Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-02-20
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMACE, DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church. Chicago

10 belief the preacher in this sermon
urges their acceptance 10y faith as the
first essential step toward calculation.
The text is Timothy iii. Ii. Great is
the mystery of godlincss'
Ignorance is Il stunted scoffer. As
dwarf she will ridicule the helping
hand of knowledge. which she is too
short of stature 10 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 10 topple down.
Come" said an aristocratic but very
ignorant woman of London TO her
gueSt-'come into the front room.
want 10 show You Il poor. crazy. delud-
ell and yet harmless old man. He seems
TO have an intelligent face, but there
street hour after hour. day after day
and week after week as II little child.
with a clay pipe. blowing soap bub-
bles." Who WAS the frivolous hostess
who WAS patroniZingly asking her guest
10 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 bub-
bles: He was Isaac Newton. whose
skull incased the greatest brain of his
time He was Isaac Newton. laborious-
ly. intensely. unremittingly studying
the laws of the refraciion OF light. for
which investigations and discoveries
he was to he honored by scientific So
cieties all around the world. Ii Is
never safe TO take public opinion as
guide in estimating men or things.
Shallow critics often assume a sapient
mien and in supercilious tone deride
the wisdom they cannot comprehend.
A stuffed owl with spectacles on nose
may pose in Il museum as an en-
blem of wisdom. but tile winged dem
lien OF the forest hooting in the dark
ness is no feathcred oracle.
Footprints of Truth.
How often have the pure white gar
ments of wisdom been despatched and
befouled by blatant. bombastic igno-
rance. How often has the philosopher
and the truth seeker been tainted with
his failure To solve the problems OF
the universe. lie does not know every
thing: no man more conscious of the
fact than he. But should he on that
account desert the fountain Of wisdom
and refrain altogether from drinking
ut the Pierian spring: Should the sci
entific student Ice So discouraged ut his
limitations as To destroy the telescope
because il does not reach the limits OF
space: Should he throw away his mi
croscOpe because IL does not magnify
enough: Is he To burn out With sense
less passion eyes that are not omnis-
Gent and wreck his ear,lrums because
they fail Ia detect remote lIarInonies?
Isaac Newton. himself the greatest
philosopher of his time. was one of
the humble>t nf men. At the end OF
his life he said: Il know not how |
may appear 10 others. As for myself.
l seem To be like II schoolboy playing
nj the foot OF the sand dunes. gather
ing here a white shell and Il smoother
stone than ordinary. While the great
sea of knowledge lies all UNEMPLOYED
before me-" Because Il man does not
know everything. that is no reason
why he should despise the temple of
wisdom" Because here and there
veil or mist cannot he penetrated.
that is no reason why he should be-
: Ff.ntIu.l taaAls MI fry 10 FOL
low in the self revealed footprints OF
truth
Mysteries of the Gospel.
There are two purposes for this ser
mon. The first is ia talk about some
of the great mysteries of the gospel.
i would shcw you that about every
church altar there are great Appala-
chan 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 gertrude. the mark OF the cross
IL 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. AMI Paul. beholding
them. exclaimed. Great is the mys-
terry of godliness.' What those
mighty intellccts could not grasp must
he Il mystery To us until il is fully ex-
planned beyond the grave.
The second purpose of the sermon is
the practical side. Ii Is 10 remind you
that. though we now know only in
part" that part is sufficient for all the
great purposes OF salvation and re-
demption. IL is To prove. as T.. ii.
Chaplin puts il. that although we see
through glass darkly we do see
something" and that that some
thing" is sufficient il we welcome il as
n gospel handmade 70 lead us into per-
feet peace and Ia lead us Ia that throne
of God where each can say. II shall
know even rs also am known"
The mystery of the Triaify: How
can there lie three persons and one
Godhead! Three in One AMI One i'm
Three" That is an ineXplanable mys-
terry. 'You must he very careful"
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