The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-05
CELESTIAL VISIONS.
CONTRASTeD WITH THE pIMNESs
OF EARTHLY EYESlGHT.

DR.. Talnnaxe Delivers n Vivid piscop-s,
| on the spiendors of Heaven, Which til.
Mortal Mind Cannot Conceive-Probletn
of Life and Mysteries of Providence.
| Copyright 1873, by American Press Asso,
| ciatluH.l
WASHINGTON, March 6--Thjs discourse
Of DR.. Talmage Is one Of mighty contrast
| and tho dimness Of earthly eyesight, az
| compared with tho viyidness of celestial
| oyesiSht, Is Illustrated. Tho text Is Cor.
| inthians xiii, IL. For now we see through
glass, dsrkly, but then face to face"
The Bible is the most forGeful and pun.
gent Of books While 1t has tho sweetness
Of mothers hush for human trouble, it
has all the koenness of d soimiter and the
|, crushing power of lightning bolt. II
portrays with moro than painters pow.
cr mt onn stroke picturing a heavenly
throne and y Judgment confagration. The
strings OF this grent harp are fingered by
all the splondors of the future now sound.
ingwlth the orackle Of consuming worlds,
now thrilling with the joy Of the evorlast-
ing emancipated. 1t tells how ono forbid
den tree In tho garden 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 9TH
or. 1t tolls how tho red, ripe clusters Of
Gods wrath were brought to the wine
press, and Jesus trod them out, and how,
at last, all the golden chalioes of heaven
shall glow with tho win. of that awful
vintage. 1t dazzlcs the eye with an Eco
kidl's vision of wheel and wing and fire
and whirlwind, and stoops down so low
that it can put its lips to the car of dy-
ing child and say, "Como up higher"
And yet Paul, in my text, takes the re-
sponsibility of saying that it is only an in
distinct mirror and that It's mission shall
be suspended Ithiak there may be one
Bible in heaven, fastened to the throne.
dust as now, in q museum, wo have n
lamp oyhumed from Herculaneum or
Nineveh, and we look at 1t with great in
terest and say, "How poor light 1t 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 tho throne of God, exciting our in
terest to all eternity by the contrast no.
tween its comparatively feeble light and
the illumination of heaven The Bible,
now, Is the scaflOlding to the rising tom
ple, but when the building is done, thoro
will be no use for the scaioldins.
Finite Vision.
The idea I shall develop today is, that
In this world our knowledge is compare
lively dim and unsatisfactory, but never
theless is Introductory to grandcr and
moro complete vision. This is oninontly
truo in regard to our view OF God. We
henr so much about God that VIC conclude
that we understand him. llo i; REPRESENT
ed rs having The tenderncssof "a father, the
ilr!Gness of judge, tho majesty of king
and tho love Of q mother We hcar about
him, talk about him. write about him.
We lisp his nano i'll infancy, and it trcm-
blcs on the tongue Of the dying oetogcna-
rian. We thin. that wo know very much
about him. Take tho attribute Of mercy.
DO we understand it? The Biba blossoms
oil over with that word-merGy. 1t speaks
again and again Of tho tender nlercies Of
God; OF the sure mcrCioS; of tho great
mercies; Of the mercy that entiuroth for
ever; Of the multitude OF his mercies. Ard
yet know that tho views we have of this
great Being arc most indefinite, one sided
and incomplete When, at DEATH tho gates
shall fly open and we shall look directly
upon him. how new and surprising! We
see upon canvas picture Of tho morning
We study tho cloud in tho sky, tho dew
upon tho grass and the husbandman on
the way to tho field Beautiful picture Of
the morning! But we rise at daybreak
and go up on hill to see for ourselves
that which was represented to us. While
wo look the mountains arc TRANSPORTED.
Tho FURNISHED gates Of heaven swing open
and shut, to let past host Of fiery splcn-
doris. Tho clouds are all ubloom, and hang
pendent from arbors of alabaster and ame-
thyst The waters make pathway of in
laid pearl for tho light to walk upon, and
there is morning on the sea. Tho crags I'M
cover their Scared visagc, and there Is |
among the mountains. Now you |
go home and how tame your picture of tho |
seems in contrast Greater than
that shall DO tho contrast between this
Scriptural Wow Of God and that which we
shall have when standing face to face
This is picture of the morning that will !
DO tho morning itself.
Christ's Excellence.
Again, my text is true of tho saviour's
Dxcellency. BY image and sweet rhythm
Of expression and startling antithesis,
Christ is set forth-his love his compass
sion, his work, his life, his death, his
We arc challenged to meas-
lro 1t, to compute it, to weigh it. In the
lonr of our broken enthra!lmont we
mount up into high experience of his love,
md shout until the countenancc gluws,
md tho blood bounds, and the whole ma
ure is cxhiarated, II havo found himm
And yet it is through glass, darkly. We
co not half of that compassionate face.
Vo feel not half the warmth of that loving
leart. We wait for death to let us rush
nto his outsprcad arms. Then we shall
70 faco to face. Not shadow then, but sub.
tance. Not hope then. hut tho fulfilling
+ all pre1guroment. That will be IA mag.
iflCcnt unfolding. The rushing out in
lew OF all hidden excellency, the coming |
gain OF long absent Jesus, to meet u.s.
lot in rags and in perjury and death, but
midst light and pomp and outbursting
~ such as none but a glorited intelli-
cnoe could experience. Oh, to gazo full
pom the brow that was laceratcd, upon
he side that was pierced, upon tho feet
iup "tio AuiiCu, W Closo up III INC
TeSenco Of MIN who prayed for us on tho
and thought of Us by tho sen,
nd agonized for us in the garden, and
led for us in horrible cruci1xion; to feel
him, to embrace him, to tsko his hand,
} kiss his feet, to run our fingers along
10 scars of ancient suffering, to say:
This is my jesus He gave himself for
10. shall never leave his presence I
,all forever behold his glory shall
crnally hear his voice. Lord Jesus, row
s. thee! behold where tho blood start
!, where the tears coursrd, wh0rc the face
as distorted. have waited for this hour.
shall never turn my back on thee, No
ore looking through imperfect glasses.
o more studying thee in Tho darkness.
ut as long as this throne stands and this
erlasting river flows, and those garlands
DOM, and these arches of victory remain !
greet home heaven S conquerors, SO long j.,
shall see thee, Jesus of my choice, Jesus
my song, Jesus of my triumph, forever
d forever, face to face!' !,
The Puzzles Of Life.
The idea of the text Is Just as true when .
oiled to Gods providence. Who has not 7
me to some pass in lifc thoroughly mex @
Al: