Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-05-25
LABOR.

aKxiga5gs tom Recent sermon by Prof. Swing,
Of Chicago,
The labors of man are the completion
ss the plan OF God. Man and God toll In
hmtuOny, and the six days OF creation re.
sraAcd In Genesis are companions in
ssMy of the days written down In tho his
aorg Vi mankind. II was the part Of a
Cad 30 throw out into space an earthly
iall 81, 900 miles in circumference, and TO
Bpua liz bosom with continents and oceans,
sua with trees and plants, and creatures,
ssrKn the colored humming. bird up TO
IMAM, for man could certainly have never
made our planetary system; but once
aalgUngh with this work, which only ON.
niufsBnce could perform, the Creator gave
inr pianct earth over To his child, and or
siefpa him 10 proceed with the sublime
I.rnnss The "siX days" stand, there.
fore, ~ the yeslibnle Of the temple OF la
Bar temple into which man now PUSHES
a. Uonduct iOrevefmorc the worship of un
Airing industry The God did only that
which lay beyond the reach of His chill.
hF.n lie would have hidden rs marshal
fhr rAin-qloud up from the sea, and 10
gnOrC the sun southwark and northward
tp fDrin winter and summer, had not our
arms been too short and too weak for such
N stuprndous task. When the Creator
earan 10 the achievements that lay within
stse grasp of His beloved offspring lie
Withdrew, and lett the good earth In their
care Thus all the day of this world are
Iuly The further foliage, and bloom, and
ffuiiagc of that tree Of toll which the Inf.
ngte planted and wa,cred in,thc first week
of its IMMORTAL life.
Is ~rulI g4prtt that fle nrnpfp of ila ny-
iannGe OF God are much the same as the
rgeDis Of the boing OF man. The walls
Of city should no more prove the ex.
fsasBge OF MAN than the globe on which
iiIn walls rest should prove the existence
ss one back of man. The literature that
hints Vt Tie rational quality OF the being
at,a speaks II should hintat The PERSONAL.
~ mad rational quality OF the power that
sHgned The tongue and brain that speak
sl,c words that make the literature. Thus
aaB Involves God and carries his
Maker along with him, just as the infant
inyDIyts It's mother and beirays her ex .
istvapco In all It's own laughter and tears.
isut II Is not our purpose to think now
nsNni the existence OF Heavenly father,
lml 10 think Of that great law Of the uni
veaSe that stands upon the statute-book
under the name Of labor Labor Is the
human soul becoming eternal, and hence
visible and valuable. As God became
external in the creation Of the material
world, ~ thus He passed from an In
vf,shle spirit out into million objects,
ID aAsA now He darts in the sunbeam, and
snsfles In the sea, and sounds In the thun-
aIns, and sings In the nightingale and in
sin storm, and fills all space with the
Trailing Of His beautiful garments, SO
ansn in his 5000 years OF creation has
seu1ered his divine soul external and Wis
ihle in the temples and cities he mas built,
On tsls acts he has developed, In the litcra
sasr he has composed, in the governments
mud religion he has founded, in the songs
sss HAS sung. AS the panthelsts say of
ale universe that IL is itself God, that the
iraf. the blossom, the fiuttering bird, the
ywimming fish, are manifestations of the
TsnElETesent One, SO we may say, borrow
INK ths poetry of pantheism, that in labor
srsns soul becomes incarnate. and passing
puf Of his bosom enters the column that
Stands in beauty or crumbles in sorrow,
cniass- the law and philosophy that en-
hsxiiCs his wisdom, enters the acts that
rrnspdy his sentiment of the beautiful,
ruxrs tho home that declares his love, en-
4cre TIE sanctuary that expresses his wor-
ship. The human spirit without works
mpsalG have remained inyisible-as UNI
M ard and unseen as the God which had
MI uniyerse--but toll came into the empty
spzen and in God gave us the universe, In
man gave us the beautiful and solemn
OF our globe. Labor is the pho
l,graph of our sprit. After thousands 0!