Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-10-31

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21.-In this dis
course DIR. Talmage demonstrates that we
are affected Ivy forces that we seldom roc
ognizc and c%nlarges upon human account
ability: the text is Job xxxviii, 81, "Canst
thou bind the sweet influences Of plei-
ades?"
What is the meaning of that question
that God put to job? Have we all our
lives been reading it and are most of us
ignorant Of its beauty and power and
practical suggestivencss? \ meaningless
passage Of Scripture many thought it to
be. But the telescopes were busy age
after age and astronomical observations
kept on questioning the skies until the
meaning of my text comes ont lustrously.
The pleiadcs is n constellation of seven
stars appearing to the naked eye, but sci
entiiic instruments reveal more than 400
properly belonging to the group Alcyone
is the name of the brightest star of that
group called the plciades. A Russian
astronomer observed that Alcyone is the
center OF gravitation Of our solar system.
Hugh Macmillan says that the sun and
lis D!.lIltlS W ltfI uiOuIlu luil ttUltT M
the rate Of 422.u 0 mics n day in an or
bit which it will take 100000 years to
complete. The Plciades appear in the
springtime and are associated with flow
ers and genial warmth and good weather.
The navigation Of the Mediterranean
was from May to Novcmher-the rising
and the setting of the Plciades. The
priests Of Rclus noticed that rising and
setting 1000 years before Christ.
Now, the glorious meaning of my text
is plain as we'll as radiant. To give Job
the beautiful grace of humility God asked
him, "Canst thou bind the sweet inhu-
ences Of the Plciades?' Have you any
power over the laws of Eravitation? Can
YOU modify or change an influence WELD
ed 10y II star more than 100000 miles
away? Can you control the winds of the
%springtimc? Can you call out the flow
ers? How little you know compared with
omniscience. How little you can do com-
pared with omuipotence,
The probability is that Job had been
tempted to arrogance by his vast attain
mcnts. He vas Il m%etallurgist, a zoolo-
gist, Il poet, aud shows by his writings he
had knowledge of hunting. OF music, of
'f'p ANA = VI iih''Al' ny - AAAtit@F VI 80
%tronolny, and perhaps was so far ahead
of the scholars and scientists of his time
that he may have been somewhat puffcd
up; hence this Interrogation of my text
And there is nothing that 50 soon takes
down human pride as an interrogation
point rightly thrust. Christ used it might.
lily. Paul mounted the parapet of his
great arguments with such n battery
Mon of tho world t,pHarStun1 II IlnrnnS
themes began his speech on the crown and
Cicero his Grafton against Catilino and
Lord Chatham his most famous Grafton,
with a question. The empire of ignorance
Is so much vaster than the empire OF
knowledge that after the most Learned
and elaborate disquisition upon any sub
joct Ct sociology or theology the plaincst
man may ask a question that will max,
the wiScst speechlcss. After the pro
foundcst assault upon Christianity tn,
humblcst disciple may make an inquiry
that would silence Il Noltaire.
Armed with Intcrrogntions.
Called upon, as we all are at times. t.
defend our holy religion, instead Of argu
mcnt that can always be answered 10y ar
ruinent let us try the power Of interroga
tion. We ought TO be loaded with at leas.
half Il dozen questions and always ready
and when Christianity is assailed and W,
are told there is nothing in it, and there
is no God, and there never was n miracle
and that the Scriptures are unreasouabl,
and cruel, and that there never will be
judgment day, take out of our portahl,
:rInory Of interrogation something lik,
this; What makes the condition of wo
man in Christian lands better than il
feathen lands? DO you think it would b
kind in God to turn the human race int,
II world without any written revelation t.
explain and encourage and elevate an,
save? And if Il revelation was mad
which do you prefer, the Ienda-Nesta o
the Persian or the Confucian writings o
the Chinese or the Koran Of Mohumme,
or our Bible? If Christ is not a divin
being, what did he mean when he said
Before Abram was ! ann" If the Bib
is a bad book, where are the evil result
Of reading it? Did you see any dcgradin.
Influence Of the book in your father o
mother or sister, who used to read it? y
You not think that a judgment day is nee
ossary in order to explain and fix II
things that were never explained or iiXe
up? If our religion is illogical and n
imposition uNon human credulity, VIII
were llerScllCl ana tShlNStON ana tllt
stone and " VILLAIN Mckinley its adyc
Gates? How I'D it happen that our rel
; gion furnished the theme for the creates
poem ever written. "Paradisc Lost" an
10 the painters their greatest themes i
the elaboration of the Magi,' 'Th
TRANSFORMATIONS" THE Last Supper,
; '"hc Crucifxion,' THE Entombment,
'The Last J~udgmcnt,' and that all tn
i schools of painting put forth their utmos
E genius in presenting The Madonna"
. Why was it that William Shakespeare
r after amazing the world as he will amaz
( all centuries with the splendor and powc
: of "The Merchant of Venice" and Cor
olanus," and Orchard the Third" an
liking Lear" and "Othello." and "Ma,
beth" and Hamlet" wrote with his ow
= hand his last will and testament, bcgil
ming il with the words, in the name G
God, amen, |, William Shakespeare {
a Standardization. in the county of Wa
wick, in perfect health and memory, Go
be praised, do make and ordain this m
las, win "' - .-"h tho oul