The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-03-23
EvANGELIcAL ErCHINGs


pancT by next sabbath AS an eX-
preston Of the gratitude Of the school
resolution of thanks 10 the Presbyterian
congregation for the generosity dis
played by them in offering their church
to the Sunday school was passe by
! unanimous vote
The services at the Congregational
church both morning and evening were
rendered highly interesting by the sing
ing Of the Arion Quar,ette Club, which
rendered u well selected program in u
most impressive manner. The members
OF tie quaItet1e are Messgs. Charles
Hol Professor Fowler, D. D. Ben
nett AMI G Fletcher and their well train
ed voices piond togelhe. with degree OF
harmony that is pleasing in the highest
degree. DR.. Cordley preached fine
discourse in the morning on the text:
prove all things: hold fast that which
is good" and in the evening l.. ID
Wishard, of New York city, gave very
interesting review of the work accom-
plished by Young Mems Christian As
sociations in this and other countries.
He began by describing the inception of
this branch of christian work in
London and gave an account of its
wonderful development and growth in
Europe, America and even among the
islands of the sea. His address was full
of instruction, and was listened to with
eager interest By a large congregation.
Rev. Mr.. Kirby, of the NJ E. church,
preached one of his powerful dis
courses at the Presbyterian church in
the evening on ADMINISTERING Angels"
1t is spoken of in terms highly COM
mandatory by all who heard 1t.
In the morning Rev F. Hendy ia
vored his hearers at the Presbyterian
church with a discourse of more than
ordinary excellence, taking his text
from Corinthians, 13-12-"For Now
We See Through Glass Darkly," the
theme being-"MysteryN ot-Peculiar to
the Bible" The speaker referred
at some length to the objections
brought against the Bible be-
cause it contained So much that
is mysterious. He showed that the
same thing is true of the material, uni
versal and all through the domain of
mental ilosophy-mystery meets US
everywhere. He said that FROM this
analogy a strong presumption might
be raised, that both the Book of Nature
and the Book of Revelation must have
had the same author. And this pre-
sumption was greatly strengthened by
observing how much alike the mysteries
| of Nature and those of Revelation are
| in these two respects, viz:
First, That they pertain to matters
which we evidently are not qualified to
understand.
Second, As we are now constituted it
could be no possible profit to us if we did
understand them. These two points
were elaborated and argued by the
preacher with variety of illustrations.
The perOration of the sermon, which
| was exceptionally fine, we give in full
as follows:
The fact that mystery meets US at ev
| cry turn, meets us both in the world
| around us and in the sacred Scriptures,
is fact from which flows some very
| practical results. For example, in what
| way can the great lesson of Humility be
more foTcibly taught than by an expert
| mental proof of our own Ignorance and
! impotence? This was Gods method
with Job, when the Almighty answered
| him out OF the whirlwind in that success
sion of sublime questions recorded in
the 38th and Both chapters of that book.
Hast thou an arm like God, or canst
| thou thunder with voice like Him
| Hast thou entered into the springs of
| the sea, or have the gates of death been
opened unto thee ~ The answer of Job
to the Lord shows plainly enough how
we'll he learned the lesson of humility.
| Behold, am vile; what shall answer
| Thee? | will lay mine hand upon my
| mouth" After all Sir Isaac Newton's
great achievements in science, he de
| clared to himself at last with genuine
modesty: Il seem TO myselt like child
gathering pebbles on the shore, while
| the great ocean OF infinity lies all unex-
plored before me-" Thus Natures mys-
'teries impress every well-ordered mind;
| surely the mysteries of Revelation
should make like impression; humIli-
ty is the lesson which both very torcibly
teach.
There is another fact along this line
that has been noted by thoughtful
minds, viz: that in the humble attempt
to solve the insoluble, much important
truth has sometimes been learned Incl
dentally. The great mystery of the open
polar sea has never yet been solved but
what vast fund of knowledge men
have incidentally acquired in their at
tempts to reach the pole! The ma
ture of electricity is as much OF
| mystery now as when Franklin'S kite
scared into the thunder cloud, but the
fund of practical knowledge which men
have acquired in trying to lay bare the
secret of electricity is simply immense.
Two skeptical English noblemen of the
| 60 n
the mysteries of the New Testament.
The task allotted 10 one was TO explain
the secret of Paul's conversion; the task
of the other, to expose the miracles. II
was a polar ocean to both-neither OF
them ever got there, but incidentally
they learned the great need of their own
conversion, and how important was the
mystery of forgiven sins. And thus the
analogy between the mysteries in the
world around US and this blessed Bible
is constantly appearing at every point
so that we feel impellea to ascribe them
E TO the same great and glorious Author
we feel constrained to acquiesce in them
without a murmur or u misgiving.
Suppose for moment that we had In
D our hands book claiming to be q reve
, iation from heaven, but from cover
to cover not one single mystery in it
would that satisfy the caviler, think
5 you? Nay, his most effective ASSAULT
t against the new Bible would bt
delivered precisely at this point
, The, gravamen of his charge
I nothing that transcends my knowledge
: / find in it no stamp of anything super
. human; it is unworthy of a Supreme
Being to spend efforts in giving such in
struction 10 men, as their own natural
r powers might easily have discovered
/ Or, to put it very briefly, this new Bible
has no mysteries in it. He who speak:
to men in tone and with a language
that other men can fully grasp and full
. ly comprehend will never be mistaken
, for anything else than a man. Plato.
pupils never thought of Him otherwise
than as man; the admirers of Shake
2 speare can fathom Shakespeafe's might
8 lest thoughts; but the wonderful testi
r mony borne TO the Man of Nazareth by ;
i, | squad of astonished enemies was: "Nev
er man spake like this man." II was no
: willing confession; il was an admis
b sion wrupg from them while they werG
!, still awed by the superhuman majesty
of the speaker, and by the mysterious
tome of heavenly authority that raj
y through all his discusses. Not so wa
i it with the speaking of the scribes
a these Roman soldiers had heard that al
unmoved; hut when Jesus spake he con
founded his adversaries; he stirre;
# great thoughts in the heart of tn
serious; he received once and again
the suggestive testimony: "Rabb
We know that thou art Q teacher com
from God" About his person there wa
If mystery; the great lines of his teach
IF ing all ran upward into mystery; IN
perplexing question was; "Whenc
hath this man this wIsdoms' Lot her
was one of Heavens unmistakable ere
e deutials; the prophet of the ages la
q. come, and from his lips there fall tn
| thr;lifpU eaerafc of afar1i4vf