The Globe-republican., 1894-01-05

L
he mt the delicate craft into the first
harbor. Taken away from the evil to
come"
Again, my friends. there is blessing
in an abbreviated earthly existence in
the fact that it puts one sooner in the
center of things All astronomers, in
fidel as well as Christian, agree in be-
lieving that the universe swings around
some great center. Anyone who has
studied the earth and studied the
heavens knows that Gods favorite
figure in geometry is circle. When
God put forth His hand to create the |
universe, He did not strike that hand |
at right angles, but He waved it in
circle and kept on waving it in circle
until systems and consultations and
galaxies and all worlds took that mo-
ton. Our planet swinging around the
sun, other planets swinging around
other suns. but somewhere great hub
around which the great wheel OF the
universe turns. Now, that center is
Heaven. That is the capital of the
universe That is the great metropolis
of immensity.
Now, does not our common sense
teach us that in matters of study 1T is
better for us to move out from the CEN
ter toward the circumference, rather
than to be on the circumference, where
our world now is? We are like those
who study the American continent
while standing on the Atlantic beach.
The way to study the continent is to
cross it. or go to the heart of it. Our
standpoint in this world is defective.
We are at the wrong end of the tel
escope. The best way to study piece
| of machinery is not to stand on the
doorstep and try to look in, but to go
in with the engineer and take our
place right amid the saws and the cyl
inders. We wear our eyes out and our
brain out from the fact that we are
studying under such great disadvan-
tages.
Millions of dollars for observatories
to study things about the moon. about
the sun, about the rings of Saturn.
about transits and occultations and
eclipses. simply because our studio. our
observatory, is poorly situated. We
are down in the cellar trying to study
the palace of the universe. while our
departed Christian friends have gone
up stairs amid the skylights to study.
Now, when one can sooner get to the
center of things, is he not to be con-
graduated? Who wants to be always
in the freshman class? We study God
in this world by the Biblical photo
graph of Him, but we all know we
can in five minutes of interview with a
friend get more accurate idea OF him
than we can by studying him fifty
years through pictures of words. The
little child that died last night to-day
knows more of God than all AndOver,
and all Princeton, and all New Bruins
wick, and all Edinburgh, and all the
theological Institutions in Christen-
dom. Is it not better to go up to the
yery Headquarters of knowledge?
Does not our common sense teach us
that it is better to be at the center
than to be clear out on the rim of the
wheel. holding nervonsly fast to the
.. tire lest we be suddenly hurled into
:, light and internal felicity? Through
all kinds of optical instruments trying
, to peer in through the cracks and the
!. keyholes of Heaven-afraid that botf
= doors of the celestial mansion will bt
, swung wide open before our rentrancine
vision-rushing about the apothecarl
shops of this world, wondering if thi
is good for rheumatism, and that il
good for neuralgia, and something els
is good for bad cough, lest we be sud
, denly ushered into land of everlasting
i health, where the inhabitants neve
say: Il am sick"
- What fools we all are to prefer tn
!, circumference to the center! What
dreadful thing it would be if we shoul
be suddenly ushered from this wintr
;. world into the Maytime orchards o
- Heaven. and if our pauperism of si1
and sorrow should be suddenly broke
), up by a presentation of an emperor
\ castle, surrounded by parks wit
= springing fountains and paths up an
down which angels of God walk tw
=. and two!
4 We stick to the world as though "
" preferred cold drizzle to warm ha bit;
\. ton, discord to cantata, sackcloth
y royal purple-as though we preferred
rs piano with four or five keys out of tun
y to an instrument fully attuned-a
n though earth and Heaven had e.
d changed apparel and earth had take
. on bridal array and Heaven had gou
ir into deep mourning, all its waters sta,
ID nant, all its harps broken. all chalict
4. cracked at the dry wells, all the lawr
es sloping to the river plowed wit
h graves, with dead angels under the fu
h row. Oh, want to break up my ow
& infatuation, and want to break u
er your infatuation for this world. l te
you if we are ready, and if our work
~, done, the sooner we go the better. an
if there are blessings in longevity.
n want you to know right well there a.
>, also blessings in an abbreviated earth
,e existence.
n If the spirit of this sermon is tru
be how consoled you ought to feel abo'
or members of your families that wei