The Opelousas courier., 1890-06-07
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
.np YgOUaLfa utsaNE's SUNDAY
SERMA>
Subject: Natures Voices"

,ountains of Lebanon white with snow, and
"a places from which the cedars were hewn
nj then drawn By OK, teams down to the
Iediterranean Sea, and then ioated inagreat
to Joppa, and then again drawn BY OK
cams up to jerusalesa to build Solomon's
ample. Those mighty trees in my text ars
allied the glory Of Lebanon Inanimats
ature felt the effects Of the first trausgres-
Ion. When Eve touched the forbidden tree
seems as il the sinful contact had smittMa
OF only that tree, but as if the air caupHt
be pollution from the leaves. and as if The
10 had carried the virus down into the very
oil until the entire earth reake1 with the
,prosy. Under ,thatA6A touch nature
The iSanimatsN kaation, asfif
ware OF the damage done MssSent up the
s spca,v a onpo oFlf tie a nnrn nstt rso to @Ssnd AM
Now as the physical earth. felt the effects
| the first transgression, so it shall alsos#el
be effect of the Saviour'S mission. Asfn
nat one treein Paradise a blight went for
trough the entire earth, so from one tree on@
another force shall speed out to in
7rpenetIate and check, subdue and override
! evil. In the end it shall be found that
tree of Calvary has more potency than
tree of Paradise. As the nations are
ngeiized. | think a corresponding change
be effected i'll the natural world. / verify
sSfO JAG tHC bieSS, anu tHS OlFQS, anu tUS
rs, and thes skies will have their millenni-
Jf mans sin affected the ground, and
vegetation, and the atmosphere, shall
lists work be less powerful or less extern
alf tless God will take the irregularity
rt5ness from the elements SO as to
hem congenial to the race, yet to be
petrical and evangelical. The ground
It be SO lavish of weeds and SO grudge-
rain. Soils which now nave peculiar
les toward certain forms of evil pro-
viii be delivered from their besetting
teep mountains, plowed down into
adual ascent. shall be girdled with
sheep aud shocks of corn. The wet
rail- become the deep erased meadow.
aai eat unframed by cayerns once
of wild beasts. Children will build
uses in what vas one a cave of SER
and, as the Scripture saith: THE
id child shall put his hand on the cock
den"
Int I ssts shall be reaped when
n excessive rain, nor mill
ing insects shall arrest the
tie utmost capacity of the fields
1duction shall be tested by an intelli-
nd athletic yeomanry. Thrift and COM
y characterizing the worlds inhabit-
their dwelling places shall be graceful
healthy and adorned. Tree and arbor
grove around about will look asst Adam
Eve had got back to Paradise. Great
!, now neglected and unwashed, shall be
j., adorned with architectural symme-
I'd connected with far distant seaports
,esent modes of transportation carried to
greatest perfection, or by new inven-
yet to spring up out OF the water or
from the air at the beck OF a Morse or a
.ooert Fulton belonging to future genera
lions.
Isaiah in my text seems to ook forward to
the future condition OF the physical earth as
a condition of great beauty and excellence,
and then prophecies that as the strongest and
most ornamental timber in Lebanon was
brought down to Jerusalem md constructed
into the ancient temple, 50 all that is beauti-
full and excellent in the physical earth shall
yet contribute to the church nov being built
in the world. s'The glory of Lebanon saall
and the box together, to beautify the place
of my sanctuary
Much of this prophecy has already beer
fulfilled, and 1 proceed to some practical re
marks upon the contributions which tn
natural world is making to the kingdom o
God, amAthen draw some differences. TIL
first constitution that nature gives to tn
church is her testimony in behalf OF tn
truth of Christianity. Tnisis an age of pre-
found research. Nature cannot eyade man
inquiries as once. In chemists laborator
she is put to torture and compelled to give u
her mysteries. Hidden la nave come on
OF their hiding place. The earth and til
heavens, since they have been ransacked b
ge5logist and botanist andastronotner, apea
so different from what they once were tina
they may be called "the new heavens and tn
new EARTH
: This research ana discovery will have pow
g ieffect upon the religious world. The
81 either advance or arrest Christianity
men better or make them worse, be th
as honor or the church's overthrow
ians, aware of this in the early ages 9
cry, were nervous and fearful as to th
ass OF science. They feared that som
al law, before unknown, would sudden
into harsh collision with Christian
Gunpowder and the CLEAN OF sword
i'd mo so much have been feared byr'
ionists as electric batteries, voltaic pilt
and astronomical apparatus. 1t was feare
that Moses and the prophets would be ru
over by skeptical chemists and philosopher
Some of the followers of Aristotle, after tt
invention of the telescope, refused TO loo
through that instrument, lest what they sa
would overthrow the teachings of that gre
philosopher. But the Christian religion !
no such apprehension now.
Bring on u telescopes q mlcrosco!
and spactroscopas-and the more the bett
The God OF nature Is the God of the Biz
and in all the universe and i'll all the eter
ties He has never once contradicted Himse
Ghristian merchants endow universities, a
in them Christian professors instruct the cl
dren of Christian communities. The war
est and most enthusiastic friends of CHI
ere the brayesSa and most enthusiastic friel
science. The church ~reloiees as mi
BIZ every discovery as the world rejoic
cd men have found that there Is no war
cen science and religion. That VII
first has seemed to be tine wea,
the inidel has turned out to be
eapon Of the Christian.
Scientific discussions may be divided
.ose which are concluded, nni those WI
re still In progress. depending for dee.s
pen future investigation. Those which
oneluded have invariably rendered Il
erdict for Christianity, and we have ia
) believe that those which are still IN PFC
ution will come to as favorablea conciusl
he great systems Of error are falling pei
hese discoveries. They have crushed eve
hing but the Bible, aud that they have
ablissaed. Mohanmedanissn and pagan
Ill their tenthousand forms have been pro
false, and BY great natural law shown q
mpositions. Burie1 cities have been
hurned and the truth of God found Wflt
III Their coffin lids. Bartlett, Robinson
LaVard have been not more the apostles
science than the apostles of religion.
dumb lips Of the pyramids have openee
preach the Gospel. Expeditions have =
fitted out for Palestine, and explorers b
come back to say that they have found am
Mountains ard among ruins, and on the 81
waters, living and undying evidence:
ur glorious Christianity.