Show f OLD TESTAMENT WOMEN y F Queen of Sheba and Her Ques W I For Truth f V i DB LOCKWOODS DISCOURSE AT t i TE nary CHTJBCH lessons Drawn Prom Her Visit to Solomons Court Christ the Everlasting Ever-lasting Mountain ir f Apart from the words of my text and the reiteration of the same words In Luke xl 31 and the picturesque incident in-cident that has just been read in your hearing which is reproduced almost verbatim in the ninth chapter of II Chronicles we have no record whatever of the Interesting c character before us But because her name is linked with that of the magnificent Solomon and because has passed the Ups of him who spoke as never man spake i has been remembered through the centuries and has become one of the best known names in history his-tory Since there is so little of vital importance im-portance connected with her life I am glad that meager reference has been j made to her for in the absence of positive posi-tive facts it Is the delightful preroga tive of the poet the preacher and the romancer to idealize his characters and weave out for them rare and radiant garments in the loom of imagination And the imagination always warms and kindles at the mention of this southern queen We smell the spices and perfumes of Arabia and taste the luscious fruits of the tropics we hear the tuneful melody of the lute and harp and timbrel before us opens a vista where life beauty and splendor chase each other in rapid succession and now as our vision extends far down the open way to the balmy fruit ful southland a vast caravan emerges from the angle of a mountain and moves snakelike across the broad plain to where the distant oasis with waving grass and fluttering leaves and Hashing waters invites to a night of refreshment and repose we see innumerable i in-numerable camels laden with spices and gold and precious stones we see swarthy slaves with turbaned heads and strong bare limbs we see courier and soldiers splendidly robed and armed and mounted upon magnifi rentlyly caparisoned steeds and in the midstmounted upon the surest and fleetest camel reclining amid downy perfumed cuthions and canopied by i curtains exquisite in color texture and i designwe behold the queen of Sheba as she journeys to the faroft court of Solomon In her figure grace and dignity are perfectly blended She is surpassingly beautiful but the type of her beauty Is so dark strong and perfectly balanced that you are assured as-sured she is a queen before you think J p that she is a woman We cannot say I that she say for her figure is firm and mature and her manner gives evidence of repose and perfect selfpossession nor yet has she reached middle lethe rich color of her cheek and lip the flash of her lustrous lus-trous eye and the unfailing vivacity of her speech Indicate that Purity of life earnestness of thought and buoyancy buoy-ancy of spirit have left indelible and refining traces upon her face and at once our hearts warm toward this queenly woman we confide in her and we are interested in her journey for she is in search of truth And what occupation in life is so worthy and so fascinating as the quest for truth Poet preacher and philanthropist philan-thropist painter sculptor and musician mu-sician doctor statesman and philosopher philoso-pher are all alike In search oj truth and all alike are great just In proportion propor-tion as they discover or realize truth The geologist succeeds only as he wrings the truth from lips of stone genius breathes from the canvas of the painter in exact proportion a truth is delineated in his picture in vain is the white marble chiseled into speaking life by the sculptors hand unless the form that Is liberated be the divine Image of truth No elQquent lips no tongue of flame no tuneful chord no rythmic melody untouched by truths magnetic thrall I In the search for truth it is important im-portant to remember that reality is I one not many Truth is unitary and rt compresenhlve So however we I apProach it whether with heart or J will or intellect it Js always the same wi I J J vast and solitary reality that rewards our effort In the last analysis truth beauty and the good are one In fact they canot be dissevered All truth is beautiful and all beauty is goodness These are only different ways in which I the nrimal essence appears to the mind of man The poet beholds reality and it assumes graceful form and radiant color the philosopher beholds the same reality and his cold gaze crystallizes crystal-lizes it into a law a principle a thought the righteous will and the trustful heart meet the sam reality and find it erect will and loving heart The reality is never thoroughly construed to the finite life until it has been clothed with beauty perceived as law and incorporated Into righteous conduct and communion The soul 1 should not refuse to respond to the demands of faith and volition These I g ufc1 fe ieh quite as much as pure intellect demand de-mand recognition In the last analysis I reality whether viewed from the