Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-02
DR.. PIERCE breaches
nM THE MISSING LINK
TAKES PHRASE IN SPIRITUAL
SENSE
''Many Wander In the Barren Desert
of Tradition, for Lack Of Courage
to Take Step Leading to
Truth


Rev. c. C. Pierce. pastor of the Mem.
orfaf Baptist church. yesterday preached
on "The Missing Link" taking for his
text the words Of Hebrews, as: They
entered not in, because OF unbelief." he
said in part:
Ignorant people suppose they have op-
posed an insifrmountable obstacle ana an
unanswerable argument to the noble evo-
luton theory by the stale old joke about
being descended from a monkey
That particular link which Is sup
posed to connect man with the lower or
ders of animals has no doubt furnished
the scientists and anthropologistsJ with
ample opportunities for speculation and
thought 1t is, however, not OF this much
talked about, this eagerly sought after
missing link that 1 am to speak today
| refer rather to that missing link in
human character to which our Master d.
rected the attention of the rich young
man when he said One thing thou lack
est
Il am not half so much interested In
knowing where | came from as am IN
knowing what are the possibilities ahead
Of me. Whether was descended from
human being fashioned in an instant OF
time from the dust of the earth, or
whether / am descended from vast line
of ancestors, reaching straight back
through all the animal creation, may be
an interesting subject for speculation. 30
far as 1 am concerned take the deduc-
tions of the scientists on this subject,
but / leave every man to his own opin-
ion. am, however, intensely interested
in what lies ahead of me as an Individual
and ahead of man as race.
"Faith, Prayer, Courage"
''IIow often men have lacked the one
necessary qualification to appropriate the
,,a< bi,,o x.rli fe a cfannir7Q GtOn0 to
larger and better beyond. One step
aside from the straight course Of the
truth often infinitely diverts the direction
and influence of a life, and OF millions
of lives. The life of prayer, which brings
us into the light of divine guidance, and
the life of courage and of faith which
enables us to follow where the divine
Illuminating points the way. are consider
ations of paramount Importance.
Such was the life of Moses. one OF
the worlds greatest lawgivers and bene-
factors. Such have been the lives OF most
of the great ones who have fought hu-
manitys battles. given to the world new
and daring Thoughts. or acted the part OF
pioneers in the great struggle of man
for justice.
'It was SO with Paul and st. Augustine,
with Wickliffe with John Huss, and
Savonarola; with Alfred the Great. and
Washington, and Lincoln and q noble
host of others.
"Others, like Israel standing on the
threshold of the promised land, and fear
ing to enter in, have turned back into the
desert and lost all. When the Hebrews
lacked the necessary faith to enter into
the land of promise they lost their time,
their character. their hope, their cour-
age, their lives, and left their bones
bleaching in the wilderness as warning
for all future ages against the dangers
- 4f~~.4a T.x o1I
world they remind me of people have
seen and OF one 1 know. They have no
purpose. no vision, no advancing activity.
but a weary wandering through the bar
rem places Of life, aiming for nothing
and getting nowhere.
Lack Determination
.sSome people wander thus intellectually
All life becomes a mere barren waste,
with nothing to show for the activity OF
the mind. Year after year passes while
intellectually becomes atrophied, and all
is dead and sere. Somewhere they come
face to face with a great opportunity. q
great new thought, with green fields and
great opportunities beyond. There was
a river or two to cross, a battle or two
to fight, one or two new sets of condi-
tions to master, but for want of faith in
God, in the truth, in themselves they
turned back into the wilderness and died
there
Il know plenty of men who have come
face to face with some great truth which
demanded little intellectual vigor, lit
tie cutting loose from some of the
things of the past. a little launching out
upon some great truth of which God Is
the author, but their courage failed them.
they closed their minds, shut up the win
dows of their souls and sullenly sought
the narrow defiles, and infertile passes OF
a barren, fruitless life.
Spiritually 1 have seen the same thing
still more oftens In fact l see 1t a great
deal oftener than anywhere else. With
how many is the religious life wander
ing amid the barren deserts of mere tra-
ditionalism, with no progress, and all
the time a longing for the flesh
pots of Egypt. With how many Is the
religious life a mere religious entertain
ment on Sunday. going with the crowd to
be amused rather than vigorous prep
aration for advancement all along the
line In Gods name let us In all things
cross the line, lay hold on him and claim
our rights in the promised land
-