The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-05-14
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Nature's Voices"

lEAI: 1He 3to'T " LeouHoh WoItt come
unto thee; the fir tree. the pine tree and the
bor together, to Jeautify the place of my
sunctuary"-Isa. TX, b."
On our way from Damascus we saw the
mountains of Lebanon white with snow, and
the places from which the cedars were hewn
and then drawn by OK teams down to the
Mediterranean Sea, and then foated in great
RATS to Joppa, and then again drawn by OK
teams up to Jerusalem to build Solomon's
temple. Those mighty trees in my text are
called the glory of Lebanon" lnanimate
nature felt the effects of the first transgres-
sion. When Eve touched the forbidden tree
it seems as if the sinful contact had smitten
not only that tree, but as if the air caught
the pollution from the leaves, and as if the
sap had carried the virus down into the very
soil until the entire earth reeke1 with the
leprosy. Under that sinful touch nature
withered. The inanimate creation, as if
aware of the damage done it, sent up the
thorn and brier and nettle to wound and
iercely oppose the human race.
Now as the physical earth felt the effects
of the first transgression. so it shall also feel
the effect of the SaviourS mission. ASfrom
that one tree in Paradise blight went forth
through the entire earth, so from one tree on
Calvary another force shall speed out to in
terpenetl ate and check, subdue and override
the evil. In the end it shall be found that
the tree Of Calvary has more potency than
the tree OF Paradise. As the nations are
evangelical, / think corresponding change
will be effected in the natural world. verify
believe that the trees and the birds and the
rivers, and the skies will have their millenni-
um. If mans sin affected the ground, and
the vegetation, and the atmosphere, shall
Christ's work be less powerful or less extern
sive?
Doubtless God will take the irregularity
and fiercepeSs from the elements so as to
make them congenial to the race, yet to be
so symmetrical and evangelical. The ground
shall not be so lavish Of weeds and so grudge-
full of grain. Soils which now have peculiar
proclivities toward certain forms of evil pro-
duction will be delivered from their besetting
sins. Steep mountains plowed down into
more gradual ascent, shall be girdled with
hocks of sheep and shocks of corn. The wet
marsh shall become the deep grassed meadow.
Cattle shall eat unharmed by caverns once
haunted of wild beasts. Children will build
play houses in what was once a cave OF SER
pents: and, as the Scripture saith: "The
weaned child shall put his hand on the cock
atrice's den."
Oh what harvests shall be reaped when
neither drouth, nor excessive rain, nor mil
dew, nor infesting insects shall arrest the
growth, and the utmost capacity of the fields
for production shall be tested by au intelli-
gent and athletic yeomanry. Thrift and COM
potency characterizing the worlds inhabit-
ants, their dwelling places shall be graceful
and healthy and adorned. Tree and arbor
and grove around about will look asif Adam
and Eve had got back to Paradise. Great
cities, now neglected and unwashed, shall be
orderly, adorned with architectural symme-
try and connected with far distant seaports
by present modes of transportation carried to
their greatest perfection, or by new inven-
tionS yet to spring up out of the water or
drop from the air at the beck of a Morse or a
Robert Fulton belonging to future genera
tionS.
Isaiah in my text seems to look forward to
the future condition Of the physical earth as
q condition Of great beauty and excellence,
and then propheSies that as the strongest and
most ornamental timber in Lebanon was
brought down to Jerusalem and constructed
into the ancient temple, so all that is beauti-
full and excellent in the physical earth shall
yet contribute to the church now being built
i'll the world. "The glory of Lebanon shall
come unto thee; the fir tree, the pine tree,
and the box together, to beautify the place
of MY sanctuary"
Much of this prophecy has already been
fulfilled, and proceed to some practical re-
marks upon the contributions which the
natural world is making to the kingdom of
God, and then draw some inferences The
first contribution that nature gives to the
church is her testimony in behalf of the
truth of Christianity. Thisis an age of pro-
found research. Nature cannot evade mans
inquiries as once. In chemists laboratory
she is put to torture and compelled to give up
her mysteries. Hidden laws have come out
of their hiding place. The earth and the
heavens, since they have been ransacked by
geologist and botanist and astronomer, apear
so different from what they once were that
they may be called ''the new heavens and the
new EARTH"
This research and discovery will have pow
erful effect upon the religious world. They
must either advance or arrest Christianity,
make men better or make them worse, be the
church's honor or the church's overthrow.
Christians, aware of this in the early ages Of
discovery, were nervous and fearful as to the
progress of science. They feared that some
natural law, before unknown, would sudden
ly spring into harsh collision with Christian
ity. Gunpowder and the gleam of swords
would not so much have been feared by re-
ligionists as electric batteries, voltaic piles
and astronomical apparatus. 1t was feared
that Moses and the prophets would be run
over by skeptical chemists and philosophers.
Some of the followers of Aristotle, after the
invention of the telescope, refused to look
through that instrument, lest what they saw
would overthrow the teachings of that great
philosopher. But the Christian religion has
no such chapprehension now.
Bring on your telescopes and microscopes
and spectroscopes the more the better.
The God of nature is tie God of the Bible,
and in all the universe and in all the eterni-
ties He has never once contradicted Himself
Christian merchants endow universities, and
in them Christian professors instruct the chill
dren of Christian communities. The warm
est and most enthusiastic friends Of Christ
are the bravest and most enthusiastic friends
of science. The church rejoices as much
over every discovery as tho world rejoices.
Good men have found that there is no war be-
tween science and religion. That which
at first has seemed to be the weapon
of the infidel has turned out to be tho
weapon of the Christian.
Scientific discussions may be divided into
those which are concluded, and those which
are still in progress, depending for decision
upon future investigation. Those which are
concluded have invariably rendered their
verdict for Christianity, and We have faith
to believe that those which are still IN prose-
cution will come to as favorable conclusion.
The great systems OF error are falling before
these discoveries. They have crushed every
thing but the Bible, and that they have es-
tablished. Mohammedanism and paganism
in their ten thousand forms have been proved
false, and by great natural laws shown to be
impositions. Buried cities have been eN-
humed and the truth of God found written
on their coffin lids Bartlett, Robinson and
Layard have been not more the apostles of
science than the apostles of religion. The
dumb lips of the pyramids have opened to
preach the Gospel. Expeditions have been
fitted out for Palestine, and explorers have
come back to say that they have found among
mountains and among ruins, and on the shore
of waters, living and undying evidences of
our glorious Christianity.