The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-08

| TO DO? "5uch knowledge cried the
psalpist, sis too wonderful for me; 1t Is
| high, cannot attain unto it,"
Yet, my friends, the wisest and noblest
ana most gifted of mankind mas declared
1t to De Gods wish that we should attain
unto 1t; that we should understand and
perceive and know, not in part, hut face
| to face--not this thing or tsAt thing, but
the source of everything,
We have mace but the merest beginning
towards the knowing Gods ways and
works here on this eartb-w nat about the
rest of the universeY The rest of the
universe is practically the whole OF 1t, for
this earth of ours Is so small, so minute,
so infnitesimal a speck that IL scarcely
counts. We have learned but little about
| this inHni iesimsi specK. We have a. yet
learned nothing about the starry depths
| which extend on and on, cluster after
cluster, system after system-through
abyss after sbyss OF space TO distances
that the imagination cannot traverse or
the mind conceive. Ana those ay osses
| are not empty, these worlds are not desc
late. They are 6lled with the spirit of
God-they are filed with the spirit of life
therefore, WITH the kindly, wise, affection
ate vitality of the Heavenly Father. On
every one OF those million, million worlds
| the Divine Spirit has planted itself In
some form or otbel. Throughout NIL these
clusters ana systems, there is order and
| symmetry and purpose and design; and
as yet we know nothing OF it. Look up
at the Milky Way. so vast Is the number
of its constituent particles that Ii seems
a vapor, a shining stellar mist. Gaze
steadily, and you can just discern that
the mist is made of stars, too many for
you to count. A telescope enables you TO
distinguish the individual points OF
light. You be gin to enumerate and pause
amazed, despliriEg, for the Inns reveals
layer beyond layer, depth Beyond depth
a host infinite in number, boundless in
extent. And the spirit moves on
the face of every one OF them
on every one mapifesing itself in forms
and systems of beauty or of life--of wis
dom and of love. And to know the Gre
ator's ways and works you must kDoy all
these. And you do not yet know
thousaDdth part OF the one on whicn you
dwell. 10 know His ways aud works you
must visit each of those bright worlds In
turn. And as yet, ,most OF US have visited
only the smallest section of this world.
Our individual lives will need proloDging
almost indefinitely If W. are over TO learn
all about our own world; they will need
leng theDing forever and ever, IL We are to
learn Gil about all the worlds.
] believe that our faculties will be i'm
mensely sharpeneu, our capabilities enor-
mously increased, the moment we have
cast aside tho garments of the grave.
But the Universe is without limit, and
however splendid our capacities, our lives
must be without limit too, IL we are to
become acquainted with the limitless
Universe.
1 have been speaking of Gods works
and wsys and of our learning about them.
But the words of Jesus imply much more.
Our ives are given us, he says, that we
may ''knov God"--not merely His works
and WAYS, but the very nature OF the
Heavenly Father himself. Some day we
she'll realize the full significance of His
wisdom; somo day there will hurst upon
US a true conception of Ills power, some
day We shall find our souls glowing with
tho consciou snsss of His love as with
glorious. ineTs ble, heavenly light. But
that day Is afsr off; nothing less than
eternity will be required TO achieve it.
And. therefore, says Jesus, the life that
God has given you is eternal, aud not
merely eternal lit is also a progressive
life. IT Is not motion slong a straight
line all on the same lavel: il is an ascent
from the low to the high, an
advance from the simple to the
complex, from the little to the lsrge,
from the finite to the infinite. 1t is the
| progress of every single man and woman
onward and upward forever. OF every
man and woman-there are no holes I'm
Gods net through whicn you can slip
| out-thcre are no defects in the Divine
| system. You have been given the kind
OF life that is capable of knowing the
fulncss Of the glory of the Godhead, Of
becom ing, that is, itself like the God head,
| II your life is used rightly. And so we
trained and taught and disciplined and
| persuaded and encouraged and guided
and led and helped in oil manner of won
derful ways. But in the end God will
conquer; in the end the wors. sinner Of us
ell will bow down and worship-the hard
est heart will be softened and melted and
regenerated-born again into the new life
| of wisdom and of love. Some of you per-
| hap,, whose burden here has been heavy,
whose toll has been severe have been nc.
| customed to look to the life beyond as
| time OF rest from labor. BE assured, dear
friends, that you will not be disappointed |;
| there. indeed, the weary will be at best,
not because they will be inert, not because
they will do nothing-bnt because there
every activity will bring delight, every
pursuit now happiness and new strength.
There VIII be no labor there In our
earthly sense OF fstiguing, exertion, for