The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-29
DIVINITY OF ART.
DR.. Talmage's Sermon Yesterday.
The Way of the Lord OF Hosts Shall
Be Upon all Pleasant Pictures.
The Divine Mission of Pictures 10
the Subject Discussed.
God Closely Scrutinlzes Pictures
Whether They Are Good or Bad
Whether They Are for Right or Wrong
Purposes is a Matter of Divine OBJ
servation ana Arrangement
The Influence OF Art.

BROOKLYN, Oct 2S.--Thc Rev. I. De-
Witt Talmase, d. d., preached at the
Tabernacle this morning, A vast congro-
CATION attended the service The pastor
expoundeda chapter about the room Of
imagery in Ezekiel, after which the hymn
beginning;
chime earthly sabbaihs Lord we love,
But there's noblcr r>t Above
was sung. Prof. Browne presided at the
grand organ, and rendered concerto in
fiat by Handel. The subject Of DIR.
Talmagcs discourse was, "The Divine
Mission OF Pictures" His text was Isaiah
H., parts Of the 18th and 10th verses; "Thc
way Of the Lord Of Hosts shall be upon
all pleasant pictures. lie said:
Pictures are by some relocated TO the
realm OF the trivial, accidental, sentiment
Al, or worldly, but my text shows that God
scrutinizcs pictures, and whether they are
good or bad, whether used for right or
wrong purposes, is matter Of divine OBJ
servation and arraignment
Tho divine mission OF pictures is my
subject.
That the artists pencil and The cngrav-
or's knife have sometimes been made sub
servient to tho kingdom Of the bad is
frankly admitted. After the ashes and
scoria were removed from llerculanoum
and Pompeii, the walls Of those cities dis.
covered TO the explorers a degradation in
art which cannot DO exaggerated Satan
and all his imps have always wanted the
lingering Of the easel; they would rather
have possession OF thar than the art Of
printing, for types are not so potent and
quick for evil as picturcs. The powers Of
darkness think they have gained tri-
umph, and they have, when in some 10.
specialize parlor or public art gallery they
can hang canvas embarrassing 10 the
good, but fascinating to the evil.
IL Is not In spirit of prudery, but
backed up by Gods eternal truth, when
say that you have no right 10 hang In
your art rooms or dwelling houses th ut
which would he oflcnsve 10 good people
II the figures pictured yiro alive In youI
| parlor and the guests 6 yonr household.
A picture that you lave tc hang in .
somewhat secluded place, or that In n pub.
lie hall you cannot with group OF friends
deliberately stand before aud discuss
ought 10 have knife stabbed into II at
| tho top and cut clear through 10 the bot
tom, and stout finger thrust In on the
right side ripping clear through TO the
left Pliuy, the elder, lost his life by
going near enough 10 see the inside Of
Ncsuyius, aud the further you can stand
OIL from the burning crater OF sin the
better Never I'LL the books Of the last
day are opened shall we know what has
been the dire harvest OF evil pictorials and
unbccoming art galleries. Dcspoil mans
imagination and he becomes moral car.
cas-. The show windows Of English and
American cities in which the low theaicru
have sometimes hung long lines Of brazcn
actors and actresses In style Insulting 10
all proprety have made broad path 10
death for multitudcs ot people. Hut NJ
have all the other arts been at times
suborned Of evil. How has music been
bcdraggled2 Il there any place No low
down IN dissolutencss that into Il has not
been carried Dayid's harp, aud Ilandcl's
organ, and Gottschalk's piano and Ole
Bulls violin. and the ilulo, which, though
named after ~ Insignificant thing M the
Sicilian eel, which has seven spots ON the
side like flute holes, v1t for thousands ol
years has had an exalted mission. Archi-
lecture, born In the heart Of Him Nho
made the worlds, under lis arches and
across IT, floors what bacchanalian rcycl-
rics have been enacted II In not against
any Of these arts that they have been NJ
led into captivity. What poor world this
would be- u II were not for what my text
calls pheasant pictures ! refer iO your
memory aud mine when | ask " your
knowledge Of tho holy scriptures has not
been nightly augmented by the wood.
cuts or cngrayings In the old family Bible,
which father and mother Icad out Of, and
laid on the table In the old homestead
when you were boys and girls. The Bible
scenes which We all carry In our minds
were not gotten from the Bible typology,
but from the Bible pictures To prove
the truth u Il Ia my own case, the other
day took up the old family Biblo which
I inherited. Sure enough, what ! have
carried In my mind Of Jacobs ladder was
exactly the engraving OF Jacobs ladder,
and ~ with Samson cuying OF the gates
Of GAIA; Elisha restoring the shunnmlc's
son; the massacre Of tic innoccnt.. Christ
blessing little children, the crucifxion aud
the last judgment. Ny idea Of all thoso
IL that Of the oil Biblo ongrayings which
I scanned before could read word.
That IL true with nine-lcnths Of you. II ]
could swing open the door Of your FORE
heads | would find that you aro walking
picture galleries. Tho great intelligence
abroad about the Bible did not come from
the general reading VI the book, for the
majority Of the people read i but little. u
they read Il at all; but all the sacred
scenes have been put before The great
masses, and not printers ink but the
pictorial art must have the credit Of the
achievement. First, painters pencil ioi
tho favored few, and then cngrayor'l
plato or wood-cut for millions on millions
What overwhelming commentary on the
Bible, what rcinforcamcnt for pairiarchs,
prophets, apostles AMI Christ, what dis.
trbutlon Of scriptural knowledge OF all
nations, Ia tho paintings and ongfaving'
thcrcirom Of Holman Hunts Christ IN
the Temple" Paul vcfoncse's 'Magdalcn
Washing the Feet OF Christ, Raphael =
"Nllchacl the Archapgel.' Albert Durer',
dragon Of tho Apocilypsc," Michael
Angclo8 Plague OF The Fiery hefponis,
finiofci's Flight into Egypt" kubcn,n
"Doscont from tho Cries." Leonardo da
Vincis last supper" Claude's Queen
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