The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-09-06
A SERMON.
By Rev. ". Frear, Preached August eth. 1913. on
his Return TO his People.


PSALMS, c.y.24--o Lord, how manifold are thy works: ia
Hches.r
David comes to tins exclamation from Il wide
survey Of the divine works and WAYS. His vision
sweeps 4 wide horizon. He looks into the sky
his eye ranges out over the great and wide sea in
which leviathan Is made TO play the mountains
pass swiftly before him; the fields are in view
the scope Of creation with its wondrous adapta-
tiOns and life is under his survey. The light
that shines is TO him rs the garment of God.
The Outstretched heavens, and the waters and the
clouds. and winds, and solid Garth, are all his
manifold works. the riches Of his goodness TO his
creatures. The birds have their nests, the stOrk
her house, the comics their rock, the wild goats
their hills, and the young lions their meat from
God. The sun and moon have their times, and
man his day of toll and his night of rest.
From this general view he sums up his praise
- o Lord, how manifold are thy works in Wis
dom hast thou made them all the earth is full
Of thy riches Sky and sea and air and land
are all full of E thy riches" And this means,
not that God has treasures in the hills, and grain
in the fields, and trees and flowers in the wilder
ness for himself, but rather that all the earth is
full Of the riches of his goodness to his creatures.
His riches are his provisions for their welfare and
happiness. Such ever are true riches. They are
means for happiness in others good. If they
are otherwise they cease to be riches, and become
encumbrances, or curses. No broad acres, or
nOdrueu treasures, or STOCKS iIil SUOIcS Cdl DC
real riches to us unless they are instruments Of
our love and benevOlence.
To cross Gods great sea, 10 travel on . CONT
nent, to fly, as it were, over fertile plains, cam
not but make one feel, as David felt, that the
earth is indeed full of these riches of God, and
that he has provisions in it for all the life that he
has created upon it, and that it all shows forth
his greatness, his love, his providence, and his
praise.
God is great, and God is good his works are
manifold, and made in wisdom his riches fill the
earth-hese are the impressions that come upon
us, when we come into comprehensive views of
his works and ways. In the routine of our daily
cares, the commonplace duties of our plodding
life, our ideas of God, and his goodness, are
prone to littleness. We do not always have full
impressions of his majesty and dominion. The
narrower our life grows, the less of praise there
IS apt to be in it. y wise use of all travel and
observation is TO learn more of the divine wisdom
and goodness, and to have the heart enlarged
with conceptions of his power and love.
During these months of summer, many OF lis
are wont to 90 out for change and rest and phys
zeal renewing. SOM of our number are still
journeying afar; some have returned from excur-
sions on the home islands, others from extended
travel in the old home lands. In Gods goodness
and through your kindness, / have been permit
ted to leave for a time my beaten paths, to be
upon the winged ship and upon the greater land
to see something of mountain and plain and
llNCI dBu CllIs 1lu III bdElOlS llC tuttI DCINduCS
the busy world-alI so full of the divine provi-
sions for the creatures good all showing forth
Gods manifold works, and making me feel anew
that the earth is the Lords and the fullness
thereof. 1t is in this feeling of praise that l re-
turn to you, and | know not what better L can
do to-day than TO speak to you, though in Il very
crude and hasty way, of some of these impress
sions of Gods goodness that L bring back with
me. And if l at all voice for any of you also
your own thanks and feelings, 1t will be so much
the better.
First of all then, let me say that bring back
with me ne slight impression of the divine good
ness to me in person, and of his care over you as
well. That goodness of his, celebrated in our
text, ] feel has been extended to me as one of
those for whom he cares in the wide range of his
providence. L went away weary and faded he
has returned me in vigor and strength. For this
l desire thus publicly, in his sanctuary, to give
thanks and bless his name. Doubtless all of you
who have in any degree received n like benefit,
feel n like gratitude. You feel 1t for yourselves
and you feel it for your friends. And how fitting
it is that we should offer such thanksgiving in
the courts of the Lord. We can unite with
David and say, . Bless the Lord, o my soul,
who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy
life from destruction
IL is Il matter for thankfulness also that when
we Journey, whether for hundreds or thousands
of miles, it may be by different manners of con-
veyance, and through different climates and per-
tElISl III ItEllOuS IlICG6. lutI IO IulSLldD OI sCIlDuS
sickness has occurred, and that not so much as Il
hair has been made to fall from the head by any
calamity. For this | desire personally, in my
own behalf and yours, here in his courts, to give
thanks. 1.-The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is
thy shade upon thy right hand. The Lord shall
preserve thee from evil, the Lord shall preserve
thy going out and thy coming in"
1t is ever 4 matter for thankfulneSs also to be
permitted to look upon the faces of old friends,
whose Joy and greeting are as n healing to the
soul. In this respect 1 owe thanks, and doubt
less some of you get more than l.
| must say also that not the least among the
favors for which | feel gratitude, is the entire
freedom from care for my work and the church
here, that l have been permitted to enjoy. l
have had no reason TO feel otherwise than assured,
that it was well with you, and that the same
hand that kept me was keeping you. If death
has come among you 1t has been without his
gloom or terror. Sickness has not prevailed.
The word of life has not failed you. You have
been favored and blessed in your ministerial sup
ply. For all this our common gratitude is due.
Passing from the divine goodness to me and to
YOU in person. 1 remark in the next place, that
one cannot well journey out upon this world of
ours without having new impressions of its great
ness and importance.
The ocean Is great, and it shows the great God
His way is everywhere in the trackless deep.
The strength of his arm IS in its waves. His
glory is in its gorgeous sunsets. His breath OF
prosperity is IN Its waiting winds. The riches of
his goodness in bringing gifts to men arc in It's
MINER 1t is the store-housc of his waters
with which he refreshes all lands. 1t is the en-
blem of his own majesty and infni;ude. As we
sail upon its broad bosom it Is ever reaching out
beyond our sight. We hasten towards its horizon
but reach 1t not. 1t typifies to US continually
him who is illimitablc and incomprehensiblc.
How strong is he who fixes its bounds which it
cannot pass. How mighty Is he who holds it all
as In the hollow of his hand. How rich is he
who in his riches to men can afford to spread so
wide a waste which yet is not a waste but the
type of his own fullness, and the worlds unfail-
ing fOunt of life and blessing.
And how great also are the continents. | was
but upon the farther shore of one of the newest,
and yet the great and busy world was there.
There wore the hum of human life and the rush