The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-03-09
MIGHTY CONTRASTS.
EARTHLY EYESiGHT COMPARED
" WITH CELESTIAL VISION.

WITH CELESTIAL VISION
Rev, DIR. Tslmase Shows How Inadequate
II Human Conception of God-The Great
Majority VIII Be ssved--Joys OF Heaven
Arc Past Mans Understanding.
tcopyright. 1888. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, March 6.-Thls dis
course of DR.. Talmage is one Of mighty
contrasts, and the dimness Of earthly
eyesight as compared with the vivid
ness Of celestial eyesight is illustrated. !
The text is Corinthians xiii, l2, "for
now we see through 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 human
trouble, it has all the keenness OF
scimeter and the crushing power OF
lightning bolt. 1t portrays with more
than painter power, ut one stroke
picturing heavenly throne and judg-
ment conAagration. The strings Of this
great harp are fingered by all the splen-
dors Of the future, now; sounding with
the crackle of consuming worlds. DOW
thrilling with the JOY of the everlasting
emancipated. 1t tells how cne forbidden
tree in the garden blasted the earth with
sickness and death and how another
tree, though leafess and bare. yet plant
ed on Calvary, shall yield fruit which
shall more than antidote the poison Of
the other. 1t tells how the red ripe clus-
ters of Gods wrath were brought to the
wine press and Jesus trcd them out,
and how at last all the golden chalices
of heaven shall glow with the wine OF
that awful vintage. 1t dazzlcs the eye
with an Ezekiels vision CT wheel and
wing and fire and whirlwind and stocps
down so low that it can put its lips to
the ear of dying child and say, Come
mp 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. I think there
may be one Bible in heaven, fastened to
the throne. Just as now, in museum,
We have lamp exhumed from Her
culaner.a or Nineveh, and we look at it
with great interest and say, "How poor
q light it must have given compared
with our modern lamps"' so l 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 illu-
mination of heaven. The Bible now is
the scaffolding to the rising temple, but
when the building is done there will be
no use fer the scaffoloing.
Human Ignorance.
The idea I shall develop today is that
in this world our knowledge is compar-
atiyely dim and unsatisfactory, but ner-
ertheless is Introductory to grander and
more complete vision. This is emiuently
true in regard to cur view Of God. We
near so much about God that we con-
ciude that we understand him. He is
represented as having the tenderness Of
father, the firmness cf lEdge, the
majesty Of king and the love CT q
mother. We hear about him, talk about
him, write about him. We lisp his
name in infancy, and il trembles on the
tongue Of tie dying cctogenarian. We
think that We know very much abous
him. Take the attribute Of mercy. Do
we understand il: 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 endur-
eth forever; Of the multitude Of his
mercies. And yet know that the views
we have CT this great being are most in
definite, one sided aud incomplete.
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 ard the husbandman on
the way to the field. Beautiful picture
Of the morning! But we rise at dayLreak
and go up en- hill to see for ourselves
that which was represented to Us.
While we look the mountains are trans
figured. The FURNISHED gates of heaven
swing open and shut, to let past a host
Of fiery splendors. Tho clouds are all
abloom and hang pendent from arhors
OF alabaster and amethyst. The waters
make pathway of inlaid pearl fer the
light to walk upon, and there is ,norn-
ing cn the sea. The crags uncover their
Scared visage, and there is morning
among the mountains. Now you &c
home, and how tame your picture OF the
morning seems IL contrast Greater than
that shall be the contrast between this
Scriptural view Of Gcd and that which
we shall have when standing face to
face. This is picture of tie morning
thst will be tie morning itself.
A Magnificent Unfolding.
Again, my text is true IF the Saviour's
excellency. By image and sweet rhythm
of expression and startling antithesis
Christ is set forth-his love, his COM
passion, his work, his life, his death,
his resurrection. We are challenged 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 countepance
glows and the blood bounds and the
whole nature is exhila-ated. II have
found him.' And yet it is through q
glass, darkly. We see not half of that
compassionate face. We feel not half
the warmth Of that loving heart. We