Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-08-15
GR:ATEST TEINGIN WORLD
Brilliant ea:dav Semen By Rev.
Daciel i,acLauri1.
The Distinguished +, Il: 3eiYcrs Sermon
Whieh is -ha.Ir;y and Reada-
be as "a .; Z, cent Yeas.

NEW YORK CTR Dr. Eonald d. Mac.
Laurin. Of loehe> e. preached Sunday
morning IN st. 30 - II T.. Church to
large audience. III c.mon was the first
IN series on The C.catcs, Thing in the
World" DIR. MacLavrin sad:
| have most earno ,tly sought to BRING
you on successive Sundays the best min
istry ! have yet been able To give you;
that your lives may ne lroa6ened and
decpened and lifted mp into higher realms.
Of spiritual achievement; and | could ma
no theme Of greater value. as saw II. than
that which i suggested by the chapter
which read to you. the thirteenth chap
te' al pau..s first cpi~tle OF the church al
Corilth. And Tor eight weeks. we shall!
have our texts from tins chapter; and TINS
morning YOU will find our text IN the hrs;
verse OF the first CHAPTER OF First CORN.
thians: III speak with the tongues OF
men and angels. but have not love, L am
become sounding brass or changing
cymha,.' -,
Nor must we not think that we shall be.
come tired OF this wonderful theme. Did
you ever know any one to become I:cary OF
. diamond: Among the gems q the LORD
God l. found this chapter. and though i
10 not profess to lie sbillful lapidary TO
hiIug out IL flashing facets. ] think. with
the AID ct the div'ac spirit. we shall lind
in each service something fresh and helpful
and row.
Tins chapter has been N al ages Of the
church especially admired; would that it
had received IL MI the ages Of Christian
history thar more practical and valuable
appreciation which would have been ex-
periencol br p practice OF It's prlnclnies
and an acceptance o. ITS precepts. Ter
tulian - d: 1T IS uttered with all the
force ~ the snirit. and the great thinker
i right. Is | have pondered it 70: several
years with ever growing interest. ] have
come to feel that, indeed, mortal faculty
could never have written il. 1t never
could have srrang frcm the brain or heart
OF even so great 4 man rs Paul. unless hea-
ven had given him the inspiration. 1t Is,
dear friends. an utterance OF heaven,
through paul. servant OF God, 10 the
sons Of men.
Il Is a g.or:ou% hymn or pean in honor
81 Christian love. sung. "a we have init
mated. ly the .Aaostic Paul when soaring
up on the wing OF inspiration into the
very heights OF Christian eloIuence. Like
the Forty-hfih Pam, il may be fttingly
ca,ed the Psalm al Love: and not in
il II these Sunday morning services. II
has thu form OF noetry: it has the inspira-
ton 81 poetry; il hns the coloring OF the
finest POETRY. And ii you could read it in
the Greek you would catch the ful!ness OF
its imagery. Is II Is impossible for You to
10 IN the hest English version. Il seems
n PROCLAMATION to attempt its exposition.
j; seems like ana.yzinc a rose or dissect-
Ing nightingale to take these principles
apart one from another for the necessary
analysis IN the progress OF orr work. But
il Is so full of the very heart of the gospel
message that we would be cowardly were
we not 10 attempt the exposition.
The position of the psalm in the book
! in which 1t is found helghtens its effect.
I You find it in the midst OF lengthy argu-
ment. II reminds us very much of an
/ oasis of towering palm trees and spring
| ing flowers and running brooks in the
midst of a desert of sand On either side
is argument. is tumult: and right in the
midst OF all bursts forth his sublime song.
| II is very much like the song of the sweet
voiced school children in the midst of
| their hard work and the babel of their
! games. Or better. like the very sound of
the song OF heavens .hoir in the pit of
easily IMAGINE the deepening hush that
must have fallen on the Corin'hian church
! as they read this chapter. and we can
! imagine. too. the CONSERVATION produced
! in the rlin0s OF those Christians as they
! discovered one after another their favorite
| By the great teacher. For Paul here
/ shows that love is the one essential of
! Christian life. Love did YOU say: Love,
| that soft sentiment that hard -headed men
! say belongs TO women and children. Do
/ YOU mean to say that this Is the spirit OF
his language: That is precisely what the
apostle formulated. lie affirWs most ex-
! piicit,y the absolute worth'es-ness of life
/ without love. Love at the beginning OF it;
love at the end of it: love filling the whole
SPACE between. Love at the end is not
the same as love at the beginning. 1t is
richer. grander. nobler. diviner. But
without the first love the other could never
| lie. The Bosom and the fruitage he
sueak the rootage. and the seed and the
flower and the tree. And unless you have
the first love-love for God-in your heart,
the love that shall engage our attention on
Sunday mornings will be a stranger to your
experience. III ] SPEAK with the tongues
1 OF men and angels. but have not love. |
am become sounding brass or a Changing
.vmhal.' it would seem as if all the
Iorinthian church were eloquent speakers,
/ o: At least were eloquent hearers; and let
ne say that eloquent hearers are as essen.
! tlal a. eloquent speech. The Corinthiar
Christians were distinguished for their gifts
il this direction: and so the apostle knor.
ing it. knowing them right well, for h,
vas their father in the gospel, he supposes
! tIcm capable OF speaking in every tongue
that rose from the lips of men or angels.
Tia; were tnev TO have ali and were des.
ttta;c al love they were nothing but sound.
inE brass or Changing cymbals. How hard
this must have been on those people who
.hershed eloquence more easy To i'm.
l-iue than 10 describe for they placed
zroat store by their gift of tongues and
heir e.oluencc OF speech. And do YOU
lnow we are often placing the emphasis
1t their wrong place. We are often guilty
II that characteristic folly. These CORN.
hians were often putting the emphasis
where the emphais should not be- Wha,
Paul aiiirms and what the Gospel afiirmi
oTer aud over again is that it is not speech
that it is not doing bit bsing, that God re;
.srds Being is finer than doing; finel
ian saving: finer. than any expression
which 1t Is possible for it to make OF itself.
20 ii is not speech but reality that God
ooks FOR and the church waltz for. and
me word is hungry for in you and in me.
Now. let us consider, ii you please, in
he first place. wherein love is superior to
she most eloquent speech. III | speak
"ith the tongues of men and angels. but
lave not love- | am become sounding brass
n a Changing cymbal" What is Chris.
ian love: II is more easily described than
lehned. That is precisely what the
apostle has done in this great psalm OF
ove. He nowhere defines it. He simply
describes it, giving some fifteen character.
stics OF it. Indeed / do not know where
love Is deii-ed in the entire Bible. nor do
know a definition for it. You have heard
the story OF TIE teacher OF psychology. who
anon receiving a new class at the begin.
ning OF the term. instead of giving them n
| lecture. he asked one of the members OF
the class To define the human soul: and
he Young man rose and said: The human
soul i that faculty that thinks and fee,.
and determine another member of the
lass added that the soul is immaterial
And then he said. will YOU tell me what
tie soul Is not; and the young man had
the sense TO say, Il do not know" and
the great professor whose familiarity with
| the subject * felf fhrou0hout ho cont;p