The age-herald., 1900-12-10
GODS PURPOSE IS
 HIDDEN FROM US Not Necessary for Us to Under
 stand It SERMON BY REV. DR. CURRY Gods Plan Too Great to Comprehend. w Have Faith in Mans Works Without Understanding Them,
 Why Not in Gods?
SERMON BY REV. DR. CURRY

quent sermon at the First Presbyterian Church yesterday. His text was: Jesus answered and said unto him: What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter John xiii 2.
 Some one has said if God should com mand an archangel to come to the earth and cobble shoes, he would promptly and cheerfuly obey. But the sight of an arch angel cobbling shoes would not be more astounding to men than was to Peter the sight of the Son of God washing his dis ciples' feet, and Peter said in amazement: Lord, dost thou wash my feet?" Thou shalt not wash my feet as long as eternity lasts" To this the Lord answered: What l do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter" This answer comes with appropriateness not only to Peter but to us all. There is almost universalty about Its application Let us give 1t our study this morning. present four thoughts:
 l. There is much which God does that we do not understand. What I do thou knowest not now" There are many things in Gods works of creation which we do not comprehend. Nature has hidden from man many of her secrets. There are myster- les all about us; e. g., there is the mystery Of life itself. Who knows what 1t Is? There are the mysteries of matter and mind and their connection with each other: who can define them? There are the mysteries of the eternity of time and the infinity of space; who can comprehend them? Sir Isaac Newton, one of the wisest philoso- phers, hkened himself to a little child pick ing up pebbles on the seashore, while the great ocean of truth stretched out beyond him unexplained
 There is much in revelation, Gods other book, which we do not understand; e. g., the Trinity, the incarnation, the new birth, the resurrection of the body After learned men have written volumes on these sub jects we know little more than the bare facts of Scripture which we receive on faith, and not by reason.
 There is much in the providence of God which we do not understand. There is the apparent inequality of His dealings with men, which greatly troubled Job and his friends, and David, and thoughtful men of every age; e. g., the affiction of the good and the prosperity of the wicked; the exist ence and prevalence of evil, wrong and in- justice, while truth Is trampled under foot, as we sometimes see it. Then there is the failure of our cherished plans and the dis appointment of our fondest hopes. Who has not found himself at some time, under the divine providences, groping blndly in the dark and crying: 70 God, it cannot be; it must not be thus?" Yet God moves on, 'in His mysterious way His wonders to per form" Yes there are things all about us in nature, in revelation, in providence which we do not understand.
 II. It is not necessary for us to know all things. Our first mother wrecked her hap piness and that of the race by reaching after forbidden knowledge. She wanted to be as God, knowing the secret things of God. And if we could know all things un- derstand all things if there were no mys- teries to us, we, too, would be as God, and not as men. But as men, in our appointed sphere, there is some knowledge we do not need in our practical performance of duty; e. g., we do not need to be able to explain the nature and being of God in order to honor and obey Him; we do not need to comprehend the incarnation in order to love and trust the Savior of the world we do not need to know the origin of sin in order to abhor and forsake it. We acknowledge this principle in everyday life. Does man have to understand the chemical processes of bread-making before he can eat the bread and be nourshed by it? Does a man have to understand the mechanism of a telephone before he can speak and hear over it? Does a man have to understand the secrets of an electric motor before he can ride on street car? Does a man have to understand the intricate mechanism of a pipe organ before he can hear and enjoy its harmonies? So in the higher sphere there Is much knowledge which we do not need in order to lead a religious life.
 III Some reasons why we do not under stand all that God does.
 F'irst-The lack of sufficiently developed mental powers. We are proud of our intel leet, and justly so, when we look at the achievements of the human intellect. But csnssassa ustb ed. the Wiasst naaa Is bsss a child. You see famous architect who has planned and is erecting a splendid temple; he, and he alone, knows where every stone and piece of timber Is to go. His little 4-year-old child stands before him and assures him he is making many mistakes, and tells him he should place this brick here and that stone there, and on refusal complains that the plan is all awry. That is a faint picture of man standing before his Father, the great archi- tect of the universe, and dictating to Him what He should do and not do.
 Second-The greatness of Gods plan. Gods plan is a great plan; it embraces the universe. We do not know His plan; we only touch it at one little point. So here with Peter; he did not see the importance of this act in christ's great plan for him. nlustra tions: From the life of Joseph and Moses; from the Jewish captivity; from the life of David Livingston, driven from Ko- lobeug by successive droughts and the Boers, a part of Gods plan to make him the great explorer of Africa.
 Third-Lack of harmony with Gods plan. Too often our plans take in only the body; Gods plan includes the soul as well. Our plans are only for time; Gods plan includes etarnity Our plans consider only self or