The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-04-16 00:00:00

EINDOO THEISM.

Last Sunday morning a sermon was preached at the
Unitarian Chapel. Little Portland-street, Regent.
street, London, by Keshub Chunder Sen, the well-
known leader at Calcutta of the Brahmo Somaj, a
society of Hindoo Theists, the chief object of which is
the destruction of idolatry and caste throughout the
Indian Empire. This gentleman hiss for a considerable
period been the minister of a spacious church in Cal-
cutta, where he regularly preaches to a large number
of his countrymen, and there are about fifty other
churches where similar religious doctrines are taught
in different parts of India. The announcement that
one who holds so peculiar and interesting a position in
relation to the Hindoo race and idol-worship was to
appear in an English pulpit, naturally caused the con-
gregation to be unusually numerous ; and it included
representatives of both Houses of Parliament, and
several men of eminence in science and literature.

After the usual service had been performed by the
Rev. James Martineau, minister of the Chapel, the
venial preacher ef the day delivered his sermon upon
the text, "In Him we live, and move, and have our
being."

The preacher commenced by remarking that it was of the
utmost importance to them that they should realise the
preening of that great and holy God whom they professed to
worship, and the nolemn relation In which thby etm,d to him,
as without this religion was almost powerless, and though it
might satisfy the understanding and the intellect, eould not
exercise any influence upon the life and conduct. There
were thousands of nominal theists, he went on to .ay, who
entertained very accurate theological notions of the Divinity,
who boasted of havinggivenup idolatry, and who consequently
thought themselves very near the Kingdom of Heaven, but
beneath their boasted theological scholarship there lurked
unbelief in its milder but not leas insidione forme. They
thought of God as one who wite remote from them, and
had very little to do with the direct administration it
the affair, of the world ; and when they professed to pray
It seemed as if their prayers went out into empty space,
where there wise no present Gm!. If men were really
anxious about their salvation they should not boast of mere
Intellectual ideas of their Deity. It was one thing to sey
with the understanding that God exist., and glide a different
thing to say with the whole heart and soul "My Lord is
before me and behind me, and !Meth all my space.' 11 WM
one thing to talk of God as the eternal, lurlnG., majestic
Sovereign of the Universe, and another thing to feel flint
very near our hernia, the linos and loving Father. When
God had created the universe He did not go away from it;
He lived among men, dwelt in their homes, was present with
them in the varied concerns of life ; wherever they were lie
was with them, and in that light should they always regard
Him. He did not merely hold the same relation to the
world He had created as the watchmaker did to the
watch : but Ile animated all the spiritual movements
of the universe and of mankind. Ile was in the midst of
history, and Ills merciful finger lurked beneath all the events
which gave to history its chief interest. When they looked
up and saw the vast starry convex, or when they saw the
moon bathing the whole of nature in one It rod of sweet and
serene light, they ought to feel that the rower of all powers
was still quickening every movement In the universe. Ills
presence might also he felt amid the little detail. If daily
life and even when they entered the arena of public life they
would find that the Lord had not deserted them. Nations,
as well as individnels, were governed hy the Supreme will,
and there was no spot where the. Lord was not present. G 05
was a friend and a companion to men for time and for
eternity—One who sympathieed with them ill all their iiiill-
colties and trials, and to whom they might open their
hearts in earnest supplication. Such a God was the
need at the world, arid the sinner peculiarly felt the
want of Him. Utiles, and until a man had lurch a
God before him—utile,s and until he could satisfy him-
self of being In the prestzeas of such • God, he could not
realise the blessings of true religion. Men who rested
satisfied with • negative religion might have come out of the
Egypt of idol.worship, but they had not reached that land
where alone they could find true peace ang comfort. A
sense of God's presence was necessary Li enable any of them
to resist the fishing torrent of temptations, and to arm them
CT the great battle with the evils around them. Fortified
with that, they could say smid all the diflicorltles and roe
rows that awaited them, "Lord, help Thou Thy poor and
helpless chill," and a few words, poured out in the spirit of
earnestness and sincerity, would bring down from the
Father of Mercies strength to resist teniptation, to endure
the loss of rulers, and to bear up against domestic afflic-
tion. With God's presence Joy became enhanced, and all
that was painful in life was mitigated. The presence of
the L-rd was not only a school of discipline, where the
character was purified and temptation guarded against,
it was also a source id happiness. Let them realise the pre-
ranee of the Lord, wherever they went, and when they came
to die the loving Countenance of their Father wruld reveal
itself, the darta of death would become Inoffensive, all the
sorrows of departure would be taken away, and they would
feel that they were going to mansions of righteoutheee and
peace. In conclusion, the preacher expressed his delight
which he had felt in Joining in the service of th.d morning,
and in mingling his voice with the voices of the congrega-
tion, adding that he felt that he and his brethren In India
were all children of the same Father and Lord of the Universe
as those whom he had addressed.

The sermon, which was extempore, and occupied
al/4iut half an hour, wide d..:.v.-red in a clear and
thoroughly audible voice, marked tiy a pure English
accent, with great ease and fluency, and with a simple,
earnest, and impressive manner.