Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-20
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE, DID,.
-, Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terian Church. Chicago

| teriAn church, ShicABo
Los Angeles, Cal, Feb. 14.-ln deal |
ing with those mysteries Of religion |
that are beyond human understanding |
and which many find a stumbling block |
to belief the preacher in this sermcn
urges their acceptance by faith as the
first essential step toward elucidation.
The text is l Timothy Iii, 16, "Great Is
the mystery of godliness."
Ignorance Is stunted scoffer. AS
dwarf she will ridicule the helping
hand of knowledge, which she Is too
short of stature to reach. AS an icon
oclastic waif Of the street she Will hurl
derisive missiles at the big square win
dows of the temple of wisdom, whose
walls she is too puny to topple down.
Come" said an aristocratic but very
ignorant woman of London to her
guest-"come into the front room. l
want to show you poor, crazy, deluu-
ed and yet harmless old man. He seems
to have an intelligent face, but there
he sits in the house just across the
street hour after hour, day after day
and week after week as little child,
with clay pipe, blowing soap buo-
bles." Who was the frivolous hostess
who was patronizingly asking her guest
to laugh at the old man who seemed TO
find enjoyment in blowing a few soap
bubbles in Leicester square, London!
Not one person of this generation ever
heard of her name. Who was the poor,
silly old man of intelligent face, with
a penny clay pipe, blowing soap BUD
bles? He was Isaac Newton, whose
skull incased the greatest brain OF his
time. He was Isaac Newton, laborlous-
", intensely, unremittingly studying
the laws of the refraction Of light, for
which Investigations and discoveries
he was to be honored by scientific So
cieties all around the world. 1t Is
never safe to take public opinion as
guide in estimating men or things.
Shallow critics often assume sapient
mien and in supercilious tone deride
the wisdom they cannot comprehend.
A stuffed owl with spectacles on nose
may pose in a museum as an en-
blem Of wisdom, but the winged den
izen Of the forest hooting in the dark
ness is no feathered oracle.
Footprints of Truth.
How often have the pure white gar
ments Of wisdom been bespattered and
befouled by blatant, bombastic igno-
rance! How often has the philosopher
and the truth seeker been taunted with
his failure to solve the problems or
the universe! He does not know every
thing: no man more conscious OF the
fact than he, But should he on that
account desert the fountain OF wlsdem
and refrain altogether from drinking
at the Pierian spring? Should the sci
entific student be so discouraged at his
limitations as to destroy the telescope
because it does not reach the limits Of
space? Should he throw away his mi
croscOpe because 1t does not magnify
enough? Is he to burn out with sense
less passion eyes that are not omnls-
cient and wreck his eardrums because
they fail to detect remote harmonies!
Isaac Newton, himself the greatest
philosopher Of his time, was one OF
the humblest of men. At the end or
his life he said: II know not how
may appear to others. AS for myself,
l seem to be like q schOolboy playing
at the foot Of the sand dunes, gather
ing here q white shell and smoother
stone than ordinary while the great
sea of knowledge lies all unexplored
before me-" Because man does not
know everything, that is no reason
why he should despise the temple OF
wisdom" Because here and there
veil or q mist cannot be penetrated,
that is no reason why he should be-
come ground mole and not try to fol-
low in the self revealed footprints OF
truth.
Mysteries of the Gospel.
There are two purposes for this ser
mon. The first is to talk about some
Of the great mysteries Of the gospel
I would show you that about every
church altar there are great Appala-
chian ranges, great towering noun
tain peaks of mysteries So high they
are that the mind Of man cannot attain
to them. yet each bears the mark OF
divine certitude, the mark Of the cross
is stamped upon them as the Mount
of the Holy Cross in Colorado bears
the sign of the cross. To this sign we
bow and believe, even though we can
! not understand. Peter could not under
stand; John of the Apocalypse could
not understand, and Paul, beholding
them. exclaimed, Great is the mys-
terry of godlinessv' What those
mighty intelects could not grasp must
be a mystery to us until it is fully ex'
planned beyond the grave.
The second purpose Of the sermon Is
the practical side. 1t Is to remind you
that though we now know only In
part" that part is sufficient for all the
great purposes Of salvation and re
demption. 1t Is to prove, as E. ID
Chaplin puts it, that although we see
through a glass darkly we do SEE
something" and that that some
thing" is sufficient if we welcome 1t al
a gospel handmade to lead us into per
feet peace and to lead us to that throne
of God where each can say, 81 shal
know even as also l am known"
: The mystery Of the Trinity: How
can there be three persons and on'
Godhead? "Three in One and One II
Three" That is an inexplainable mys
terry. "You must be very careful
wrote a dear ministerial friend to MI
? when was preaching a series Of ser
e mons upon the Holy Spirit-"you mus
be very careful not to convey the falls
idea to your people that there are thre
distinct and separate thrones In heav
z en-" 1t is a mystery to be reverentl,
- ! oocontad hpvond the mower OF the nu