Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-05-01
CalmaQe
Sermon
49, By Rev.
Frankie Witt Talnase. d. ID.

the preacher exalts love as the highest
Of the Christian graces. DIR. Talmage
has resigned his passionate In Los An
geles. feeling the need OF complete rest,
and has gone to Europe. where he will
remain six months. He will compose
no sermons during his absence. The
text or this farewell sermon is taken
from Corinthians Kill, Is, And the
greatest of these is love" Or. W.
Talking with a friend before setting
out on my European journey, / re-
ferred to my long cherished desire to
visit the famous canyon OF Arizona
that might study 1t and describe 1t to
my eastern friends. ut cannot be
DONE" said my friend. "No living man
could describe the grandeur and mai
esty OF that wonderful scene. Just be-
fore l went there I was told that a
man approached the brink of that aw-
full chasm, and as he looked across it
and down into its depths and up into
the sky he dropped upon his knees and
cried: 20 God. how infinitely great
art thoul l never realized until my
eyes beheld 1t this wonderful manifes-
tation of thy handiworkr All that you
can do when you visit the Grand cam
yon Is to be overwhelmed with the i'm
mensity Of it's conception. 1t is greater,
far greater. than your widest magma
ton could ever conceive"
Well, l said to myself II that is true
there is one fact will learn from the
Grand canyon. That will be its su-
perlativeness as a basis for comparl-
son. There are things that are above
and beyond utterance. Paul heard
things when he was caught up to heav-
en- that he said were unspeakable, and
on another occasion, trying 10 describe
the things God had prepared for them
that love him, he said that eye had
not seen nor ear heard, neither had It
entered into the heart of man, and
John In Patmos fell down as one dead.
When ! read Of these strange incidents
1 shall always think of the overwhelm-
ing Impression which one gets from his
first view of the Grand Canyon Of Art-
xona. 1t Is a species of measuring rule
by which estimate other impressions.
1t is this kind of eliminating compari-
son that Paul uses I'm my text.
The Celestial Music.
In the first place, Paul leads us into
the celestial choir lofts of heaven. He
gathers before us the sweet voiced
singers who once sang the song OF the
Nativity above Bethlehem of Judea
He leads those white winged messen-
gers Of the sky to sing until their unit
ed choruses roll about us in great tidal
waves Of harmony. Some of us have
heard the most famous songstresses on
earth lift up their voices in praise. But
never will our ears hear melodies like
those celestial songs until at last as
redeemed spirits we ourselves are sing
ing the song of Moses and the Lamb
before the great white throne of heav-
en- Then after Paul has I'm magma
ton led us up through the boulevards
OF gold, down past the great white man.
sions OF the skies. and has overwhelmed
US with the beauty and pathos and
grandeur of the inspiring oratorios of
the celestial city he says to us: THAT
singing is the most beautiful singing of
all the ages. From human lips and
throat could never come music so en-
chanting. But, though we could sing
like that, our song would be empty and
meaningless and discordant If ii had
not In 1t that one thrilling note of love.
Though speak with the tongue of an
gels and have not love, / am become
as sounding brass or tinkling GYM
bal. 1t Is love that gives celestial mu-
sic Its sweetness"
hnS ola
Hebrew teachers like Gamallel and
Hillel He Introduces to us the proph-
cts Of old He brings before us the
wise men or the magi of the east. He
solves for US all the knotty social prob
lens OF the day and leads us down
amid the temples OF old Egypt and
amid the wonders of Nineveh and
Babylon and Rome and Athens. Then
ne shows us the giants of faith as IT,
tans changing the typographical con-
struction of the earth. Then after he
has piled learning upon wisdom and
intellectually upon intellectually and
superlative upon superlative and made
man omniscient as well as omnipotent
ne utters these words: "And If I have
the gift OF prophecy and know all mys-
feries and all knowledge and If / have
all faith SO as to move mountains, but
nave not love. am nothing" All. YES:
love Is greater than all the knowledge
contained within the walls Of an Alex
andrian library. Love is greater than
the wisdom Of King Solomon. Love Is
greater than the prophetic eve which
can look through the black curtain
which separates the present and the
events that will happen millions of
years hence. Love is greater than the
strength OF the everlasting hills. Love
Is greater than the highest triumphs of
art For If we have not love. no mat
ter how great our intellectually NAV
De. we are as nothing. Aye, we are
worse than nothing. Is not Paul's Sec
ond comparison again approaching the
eliminating superlative?
Love the Greatest of All.
Then. as a guide leads us higher and
higher over mountain range and we
climb from peak TO peak until at last
we stand upon the topmost pinnacle
overlooking ali mountains, rising out of
material into moral elevation. Paul
says: Love is more than this. Though
you labor for others and seem to spend
all your life In the service or your fell
low men, though you become a pauper
Tor their sake and go TO the martyrs
stake. II you do not love your fellow
men. IN Gods sight all your deeds of
self sacrifice will go for naught. Yes,
yes! How superIative does overtop SUI
perlative when Paul is celebrating for
US the power and the necessity OF love.