buuid not heard, houk uu-
tesd thers must bo mystery. ies, more; untll
We could take I power u Beolng aud heating,
aud kuuwiug that descending bouea!h the sur
f2ce ot t,Iiugs, would 80 10 their vusy essence
aud tell their llldden meaniuSH. ono nuAt sill
b. ju mystery. bucA presentation OF the sub
juc: msy bo!p uB to sotuo conception OF the very
Jt,lo tllt ID ever practically Luowu to us, aud of
the Mtniss bsyoud th&t II wholly unkuoxu.