The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-09

del as we'll as Christian, agree in be-
lieving that the earth swings round
some greater center. Any n who has
studied the earth and studied the heav-
ems knows hat Gods ~favorite figure
in geometry is a circle. When God put
forth his hand to create the universe
he did not strike that hand at right an
giles, but he waved it in a circle and
kept on waving in a circle until sys-
tens and consultations and galaxies
and all worlds ooh that motion. Our
planet swinging around the sun, other
planets swinging around other unS,
but somewhere a great hub, around
which the great wheel Of the universe
turns. Now the center is heaven. That
is the capital Of the universe. That is
the great metropolis of immensely.
Does not our common sense teach us
that in matters of study it is better for
us to move out from the center to-
ward the circumference rather than to
be on the circumference, where our
world now is? We are like those who
study the American continent while
standing on the Atlantic beach. The
way to study the continent is to cross
it or go to the heart of it. Our stand
| point in this world is defective. We are
at the wrong end of the telescope. The
best "a to study a piece of machinery
is not to stand on the doorsteps
and try to 20 in, but to go in with
the engineer and take our place right
amid the saws and the cylinders. We
| YEA our eyes out and our brain out
from the fact that we are studying
under such great disadvantage.
Millions of dollars for o~bservatories
to study things about the moon, about
the sun, about the rings Of Saturn,
about transits and occulations, and
eclipses, simply because our studio, u
observatory, is poorly situated. We
are down in the cellar trying to study
the palace of the universe, while our
departed Christian friends nave gone
up stairs mid the skylights to study.
Now, when one can sooner get to the
center of things, is he not to be con-
graduated? Who wants to be always
in the reshma class? We study God
in this world by the biblical photo
graph of him, but we all know we can
in five minute Of interview with a
friend get more accurate idea of him
than we can by studying him so years
through pictures or words. The little
child that died last night knows more
Of God than all AndOver, and all prince
ton, and all New Brunswick, and all
Edinburg, and all the theological in
stitutes in ChristendOm. Is it not bet
ter to go up to the very headquarters?
AT THE CENTER.
Does not our common sense teach us
that it is better to be at the center
than to be clear out on the rim of the
wheel, holding n~ervously fast to the
tire, lest we be suddenly hurled into
light and eternal felicity? Through
all kinds of optical instruments trying
to peer in through the cracks and the
keyholes of heaven-aIraid that both
doors of the celectial mansion will be
swung wide open before our entranced
vision-rushing about among the
apothecary shops of this world, Won
n or;n r. sc tb;o ic noo1 fnr ,~I n n ticro
and that is good for neuralgia and
something else is good for a bad cough,
lest we be suddenly ushered into a
land of everlasting health where the
inhabitants never says, Il am sick"
What fools we all are to prefer the
circumference to the center. What a
dreadful thing it would be if we should
be suddenly ushered from this wintry
world into the Maytime orchards of
heaven and if our pauperism Of sin and
sorrow should be suddenly broken up
by a presentation of an emperor's cas-
tie surrounded by parks, with spring.
ing fountains and paths up and down
| which angels of God walk two and two.
We are like persons standing on the
cold steps Of the national picture gal
lery in London, under umbrella in the
rain, afraid to go in amid the Turner's
and the Titans n the Raphaels. I
come to them and say, why don't
you 90 lLSIUc luc SdllcIy Ou,
| they say, I'VE dom M whether we
can get in" 1 say, don't you see the
| door is open?" Yes" they say. ''but
we have been so long on these cold
steps, we are so attached to them,
we don't k to leave" But" I say
sit is so much brighter and more beau
tiful in the gallery; you had better go
n" NO" they say, 1--WE know ex-
actly how it is out here, but we don't
know exactly how it is inside"
| So we stick to his world as though
| we preferred cold driZZle to warm hab-
i~tation, discord to cantata, sackcloth to
| royal purple-as though we preferred a
| piano with four or five of the keys out
| of tune to IN fully attuned
as though earth n heaven had ex-
changed apparel and earth had taken on
bridal array and heaven had gone into
deep mourning, all it's waters stagnant,
| all it's harps broken, all chalises crack
ed at the dry wells, all the lawns STOP
ing to the river plOwed with graves,
with dead angels under the furrow.
On. 1 want to break up my own fatua-
| ton, and 1 want to brake up your in
fatuatiCn with this world. I tell you
if we are ready and if our work is
| done, the sooner we 60 the better, and
if there are blessings in longevity 1
want you to know right well there are
also blessings in an abbreviated earth
ly existence.
FORTUNATE ESCAPES.
If the spirit of this sermon is true,
how consoled you ought to feel about
members of your family hat went ear
ly. Taken from the evil to come"
this book says. What a fortunate es-
cape they had. How glad We ought to
feel that they will never have to go
through the struggles which we nave
a to go through. They had just
tiVe enough to get out Of the cradle
and run up on the springtime hills of
this world and see how it looked and
then they started for a better stop
| ping place. They were like ships that
| put in at st. Helena, staying there
long enough to let passengers go up
ana see the barracks OF Napoleon's
| captivity, and then hoist sail for the
| port of their own native land They
| only took this world in transitu. 1t is
hard for us. but it is blessed for them.