Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-03-12
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby.
terrain Church. Chicago

sermon the preacher discusses the
psychological phenomena of mind in
fiuencing mind and shows how the
soul may be elevated and enereized by
divine influence. The text is Acts x.
II. And he saw heaven opened and a
certain vessel descending
Theory is often little more than the
fine art of guessing. II is sometimes
the way of eoncealing the fact that
you do not know a thing. hy using
scientific language. II is the verbal
means we have of dressing up specula-
tion To make i; look plausible. But
there are certain causations impossible
to analyze. ard learned answers only
make the Phenomena the more mysteri-
OILS.
What is specific gravity? That 10
the physical law.'' you answer. which
Isaac Newton discovered. Sitting one
day under an ovcrarching tree branch
in his orchard. he felt a pun of wind
upon his cheek. The ovcrhanging
branch swayed. and a fall pippin. like
a lump of gold. dropped into his lap.
Then the English sage began te Won
der why that apple came down TO earth
instead of flying away. as though it
had the wings of n bird. toward the
stars. As result of these ponderings
Newton generalized all the causes OF
cohesion and gravitation which bind
this earth into Il compact mass and
called them specific gravity" But,
my friend. With your learned answer
you have not explained To me any
thing. In reference To the laws of
physical cohesion you have only given
70 me two big words To express what
] did not know before and what do
not know now. What is life:" I once
asked u school professor. What is
the definition Of life: Here is a body
weighing lG0 pounds. 4 bullet is fired
out OF an assissin's gun. One moment
that body Is alive: the next IL Is dead.
II weighed leo pounds before the heart
ceased TO heat il weighed leo pounds
after the breath had left the nostril.
Give me a definition OF life" why.
life" answered The professor. lis moth
ing more or less than the iuxtap0si-
tion Of the I'rotoplasmatic molecules"
His learned answer left the subject as
great mystery rs ever.
Spiritual Phenomena.
As in the material world. 50 in the
mental and spiritual world there are
facts and phenomena which we know
Ia he certainly true. though we cannot
explain them. We must recognize ra-
tional results as such. although we can
not tell the why's" and the where
forcs'' nor the causes which produced
these results. For instance. we are
nearly all ready 10 grant the power
Of human teiepathy. or the influence OF
one human mind upon another human
mind even Al a distance. Sitting in
public meeiin: some night you cxer-
else the power Of will upon a person.
and soon he will turn round and look
nj you although that person could give
no rational reason why he turned and
looked. Indeed. 81 powerful sometimes
Is this influence of one human mind
over another that many students OF
criminology have come To the belief
that some murlcrcr> who WELD the
dagger or aim The pistol may he mere
~ the helpless and plant instruments
Of unknown criminals who have inn
PEELED them To commit their muricrous
deeds. Mesmcrism. hypnotism. be-
witchcry. "nchantmcnt. are merely
long names defining this mysterious
power. which almost everywhere in
the intellectual world is beginning TO
I've recognized. and men are asking
whether il may not sometimes de-
throne the supremacy "f the individual!
will. George. Du Mauricr in his famous
hook deals with the hypnotic power
one human mind may have over an
other mind In that book the English
writer makes Svengali. n Polish Jew
AMI a musical genius. by hypnotism
transform French laundresS into a
rrima donna. He lays all Paris at her
feet. although in her normal conditt
that yoiIn. woman's voice was weak
and her ear could not recognize music
al harmony from Il discord.
Gospel TcIepathy.
~ WV lIuufu'e
over another human mind. we also
know that sherc is II spiritual feicpathy.
subtle. mysterious influence which
the other world cxeri> upon our own
Nisional messages as direct and unmiS-
taxable as that which came to Peter
upon the hpIiSe top Of Simon's house in
Joppa may also come to MS We may
he unable e. explain how the divine
manifestations come Ia the human
mind Zoe will speak Ia us now il we
will only Let him. as surely as he spoke
in many eases la his servants of old.
IT we look Ia God continually for guild
ance. la US tno. shall the promise he
fulfilled. Thin" ears shall hear II word
behind thee saying. This is the way:
walk yc in IT," The purpose of this
sermon is not 10 analyZe the causes of
divine teiepathy 81 much as 10 suggest
ways in which God may he speaking
10 his children in these days.
Gospel telcpathy. in the first place.
comes Ia Gods children as il did 10
Peter upon Simon's house top. in broad
daylight. by that do not mean that