The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-03-09
THROUGR.A.DARK GLASS.
That is How We Now View the
Kingdom of Heaven.
DR.. Taimage Says the Mysteries of Provl.
dence win Surely be Unfolded in the
Future Life-Glories of Heaven
Beautifully Described.

In the following sermon Rev. DIR.
Talmage in glowing language COM
pares the dimness OF earthly eyesight
with the brightness of celestial vision.
His text is: l. Cor. Is: 12: "For now we
see through glass darkly; but then
face to face"
The Bible is the most forceful and
and pungent of books. While it has
the sweetness of mothers hush for
human trouble, it has all the keenness
of scimitar, and the crushing power
OF lightning bolt 1t portrays with
more than painters power, at one
stroke picturing heavenly throne and
judgment conflagration. The strings
of this great harp are fingered by all
the splendors of the future, now
sounding with the crackle of consum-
ing worlds, now thrilling with the Joy
of the everlasting emancipated. 1t
tells how one forbidden tree in the
garden blasted the earth with sickness
and death; and how another tree
though leafiess and bare, yet, planted
on Calvary, shall yield a 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 daz-
zles the eye with an Ezekiel'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 a 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 it's mis-
sion shall be suspended. think there
may be one Bible in Heaven, fastened
to the throne. Just as now, in muse
um, we have lamp exhumed from
Herculaneum or Nineveh, and we look
at itwith great interest and say, "How
poor light it must have given COM
pared with our modern lampsw 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
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 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 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 father, the
firmness 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 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 en-
dureth forever; of the multitude o1
His mercies.
And yet l know that the views we
have of this great Being are most in
definite, one-sided and incomplete.
When, at death, the gates shall fly
open, and we 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 day
break, and go ON hill to see for our
selves that which was represented to
us. While we look the mountains are
transfgured. The FURNISHED gates OF
Heaven swing open and shut, to let
past host of fiery splendors. The
clouds are all abloom, and hang pen
pent from arbors and alabaster 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 noun.
tains. Now you go home, and how
tame your picture of the morning
seems in contrast! Greater than that
shall be the contrast between this
scriptural view of God and that which
we shall have when standing face to
face. This is picture of the morning,
that will be the morning itself.
Again, my text is true of the Saviour'E
excellency. By image, and sweet
rhythm of expression, and startling
antithesis, Christ is set forth-His love
His compassion, His work, His life, His
death, His resurrection. We are chal
lenged to measure it, to compute it, tc
weigh 1t. In the hour of our broker
enthrallment we mount up into high
experience of His love, and shout unit
the countenance glows, and the blood
bounds, and the whole nature is exhil
arated, 81 have found Himw And yet
it is through glass, darkly. We see
not half of that compassionate face
We feel not half the warmth of thai
loving heart. We wait for death to lei
us rush into His outspread arms. Their
we hall be face to face. Not shadow
then, but substance. Not hope then
bat the fulfilling of al p eagurement
That will be magnificent unfolding
The rushing out in view of all hid
den excellency, the coming again of 9
long absent Jesus, to meet us-not II
rags, and in penury, and death, but