The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-09-12

Doiio'e tlat inc blple ooctrme or
inc INCARNATION mas today stronger
grip upon the heart and thought OF the
woilu than ever peiore IN the worlds
history we nnd this faith confirmed
ny iour iacts' ....-- ..5. .......
TESTIMONY OF NATURE.
fFse-ihae inc more we KNOW OF
sclence the stronger becomes tne con-
nrmation OF tnls same doctrlne OF the
Word made nesh' In the hrst place,
sclence teaches US that all nature Is an
incarnation IN one sense. All visible
thlngs are an expression OF the Divine,
incomplete and imperfect.
we are taught that the whole creation
groaneth and trayaileth in pain together
untll now that nature points forward
Win expectation 10 the fultiment OF
perfect incarnation, to perfect embod-
ment OF law wisdom, reason, truth.
All that we know or nature, therefore,
leads us to look for and long for the
perfect embodiment. Science therefore
raises the presumption that the process
Will Do completed sometime or should
nave oeen completed IN the past. This
completion, TINS fulhlment, this perfcc-
tion, the WORD become hesh, we lind in
the christ.
slLENcEs OF SCIENCE.
science also leads us to the necessary
postuiate OF person, when we observe
Iorce worklhS uniformly and intelli-
gently' science itself confronted with
TINS fact clamors for the complete OK
pression OF the personality of God with
IN tho grasp OF the human. 1t cries
W1In Inc disciple OF Old. hShnw II tbR
rather, and 1t suthceth u.s. The very
shehces OF sclchce are sublime procia-
nation or call OF faith.
Inc supernatural signs and wonders
winch talth asserts OF the incarnation
science cannot dispute, nor can science
raise any presumption against such a
supernatural manifestation. The origin
OF all things is a sublime mystery; be-
longs to the domain of the unknowable
OrlSlh Is incapable OF scientific postu-
late. Iho origin OF matter Is an un-
iathomable mystery. The origin of
force Is unknown. Tho origin of life
we cannot explain. The origin of
thought Is profound mystery. Science
has resolved many complicated things
into their original elements, but the
origin of elements is shrouded in tho
mystery of the supernatural.
SOURCE OF THE swANHANoA.
Yet we do not question the fact that
force is reality, that life is reality,
that thought is reality, though we
cannot trace them to their origin,
What supernatural signs and wonders
accompanied tho origin of matter. or
of force, or of life, or of Thought, we do
not know. What were the signs and
wonders that accompanied the begin
ming of things when the morning stars
sang together, we cannot fathom. [
walked along the banks of the Swan
nanoa, river in my native state. 1
had often looked upon its beautiful wa
ters and wondered where might be
found its source. / did not know its
source, but did not question tho real
ity of the river or its beauty.
| followed it ono day to its source,
along its banks, winding through the
ravine, up the mountain sides (the high
est mountain east of the Rockies), and
there amid q Wilderness of rhododen-
drons and ferns and wild flowers | saw
the spring in whose limpid fountain the
river began. 1t was 10 more real as q
river to me after had found its source
than before. Science not only raises no
presumption against the supernatural
origin of Christianity, but it emphasizes
the probability of the Incarnation and
emphasizes tho expectation of the world
for such manifestation.
TIDES OF THE ETERNTTEs.
Second-1he more we know of the life
and person of Jesus Christ the stronger
becomes the force OF this unique per-
sons testimony to himself. The more
we know OF him the more we are i'm
pressed with the unity of his testimony.
He teaches one eternal truth His testi-
mony is consistent with itself. It en-
larges in its scope as his life developed,
but the enlargement was the growth of
the river. His teaching began in the
hills of Galilee, as tho tiny stream, and
grew in volume and in swiftness and in
depth, until in the terrific hours of his
passion we are swept into tho boundless
ocean Of the thought of God, and feel
the incoming and outflowiug tides of
the eternities.
We are impressed the more VIC study
this person with the reality and sinceri-
ty Of his testimony. We can find the
secrets of many of the doctrines of the
Koran when we read the simple story of
the licentious and debased life of the
prophet of the Koran. But Jesus Christ
contravented every wicked desire of the
human heart and preached truth at va
rianoo with the desires of the flesh, and
yet he was the truth he taught, the per-
feet embodiment of every stern princi-
pie announced.
LIVED WHAT HE PREACHED
He lived what he preached, There
fore he spoke with an authority such as
no man ever had accompanying his
speech. Never man spake as this
man Ueo;d tl,a oe;,a,,s, -, 4;1 -