The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-12-11
SUNDAY SERMON.

THE illusions of Life" was the
subject of an interesting and I'M
pressive sermon by Rev. G. {. Hunt
ing at Good Time club hall Sunday
morning. The text was taken from
obedience of Abraham, whose faith
led him to so out into the place
which he afterward received as an
inheritance: his sojourn to the land
of promise, where he searched for
city with foundations, of which God
was the builder.
God promised a Canaan to Abra-
ham. yet Abraham never inherited
the earthly Canaan" said the Rev.
Mr.. Hunting. To the last he was
an wandered there and had no pos
sessions OF his own in that territory.
If he wanted even tomb in which
to bury his dead. he could only OBJ
tain one by purchase. 1t is stated
in all its startling force, in terms
still more explicit in the Acts, And
he gave him none inheritance in ii,
not so much as to set his foot on;
yet He promised that He would give
il to him for Il possession. and TO his
seed after him, when as yet he had
no child" The surprising point is
this Abraham. deceived, as you might
say. did not complain of the decep-
ton; he was even grateful for the
non-fultillment of the exact letter OF
the promise: he does not seem 10
have expected its fulfillment; he d.d
not look for Caanan but for a city
which had foundations, his faith ap-
pears To have consisted in disbeliey-
ing the letter. almost as much as be-
lieving the spirit of the promise.
And herein lies a principle which
rightly expounded. can help us to
interpret this life of ours. God S
promises are never fulfilled in the
sense in which they seem TO have
been given. Life is n deception; its
anticipations, which are Gods prom
Uses to the imagination are never re-
allied. They who know life best,
and have trusted God most TO fill il
with blessing. are ever the first to
say that life is Il series of disappoint-
ments. And in the spirit of the text
we have to say that it is wise and
merciful arrangement which ordains
il thus. The wise and holy do not
expect TO find ii otherwise-wouii
NOT WISH IL plHeTWlSe, their WISDOM
consists in disbelieying its promises.
Let il be clearly understood. then:
in the first place. that the promise
as generally understood was not full
filled. Abraham had a few feet of
earth obtained by purchase. Isaac
had little. Jacobs hold upon his
country was so small that he died
in Egypt. stranger in a foreign
land. And such is life's disappoint-
ment II promises You shall have
Canaan: ii turns our to be baseless.
airy dream, toll and warfare: moth
ing that we can call our own; not
the land of rest by any means.
Our senses deceive us: we begin
life with a delusion. Our senses de-
ceiye us with respect to distance.
shape and color That which afar
on seems oval. is circular: that which
appears a speck proves to be vast
body: the beautiful berry proves to
be bitter and poisonous; that which
moves is at rest. that
which is apparently at rest is in per-
petual motion: the earth moves. and
the sun is still. All experience is a
correction of life's Illusions modi-
heation or reversal of the Judgment
OF the senses; and all life is lesson
on the falsehood of appearances. Our
continued on page three.)