The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-05-14
VOICES OF NATURE.
Wonders of the Natural World and
Their Divine Lesson.
Sermons In the Corn-Field For Despono'
ont Believers Figures OF the Rock
the Brook, the Leaf In Gospel
Teachings - DR.. Tai
IMAGES Sermon.

DR.. Talmage announced last SUNDAY
q his text Isaiah ix., Is: "The glory OF
Lebanon shall come unto thee-the mr.
tree, the pine-tree and the box together
Ito beautify the place Of my sanctuary
On our way from Damascus we saw
the mountains Of Lebanon white with
snow, and the places from which the &C.
dars were hewn, and drawn by ox-teams
down to the Mediterranean sea, and then
hoated in great RATS to Joppa, and then
again drawn by ORLEANS up to Jerusa-
lem to build Solomon's temple Those
mighty trees in my text are called the
"glory OF Lebanon" Inanimate nature
felt the effects Of the first transgression.
When Eve touched the forbidden tree,
it seems as If the sinful contact had
smitten not only that tree, but
IS if the air caught the pollu'
ton from the leaves, and as II the
sap had carried the virus down into
the very soil until the entire earth
reeked with the leprosy. Under that
sinful touch nature withered. The in
animate creation, as if aware Of the
damage done it, sent up the thorn and
briar and nettle to wound, and fiercely
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 Saviour's mission. AS
from that one tree in Paradise blight
went forth through the entire earth, so
from one tree on Calvary another force
shall speed out to interpenetrate 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, I 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 millennium. II
mans sin affected the ground, and the
vegetation, and the atmosphere, shall
Christ's work be less powerful or less
extensive?
Doubtless God will take the irregular
ity and fierceness from the elements so
as to make them congenial to the race,
which will then DO symmetrical, and
evangelical. The ground shall not be
50 lavish of weeds and so grudgeful Of
grain. Soils which now have peculiar
proclivities toward certain forms of evil
production will be delivered from their
besetting sins. Steep mountains, plowed
down into more gradual ascent, shall be
girdled with focks Of sheep and shocks
| hnl
the deep.grassed meadow. Cattle shall
eat unframed by caverns once haunted
of wild beasts. Children will build play
houses in what was once cave of ser.
penis; and, as the Scripture saith: 1.-The
weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice's den.'
Oh, what harvests shall be reaped
when neither drought nor excessive
rain, nor mildew, nor infesting insects
shall arrest the growth, and the utmost
capacity of the fields for production shall
be tested by an intelligent and athletic
yeomanry! Thrift and competency
characterizing the worlds inhabitants
their dwelling places shall be grace
full and healthy and adorned. Tree
and arbor and groves around abou
will look as il Adam and Eve hat
got back to Paradise. Great cities
now neglected and unwashed, shall b.
orderly, adorned with architecture
symmetry and connected with far dis
tant sea-ports by present modes of trans
portation carried to their greatest per
lection, or by new inventions yet tx
spring up out Of the water or drop from
the air at the beck of Morse or Rob
ert Fulton belonging to future genera
TONS Isaiah in my text seems to lool
forward to the future condition Of thu
physical earth as condition of grea
beauty and excellence, and then proph
estes that as the strongest and mos
ornamental timber in Lebanon wa
brought down to Jerusalem and con
structed into the ancient temple, so al
that is beautiful and excellent in thu
physical earth shall yet contribute t,
the church now being built in the world
1.-The glory of Lebanon shall como unit
thee; the fir-tree, the pine-tree, and tn
box together, to beautify the place o
my sanctuary"
Much of this prophecy has alread
been fulfilled, and proceed to som
practical remarks upon the contribu
ticns which the natural world is maxim
J to the kingdom of God, and then dra,
some differences. The first contribu
. ton that nature gives to the church
. her testimony in behalf OF the truth Q
4 Christianity.
This is an age Of profound research
I Nature can not evade mans inc uiries q
r once. In chemists laboratory she
, put to torture and compelled to give II
, her mysteries. Hidden laws have com
! out Of their hiding place. The cart
and the heavens, since they have bee
I ransacked by biologists and botanis
and astronomer, appear, so differen
from what they once were that they ma
a be called "the new heavens and tn
new EARTH"
This research and discovery will hav
4 powerful effect upon the religious worlt
q They must either advance or ares
1 Christianity, make men better or max
them worse, be the church's honor {
q the church's overthrow. Christian
A aware of this in the early ages of disco'
cry, were nervous and fearful IS to tn
, progress of science. They feared thu
: some natural law, before unknown
/ | would suddenly spring into harsh CO
lision with Christianity. Gunpowdt
and the CLEAN Of swords would not s
much have been feared by Religions