St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-04-22
THE IDEAL OF THE SCALE.
BY REV. EDWARD T. FAIRBANKS.

Memorial discourse given at st. Johnsbsry
e. the q platform
scale and senior member of South church,
"a lust balance and scales are the Lords"
Prov l6 III, new version
A balance is useful for weighing, also
it is suggestive of an idea. Some
things which men make have no high
er significance than utility: they are
useful, but not elegant nor likely to
figure in the realm of ideas. You do
not get any ideal truth or principal out
of a cook stove, refrigerator, cast
iron pillow. These are indispensable
conveniences in practical life, but
they have no place in the vocabulary
of high thought and sentiment.
Suppose now we look at scale.
The sort referred to often in the Bible,
the old even balance which has come
down to us it may be from before the
flood. Do we not see in that some
thing more than a handy continuance
Useful it certainly is in traffic, but
useful on higher line as representing
principle. The balance is itself
symbol of just and honorable dealing.
1t stands for fairness and truthfulness
in all transactions, for that which al
ways ought to be. 1t represents an
ideal thing, and that is why it has not
only figured in the market place, but
in poetry, mythology, art, religion.
Job cannot better declare his integ-
rity than by saying, 'let me be
weighed in an even balance" No
Egyptian could hope to stand accept
ed of Osiris in the judgment, except
his life weighed we'll in the scales OF
Horus. Even to this day, the devout
Moslem sees in the Mosque of Omar
at Jerusalem, the sacred balance in
which the souls of men will be tried
over against the Valley of JehOsha-
PLAT. The balance is surely more
than.a convenience in trade. 1t has
taken its place among emblems OF
truth. Absolute business, equlpolse OF
character, the right balance of things
have revealed themselves on its deli
cate pivOts. And the merchandise OF
these is better than the merchandise
of silver, and the gain thereof than
fine gold.
But where did men get these ideas
in the first place? Men made the
scales, but who made the idea of equl-
ty and of exactness that caused men
to feel the need of scales and then to
| lift them up to the rank of emblems I?
The ancients were in the right direc-
ton Of an answer when they hung the
figure of the balances in the hand of a
a goddess. To their minds the even
balance was divine idea.
So it is to ours. We have read in our
Scriptures that "a just balance and
scales are the Lords" The idea
which they suggest to us, originated
with Him. The balance and the scales
were the Lords before they were ours,
and they will be His forever. Every
operation of the scales is a declaration
to MS of Gods sense of equity. 1t is
not strictly true that men have invent
ed scales. They have discovered that
which God originated, and turned it
to practical use. The balance and
scales are the Lords the original pat
tern is His; all His affairs are conduct
ed on the principle of exact relations
which the scale typities. When He
swings out a planet it is accurately
poised. A just balance of forces pull
| ing against each other holds each
globe in place. For thousands of
years the constellation Libra has visi-
bly, represented to human imagination
| - His golden scales, yet seen
Betwixt Astrea and the Scorpion sign,
Wherein all things created first He weighed:
The pendulous round earth with balanced ar
In counterpoise."
1t was at the autumnal equinox, when
DAYS and nights just balance each
other. that the sign of Libra was en-
tered on the ancient Zodiac. The as
trOIogers were on the right track. Had
Isaiah been among them he would
have chanted with lofty strain, how
go hail, N, tho vUatarS the
hollow of his hand, and melted out
heaven with the span, and comprehend
ed the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales,
and the hills in a balance"
God founded his universe as it were
with balance. His work of creation
proceeded on this principle of equi-
pOise. When he hung out his lnvlsI-
BILE scales, the waters were divided
the waters that were under the hrma-
ment balanced the waters that were
above the armament, and 1T was so.
On one side of the scale was Day, with
its hum of life and energy: on the
other, Night, and rest, throughout all
generations. Over against the faml-
lies of plants, of trees and herbs that
breath through their leaves, God set
the families of moving creatures that
breath with lungs, so that each should
breath what the other could not, and
God saw that it was good. And there
was evening and there was morning,
the sixth day, and behold, all things
were in an even balance. And God
rested from the work which he had
made.
Now perhaps you will be saying
what about human lifeP is that in
good balance Apparently not. Some
thing has happened. We are not in
Eden to day. A great shock OF DISC
bediecne has thrown us out of equillb-
rum. What confusion and upsetting
of the ancient TepOse, as though
God bid his angels turn askance
1.-The poles of earth twice ten degrees and more
From the suns axle,
to Indicate how sin had disarranged
His perfect order.
We must not forget to take account of
this whenever we try to balance up the
actual experience of life. DisObedi
ence of God is an awfully heavy
weight in the scale against us. We
shall make poor work of it trying to
satisfy ourselves with what is, if we
under reckon the weight of sin. Men
say, how do you explain to us the doc
trine that God is just, in the face of all
He has let come to pass. l do not seek
to answer; the answer is with God.
But let us keep two things in mind
first, the sin that has defiled us, sec
ond, the grace that saves us, and that
has eternity in which to adjust the
balance. In the light of the darkness
that lay on Calvary, l reckon the suf-
fering of this present time accurately
weighed in a true scale. 1t is easy to
be staggered at some movements of