Rev. F. G. Peabody preached last night in Appleton Chapel from the text, "For now we see through a mirror, darkly; but then face to face." This verse, he said, calls our attention at once to the contrast between our present state and the future. Now we cannot understand all things, we cannot know God perfectly. This fact troubles many people and they think that if we cannot know all we can know nothing. But Paul says "now I know in part;" partial knowledge is not to be despised. Our light now is reflected light, but while it comes through a mirror and is imprefect, still what is reflected is none the less true light. The first thing we must learn about God is that we cannot know him perfectly. We must realize that reflected rays are often more useful than the direct. Where the direct light would dazzle or confuse, we may often learn much from the reflection. Thus an astronomer never looks on the sun directly, but through a darkened glass and thus finds out far more than he could from attempting to look at the sun with naked eye.

For reflected light to be of value we must have just the right conditions, we must have first a good mirror and secondly a trained observer. If either is wanting the light is of no value. If the mirror is poor, that is if the reflected light be too faint, the best observer can get no good results. Thus often in the troubles and perplexities of life, even those who know God best cannot distinguish His hand. On the other hand, if the mirror be perfect there is nothing told to one who is not a good observer. Thus while to a naturalist every plant and rock tells how the laws of nature are working, to the uneducated they mean nothing. So in religion sometimes where God's light is most clearly reflected, there are those to whom it tells nothing of God's love and goodness. In another point this parable of the mirror comes very close to the truth. Light, when it has reached the mirror, does not stop, but passes on from one object to another brightening and cheering everything that it touches. So the light of God never stops, but when it is reflected into the heart of a good man it goes on helping and strengthening everything with which it comes into contact.

When we have finished this life then we shall see Him face to face and know Him as He is. All our difficulties will be made clear and everything we cannot understand will be plain. The riddle of what our life is and towards what end we are working will be solved. The greatest and best thing we can do is to receive the light of God and reflect it again. The greatest mistake a man can make is to cover up this mirror and sit in darkness.