The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-10-17
..SERMONS IN STONES"

Sob.
SERMONS IN STONES.
Terse Comments Upon the Uniform
Meeting Topic Of the Young
PEOPLES Societies-Christian En-
deavor. etc, For October %. les
sons L Have Learned From Things"
jeremiah 13: 1-1O; Matthew ~:
1922.
(By WILLIAM T. ELLIS.)
Happy is he who can find
in trees, books in the runnin brook,
sermons in stones, and good in every
thing" Life is enlarged for such. He
is delivered from smallness and bar
renness Of mind. The whole world,
in it's greatness and in it's minuteness.
means something to him. The unity
of nature and ruth are revealed to
the seeing eye and the hearing ear
An object is usually more than an
object: it is a symbol. Many persons
look upon Niagara Falls daily: but no
two See the same thing. They best
enjoy and understand the mighty wa
ters who read the poetry and symbol
SIN and mysticism of it's message. The
gift of seeing with the inner eye is
one of Gods bounties, to be priced
and increased.
ITO me, the meanest flower that blows
can give,
Thoughts that DO lie too deep for
tears
sang the poet. All creation is eloquent
with spiritual teaching to the eyes that
have been Spirit-touched. The old
artists loved the grand themes-the
Creation, Paradise, the Fall, the Judg-
~~~< H. orfry~dNroc <hn Cr1pifVtON
The newer painters and sculptors have
developed a genius for interpreting
life's common things. Thus we have
The Angelus" speaking a sermon Of
reverence such as one does not hear
in Michael Angeles Judgment
Jesus came among men drawing ms
lessons from the life Of everyday
from the growing grain, the wayside,
the sheepfold, the yoke, the coin, the
wineskin. the women at the mill, he
sower, the mustard plant. AS Long
fellow sings,
"Wondrous truths, and manifold as
wondrous,
God hath written in the stars
above;
But no less in the f1owerets beneath
us,
Runs the record Of his love-
Everybody has to teach somebody.
SO the teachers art of parallels is one
for all people.
A mountain is a favorite Scripture
symbol. The Old Version taught US
that the Psa1mist said, Il will lift up
mine eyes unto the hills, from whence
cometh my help The newer transla-
ton gives a nObIer meaning to the
passage, and reveals the help that is
higher than the hills: II will lift up
mine eyes unto the mountains: from
whence shall my help come? My
help cometh from Jehovah"
The apt use of inanimate objects for
illustration makes these objects live
with spiritual meaning. I once heard
a preacher dwell upon the real estate
mans sign, Rooms to let, with or
without power; and I never pass
such a board nov without meditating
fresh upon the lives that are with
or without power
Electricity has opened up a vast
area of spiritual suggestions.
trolley pole that brings down the
current for the car, and the PRAYER
that links God with man.: the light
that burns only when it's connection
is close and unobstructed; the dyna-
mo that stores power in batteries for
future use, as life should gather in
youth for ages need-such are the
hints that naturally suggest them
selves in contemplation of the familiar
world of electricity.
The years of man are the looms of
God let down from the place
of the sun,
Wherein we are weaving ever. till the
mystic web is done.
Weaving blindly. but weaving surely.
each for himself his fate
We ma not see how the right side
looks.
We can only weave and wait.
a. G.. Chester.
Some objects have become universal
sermons. The cross is such. On a
hill outside of San Francisca stonds
a cross which NAV be seen from ~