Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-16
THE PULPIT.
Rev. Frank ID. Moore at the First
Presbyterian Church.

Presbyterian Church.
Sunday morning, Rev. Frank D. Moore
preached his first sermon in Nashville at
the First Presbyterian church, oyer which
church his father, Rev. Tbos. V. Moore, ID.
D., wss pastor for some time. The son is
we'll known in this city, and having just re-
Turned from two years stay in Europe, the
church was crowded with both friends and
strangers, ami as to hear his first sermon.
He read for 3 scrip ufe lesson, the I'D
chapter Of Genesis; wherein Abrs-
hams saaA h =, God is so
beautifuliy and thriiiihslf tortfsyeG.
Taking bis text from the 2lst verse OF The
lst chsptsr OF Matthew-"And she ssiis:..ll
Or ng forth son, and thou shall call his
name Jesus: for re shall save his people
from their slns'- Mr.. Moore said that the
life of Joseph was sad one at the time re-
fer ed TO in the text. The village in which
he resided, as wall known as 1t has since
become, at tie time Joseph walked La
streets, was TIE centre of infamy and degra-
dation-t the gathering place Of all thss ls
low and vile. At the mention of its name,
the Pharisee ro!lsd his eyes and the Saddu-
Gee asked With sheer, "Can amp good
thing come out of Nazereth?"
Three times does Joseph appear in the
Bible. His silence grows solemn; like q
great river which flows on to its destination
and murmurs Io5, is this still man
th Saint Of the New Covenant. Three
times does Joseph appear, and each time
he COMES to sacrifice, and to sacrifice him.
self. We meet Him for the first time In our
text, when he is living alone With Cod, sud
surrounded by bad men. We hear of him
again when he is told to arise and
go down Into Egypt, and we meet
him the last time when the
child, now twelve years old, is missed, and
after whole days search Jossph finds him
finally in the Temple with The wise men.
He hears the words of wisdom which fall
from his lips, and that in the Temple of the
Great Jehovah, and now this good man
passes away.
What is great life9 There is confusion
here in the minds of nleh. We hear men
called ''great" for strange reasons. We
speak of the "great" Napoleon; we might,
with az muca reason, say 'great" thief,
or ''great" murderer. Conquerors are not
''grest;" conquerors ara ''pniehty." Battles
are not "gre2t;" battles are "bioodys"
Mountains are not ''great;" mountains are
"lofty." This earth is not "gre7t;" this
earth is "deep." In this world there is but
one thing ''great." Nothing is great but the
image Of God in us-th 1t is great, and all
else around Us must be called by other
names. Who is, then; great man? The
answer is: A man i, great when the soul
within him is filed with God and ele-
waited thoughts. What, then, is
great lite? The answer is: That
life is great when great, good
thought is involved, and the whole life
gathers around that thought; when great
thought rules the mind with indisputed
sway. One example of life like this is
found in profane history-I mean that Of
Mshomet, "There is but one God, and Ma
homet is his Prophet" you will hear called
by fifty millions of men when the sun rises
tomorrow. "Thefe Is but one God," is
the first part of that sentence, and 1t Is q
grea', earnest thought. sand | am his
Prophet" is the second part-s foolish,
false and selfish thought. His life was sad,
because his central thought was only par
TALLY true.
But turn from secular history. Here in
this book we hold the record of the greatest
lives. What thought inspired the lives of
the old prophets? l answer, God. What
inspired the lives of the men of the New
testament l answer, Christ. Was not
Paul's life instinct with 8 great thought?
81 am determined to know nothing but
Christ and him crucifed." Christ Is the
central thought of this great universe, and
because Paul knew nothing but that, Paul's
was the greatest life, except that of our
Lord, which ever swept from brit b to
death.
My brother who Goes not love Christ, by
what Standard shall we judge you? Is it
money that you love? Turn from it, my
brother; it will drag you down to degrade
ton. II this be the central thought Of your
life, measure yourself by this Joseph to
know your own littleness. Better be Ma
homet, with great lie scorching your soul,
than that this shall be tie ruling purpose Of
your life. Is the central thought Of your
life pleasure? Ali this world is very fair,
but compare the fairest earthly thing
with the human sodl. How infinitely fair
grows the one, and how infinitely mean
shrinks the other. ....-.....
a mau's life may be heroic. That man
is hero who bears silently in his breast
the one great thought Of Christ Because
of Christ, he loveth his brother, because of
Christ he hateth all evil. Such is the life,
my friends, to which we call you. Fill your
life with Chris. and you will love that which
is good, and hate that which is vile.