Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-12-05
THE GLORIOUS REVELATION.
Rev. Or. Talmage breaches Sermon
in Athens.
He Shows That the Dim and Unsatisfac-
tory knowledge and Enjoyment in This
World is Only Introductory to More
Complete Vision in Heaven.
Especial Dispatch to the Boston Herald.l

this city this morning TO group of friends,
basing his discourse on the following two
passages from the Pauline epistles: Corin-
thians, ii, O.: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard,n and / Corinthians, xiii, 2: "For
now we see through glass, darby" The
sermon was as follows: Both these sentences
were written by the most illustrious human
being the world ever saw, one who walked
these streets, and preached from yonder pile
of rocks, Mars HILL Though more classic
associations are connected with this city than
with any other city under the sun, because
here Socrates, and Plato, and Aristotle, and
Demosthenes, and Pericles, aud Herodotus,
and Pythagoras, and Xenophon, and PraXi-
! teles wrote or chiselled, or taught or thun-
dered or sung, vet in my mind all those men
and their teachings were eclipsed by Paul and
the gospel he preached in this city and in
your nearby city OF Corinth.
Yesterday, standing on the old fortress at
Corinth, the Acro-Corinthus, out from the
ruins at its base arose in my Imagination the
old city, just as Paul saw it. ! have been
] told that for splendor the world beholds no
such wonder today as that ancient Corinth,
standing on an isthmus washed by two seas,
the one sea bringing the commerce OF Europe,
the other sea bringing the commerce OF Asia.
From her wharfs, in the construction of
which whole kingdoms had been absorbed,
war galleys with three banks of oars pushed
out and COMPOUNDED the navy yards Of all the
world Huge-handed machinery, such as
modern invention cannot equal, lifted ships
| from the sea on one side and transported
them on trucks across the isthmus and set
them down on the sea on the other side.
The revenue officers of the city went down
through the olive groves that lined the beach
to collect a tariff from all nations. The mirth
Of all people sported in her isthmian games,
and the beauty of all lands sat IN her theatres,
walked her porticos and threw itself on the
altar of her stupendous designations. Column
and statue and temple bewildered the be
holder. There were white marble fountains
into which, from apertures at the side, there
rushed waters everywhere known for health
giving qualities. Around these basins, twisted
into wreaths of stone, there were all the
beauties of sculpture and architecture. while
standing. as II 10 guard the costly display,
was a statue of Hercules Of FURNISHED Corin-
THAN brass. Vases of terra Gotta adorned
the cemeteries OF the dead vases so costly
that Julius Caesar was not satisfied until he
had captured them for Rome.
Armed officials, the corintharii, paced up
and down 10 see that no statue was defaced,
no pedestal overthrown. no bas-relief touch
ed. From the edge of the city the hill held
its magnificent burdens Of columns and tow
ers and temples 1000 slaves waiting at one
shrine), and citadel SO thoroughly impreg-
nable that Gibraltar is heap of sand COM
magnifcence Corintl stood and detied the
world. Oh. il was not TO rustics who had
never seen ANYTHING grand that Paul uttered
one of my texts. They had heard the best
music that had come from the best instru-
ments in all the world they had heard songs
floating from morning porticos and melting
in evening groves; they had passed their
whole lives among pictures and sculpture
and architecture and Corinthan brass, which
had been moulded and shaped until there
was no chariot wheel in which 1t had not
sped, and no tower IN which Il bad not gilt
tered, and no gateway that it had not
adorned.
All, il was a bold thing for Paul to stand
there amid all that and say: "All this Is
nothing. These sounds that come from the
temple of Neptune are not music compared
with the harmonies of which speak. These
waters rushing in the basin OF the Pyrene are
not pure. These statues of Bacchus and
Mercury are not exquisite. Your citadel of
ro-COrinthus is not strong compared with
that which ! offer TO the poorest slave that
puts down his burden at that brazen gate.
You Corinthians think that this is a splendid
city; you think you have heard all sweet
sounds and seen all beautiful sights; but |
tell you eye hath not seen nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart Of man,
the things which God hath prepared forthem
that love him."
Indeed, both my texts, the one spoken by
Paul and the one written by Paul, show us
that we have very poor eyesight, and that
our day of vision Is yet to come: For now
we see through a glass darby, but then face
to face. So Paul takes the responsibility OF
saying that the Bible is an indstinet mirror,
and that its mission shall be finally suspend
ed. | think there may be one Bible in heaven
fastened to the throne. just as now, in
museum, we have lamp exhumed from
Herculaneum or Nineveh, ana we look at Il
with great interest and say: elbow poor a
light II must have given. compared with our
modern lamps, So l tn nix thai this Bible
which was lamp TO our feet in this world,
may lie near the throne of God, exciting our
interest to all eternity by the contrast be-
tween its comparatively feeble light and the
illumination of heaven.
The Bible, now, is the scatiolding to the
rising temple, but when the building is done
there will be no use for the scatfolding. The
Idea | shall develop today is, that in this
world our knowledge is comparatively dim
and unsatisfactory, but nevertheless is in
trOductOry to grander and more complete
vision. This is eminently true in regard to
our view of God. We hear so much about
God that we conclude that we understand
him. He is represented as having the tender
ness Of father, the iirmness of judge, the
pomp of king and the love of n mother
We hear about him. talk about him. write
about him. We lisp his name in infancy, and
It trembles on the lips of the dying octogena-
rian. We think that we know very much
about him. Take the attribute of mercy
DO we understand ity The Bible blossoms
all over with that word-mercy. 1t speaks
again and again Of the tender mercies Of God
of the sure mercies; of the great mercies: OF
the mercy that endureth forever; of the null
titude Of his mercies. And vet | know that
the views we have of this great being are
most indefinite, one-sided and incomplete.
When, at death. the gates shall fly open. and
we shall look directly upon Him, how new
and surprising! We see upon canvass a
picture of the morning. We study the cloud
in the SKY. the dew upon the grass. and the
husbandman on the way TO the field. Beauti-
full picture Of the morning. But we rise at
daybreak and go upon hill TO see for our
selves that which was represented TO us
While we look the mountains are Transferred.
The FURNISHED gates OF heaven swing open
and shut, TO let past host Of fiery splendors
The clouds are all aDloom, and hang pendant
from arbors Of alabaster and amethyst. The
waters make pathway Of inlaid pearl for the
light TO walk upon; aud there is morning on
the sea- The crags uncover their Scared Wis 1
age and there Is morning among the noun
tains. Now you 90 home, and how tame your
picture Of the morning seems in contrast,
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