The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-03-18
VISION OF JACOBS LADDER.
IT'S REAL MEANING md SIGNIFI-
CANCE-CHRIST THE LADDER.


deemer Yesterday-The Possibility of
Communication Between God and Man
A Fact Much Lost Sight of Nowadays
The Privilege of Christians to Serve as
Living Ladders.
Rev. DR.. Joseph Anderson OF Water
bury preached a most instructive and
thoughtful sermon at the Church of
the Redeemer yesterday morning. His
subject was "The Stairway of the
Angels" and his text was "And He
Saith Unto Him, Verify Verify, I Say
Unto You, Henceforth Ye Shall See
Heaven Open, and the Angels of God
Ascending and Descending Upon the
Son of Man" John ISL. He also
read as the scripture lesson the story
of the appearance of the stairway of
angels to Jacob in dream.
After some most interesting introduce
tory remarks about the journey and
vision of Jacob, the preacher spoke as
follows:
80 touching is the picture of this
fugitive youth, journeyhng alone into
far country, aInd SO wildly is this
| dream portrayed, that we need not
wonder at the attention the story has
attracted in successive ages, and the
efforts which have been put forth to
interpret the sleeper's vision. The best
biblical scholars are agreed that the
ladder" in the vision, If it means any
thing or is anything, more than
a portion of the scenery or
furniture of the picture, its
meaning is to be found by observing
the place it holds in the vision. Let
us remember, then, that 1t extends from
the imagined gateway at the sleeper's
side to those heavenly courts above,
where the great King stands and that
| it serves for the stairway by which the
royal messengers go to and fro. What
is it then but the great medium Of
communication between that which is
above and that which is below? Jacob
learned that night as he had never
learned before, that there is the pos
sibility Of intercourse between earth
and heaven, between God and manage,
that such intercourse is a fact, per-
petually existing, although we perpet-
ually fail to see It.
And this, my friends, is a fact which
is lost sight of to-day as habitually as
in the olden times. In the earlier ages
the belief in the supernatural was more
vivid than it Is now, and men We're
more accustomed to believe iu the fact
of intercourse between the two worlds
where now we do not think of it, Not
only is there a failure to discern God
In nature, in any large Significant sense
Gas l have so often shown YOU, but
there is a widespread disbelief in God |
as a God of providence. Men crowd
Him from physical universe; they |
count Him and in their philosophy Of |
history" But God Is here though they |
know 1t not. The unseen stairway per- |
petually ascends from earth to heaven. |
The messengers of God go to and fro |
upon it, conveying up the cry Of the |
hungry soul, conveying down the bene-
diction Of love. Whatever mans blind
ness may do, and mans sinfulness;
however deep the gulf which lies be-
tween; heaven, after ALL Is not far
off, but near; mani can commune with
God, and God can care for man, and
confer upon him immeasured blessing.
If human evil is a fact, so also is divine
grace; and its resources are infinite.
This, my friends, is substantially the
meaning of Jacobs dream by the best
expositors of the church in all ages.
That it is substantially correct is
proved by the language of our text,
to which l wish now to call your atten-
tion more directly. You may not have
observed its connection with the story
of Jacobs dream, but such a connec-
tion undoubtedly exists.
At the beginning of Christ's ministry,
while He was on His way to Galilee,
He met for the first time Nathaniel
approaching, who became one Of His
twelve disciples. AS he saw Nathaniel
approaching there was something about
him which prompted Jesus to exclaim,
Behold, an Israellte indeed in whom is
no gulleT A brief conversation follow
ed, as the result Of which Nathaniel
said, rabbi, thou art the Son Of God I
Thou art the king Of Israel" Whether
t was this twofold mention of the fame
IF 'Israel' or whether IL was led to 1t Y
n some other way, we cannot tell; but Y
certain it is that in Christ's response to {
His newfound disciple He made alluson [
o Jacobs vision at Bethel. Thou
halt see greater things than these" I
aid Jesus; verify, verify, | say unto /
'Ou NlO all VINO near mel nencef0rtn /
hall see heaven open and the angels e
# God ascending and descending upon s
he Son Of Man" The opened heaven a
) obviously the heaven seen in vision by |
i'm who was afterward named Israel T
nd the ascending and descending angels o
re the angels whom. Jacob saw. But a
TRANCE to say the ladder or stairway
which fills so prominent a place in 1
be ancient dream has disappeared, and 1
That has taken its place? 1.-THE Son Of i
Ian"-Jesus Christ Himself
Now, I venture to say that such a !
gure of speech as this would not have Il
cen used unless some very definite and y
aluable conception were connected 4
With it. 1t evidently gives us q broad y
nd important statement in a single y
1ord; and it is natural to enquire what 4
hat statement is. Bear in mind that u
as been said of the significance of the ]
adder in the dream and you have a Z
ey to the Saviour's full meaning. The u
adder is the symbol of the connection u,
etween earth and heaven, between =
cd and man. It is the vehicle, so to ~
peak, by which divine agencies pass d,
Ill Al. II.