The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-04-23
DISCERNING THE SIGNS OF THE
TIMES.
Sermon by Rev. John +. Tilt0n preached In The
Baptist Church April II, 1896, and Published
by Request.

can We not discern the signs of the times 90
Matt. 1863.
Christ here rebukes the Pharasees and
Sadduces because they would not apply
the same common sense to spiritual things
that they We're wont to apply to their every
day affairs. They were clamoring for a
sign from heaven in proof of his Messianic
claims, while they refused to accept the
evidences which for months had been be-
fore their eyes. They wanted him to show
them some useless, uncalled for, super
natural spectacle like the calling down of
fire from heaven or causing the sun and
moon to stand still, but wilfully closed
their eyes to the many indications that
the Messiauic epoch was at hand, which
were SO plain in the civil and religious
condition of Israel, the fultilment of Mes
sianic prophecies, and the miracles of
Jesus and his followers, They could fore
cast the weather by observing the appear
ance OF the sky, but refused to discern the
signs of the times. The implication here
is that by applying certain rational prin-
ciples of judgment to present conditions,
we may 10 some extent forecast the future.
And TINS Will Iequne no prophetic vision.
He who understands his own age can, with
some degree OF correctness, predict the
immediate future and discern the charac
tee CT the events which are likely to oc-
cupy men 5 thought and attention. And,
unless we do sometimes take such glance
ahead, We cannot wisely adjust our plans
and methods of work to existing condi-
tons as to accomplish the best possible
results. Is not this one of the most press
ing needs of the church to-day? Ii We
apply 18th century methods to 10Th cen
fury conditions or 10Th century methods
to 10th century conditions, how can We
expect to be successful in bringing this
world under the dominion OF Jesus Christ?
What We need to do is to forecast the char
acter of the coming age by careful study
Of the social, political and religious con-
dition Of the present and the great histor-
ical movements of the past, SO that we
may be prepared to act wisely, intelh-
gently and successfully in the coming
years. We often hear men say that if
their foresight had been as good as their
aftersight, they would have done very
differently and would have been great
deal more successful. But may it not be
that our foresight would often be d great
deal better if we would study with greater
care the signs of the times?
|. Concerning the coming age we OBJ
serve:
LIST. That it is certain to be an age of
great material advancement. To some it
might seem almost impossible that there
can be much advance upon the achieve
ments of the past fifty or a hundred years,
that the human mind has about reached
TIE limit of its inventive genius. But to the
more thoughtful and observing it is evil
dent that we are entering upon an age of
material development and inventiveness
which Will lie remarkable, even when
compared with the present. We travel
now at the rate vi fifty miles an hour, but
there are few men who have given the
subject careful thought who do not be-
lieve that i'll IL very few years we shall
speed along at the rate of a hundred or a
hundred and fifty miles an hour. Already
we hear a great deal about the ''horseless
age, - when the slow mode of travel in
vogue now Will be superseded by electri-
cal carriages, fitted with pneumatic tires,
and travelling twenty or thirty miles an
hour. And there are many who are cen
tident that within a comparatively short
time air ships will be sailing along above
our heads With perfect safety and light
ning like rapidity. Every day the ends of
the earth are being brought nearer To-
gether. \ new process OF recording tele
graphic messages has just been invented
which will increase the capacity from four
hundred to athousands words per minute.
And it is estimated that when this system
is perfected and generally introduced the
average business letter can be sent by tele
graph for three cents, so that instead of
laboriously writing out our letters in long
hand, we will simply make a few dots and
dashes on bit OF paper, send it to the
telegraph office and in a few seconds have
it duplicated in Chicago, Denver, San
Francisco or London. Such wonderful
discoveries as the 'Roentgen' OF 'A'
rays, of which we hear so much of late,
give us some slight hints as to what we
may expect in the future. Who ever
imagined five years ago that a process
would be discovered by which the bones
of your body could be photographed as
accurately as if they were not covered
with flesh? What wonderful revolutions
in the scientific and industrial world such
discoveries are likely to make. SO, too,
the development of our country in
wealth and prosperity is as yet only in its
infancy. We have not begun to possess the
land included in the vast domain which
we so proudly call our own. We have one
State large enough to contain all the peo-
pie of this country without being over
crowded. 1t is estimated by careful
students of political economy that this
country is capable of sustaining a popu-
lation of one billion human beings, and
that in hundre d years from now there
will be gathered within our borders more
than one third that number. This growth
in population will be accompanied by a
corresponding development of the mex
haustible agricultural and mineral wealth
as yet scarcely touched. To-day thought
full men everywhere are looking toward
the future with a thrill of expectation
such as was felt throughout Europe just be-
fore the discovery of America, and those
of us who are alive fifty years from now
will look upon conditions the mere men
ton of which to-day would fill us with
wonderment.
I'd. The coming age will be one of great
educational advancement. We often boast |
of the culture and refinement of our time
but the advancement made along educa-
tional lines, compared with the progress
in other fields, has been pitiably small.
Why, Greece, centuries before the Chris
tIau era cOu]1 boast of a culturp amonO |