The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1900-12-26
MISSION OF CHRIST.
IT WAS TO TEACH THE WORLD THAT
GOD is LOVE.

DR.. Ta1mage In His Sermon De-
scribes the sympathy and Com
passion of the Almighty King.
! Explains Why the Holy Bible Was
Written.
WASHINGTON, Dec 23.-In this dis
course DR.. Talmage describes in new
way the sacrifices made for the worlds
disenthrallment and deliverance. His
text is John iv, 16, God is love-"
Perilous undertaking would it be to
attempt a comparison between the "t-
tributes Of God. They are not like a
mountain range, with here and there @
higher peak, nor like the ocean, with
here and there a profounder depth.
We cannot measures infinities. We
would not dare say whether his omnip-
otence or omniscience or omnipres-
ence or immutability or wisdom or
justice or love is the greater attribute.
But the one mentioned in my text
makes deeper impression upon us than
any other. 1t was evidently very old
man who wrote the chapter from
which l take the text. John was not
in his dotage, as Professor Eichhorn
asserted, but you can tell by the repe-
titions In the epistle and the rambling
style and that he called grown people
"little children" that the author was
probably an octogenarian. Yet Paul.
in midlife mastering en- audience Of
Athenian critics on Mars hill, said
nothing stronger or more important
than did the venerable John when he
wrote the three words of my text,
"God is love-"
Indeed the older one gets the more
he appreciates this attribute. The
harshness and the combativeness and
the severity have gone out Of the old
man. and he is more lenient and, aware
of his own faults, is more disposed to
make excuses for the faults CT others.
and he frequently calculates, "Pcor
human naturen' The young minister
preached three sermons on the justice
of God and one on the love Of God,
but when be got old lie preached three
sermons on the love Of God and one on
the justice Of God.
Descent of the Prince.
Far back in the eternities there came
time when God would. express one
emotion Of his nature which was yet
uneypressed. He had made more
worlds than were seen by the ancients
from the top Of the Egyptian pyramid
which was used as an observatory, and
more worlds than modern astronomy
has catalogued or deserted through tel
escopic lens. All that showed the
Lords aimightincss, but it gave nc
demonstration of his love. He might
make 80 Saturns and 100 Jupiters and
not demonstrate an instant Of love
That was an unknown passion and the
secret of the universe. 1t was a sup
pressed emotion Of the great God. But
there would come a time when this
passion of infinite love would be de-
clared and illustrated. God would vel
it no longer After the clock of many
centuries had run down and worlds
had been torn and demolished, en- {
comparatively obscure star a race OF
human beings would be born and who
though so bountifully provided for tha,
they ought to have behaved themselves
well. went into inSurrection and con
spiracy and revolt and war - finite
against infinite, weak arm against
thunderbolt, man against God.
If high intelligences looked down ant
saw what was going on, they must
have prophesicd determination - com
plete extermiDaticn-of these offender:
Of jehovah But, no, Who is thai
coming out Of the thr0DeroOm Of heaV
en-? Who is that coming out Of tht
palaces Of the eternal? 1t is the Sol
Of the Emperor of the universe. Dow!
the stairs Of the high heavens he comes
till he reaches the cold air of a Decem
Der night in Palestine and amid thC
| bleatings Of sheep, and the lowing Of
| cattle, and the moaning Of camels, ant
| the banter Of the herdSmen takes hi:
first sleep on earth and for 33 years in
vites the wandering race to return tt
| God and happiness and heaven. They