The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-05-12
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON eY
THE REV. DR.. JOHN LOVE. JR.
subjest; The Mystic stone.

JOHN Love. Jr.. preached on The Mys-
tic Stone and the Broken Image" in the
First Baptist Church here. He took as
his text David lisa: "A sSSne cut out
without hands which smote the i'm
age" DR. Love said:
In the poem called Giles Corey" the
great author has said: do you believe
IN dreamsi Why. yes and lo. When
they come true. then believe in them.
when they come false / don't believe
in them" This is doubtless a fair ex-
preston OF our own feelings concern
ing these mysterious visitors in our un-
conscious hours. Whatever harmony
there may be between them and events
which thereafter transpire we can
never be sure at tie time that they are
prophetic.
In the Old Testa ment economy, how
ever. dreams were a recognized method
OF divine communication with man
kind. Not only were Abimeloch and
Jacob. Joseph and Solomon thus ad-
dressed from heaven, but the prophets
received revelations in and through
them, designed for the warning, the
comfort and the instruction of the race
Few dreams narrated in sacred writ
are OF such profound interest as the
one OF which our text makes mention.
In the second year Of his reign "Nebu-
chadnezZar, the king OF Babylon,
dreamed dreams wherewith his spirit
was troubled and his sleep brake from
him" So profound was the impression
made upon him. so agitated his mind
on awakening, that he commanded the
presence OF magic,ans. astrologers and
sorcerers, who we're supposed TO pos
sess the powers OF Interpretation. The
dream of the king had. however. so far
gone from him when the wise men en-
tered into his presence that he could
give them no hint OF its nature. Not
even the bare outline remained. only
the sense OF terror and the fear of i'm
pending III. With the cruelty peculiar
10 himself he demanded that they
should at once reproduce the dream by
their mystic arts ard give the correct
Interpretation. Protest was in vain,
and in the heat of his passion he
voiced the decree of death on all the
wise men Of the kingdom
Daniel, the prophet. captive at the
time in Babylon, learning Of the mani
festo OF the king, petitioned for an ex-
tension OF time and promised the
sought FOR Interpretation. II was an
awful crisis, but from the quartet of
Daniel and his three. companions went
up cry that reached the very heart OF
God and Won the secret that nulllfied
an infamous decree. Within the ap-
pointed time the prophet is ready for
the presence chamber OF the king. An
ambassador from heaven, he brings in
clear outline, by his vivid description,
the mystical image which had dis
trrbed the slumbers of Nebuchadnez-
Ear, and then interprets its significance
as may be traced in the second chapter
Of the book of Daniel. verses 81 to SO.
BY the head of gold" was represented
the kingdom Of Babylon. the domain
Of NebuchadneZZar for forty five years.
The breast and arms of silver" signi-
fed the kingdom in which the Medes
and Persians hold sway. and was
known as the MeCo Persian reign. in
augurated by Darirs. the Mede. and
Cyrus the Persian. batgeen whom an
alliance had been formed The third
kingdom represented by the belly and
thighs of brass" was the Grecian.
founded by Alexander the Great on his
victory over the last Of the Persian en-
perors. The JOY of his conquest, how
IL
bOasting that he had conquered the
world he sat down and wept because
there was not another world 10 con-
luer."
The fourth kingdom symbolized. in
the image. by the legs and feet of
ron" is commonly believed TO be the
Roman kingdom. Toward it's close il
Decame weak and disintegrated, branch
ing out into ten Kingdoms, represented
by the ten toes of the image. Ii could
hardly be shown by an appeal to his
tory how exactly all the events and the
succession Of events symbolized in the
spectral image came TO pass, but we
concentrate our attention on the sig
nificance of the mystic stone" which
by some unseen agency and in some
unaccountable manner was seen TO be
detached from the mountain near by
and TO sInite the image upon the feet
breaking into pieces the iron and the
clay of which they were composed
Nor was this all, for the stone which
had smitten the image seemed 10 be-
come vast mountain which filled the
whole earth. That the reference is 10
the kingdom of the Messiah and a
vivid prophecy OF its power and growth
there can be no doubt. and yet the
vision and its Interpretation date back
to COG Il. c. There is TO be noticed
hrst, the assurance of the establish
ment Of a divine kingdom in the world.
Not only have we the symbolism Of the
mystic stone, but the definite language
of prophecy. for ia his memorable in
terview with the king, Daniel declared
In the days Of these kings shall the
God of Heaven set up kingdom which
shall never be destroyed" Similar and
contrmative prophecies might easily
De culled from the sacred record. Many
empires in the world have owed their
origin, or at least their eminence, 10
successes in war. Britain owes its
prestige 10 Waterloo. Germany 10
Sedan, the United States 10 Gettysburg.
Japan 10 Mukden. Power has been
purchased at the point OF the sword
and sustained often through tyranny
ana cruelty. The strength Of the pow
ers OF nations has been guaged by the
'oster OF their armies and navies. Ar
senals, fleets and military stores have
0een their pride and boast. Not so
With the kingdom whose design. code
and symbols date from all eternity
IL is spiritual and not martial. IL hath
weapons before which strongholds
rumble. but they are not carnal. II
wins triumphs, but on silent. bloodless
battle fields. Not in the catalogue Of
nations does this kingdom claim a
place. Alone il stands, without peer or
counterpart. IL bears the name and
owns the sway Of the Omnipotent. u
was not 70 enter irto conflict with ex-
isjing government. IL was 10 be de-