The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-05-31
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. DR.. JOHN LOVE, JR.
Subject: The Mystic Stone.

First Baptist Church here. He took as
his text David ii:34: "A stone 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 dreams? Why, yes and no. When
they come true, then I believe in them,
when they come false / don't believe
in them" This is doubtless a fair e3.
preston Of our own feelings concern.
ing these mysterious visitors in u un.
conscious hours. Whatever harmony
there may be between them and events
which thereafter transpire we can
never be sure at the time that they are
prophetic.
In the Old Testament economy, how.
ever, dreams were a recognized method
of divine communication with man
kind. Not only were Abimeloch and
Jacob, Joseph and Solomon thus adj
dressed from heaven, but the prophets
received revelations in and through
them, designed for the warning. the
comfort and the instruction Of the ace.
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 magicians, astrologers and
sorcerers, who E::ere 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
eve the bare outline remained, only
the sense of terror and the fear of i'm
pending i'll. With the cruelty peculiar
to himself he demanded that they
should at once reproduce the dream by
their mystic arts and 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. 1t was an
awful crisis, but from the quartet Of
Daniel and his three companions went
up a cry that reached the very heart Of
God and Won the secret that nullifed
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
turbed 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-fve years.
The breast and arms of silver signi-
fed the kingdom in which the Modes
and Persians held sway, and was
known as the Meoo-Persian reign, in
a%ugurated by Darius. the Mede. and
Cyrus, the Persian, bAtVeen 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 yer the last of the Persian en-
perors. The joy Of his conquest, how
ever, was mingled with sadness, for,
Boosting that he had conquered the
world, he sat down and wept because
there vas not another world to 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 its close it
became weak and disintegrated, branch
ing out into ten Kingdoms, represented
by the ten toes of the image. 1t 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 OF the sig
niicence Of the mystic stone" which
by some unseen agency and in some
un~accountable 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 to be-
come a vast mountain which filed the
whole earth. That the reference is to
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 B. G. There is to be noticed,
first, 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 in his memorable in
terview with the king, Daniel declared
In the days of these kings shall the
God of Heaven set up q kingdom which
shall never be destroyed" Similar and
.onfrmative prophecies might easily
De culled from the sacred record. Many
empires in the world have owed their
origin, or at least their eminence, to
successes in war. Britain owes its
prestige to Waterloo, Germany to
Sedan, the United States to Gettysburg.
Japan to Mukden. Power has been
purchased at the point of the sword
and sustained often through tyranny
and cruelty. The strength of the DOW
ars of nations has been guaged by the
:oster of their armies and navies. Ar
senals, fleets and military stores have
been their pride and boast. Not so
with the kingdom whose design, code
md symbols date from all eternity.
1t is spiritual and not martial. 1t hath
weapons before which %strongholds
rumble, but they are not carnal. 1t
wins triumphs, but On silent, bloodless
battle fields. Not in the catalogue of
nations does this kingdom claim 4
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