The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-10-23
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"A SERMON AGSs
81 THE REV. NaHN
1A%HENDEe5oNWF
Subject: Life.
Subject: Life.

Brooklyn, N. Y.-Preaching at the
Irving Square Presbyterian Church,
Hamburg avenue and VERIFIED
street, IN the above theme, the pas
tor, Rev. Ira Wemmell Henderson,
took as his text John Ia. He said:
Last Lords Day we discussed in
some measure and manner the fact
Of death. To-day we shall discuss
for the moments that we are together
the fact of life. The reality with
which we have more presently aid
Immediately to deal.
Life is among the mightiest reali-
ties with which humanity is familiar.
1t thrills and suffuses every living
one of us. 1t energies all that is
active and moving and sentient
round about us. 1t is at the source of
all that is; at the centre of all crea-
ton. 1t is divine, for it is Of God and
impaired from Him. 1t is real and
the one thing in all the world Of
Which we are conscious. For we see
it outworking itself into the pulsat-
ing, throbbing universe about it.
All nature sings the praise and mani
tests the force of life as it chants the
glory and the might of God. In it
we live and move and have our being.
1t is at the centre Of humanity's ex-
istence.
All of which is trite and obvious
and old. There is not much that is
new that we can tell about oncern-
ing life. For the primal man knew
life in it's fullness and its beauty as
do we. He heard the songs Of the
feathered host and witnessed the
manifestations Of the majesty of Je-
hovah as He revealed it in the heav-
emily galaXies and expressed it in the
varied forms and the diverse beauties
of nature. The primal man may not
have been so familiar with so many
of the actual laws operated in life
as we are. He may not have been so
conscious of the subtler forms Of life
that modern scientific Investigation
the revealed to the world of to-
day. But taking in the broad we
may safely say that there is not much
that is new that we can say about
life.
In fact, life is so intangible that it
Is in reality properly indefnable. We
cannot define life exactly. We may
appropriate a definition, but W. can
not compass in the forms of finite
speech the fullness of life itself. For
life is divine and limitless. Language
is finite and cfrcumscribed in its
scope and possibilities. Life knows
no bounds. Language is confined.
Life is the creation Of God and is CO.
extensive with Him. Language is
the method Of human intercommunl-
cation, and as such it Is hemmed
within the horizons Of humanity.
Life per sc is intangible. 1t is as in
tangible as it is ultimately indefin-
able. We may/touch a mans hand
that is sentient with life; we may
look into his eye that is alive with
life; we may hear the sound of his
voice and witness the exhibition of
his strength; we may see the various
expressions Of the life that vitalizes
him. But we do not see his life. We
may roam the fields and sail the seas
and climb the hills and till the pas
lures till God calls us home. We may
see the evidences of life, but life it.
self we do not see. Life is intangible.
We may know it in it's manifestations
and through them. But we shall not
know life-that mysterious, wonder
working energy that %enlivens US
until we enter into the presence OF
Divinity hereafter. For life is as in
tangible as God.
Life is indefnable. We may de-
fine life in the terms of life's express
sions. Whether we see life in cloud
or tree or drop or bud, this is ever so.
For the beauty of the cloud is not the
life that brings the beauty into being.
The grace and dignity and charm that
is manifest in humanity is not the
life that animates humanity. We
may define human life in the terms
of life's self-expression, through the
medium of humanity as we may de-
scribe its manifestations in the nat
ural world about us. But when all
Is said and done, to define life in the
terms of its manifestations is not en-
tirely to define life. For life IS more
than it's manifestations, as is God.
Life is more than what W. see and
know of the expressions Of life.
And yet, for the sake Of definition
and in the interest of the culture
of the moral and spiritual life of man,
it is not really necessary that we
Sudll NC dUIS W w LII lO-ooJ Shoh
define life in the terms Of it's express
sions and relations. For it is not
necessary to know all about the con-
stitution of the world in order to
live happily within it. 1t is not need
full that we shall know all about the
inner and hidden laws Of electricity
in order to ride on an electric car or
to enjoy the Illuminating power of
the electric light. 1t is not necessary
that we shall be able to define God
with comprehension and fnality in
order to draw near to Him and to
enjoy the pleasures Of communion
with Him or enter into the realization
of the potency of His love. Not 9TH
erwise is it with life. We may not
understand it all, we may not be able
to define it with 1nality, we may not
be competent to penetrate its mys-
terry, but we know that it is, that it
is central in ourselves and in our
society; we are aware that we are in
the midst of it; we view its mani
festations and experience it's express
sions. We may state u experiences
and the results of our Investigations
and observations in the terms OF hu-
manly Understandable speech. And
that is enough. We shall know more.
But that is enough for now.
We may, therefore, define life in
the terms of opportunity, responsible
ity, possibility, divinity.
Life is definable and to be grasped
in the terms of opportunity. To be
alive to have a chance. A chance
to be a man, to do a mans work, to
follow in the footmarks of the AL
mighty as we tread through life, to
be kind, to be gentle, to be noble and
pure and holy. Existence correlates
onnortunity To he q live man is to