rational relty tional moral religious or aesthetic standpoint Is for us lust what our I faith and our volition make It Wrought into the most profound depths of our being is the demand that I the eternal universe be orderly that goodness preside at Its heart that gold and scarlet threads of beauty be woven into Its every fiber and very essence and that perfection at some time however dim and distantbe its out come We have taken a woman as our example ex-ample of a truthseeker and I rejoice that in our age we see clearly enough and deeply enough to realize that in this exalted search for the truths and i realities that lie at the bottom of all d life and all action woman is not to be debarred Most of the discussion over the question of womans rights and the sphere that should be occupied by man and woman respectively is wholly puerile and Irrelevant There is but one sphere of action for humankind and that Is the world of truth the effort to fathom the mystery that enshrouds en-shrouds human life the pure and lofty God It is true that quest for I tre man most naturally assumes one attitude toward life and woman another their I relations are meant to be harmonious helpful and complementary never contradictory con-tradictory destructive or solitary Nor is there any possibility that these basal relations will everbe changed or im I perilled More powerful than winters fr frost or summers heat stronger than T the invisible cords of force that hold I tne planets to their courses stronger V even than the giant tug of gravitation that draws all things toward the center nf thr earth is the affinity that unites the hearts the efforts and the lives of man and woman Gods essential laws are not broken or disregarded and men and women will love and wed and struggle upward together a long as time endures Together they will discover and correct the errors that have in times past impeded the progress prog-ress of the race and that have wrought against the welfare of both sexes the result will be that they shall at last emerge handInhand upon a loftier plane of thought and action they shall realize s condition of life as nearly ideal a finite beings can attain in tme t As we have taken the quten of Sheba f as a type of the truthseeker it maybe may-be well to notice somewhat carefully her mental attitude as I is revealed in the incldentbeforeus jl < u I Many monarchs would have resented the Intimation that any rival ruler was wiser than they I would rer have been strange if this noble queen had yielded to such a common weakness weak-ness She was gifted and wise her people almost adored her and if tra dition is to have any weight she was famed throughout her region of country coun-try for her regal qualities of mind But she WAS not satisfied with her own attainments at-tainments She saw as every great person comes to see that her learning was meager and that her field of truth was limited Accordingly with the instincts in-stincts of a true scholar she scented wisdom from afar and no sooner discovered dis-covered its location than she set forth to profit by It There is nothing that so effectually erectualy blocks the avenues that lead to truth a pride arrogance and prejudice The person who thinks that he is already I in possession of everything that is to be I known who discounts If indeed he I does not contemn the truth that others hold who permits prejudice to blind 1 his eves or passion to warp his judgment judg-ment who defies tradition bows in utter servility to prevailing custom and adheres with blind fury to a preconceived pre-conceived conclusion which he will not and dare not investigate is the most I hopelessly benighted person that the sunlight of truth ever falls upon The very first step in the hignway of truth I is humility of heart and life We must assume a receptive attitude of mind I I is absolutely necessary that we raise the curtain for the light to enter Custom tradition and authority have their place and they deserve respect but their place Is not to coerce nor is their influence final The truth of God never has been obscured nor ever will be and as long as human beings keep the channels of the soul unclogged by sin God will visit them with light and truth I is doubtless true that in a final and peculiar sense revelation has been made and has culminated in Christ but exactly what is the truth about Christthe best of men differ in their mental attitude toward this supreme su-preme being and toward all problems of truth God is not dead nor absent he teaches the hearts of the pure and guileless today therefore while we hold courageously to our truth we should not close our ears to the truth cose hat IS cherished and set forth by those as good a ourselves To visit the distant court of Solomon was no slight undertaking for the queen She was compelled to arrange her own affairs of state for a long absence it was necessary for her to choose and equip a proper retinue of servants and courtiers and scholars i was important that she should