The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-03
USES OF THE MIRROR.
Rev. DIR. Fairs Sermon on the Mirror
of the Word.


of the Word.
The subject of Rev. DR.. Fairs sermon al
the Independent Presbyterian Church yes
terday morning was 1.-THE Mirror of the
Word" His text was from Cor, 3:1S
"Beholding as in glass the glory of the
Lord"
The use of the mirror, DR.. Fair said,
could be traced back to the remotest an
tiquity. In the classic age it was com
posed of metals, usually a thin disk Of
bronze, slightly convex and highly pol
ished. Sometimes mirrors were made of
solid silver and reflected over the be
holders face a soft effulgence or radiance.
So the Bible not only reveals the glory of
God, but it also reflects a transforming
spirituality over those who lovingly and
continually look into its pages and work
by its light
.'The text also suggests said Dr. Fair
that the Bible is true revelation. A
mirror accurately copies and faithfully
reports whatever is set before it. If you
turn il toward the heavens, It viii picture
as much of that broad dome as its little
bosom can hold If you turn it toward
the sun, it's rays are flashed
back IN a brightness that blinds and daz-
zles you So the Bible is a true refiec-
ton of the infinite perfection of God, 30
If you turn the Bible toward man, it
truly reflects his inner moral nature. The
Roentgen rays penetrate opaque objects,
and disclose lurking causes of disease. Be
fore it's powerful light, the entire man
stands perfectly revealed Beneath the
beautiful and animate frame of flesh 1t
shows skeleton, emblem of death SO
the Bible shows what is in man, and Of
ten reveals beneath outward fairness ANA
external morality the body of sin and
death. This fidelity to truth is one rea-
son why the Bible has been SO powerful
in history. There is a tradition that Ar
chimedes, by adjusting mirrors and 70
CALLING their rays upon a fleet of the enc
my, set it on fire and destroyed it. SO
the Bible by its silent witness by re-
hecting the light of holiness upon sin, is
consuming iniquity and purifying the
world.
But this wonderful mirror of the
word" DR. Fair said mot only reflects
light upon the present; it also gathers up
the rays of prophecy in its broad lens
and projects them upon the future. Gal
ieo arranged two pieces of glass,
one before the other and looking
through, found distant worlds were
brought near So the Bible reveals the
reality and the glory of other worlds; il
throws light on a state of existence that
was hidden in obscurty. We turn it 10
the grave and what light it sheds into
the dark depths. We thought the grave
was empty desolate only the abode of
the worm, but as the light of this magni-
flying glass falls on it, the grave is trans
formed; it becomes beautiful grander TO
the Christian than earth's highest throne,
the elimination and perfection of life, the
apex Of its greatness, not the end, but the
beginning. the coronation chamber where
the soul is disrobed of its earthly habili-
ments and arrayed in the garments of i'm"
mortality In that light which the Bible
reflects into the tomb we see the vision
of shining one clothed in white, and We
hear, not dirge, but a chant of victory,
the echo of that far-off song, the angels
chant before the throne"
Dr. Fair illustrated this point by a ref
erence to his first experience on the Mis-
sissippi river.
1t was a dark. rainy night pitchy gloom
obscured the vision, he could only see the
turbid flood below and hear the gurge
of the waters, but when the boat headed
toward the shore, the electric
light was turned on, and where
empty darkness seemed TO rest,
homes and beautiful gardens
were brought to view, and al the landing
places people were waiting to meet and
welcome their friends, and they looked
into each others faces and clasped hands
in the soft, clear, glitterng radiance.
so We" he said, drift in the stream
of life, darkness is around us and before
u.s. the shores Of eternity seem desolate
and far off, but where our view term-
mates the Bible focalizing its light, and we
find the banks are not far off they are not
bleak and barren, but covered with fade
less flowers and lined with friends wait
ing 10 meet US. At sea the electric search
light sweeps for miles, illuminating even
the distant horizon, filings its tints on
clouds that were invisible So the Bible
throws its light upon the confines of life.
It leaps beyond the circumference of
thought above clouds and stars and
spans eternity itself. In its revelations
we find that what we call the stream of
life here is to the Christian only a tribu- |
utary of the river of life in heaven; It |
empGes into the sea of glass, and at It's |
confluence we see a city which hath foun- |
dations whose builder and maker is God |
Take this mirror of the word. often look |
into its wonderful reveal tons True. il |
may contain mysteries which we cannot
explain We cannot understand the SUM- |
il is full of mystery, but we know il |
sheds light on our path and makes the |
world fruitful and beautiful. So, however |
mysterious the Bible may be, 1t gives light
to the soul and viii lead US some day be- |
yond the shadows and symbols TO the |
fontal source of all light and beauty and
happiness"
- a