St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-27
SAINT PAUL.
REVELATION TALKS.
illumination From Gods Glory, as
Depicted by John.


Depicted by John.
The Rev. Err. Edwards continued his
discOurses Oh Johns vision of the new
Jerusalem, by selecting as his text yes
terday morning Rev, XXI, %. He said:
| There is nothing beautiful or attractive
about darkness. In its fgurative use
the Word of God makes it synonym of
everything undesirable. The writer's of
the New Testament find in the word the
strongest and best illustration of all
that is without usefulness, beauty or
blessing. The great apostle to the Cell
tiles, when desirous of giving terSely
and explicitly the conception OF his
mission, says he was sent to turn men
from darkness to light. In that remark
you have the sweep and compass of all
Christian effort and the reason for the
Messiah's advent. When Jesus healed
the blind beggar he gave practical eX-
hibition of what the Gospel was to ac-
complish III higher than the physical
realm. The condition of Barti-
meus was instructiyely symboiical
of the spiritual condition of
humanity then. and blindness is the
characteristic of the soul that now lives
/ apart from God. The spirit that reflects
lIlC LIZ lb VI bilS SiollOuS 0OSpCl VI OlllloL
lives in a region where the invisible be-
comes visible and the unseen takes the
form of realities. What sublimity and
granduer and sovereignty in the words
of Jesus as he says, Il am the light of
the world" 1t means that all the
sweetest and best experiences OF life
emanate from Christ. He is the source
of every blessing. He shines in the
darkened and ShadoWed scenes of life
with supernal glory. This illumination
is not as meteor flashing its brilliancy
for momentary period and then subSld-
Ing. With unchanging, unwaVering
glow the light of His person and
teaching ever illummes the darkest
pathway of the soul and guides it into
richer glories. God is light and in Him is
no darkness at all. Think it uot strange
that in the beginning he said, Let there
be light" The answering purpose Of
God through the ages has been to flash
light upon the sons of men that they
may develop and unfold and blossom
into possibilities of the highest promise.
The sunshine that beamed upon all en-
bryo and chaotic w world was but the pre-
cursor of the rays that, shining into the
immortal soul of man, brought out its
lOftieSt destiny and kissed into fruitful
ness its aspirations for an evolution
into perfect and sinless living. Ii God
and all that pertains to Him is best
typified by what we call light,
imagine it not remarkable that in
the closing words of his completed
message to mankind we should find the
word prominently emphasized. In that
world of ireffable contentment and
bliss toward which we are travelling,
there is no need OF sun or moon or
stars. These beauties of the natural
world, whose glory we so much admire,
are darkness when compared with the
radiance of Gods glory. Something of
what shall be the strength and power
of heavens illumination can be under
stood when we are told that it is incom--
parably superior to the glory OF any
perceives. Would you know the mean
ing of Johns words when he says ''the
glory of God is light?" Stand beneath
the floor of Gods territory with the
psalmist Hear him exclaim 1.-The
heavens declare the glory of God and
the armament shoWeth his handi :
work."
Do you say that such utterances and
conceptions are possibly only ito him
who in the love of nature holds COM
munion with her visible forms"' Has
the soul that thus reads the story of
omnipotent power and wisdom attained
position we envy? Is such an express
sion the multiplied vision of poetic
temperament? Grant that it is. Con-
cede the grandeur of soul that reads
God in every feature OF the natural
world. What is the lesson taught?
Place this language of the Psalms on
its highest plane of human expression
nd who &c CnnnnI0 Sinn rl1u thiC
The best that a finite mind can do in ID
portrayal of the Almighty's glory is to
say that the heavens declare it. Are
we to understand that they fully pict-
ure it, and in eloquent silence point to
the etfulgence Of Gods glory?
We have not yet reached the country of
never-ending day. Beloved, we will
sometimes in life meet with the
shadows. We will by reason of the
flesh find that clouds now and again
appear on the horizon of Christian eX-
perience. This is not an evil that is to
be always deplored. Those who can
best glory in the rays from the ever
shining sun of righteousness are the
ones who have been plunged in mo-
mentary darkness and despair. When
your treasure. the one in whom
centered your love, was taken
away now the very heavens
were darkened. Then from the night
of sorrow came wall of grief. How
often | have stood in that darknessin
company with the mourners! | could
not produce light. was dumb and ST.
lent in the presence of poignant grief.
God spoke and how the scene changed.
''Let there be light" said his lips, and
light was and is and shall be. Its insult
ferable glory was brighter and purer
and sweeter because Of momentary
night. Light for everybody in every
condition. in every land, IN every ma
ton. God help US to appropriate it for
our good and that of humanity.