The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1898-03-11
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
"SPLENDORS TOBE UNROLLED"
LAST SUNDAYS SUBJECT.
From the Text; i. Corinthians, Chapter
XIII, Verse l2, as Follows: For
Now We See Through "A Glass, Darkly;
But Then Face to Face.

The Bible is the most forceful and
pungent OF books. While 1t has the
sweetness OF a mothers hush for hu-
man trouble, it has all the keenness OF
a sclmitar. and the crushing power OF
a lightning bolt. 1t portrays with more
than painters power, at one stroke
picturing a heavenly throne and
judgment confagration. 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 garden
blasted the earth with sickness anu
death; and how another tree. though
leafless and bare, yet. planted on Cal
vary, shall yield a fruit which shall
more than antidote the poison or the
other. 1t tells how the red-ripe clust-
ers of Gods wrath were brought to the
wine-press, and Jesus trod them out;
and how, at last, all the golden chal-
ices of heaven shall glow with the
wine of that awful vintage. 1t dazzleS
the eye with an Ezekiels vision or
wheel, and wing, and fire. and whirl-
wind; and stoops down so low that 1t
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
;,J; that ifQ mis-
sion shall be suspended. I think there
may be one Bible in heaven, fastened
to the throne. Just as now. in a mu-
scum, we have a lamp eXhumed from
Herculaneum or Nineveh, and we look
at it with great interest and say, How
poor a light it must have given COM
pared with our modern lamps SO
| think that this Bible, which was
lamp to our feet in this world, may lie
near the throne of God, exciting our
interest to all eternity by the contrast
between its comparatively feeble light
and the illumination of heaven. The
Bible, now, is the scaffolding to the
rising temple, but when the building
is done, there will be no use for the
scaffolding.
The idea I shall develop today is,
that in this world our knowledge is
comparatively dim and unsatisfactory,
but nevertheless is Introductory to
grander and more complete vision. This
is eminently true in regard to our
view of God We hear so much about
God that we conclude that we under
stand him. He is represented as hav-
ing the tenderness of a father. the
firmness of a 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 blossoms
all over with that word-mercy. 1t
speaks again and again of the tender
mercies of God; of the sure mercies;
of the great mercies; of the mercy that
endureth forever; of the multitude of
his mercies And yet l know that the
views we have of this great Being are
most indefinite, one-sided and incom-
plete. When, at death, the gates shall
fly open, and we shall look directly
upon him, how, new and surprising!
We see upon canvas picture of the
morning We study the cloud in the
sky, the dew upon the grass, and the
husbandman on the way to the field
Beautiful picture of the morning! But
we rise at daybreak, and go up on a
hill to see for ourselves that which
was represented to us. While we look
the mountains are TRANSPORTED. The
FURNISHED gates of heaven swing open
and shut, to let past host of fiery
splendors. The clouds are all abloom,
and hang pendent from arbors of ala
baster and amethyst. The waters make
pathway of inlaid pearl for the light
to walk upon; and there is morning on
the sea. The crags uncover their
SCARED visage; and there is morning
among the mountains. Now you go
home. and how tame your picture of
the morning seems in contrast! Great
err than that shall be the contrast be-
tween this Scriptural view of God and
that which we shall have when stand
ing face to face. This is a picture of
the morning, that will be the morning
itself
Again; my text is true of the Sa-
yiour's excellency. By image, and
sweet rhythm of expression, and start
ling antithesis, Christ is set forth-his
love. his compassion, his work, his life,
his death, his resurrection. We are
to measure it, to compute it.
TO weigh it. In the hour of our broken
enthrallment, we mount up into high
experience of his love, and shout until
the countenance glows, and the blood
bounds, and the whole nature is exhil-
arated, 81 have found HIM" And yet it
is through a glass, darkly. We see not
half of that compassionate face. We
feel not half the warmth of that loving
heart, We wait for death to let us
rush into his outspread arms. Then |
we shall be face to face. Not shadow |
then. but substance. Not hope then, |
but the fulfilling of all prefgurement. |
That will be a magnificent unfolding. !