The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-31
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON,
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: Lights Of the Face-The Marvels
Of the Human Eye Prove tho Infinite
Wisdom of the Creator-DivInely Con-
structed Lighthouses OF the Soul.
Copyright, Louis Klopsch. 1aOO.l

structed Lighthouses OF the Soul.
Copyright, Louis Klopsch, 1901
WASHINGTON, D. C.-In this discourse DR..
falmage, in his own way, calls attention
to that part Of the human body never
perhaps discoursed upon IN the pulpit and
challenges US all to the study Of omnis-
rience. Text, Psalm xeiv., 9, "He that
formed the eye, shall He not see?"
The imperial organ Of the human system
Is the eye. All up and down the Bible God
honors it, extols it, illustrates 1t or ar
raigns it. Five hundred and thirty-four
times is 1t mentioned In the Bible. Omni-
presence-"the eyes of tho Lord are in
every place" Divine care-'as the apple
Of the eye" The clouds-"the eyelds of
| the morning." Irreverence-':theey eye that
mocketh at its Father" Pride-''oh, how
! lofty are their eyes" Inattention-"the
fools eye in the ends OF the EARTH" Divine
lnspection-'wheels full OF eyes" Sud.
denness-"in the twinkling OF On eve at
the last trump" Olivetic sermon-"the
| light Of the body Is the eye." This morn
inc's text, ''He that formed the eye, shall
He not see?"
The surgeons, the doctors, the annto-
mists and the physioogists understand
much OF the glories Of the two great
lights OF tho human race, but the vast
multtudes 70 on from cradle to grave
without any appreciation Of the two great
masterpieces of eLord God Almighty.
II God had lacked anything OF infinite
wisdom, He would have failed in creating
the human eye.S We wander through the
earth trying to see wonderful sights, but
the most wonderful sight we ever see is
not so wonderful as the instruments
through which 5wesseeit.
1t has been q strange thing to me for
thirty years TINT R0pe scientist with
enough eloqusnce and magnetism did not
+ 20 through the country with illustrated
lecture on canvas Thirty feet. square to
startle and thrill and oyerwhelm Chrlstep-
dom with the marvels OF the human eye.
We want the eye taken from all its tech
nicalities and some one.who shnll lay aside
all talk about. the ..pterYg omaxlllary tis-
sures, the sclerotica and the ehiasma OF
the optic nerve and In, plain, common par
lancs which you and. I and everybody can
understand present the subject. We have
learned men who Lave been telling US
what our origin Is and what we wero. Oh,
II some one should come forth from the
dissectins table and from the classroom
OF the university and take the platform
and asking the help OF the Creator
demonstrate the wonders Of what we are!
gested by the former part OF my text, 1t Is
ontY to bring out IN palmer way the
theological lessons OF the latter part OF
my text, ''He that formed the eye, shall
He not see?"
suppose my text referred to the human
eye since II excels all others in structure
and adaptation. The eyes OF fish and rep
tilespnd molas and bats are very simple
things becaussthey have not much to do.
There ara insects with u hundred eyes, but
the hundred eyes have less faculty than the
f%,nI I,,3 m
ming the summer pond has two eyes under
T tie Wntsf and two eyes. above. the water,
but the four insecttie are not equal to the
f8hdhdan. Man placed at the head OF
&dlll living creatures must have supreme
kequlpment, while the blind fsh In the Mann
Fmoth cave OF Kentucky have only IN un-
[ developed organ OF sight, an apology for
the eye, which IL through some crevlce OF
the mountain they should go into the sun
light might be developed into positive eye
sight.
In the first chapter Of Genesis we find
that God without my consultation created
tue light, crented tho trees, created tie fish,
created the fowl, but when Ho was about
to make man He called q convention OF di
viuity, rs though to imply that all the
mowers Of Godhend were to BIZ enlisted in
the achievement. 'Let us make man. "
Put whole ton OF emphasis on that word
"us." ''Let us make man." And IL God
called q cou"ention Of divinity to create
man think the two great questions in that
conference we're how to create soul and
how to make an appropriate window for
that emperor to look out of.
created it. he cried until chaos was irrad-
lated with the utte-nnce, "Let there DO
light" In other words, before He intro
huced man into this temple Of the world
He ilumired it, prepared 1t for the eye
sight. And so after the Inst human eye
has been destroyed IN the final demolition
Of the world stars are to fail, and the sun
is to cease it's shining, and the moon is to
turn into blood. In other words, after the
humaIl,eyes are 10 more to be prollted by
their shining chandeliers OF heaven are
bless and to help the human eye on tue
maptel of heaven two lamps-n gold LAMP
aud q silver lamp--the one for the day and
the other for the night.
To show how God honors the oye look at
the two halls built for the residence OF tue
eyes. Seven bones making the wall for
each eye. the seven bones curlously wrought
together. Kingly palace OF ivoryis consid-
cred rich but the halls for the residence OF
the human eyes nre richer by go much rs
human bone Is moro sacred than elephan-
tine tusk. See how God honored tho eyes
when He made 4 rocr for them, so that the
sweat OF toll should not smart them and
the rain dashing against the forehead might
not drip into them; tue eyebrows not bend
ing over the eye, but reaching to the right
and 10 the left, so that the rain and the
sweat should be compelled to drop upon
the cheek instead OF falling into this di-
vinely protected human eyesight.
See how God honored the eye in the fact
fnl h1,o
tlut there are 800 contrlvauces In every
ESQ. For window shutters the eyelids
opening and closing sc, 900 times day, the
eyelashes so constructed that they have
their selection rs to what shall lie admitted,
saying to tho dust, stay ont" and saying
to the light, "Come in." For inside cur
tain the iris or pup; Of the eye, according
as the light Is greater or less, contracting
or diating. The eye OF the owl is blind In
the day time, the eyes OF some creatures
are blind ut night, but the human eye so
marvelously constructed il can see both by
day and by night.
Many OF tho other creatrres OF God can
move the eye only from side to si'!e, but the
human eye, so Inarvelously constructed,
has one muscle 10 lift the eye, and another
muscle to lower the eye, and another mus
clio to roll 1t 10 The right, aud another mus
clio TO roll 1t to tho left, and another mus
Gle passing through u pulley to turn it
round and rourd, an elaborate gearing CT
six muscles us perfect as God could make
them.
There ia also the retina gathering the
rays Of light and passing the visual i'm
preston along tho optic ne.vo about the
thickness OF the lampwick. passing the
visual Impression on to tho sensorium and
on into the sonl. What Il delicate lens,
what IN exquisite screen, what soft
4 I,,l,, ,;,I,,,, Nf th
human eye. The eye washed by slow
stream OF moisture whether we sleep or
wake, rolling impor1eptbly over tho pebble
of the eyo and nmptyinS into bone OF tho
uoslril, Il coulrivnncn so wonderful that 1t
can SEQ the sun s5. 900 900 OF miles away