not overlook the selection and preparation of magnificent gifts such as befitted her own uosition and that of the mighty moharch whose favor she sought All of this involved time and thought and immense expense Then the thought of the difficult and dangerous I dan-gerous journey one that would require 1 re-qUire months to complete might eas ly have cooled the ardor of a less arnest and determined soul But this woman confident that she would find in Solomon the wisest teacher of the age was willing to sacrifice any com fort and to undergo any toil if only she might see the splendor of his court aid sound the depths or his wls I dom The difficulties that beset this queen in her long dreary journey across the desert are typical of the hardships that confront the scholar in the pursuit of 1 1 ruth I is true now as it always has been that there Is no excellence without great labor Positively there Is no royal road to knowledge We must tOil for truth Perhaps this is the case for the reason that the search for truth is quite a fascinating as the acquisition of truth But however this may be i is certain that knowledge Is not for the lover of ease and pleas ure but rather for the one who forgets for-gets self in an earnest effort to discover dis-cover the universal God plants trees In the forest but he tells man that he must cut and saw and plane them b fore they will afford him a suitable I shelter from the storms of winter and I the heat of summer he conceals coal in the mountains but he tells man that he must mine and ship it before it will lend warmth and cheer to his home he plants seed in the earth but he says to the farmer you must water and cultivate and harvest this crop of golden grain he puts pearls far down in the depth of the ocean and says to us i you desire them you must send your divers down In quest of them he hides gold in mountains and streams 1 and then informs the miner that he must seek for It and separate It from the dross and reduce it and refine It So in the search for truth The spirit of inspiration whispers to us that truth however veiled or hidden goes before us and that if we pursue her through sunshine and shadow over rock and river and desert we shall at last overtake and capture her and she shall smile upon us and unveil her beauty to us Truth but rarely comes unbidden to the soul It must besought I hhfn sought sought In the lonely garret at the midnight hour while the dull world slumber and the gay and sinful seek respite or intoxication where fashion waves her perfumed wand or vice raises her golden chalice to pledge once more with fiery drink her deluded devotees sought in the gray dawn with no companions but the sprites of cold hunger and loneliness sought on ice fields amid Polar snows in Arctic darkness sought on cold and lonely mountain peaks sought in African jungles tortured with thirst burning with fever surrounded by wild beasts and wilder men sought in prison on the rack at the stake I is thus by pain and want and neglect and loneliness lone-liness and martyrdom that great spirits have sought and found the truth and i is thus that men and women are still pressing on beset by poverty and opposition and disappointment I disap-pointment to disclose if possible another an-other aspect of the stern yet beauteous form of truth I is said that Edison the great inventor in-ventor sometimes becomes so absorbed in his work a to forget the lapse of time going without food or sleep for 24 hours Leibnitz the great philosopher philoso-pher used to spend days and nights uninterruptedly in his study eating drinking and sleeping in his chair Alexander Duff almost upon the point of death from weakness and disease fainted in the midst of a fiery and eloquent elo-quent address upon the evangelization of India but recovering consciousness and his friends endeavoring to lead him from the platform he declined their assistance and launched once more into an overwhelming appeal for India saying I I am to die let me die pleading for India Luther when warned that it would cost him his life if he appeared before the diet of Worms responded Though there be as many devils at Worms as there are tiles upon the housetops I will go To these men the truth was dearer than any earthly joy dearer than life Itself I Is When a mighty truth becomes an absolute necessity to some I serious soul that it dawns at last upon the human race and ever afterwards illuminates the hearts of men When te ever we are willing to pay the cost i we shall possess the truth but no sooner The impression made upon the queen I of Shoba by Solomons grandeur and 1 wisdom was profound and overmastering overmaster-ing When she saw the splendor of Solomons court we are told that there was no more spirit In her Remarkably Re-markably susceptible to beauty and throbbing with sentiment doubtless she swooned with excess of delight When she had recovered sufficiently to speak she said to the Icing Behold the half was not told me thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard