The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-03
LIFE AND LIGHT.
Sermon by Rev. Wallace
Nutting Sunday Evening.
Nothing Covered That Shall
Not BE Revealed.
The Eternal Process With Motives
and Acts of Men.

At Union Congregational Church, Sun
day evening" the pastor. Rev. Wallace
Nuttipg, made an address suggested by
the recent developments of the discovery
of photographing through Opaque snb-
stance. OF discovering what is hidden by
means of the strangely piercing light
known to science as the ''cathode rays"
Mr.. Nutting called his address "Life
Shot Through with Light" The text
was Matthew 1926: ''There is nothing
covered that shall not be revealed, " and
the sermon follows:
Civilization is the working out OF
Gods great first word: "Let there be
light" Out of that waste and darkness,
that .'confusion worse confounded, " that
bowling void OF warning gases arose
what you see. From its deadly exhala-
tions arose this cheerful, translucent air;
from it's sediment arose the cathedral at
Milan; from it's lurid fires up sprang the
rainbow; from its hideous noises leaped
out toward heaven Handel's Messiah;
from its opaque and gruesome horror
were unrolled the beneficent sciences;
from that seething cauldron [ bat sput-
tered invisible flames and swallowed
them again with murky muttering-
thence arose a man and a Bible; for above
brooded the omnipotent Lord. and when
His voice was heard ''Let there be light ]"
"That tore hell's concave, n beyond
frighted the reign OF chaos and old
Night"
Nothing Is 80 sublime as light, and
therefore nothing SO honorable as TO be a
seer-a prophet. The unity of the work
OF God rapidly reveals itself in these DAYS,
we see better everyday that "thro' the
ages N increasing purpose runs.
The uniform emphasis Goo places on
lights nowLopening its meaning TO us.
From His first mighty word He contin-
ued thus to deal with men. He went be-
fore them in a pillar OF flame by night
He babe them place an even-forked lamp
before the secret place OF His temple,
which may symbolic the colored lights
of the rainbow blending in n white
light, or may image forth the partial
truths of the world's great religions unit
ed in Christianity. III was with some
reason that Titus carved upon his trium-
phal arch, to be seen this day in Rome,
this golden seven-rayed lamp as the rich
est booty Of the Roman, taken with
mailed heather hand from the penetra-
tion of the Go%d-taught nation.
For nit this symbolism had led up Ito
the figure OF Gods %anointed, when in that
temple Jesus stood and cried: ~ am the
lights OF the world; he that followeth Me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have
the tight OF lifo."
III the history OF the world teaches
anything it is that the process of illumi-
nation will continue until there is moth
ing covered, even as Jesus said. Every
stone, all eartbs, metals, solid, liquids,
gases, liquid gases. are being and will
be laid bare and penetrated with light
or ground TO powder. Their interior will
be known. their qualities and uses UNDER
stood. Through scientific discovery men
will believe in God, not doubt Him.
And a similar process goes on with the
thoughts, motives and acts of men.
What We speak in the ear shall be pro-
claimed upon the housetops. A sword
snail pierce through thine own soul, also,
that thoughts out OF many hearts NAV
be reaveIed. And we shall know each
other as God knows US, for there is moth
ing hidden that shall not be made known.
The Importance of this truth to us Is
manifold, for by the strange blindness
OF our nature we are more afraid of being
seen by men than by the Lord. They lack
Q faith in the immediate presence of God.
IL a travelling camera should follow a
man, as IL follows a presidential candidate
and be perpetually focused upon him, IL
would prove an admiral BILE tonic TO his
moral nature. We neea more than any
thing else to be continually feeling that
we are not on good behasior in this fair
realm, the world.
1t has been found a wise law TO abolish
screens from saloons tecsuse 1t has been
found that SONS classes of men will not
drink IL they are liable 90 be seen.
We endorse every such blow to hypo-
crisy The Lighting of cities Is found to
hinder the baud of violence and vileness.
We all remember the reason gave for
mems preference Of darkness rather than
light.
A startling example OF the fulhlment Of
the text-there IL nothing covered that
shall not be revealed may be seen In the
recent discovery of a method for photo
graphing opaque bodies. ! suppose all Of
us looked askance on that report from
Europe, a few weeks since, Of this discov-
cry by which the solid things around US,
like wood and some of the metals, be-
come powerless TO prevent the penctra.
tion OF the cathode rays; and by which
the human BODY itself Is resolved into a