Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-02-14
TALMAGE AT ATHENS.
aLoRIEs OF ANCIENT oREEon
Preaching ON tho Scene of Ono oil
ST. Paul's Great Disoourses.

Il Corinthians H., 0. "For no,o ,re SEQ
through glass darkly."-I Corinthians
xiii, IL.
Both these sentences written by tho most
illustrious merely human being the world
ever saw, one who walked these streets, and
preached from yonder pile of rocks, Mars
Hill. Though moro classic associations are
conn ected with this city than with any city
snder the sun, because here Socrates and
Plato, and Aristotle, and Demosthenes, and
Pericles, and Heroditus, and Pythagoras, and
XcnophoD, and Praxiteles wrote or chiseled,
or taught or Numbered or sung, yet in my
mind all those men and their teachings were
cclipscd by Paul and tho Gospel lie preached
in this city and in your nearby city of Cor
NTH. Yesterday, standing on the old fortress
at Corinth, the Aero Cornthus, out from tho
ruins ut its base arose in my imagination tho
old city, just rs Paul saw it. have been
told that for splendor the world befolds no
such wonder to-day rs that ancient Corinth
standing Oh an isthmus washed by two seas
the ono sea bringing the commerce of Europe
the other sea bringing the commerce of Asia
From her wharvcs, III the construction of
which whole kingdoms had been absor bed,
war galloys with three banks of oars pushed
out and confoundcd tho navy yards of all tho
world. Huge handed machinery, such rs
modern invention cannot equal, lifted ships
them on trucks across the isthmus aud sat
them down i'll the sea Oh the other sido Tho
revenue officers Of the city went down
through tho olive groves that lined tho
beach to collect q 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 dissipaticns Column and
statue and temple bewildercd the bcholder.
Inn ,,.1,,
which, from apertures at tho side there
gushed waters everywhere known for health
giving qualities. Around these basins,
twisted into wreaths Of stone, there woro MI
tho beauties Of sculpture and architecture;
whilo standing, as if to guard the costly dis
Corintilian brass. Vases of terra Gotta
adorned the cemeteries of the dead-vascs SO
costly that Julius Cesar was not satisfied I'M
til he had captured them for Rome. Armed
officials, the corntharii, paced up and down
70 see that 10 statue was defaced, no pedestal
ovcrtbrown, no bas-relief touched From the
edge of the city tho hill held its magnificent
burden of columns aud towers and temples
ucW slaves waiting Mt one shrinc), and
citadel so thoroughly impregnnble that Glib
ralfar is n heap Of sand compared with it.
Amid all that strength and magn!lcence
Cornlh stood and deiicd the world.
Oh. it was not to rustics who had mover
seen anything grand that Paul uttered ono
OF my texts. They had heard The best music
that had come from the best instruments in
NIL the world; they had heard songs floating
from morning porticos and melting i'll cvcn-
ing groves; they had passed their whole lives
among pictures and sculpture and architect
ure md Corinthian brass, which had been
nodded AMI shaped until there was no
chariot wheel in which it had not sped, and
no tower i'll which it had not glittered, and
no gateway that it had not adorned All, it
was bold thing for Paul to stand there amid
oil that and say: "All this is nothing. These
sounds that come from tho tsmplc of Neptune
are not music compared with the harinouies
of which speak. These waters rushing in
the basin of Pyrene aro not pure. These
statues of BACILLUS and Mercury arc not ex-
quisite. Your citadel of Aero orinth,is is
not strong compared with that which offer
to tho poorest slave that puts down his bur-
den mt the brazen gate. You Corinthians
think this is n splendid city; you think you
have heard nil sweet sounds and seen all
beautiful sights; but tell you eye hath not
seen nor car heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love Him" Indeed,
both my testS, the one spoken by Paul and
the one written by Paul, show lis that we
have very imperfect cyesight, and that our
day OF vision is yet to come; for now we SEQ
through glass, darily, but then face to face.
so raul takes the responsibility of saying
that even tho Bible is an indistinct mirror,
ana that its mission shall be finally suspended
l THINK there may he one Bible in heaven
fastened to the throne. Just as now, in II
museum, wo have lamp cxhumed from
Hcrculaneum or Ninevch and we look at il
with great interest and say: Glow poor
hight 1t must have given, compared with our
modern lamps" so l think that this Bible,
which was n lamp to orr 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 hcaven. Tho Bible, now, is
tho scalfold;nS to the rising temple, but
when the building is done there will he no
use Tor the scaifollmg. Tho idea shall de-
vclop to-day is. that in this world our lSnowl-
edge is comparatively dim and unsatisfac-
tory, but nevertheless is Introductory to
grandcr and more complete vision This is
emlnently true in regard to our view OF God
We hear so much about God that we con-
Guide That we understand Him. He is repre-
santed us having the tenderness of father
tho trmness of judge, the romp of king
AMI the love of mother We hear about
Him. talk about Him. write about Him. We
lisp Ills name W infancy. aud it trrmblas on
o tongue OF tho dying octogennrian. We
think that wo know very much about Him.
Take the attribute of mercy. Do we under
stand 1t? Tho Bible blossoms oil over with
that word mercy 1t speaks again and again
OF the tender mercies of God, of the sure
miercies, Oh the great mercies. of tho mercy
That endnreth forever, of tho multitude Of
his mercies. And yet know that the views
VIC have OF this great being arc most indefi-
mite, one sided and incomplete. When. at
death. tho gates shall fly open, and we shall
look directly upon Him, how new and sur
nrisinS! We see upon canvas picture OF
the morning. We study the cloud in the sky,
the dew upon the grass, and the husbandmaii
on the way to tho field. Beautiful picture Of
the morning! But We Use at daybreals, and
go up on hill to sec for ourselves that which
was represented to lis. While We look, the
mountains are TRANSPORTED. The FURNISHED
gates of heaven sw'ing open aud shut, to let
pass host of fiery splendors The clouds
are all abloom, md hang pendant from arbors
OF alabastcr and amethyst. Tho waters make
pathway of inlaid pearl for tho light to walk
upon; and there is morning on the sea. The
crags uncover their Scared visage; and there
IS morning among tho mountains Now you
go homo, and how tame your picture of tho
morning seems in contrast! Greater than
that shall DO the contrast between this script
ural view of God and that which we shall
have when standing faco to face. This is a
picture OF tho morning; that will be the
Elorning ITSELF
Again: My texts are true of tho Saviour's
eIcellency. BY image, and sweet rhythm of
expression, and startling antithescs, Christ is
"a fl ri lsslo r.. n