The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-09-15
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Discourse on the Inevitable Sc.
uuencee Of ood ard Evil Deeds.
Circles ~ the Type Of Perfectlon-AlI
Things Moving In Orbits, = Departure
from Which Means Ruin-The
Nemesis Of Sin.

Things Moving In Orbits, . Departure
from Which Means Ruin-The
Nemesis Of Sin.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, In q recent
sermon at 1.-THE Hamptons" chose for his |
subject "The Sequences of Good and Evil |
Deeds" taking for his text:
It is he that sitteth upon the circle OF the
earth.-lssiah H., q. rTF.
While yet people thought that the world
was fiat, and thousands Of years before
they found out that it was round, Isaiah
in my text intimated the shape Of 1t, God
sitting upon the circle Of the earth. The
most beautiful figure in all geometry Is the
circle. God made the universe on the
plan of circle. There are In the natural
world straight lines, angles, PARALLEL.
grams, diagonals, quadrangles; but these
evidently are not Gods favorites. Almost
everywhere where you find him geometriz-
ing you find the circle dominant, and II
not the circle then the curve, which is q
circle that died young. II 1t had lived
long enough II would have been . full orb,
periphery. An ellipse is circle pressed
only little too hard at the sides.
Giants Causeway in Ireland shows
what God thinks of mathematics.
There are over thirtv.flve thousand
columns Of rocks-octagonal, hexagonal,
pentagonal. These rocks seem to have
been made by rule and BY compass. Every
artist has his molding. room where he may
make flfty shapes, but he chooses one shape
as preferable to all others. will not say
that the Giants Causeway was the
worlds molding-room, but do say out of
. great many figures God seems to have
| selected the circle as the best.
It 10 He that sitteth ON the circle OF the
earth.
| The stars in circle, the moon in cir.
| Gle, the sun In circle, the universe in a
circle, and the throne of God the center of
| that circle.
| When men build churches they ought to
initiate the idea of the great Architect and
put the audience in circle, knowing that
| the tides of emotion roll more easily that
way than in straight lines. Six thousand
years ago God flung this world out of his
right hand; but He did not throw it out in
straight line but curvilinear, with lease
Of love holding it 90 as to bring it back
again. The world started from His hand
pure and Edenic. It has been rolling on
through regions of moral ice and distem.
per. How long it win roll God only
knows; but it will in due time make com.
plete circuit and come back to the place
where 1t started-the hand Of God, pure
and Edenic.
The history of the world goes on in a
circle. Why is it the shipping in our day
Is improving SO rapidly? 1t is because
men are initiating the old model of Noah's
art. A ship carpenter gives that as his
opinion. Although SO much derided by
small wits, that ship of Noah's time bea,
the Etruria and the Germanic, of which
we boast so much. Where IL the ship on
the sea to-day that could outride deluge
In which the heaven and the earth were
wrecked, landing all the passengers n
safety, two of each kind of living crea'
lures, thousands OF species! Pomology
will 60 ON. with its achievements until
after many centuries the world will have
plums and pears equal to the Paradisai-
cal. The art Of gardening WIN grow fol-
centuries, and after the Downings and
Mitchells of the world have done theil
best, In the far future the art Of garden
ing will come up to the arborescene of tn,
year /. II the makers of colored glass e
on improving they may in some centurie,
be able TO make something equal to thu
east window Of Yorkminster, which wa.
built In 1890. We are six centuries behinG
those artists, but the world must keep OF
toiling until It shall make the complet,
circuit and come up to tho skill Of thos,
very men. II the world continues to i'm.
prove In masonry We shall have after
awhile, perhaps after the advance of cen
turiee, mortar equal to that which !
saw in the wall Of an ex.
humed English city, built in
the time Of the Romans, 1900 years ago
that mortar to-day as good a. the day IL
which 1t was made, having outlasted tn
brick and the st,ne. I say, after hun
dreds OF years, masonry may advance I,
that point. II the world stands loni
enough We may have a city as large a
they had in old times. Babylon, fiv,
times the size of London. You go into tn
potteries Of England and you find then
making cups and vases after the style o
the cups and vases exhumed from Pom
peii. The world is not going back. Oh
no! but 1t is swinging in circle and will
come back to the styles Of pottery know
20 long ago as the days Of Pompeii. Thu
world must keep on progressing until |
makes the complete circuit. The curve 1
in the right direction. The curve will
keep on until it becomes circle.
Well, now, my friends, what is true II
the material universe is true in Cod
moral government and spiritual arrange
ment. That Is the meaning of Esekiel'
wheel. AL commentators agree in saying
that the wheel means Gods providence
But wheel Is Of no use unless it turn, an,
IL It turn around Il moves in circle. Wha
then! Are We parts Of great iron machin
whirled around whether we will or not
the victims of memorable fate! So IA
from that I shall show you tina
We ourselves start the circle of good o
bad actions, and that It will surely com
around again to us, unless by divine in
! tervention it be hindered. Those bad o.
good actions may make the circuit o
many years; but come back to US the.
will as certainly as that God sits on the cir
Gle of the earth. Jesebel, the worst womal
of the Bible, slew Naboth because sh
wanted his vineyards. While the dog
were eating the body Of Naboth. Elisha