But she did not stop here she recognized the superiority of the Lord God to whom Solomon was indebted for all the wealth and wisdom which he possessed S she ascribed praises to the God of Israel saying BItesed be the Lord thy God which dellgOiteth in thee to set thee on the throne of Israel because the Lord hived Israel forever therefore made he thee king to do judgment > and justice jus-tice We are ignorant becausewe are sin J > L ful The truth dawns upon us and we reject It And this is the con deranatfon that light is come Into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil I Is far easier to recognize truth than it is to accept I but ware w-are coming to realize very clearly that truth must be incorporated into tm I in order to become a potent influence Truth in the abstract is cold and ineffectual in-effectual but truth exhibited in action at the martyrs stake upon the field of battle or upon the rostrum glows with warmth and power To hush the voice of inspiration to reject our visions of eternal things to trail our ideals in the dust is to dwarf our souls and to shut ourselves up in perpetual per-petual darkness What though the truth bring pain and anguish what though We writhe with torture a we throw off the shackles of sin and selfishness sel-fishness and superstition that have so long clung to us that they verily seem I to be a part of our better sells Are I not all births painful Can we hope to emerge from the land of twilight and caverns Into the broad blaze of an unclouded sky without having our eyes dazzled and dimmed with tears The earnest truthseeker must accept the truth that comes to him no matter from what source it may come no matter i mat-ter how unwelcome it may be no matter mat-ter what sacrifice its espousal demands de-mands Infinite and irreparable harm comes to the one who knows the truth yet refuses to grant It the supreme I place in his life The longing for ignoble things The strife for triumph more than truth The hardening of the heart that brings Irreverence for the dreams of youth All thoughts of 111 all evil deeds That have their root > n thoughts of ill Whatever hinders or impedes The action of the nobler will AH these must first be trampled down Beneath our feet if we would aln In the bright fields of fair renown The right of eminent domain The natural and logical treatment of the text before us leads In conclusion to the contemplation of him upon whom the gaze of the civilized world has been centered for the past 1800 years Nor could I wish I otherwise I own Christ supreme he completes my life as nothing that is earthborn can complete It Young ladies I call upon you tonight to consider carefully carefuI3 the claims of Jesus of Nazareth See to it that the reproach which Christ I brought against the unbelieving Jews long centuries ago be not applicable to you Is it possible that the queen who lived 3000 years ago who was so comparatvel3 obscure whose opportunities oppor-tunities were so limited in comparison with the abundant advantages of this age is i possible that she shall rise up in the judgment to condemn her sisters sis-ters of this generation Have you considered the claims of Christ What place has he in your 3our life Do you realize that he stands as the central figure In time Do centrl fgre tme you realize that our age liberal and tolerant as it is does not justify loose or indifferent in-different views concerning this person Z Are you aware that as the morning mists of doubt and superstition lift as the debris of dogma authority and tradition is gradually cleared away and as the sunlight of unclouded thought pours its steady and luminous lumi-nous rays upon the outline of this majestic figure that stands in chiseled repose against the horizon of history I that the effect of his unique and ideal personality more and more overmasters the thought and sentiment of the human hu-man race I is true a Ian Mac Laren says that Mans systems are the shadows on the hillside Christ ia the everlasting solemn mountain itselr Much in the popular conception and I representation of Christianity is in the act of passing Let it go Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today ana forever We need not fear change within the limits of his church or of his world For change there means progress prog-ress and the more the human creation creaton and embodiments of Christian truth crumble and disintegrate the more distinctly dis-tinctly does the solemn single unique figure of Christ the same rise before us I There is nothing in the worlds history Ito I-to compare with the phenomena which Is presented by the unworn freshness of Jesus Christ after all these centuries centu-ries All other men however burning and shining their light flicker and die out in extinction And but for extncton a season sea-son can the world rejoice in any ot their beams But this Jesus dominates the ages and is as fresh today in spite I of all that men say as he was eighteen centuries ago |