The morning times., 1895-08-12
THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY.
Rev. DR.. Austen Speaks on This Text
at Guuton Memorial

Rev. DR.. Austen Speaks on This Text
at Gunton Memorial.
The Rev. William L. Austen, pastor OF
the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant,
Baltimore, yesterday occupied the pulpit
OF Gunton Temple Memorial Church In
this city Rev. Mr.. Austen is quite
noted pulpit orator He has pleasing and
impressive pre- sence, with great vocal
gifts, which gives greater force to his
diScourses.
Rev. Mr.. Austen took as the text for his
morning sermon the words, For now we
see through glass darkly, but then face
to face" Cor. xiii, p He said In part:
No mau by searching can find out God.
No one in this life can fathom Bis mys-
teries, His proyideuces, His works, or ways
1t is true that God reveals Himself TO His
people but not in all His brightness and
glory. Moses on the holy mount talked
with God but did not see Him. Jacob
walked with God but did not behold Him
In all His effulgent splendor and Divine
beauty. To Paul came visions or the
brightness OF Christ the demolst ration
of Gods power aud OF the splendor OF the
Kingdom of heaven. To Joh a came visions
fwonderand power I'D heavenly grandeur.
But 10 neither Moses nor Jacob, 10 Paul
nor John did God show Himself as He
really exists.
No man can see God aud live Such
knowledge is too high for us We cannot
attain unto it All Of our kno wiedge OF
God comes to us through only few sources.
We see Him in nature. We see Him q
relation. We see Him in what We call
Providence. But in none OF these ways
do we see Him in the pIenitude OF His Won
derfnl God nature
If we try to find out God In nature we
sac Him III bGJ u part or mas SOIsueTiul
power. Left 10 stand alone we would
know nothing OF His nature of love. In
the tbunder's boom, Iightning's flash, vol
canic eruption, We see no sign OF love.
Were we to have the minds OF angels We
would still see through nature, but darkly-
We see God inIperfectly ia revelation.
I mean we do not see Him in His word as
He will he seen in the ages OF eternity
We take up the Bible and we are moved
by His awful presence, amazed at the de-
lineation OF character, its spectacles of
lifs and death, of heaven and hell. Yet
withaI, we do not understand the Bible.
Time will come when warning and promise,
invitation and appeal. sermon, epistle and
prophesy, will appear to our enlarged and
heaven-e expanded minds as clear as the
simplest truths that now come TO Us.
We see God imperfectiy ia His redemp-
tive work through Christ. ! say imper-
tectly, but we see Him clearly enough 10
comprehend the plan OF redemption. We
speak of the home God has for US, the COM
forting influences OF His promises, but
we understand none OF these things fully.
Looking at God in His proyidences, we
look through a glass darkly. When we
admit the existence of God we are logically
bound to admit a disparity between Him
and His creatures, between His ways and
our ways, for He is infinite and we are
finite The angels do not know the mind
OF God. How much less can We expect 10
know Him, whose power put all things
IN motion and whose wisdom causes them to
work In concert, and by His goodness are
they caused 10 operate beneficially.
To every care-tossed child of earth God
comes and whispers the tender, gentle.
sympathetic words, Come unto Me,
child OF trouble, of sorrow, and Of woe.
Trust Ne / en- God. Thou canS't not
understand me fully, but trust, trust even
though thou cars't not see clearly through
my plans. Trust me-