Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-04-15
AN NDlSTINCT MIRROR.
Our Earthly and Celestial Vision
Contrasted.
"ev' DR. Taimage shows How Our Boasted
knowledge IL Dim and Unsatisfac-
tory Compared with That Open
Ing TO Us Beyond.

In the following discourse Rev. r.
Dewitt Talmagc carries his auditors
beyond the veil and shows the contrast
between mere earthly vision and that
which will be seen through celestial
eyes. The text is.
FOR now we see through a glass, darlxly; but
then face to face, Corinthians xiii. II.
Inc Bible is the most forcefdl and
pungent of books. While 1t has the
sweetness of mothers hush for hui
man trouble, it has all the keenness of
q scimeter and the crushing power of
ilghtning-bolt 1t portrays with more
than painters power, at one stroke
p'cturing Heavenly throne and n
Judgment conflagration. The strings
OF this great harp are fingered by all
the splendors of the future. now sound
ing with the crackle of consuming
worlds, now thrilling with the JOY of
the everlasting emancipated. 1t tells
how one forbidden tree in the gar
den blasted the earth with sickness
and death, and how another, tree,
though leahess and bare, yet, planted
ON Calvary, shall yield fruit which
shall more than antidote the poison of
the other. 1t tells how the red-ripe
clusters of Gods wrath were brought
to the wine-press, and Jesus trod them
out; and how, at last, all the golden
chalices of Heaven shall glow with the
wine of that awful vintage. 1t dazzles
the eye with an Ezellicl's vision of
wheel and wing, and fire, and whirl-
wind; and stoops down so low that it
can put its lips to the ear of dying
child and say: Come up higher
And yet Paul, in my text, takes the
responsibility of saying that it is only
an indistinct mirror, and that its mis-
sion shall be suspended think there
may be one Bible in Heaven. fastened
to the throne. just as now, in IL mu-
scum, we have lamp cxhumed from
lierculaneum or Ninevah, and we look
at it with great interest and say: How
poor II light it must have given COM
pared with our modern lamps" So
think that this Bible, which was n lamp
to our feet in this world, may lie near
the throne of God, exciting our inter-
est to all eternity by the contrast be-
tween its comparatively feeble light
and the illumination of Heaven. The
Bible now is the scafrolding to the ris-
ing tempe, but when the building is
done there will be no use for the seat
folding.
The idea | shall develop to-day is
that in this world our knowledge is
comparatively dim and unsatisfactory,
but nevertheless is Introductory to
grander and more complete vision.
This is cminently true in regard to our
view of God. We hear so much about
God that we conclude that we under
stand Him, lie is represented as hav-
ing the tenderness of father, the
tirmness of judge, the majesty of a
king and the love of mother. We
hear about Him, talk about Him, write
about Him. We lisp His name in in.
fancy, and it trembles on the tongue OF
the dying octogenarian. We think
that we know very much about
Him. Take the attribute of mercy.
Do we understand it? The Bible bios.
SONS all over with that word-mercy
1t speaks again and again of the
tender mercies of God; of the sure
mercies; of the great mercics; of tn,
mercy that endureth forever; of the
multitude of His mercics, And yet
| know that the views we have of thi.
| Great Being are most indefinite, one
sided and incomplete. When, at death
the gates shall fly open. and we shall
look directly upon Him, how new anC
surprising! We see upon canvas {
picture of the morning. We study The
cloud in the sky, the dew upon thu
grass and the husbandman on the way
to the field. Beautiful picture of the
morning. But we rise at daybreal
and go up on hill to see for ourselves
that which was represented to us
While we look the mountains are
TRANSPORTED. The FURNISHED gate,
of Heaven swing open anC
shut, to let past host of fiery splen
doris. The clouds are all abloom, anC
hang pendent from arbors of alabastcl
and amethyst. The waters make path
way of inlaid pearl for the light t.
walk upon, and there is morning OF
the sea The crags uncover thei
SCARED visage, and there is morning
among the mountains. Now you z,
home, and how tame your picture o
| ,,,,r.,t,,fr ~ ft.uG n ftrnntn
than that shall be the contrast between
this scriptural view of God and tina
which we shall have when standn
face to face. This is a picture of tn
morning that will be the morning it
self.
Again, my text is true of the Saviour
excellency. By image, and swee
RHYTHM of expression. and startling an
tithesis, Christ is set forth-llis love
His compassion, His work, His life, Iii
death, His resurrection. We are chal
lenged to measure it, to compute it, t
weigh it. In the hour of our broke
enthrallment we mount up into hig
experience of His love- and shout unit
the countenance glows, and the bloc
bounds. and the whole nature is eA
hilarated. II have found Him. An
yet it is through glass, darlsly. w
see not half of that compassionate face
We see not half the warmth of tina
loving heart. We wait for death to lie
us rush into His outstretched arms
Then we shall be face to face. Nc
shadow then, but substance. Nc
hope then, but the fulfillment {
all prefgurment. That will b
a magnificent unfolding. Th
rushing out in view of all hidden e.
cellency, the coming again of lont