Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-05-05
A CREATIVE SOUL.
The Relation ofthe Spiritual Power
to the World.
Rev. ,. Il. Jaekson's Discourse at the
First Baptist Church Last Evening
---An Able sermon by an AbIc
Preacher.

Mich, preached at the First Baptist
church yesterday morning and evening.
As Mr.. jackson is one of the most emf
nent and able Baptist ministers in the
state. and from the farther fact that he
lived in Rock Island as q boy and is a
brother of Mrs. David Don, he was greeted
by large congregations at both services.
In the morning his discourse was extem>
poraneous and devoted to the life of
Paul. In the evening he preached q
thoughtful and interesting sermon on the
subject: "The Soul Creating Its Own
World" His text was from Matt. 1895:
"A good man out Of the good treasure of his
heart bringeth forth good things"
Said the preacher:
Goethe tells us Of q magical lamp hung
up in fshermans hut. which by its
wonderful transformations, gradually
changed tables. chairs, floors, walls and
rafters into shining silver. In very truth
a noble character works such a magical
change; 1t beauties and glorifies every>
thing with which it comes in contact.
This passage teaches that each soul COLI
ors, aud in q sense cree ties its own world.
The world 10 each individual is largely
what he himself ls-lt is dark or bright,
lovely or repulsive, pure or impure. ac-
cordiDg to the state of his own heart. 1t
is wonderful how a good life will sur
charge the whole atmosphere in which it
moves with goodness. 1t ennobles all 1t
touches. Purity creates purity. A sin,
nj IF -
humanity will multiply itself in the lof-
tier purposes of other hearts. A noble
life will do more to fill other lives with
nobility than all the homilies on virtue
that were ever written or all the good
advice that was ever given. The best
way TO make others good is to be good
ourselves. If one wishes kind treatment
from others he must be kind himself; if
he wishes to be trusted he must trust
others; if he wishes mercy, he must be
merciful; even the selfish man will find
the golden rule good one to practice.
Experience soon teaches us that whatso-
ever we would have others Go to us we
must do to them. IL we want smiles we
must scatter smiles; if we desire to walk
in the sunshine of hope aud love we
must help to make that sunshine by
trusting and loving others. DR.. Dodd
ridge once asked his little girl how 1t was
that everybody loved her. Il do not
know, she replied. unless it be that
love everybody" That was just the req
son. She loved others and it made them
love her. Those who were not in the
habit of displaying affection broke over
their reserve when they came into the
sunshine of her loving little heart The
dark side of the picture is just as true
Evil men bring evil into the world. The
grumbler fills the house with grumblers.
When man complains that no one can
be trusted IL is time to watch him pretty
closely. When one continually complains
that the world is an abode Of misery and
wretchedness. you may be sure that he is
not trying to bring in the sunshine, for as
man is so will his surroundings be
He will create his own world If ne be
good others about him will grow
be better. IL he be evil. others will be
tsinted by contact with him. There is
subtle atmosphere in society which all
help to make. There is something in an
uLkind word or base deed which drives
Others to degradation. There is some>
thing in pure life and unselfish charac-
ter which calls forth purity and noble.
ness from sources where we would least
expect to find it.
When the world does not seem beauti-
ful or desirable to others it will seem so
to the good because they look upon it
through the medium of their own charac-
Der. just as the child looks through the
colored glass and sees the landscape
tinged with blue or green or red, so will
men find this world of people and things
take on the moral coloriDg of the sonl
through which he looks. Looking down
into hovel through the brightly colored
glass Of hope and love it becomes a para.
disc OF JOY looking at palace through |
the dark glass OF suspicion and discon> |
tent 1t becomes prison house of gloom. |
How much of the evil Of this life has iust |
this origin. When the heart is filled with |
fear every rustling leaf is transformed |
into band OF armed men with drawn
swords. When The heart is filed with
suspicion every beautiful face becomes
hideous with sin. But purify the heart
create it anew in Christ Jesus then
everything 1T touches is bathed in heaven
~ light. What sweet enchantress does
IT become. 1t casts halo Of glory about
the commonest things; it transforms the
plainest of faces into grace and beauty
it lifts the ordinary duties OF life I'D to
Tie level of heroism and devotion; it
reaches up to the heavens and brings
down its joy and comfort to earth.
The enemies OF God shut Bunyan in
all, but they could not bind the wings of
lis purified vision. II peopled the dreary
prison with the most delightful of com
panions; it called into being Greatheart,
Faithful and Christian; it fed from the
City of Destruction; it broke away from
The castle Of Giant Despair: 1t travelled
1nfettered along the shining way to the
Delectable mountains, triumphing over
every enemy until at last it reached "the
rest that remained for the people of God.
w hat matters it what ones outward con-
iitions may be IL he carries with him
'oul which can paint upon the blacklist
prison walls such pictures of light and
,lory.
Again. the indi vidual always seeks for
md generally discovers those pecul
arities in outward things which
,est correspond with his own char
cter. Father" said an over modest
Ioung lady, ''why do yon keep such an
obscene book as the dictionary in the
house. 1t is full of bad words" "Oh, nv
laughter" replied the parent, $50 you
nave been looking for the bad words, have
1ou?" Look for them and you will find
hem-there and everywhere. You have,
perhaps, heard some very moral and up
light skeptic complaining of the indecen-
- |
the book Is too obscene to be put into
the family" All, my friend. you have
been looking for the bad things. have your
GU round them most certainly. But go
ask that pure woman, who for years has
read that word of God daily. how much
The has been defiled by 1t. The tears