The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-06-14
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY Or.
D. D. MAcLAURlN.
Subject The Unknowable,

Brooklyn, N. Y.-Sunday morning the
Rev. DR.. Donald D. MacLaurin, pastor
Of the Greene Avenue Baptist Church,
preached on ITO Know the Unknow-
able: a Prayer" The text was from
Ephesians iii: 1919: ITO the end that
ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
mag be strong to apprehend with all
the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth, and to
know the love Of Christ which passeth
knowledge" He said in the course OF
his sermon:
Who can know the unknowable? Is
not this in the nature OF a paradox?
Wherein can one be SO strengthened
as to become able to apprehend that
which is really beyond the reach of his
apprehension Has not Paul here
erred in a prayer otherwise luminous,
spiritual. profound and possible? Has
he not introduced here something that
ordinary mortals cannot grasp:
Well, think that it will be as we'll
for US to so slowly in our disposition.
to criticise him. 1t is :: safe rule to
assume that these apostolic men know.
what they were about. am convinced
that Paul not only knew by expert
ence the things he said; but that hs
was inspired by the Holy Spirit in all
his writing.
What about lifee What about the
duration g sentient existence? What
about the continuity Of that which we
call ourselvese Tell us, thou biologist?
Perhaps thy science is more exact
than that Of the mathematician or the
man who philosophers about time.
Tell US. if you can. what is life? Hast
thou ever seen It? No-never! Hast
thou ever touched ite Only Indirectly.
Canst thou tell US what it is? No!
Then space runs into infinity, time
runs into forever and forever, and life
runs into God! And we know some
thing about all of these; and yet there
is no limit to their vast extent It
has done us good to Investigate them
it is a noble exercise-it is eniarging
to the mind and the heart to come
into contact with concepts so sublime
and mighty as these.
So it is with this matter which Paul
prays that we shall comprehend. We
shall not be able to master it, and yet
we can by studying it apprehend
something to its immeasurable depths.
something of its infinite length, some
thing Of its all inclusive breadth.
something of its mighty altitude. And
so Paul prays that we shah be so
rooted and grounded in love that we
shall be able to apprehend with all
saints, high and lowly, rich and poor,
ancient and modern, the dimensions
OF Christ's love- Now, let US for the
sake Of clearness of thought define a
few Of the terms Of our wealthy text.
To the end that re, being rooted and
grounded in love. Love here means
love toward our fellow creatures. In
deed, it always means that in the
Bible unless it is otherwise defined.
1t means the affection We should have
for the men and women Of earth, the
people of whom we are and to whom
we belong by race connections. 1t
is to be q reflection Of Gods love for
the race. Its energy is to be meas.
ured only by the energy Of the Divine
love. Its inclusiveness is to be llm-
tied and measured only by the inclu-
siveness of the Divine love.
Out of the heart are the issues OF
life. When love is in the heart every.
thing is love begotten. Foundationed.
like building which has been settled,
as whole, and will never show cracks
or flaws in the future through fall
ures In the foundation.
Here, then, is the idea Of the soul
being so placed as to make it strong
for the noblest life. The two meta
phors supplement one another-they
belong to each other. The former,
rooted, gives as the idea Of organic
life and growth; the latter. founda-
toned, gives us the idea Of strength
derived from the union Of parts. A
Christianity which is not rooted is
always unstable. A Christian love
that has not penetrated into the depths
Is not a love of q permanent or en-
during character. 0 that the love OF
every one of US may penetrate into
the very being of God! That the ten,
drills Of our affections may twine
themselves about the heart Of the
incarnate God! Then shall we be
stable, then shall we grow.
To the end that ye, being rooted and
1OuuUd tlOueu III lofS, utiy OC SllohS
to apprehend with all the saints.
Strong for what? That you may know
the love of Christ in all its mighty
dimensions! And this is most nat
ural evolution. To acquire love is to
obtain finer powers Of percepting.
There is nothing like love for sharp
ening the wits. The eyes and ears
Of loving mother are immeasurably
quicker than the senses Of the love-
less. 1t is not true that love is blinC;
love is endowed with sight Of enor-
nous range. But while he was yet
afar off His ..ather saw Him.
Do not. be surprised,~ therefore, to
find that when we are rooted and
grounded in love we obtain finer pow
ers Of apprehension. But what are
divine love and grace! The holy pano-
rama is stupendous, and even with
our sharpened spiritual senses we
cannot take in the infinite glory. And
so the apostle tells US that we are to
apprehend it with all the saints, with