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Show Sunday mm Of REV. CARVER Speaking in the First Presbyterian church upon "Wisdom, the Chief of the Cardinal Virtues," Rev. J. E. Carver, Car-ver, who has been away from the city for a week, said in part: Wisdom Is the foremost of the virtues. vir-tues. As one has said, "It is tho lampbearer showing the way to tho rest." As there are standards of value and measurement kept at Washington to give test to all tho yard sticks and quart cups the manufacture! manu-facture! s may produce, so there la a supreme test given unto men, before be-fore whose bar of Judgment all opinions opin-ions and beliefs must bow That supreme su-preme test Is the test of reason. Reason Rea-son is the most godlike of all tho human hu-man emoluments Reason is man's K I 1 i . r. ... w&ucat. gin. nengion mat win nut stand the test of reason cannot sway the thought of thinking men. In general gen-eral wisdom is the accrued power and liches of reason All churches and creeds have given to wisdom the place which tho Grecian Gre-cian and Roman thinkers havo accorded ac-corded It. They have united in saying say-ing that wisdom is the first of the virtues. In defining wisdom they havo differed With tho philosophers the scope of wisdom as to our conduct con-duct was to decry the goal towards which we should strive and to point the clear way unto it. With the BIblo writers the fear of the Lord is the chief part of wisdom This, too, has a direct bearing upon dally conduct Tho Latin word for wisdom is often translated prudence. It has a lower and more utilitarian moaning than either wisdom or reason. The Roman wanted to get on In life and tho means were not so much to him as was the end. He was in this sense quite modern When Thomas Carljle was at hjo height of power and fame he was often found pondering upon the old question which oery Scotsman had learned In the catechism. "What is the chief end of man?" The answer was, "Man's chief endJs to glorify God and enjoy him forever," and Car-lyle Car-lyle said that more and more that answer impressed him. Man is immortal, im-mortal, surely then his chief end must he an Immortal one. To know God and to walk aright befoie him is the greatest of all the applied sciences. sci-ences. The real moaning of the word "virtue" iB strength. Wisdom is Indeed In-deed a strength unto those whor seek it. Wisdom enters the heart and keeps the whole life pure Knowledge Knowl-edge Is not only an acquisition, It becomes a real pleasure to the soul, and not until it has become such a pleasure are we really In possession of iL The most hallowed enjoyment in the world Is in Its passion and use, nn -f nn Irnnu'lnrlr'A la fHle rxrrr. fritr-i. than of the knowledge of the Lord Wo read that "appetite grows by what it feeds upon." If wc therefore use tho littlo desire we have for wisdom it will develop. One of the charms of biography is the number of rich nves whoso record rec-ord and attainments emulate this Christian wisdom. No name In science sci-ence Is greater than that of Isaac Newton. This one of the world's greatest scholars gave evidenco in word and life to this surpassing wisdom, wis-dom, the principal part of which is tho fear of the Lord. This week wo were reading anew the life of America's Amer-ica's first great writer, Washington Irving Few of those who have been gifted in a literary way have won so enduring fame. His was the quiet, loving life of a Christian; his Its end of perfect trust; and the record of his more than fifty years of authorship au-thorship Is that he never wrote a lino that was tainted with skepticism, or a word that was not as chaste and pure as tho violets of spring. In the wreck of fortune and the early loss f one whom he had loved as he was never again to love in this world, he had much to turn "him to doubt and gloom, but to the last his well known Biblo was his constant guide and joy. The world is crying for happiness. Both the hands of wisdom are filled with blessings for those who give her thought. Like the god of wisdom she never can give enough to those who seek her. She has nothing but rewards re-wards for those who loo hor counsels coun-sels and obey her behehts. Wisdom, unlike appetite, lust and greed, has no monotony, but instead continual charm. Not that sorrow and trial are unknown, but that beneath theso thero Is a truer life that throbs beneath be-neath all the appearances of the outward out-ward self. "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and tho man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it Is better than tho merchandiso ot silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She Is more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canst desire are not to bo compared unto her. Length of days Is In her right hand, and in her left riches and honor. Her ways are the wnys of pleasantness, and all her paths aro ppace. She is a tree of life to thorn that lay hold upon her, and happy u every one that retainoth her. I, Wisdom, Wis-dom, love them that love men, and those that seek me early shall find me. For whoso flndoth me, llndeth life, and shall obtain favor of tho Lord. But he that slnneth against me wrougeth his own soul; all that hate me love death." So roads tho Bible. And let us never forgot that In the -Bible tho foolish or unwise one ia theone whoidoes'iiot believe In God. |