, 1874-05-18

llHtOn Of Christ III a religion OF hOpp and COLL
Wants Ind onab1o,a us to ial the @ endp r' Of our
creation. God requires Of ua only what is
reasonable but in tho lovo atld following Of tie
mastor, Ia tho exomplihoation Of tile ByeeteBt
roaaonablencBs, tho wisdom which Is holy md
| 1hhvenly. whose trcAHlroH nrB im3crisbablo.
Lot us follow tho divine tnotliods, aul mako ottr
1ivoH hurmonious with tho gracious will aud
nature Of God.
sEE1r1Na son1PTuRAL CONTRADICT
TIoNs.
Sermon by tile 1tcv. !. II. IIibbnrd, Of tho
! s3we,fenborqfnn Church.
The Rov. ]. r. Hibbard preached yesterday
| morning ut tho now Church hall, corner Of
mon was as follows:
With ~ upright man Thou wilt show Tiysclf upright
with the pifo Thou wilt show Thyacf pure and with
| xsiH., 25, 20.
Without attempting to illuatrate the partlcu-
lara OF the toxs to-day, I wish to consider the
lending idoa that ruus through 1t, which you
readily perceive to bo, that tho character under
Which the Lord appears to oil Ia determined by
i each ones own state Of mind. ITO the mcrc-
fui He appears merciful to the upright, up-
right !; to tho pure He showoth himself pure ::
and to tho fsoward He showotl Himsolf fro.
ward."
| wonderful and strange thing in tho letter Of
tho Dib1c, or the Word Of tho Lord, Is tho ap.
| Faront contradictions that not unfroquently o.
| cur between itB different parts. And Of those
| mono arc more marled than those
| in which tho character and attributes
| Of the Lord aro described or roforrod to-
The essential nature Of tho Lord Ia love- Tho
| strongest possible expressions Of language aro
~ 4ttaN Nnr ri%,tt &a LII.
love-" ia an expression equivalent to saying that
lie III nothing but pure 1ovo, ns the sun il puro
fire. He is also callod "morciful mud gracious"
ind ".]ong,su'lerlng,"' . and abundant in good
| Sun to rise On tho evil and on tho good. and
6onlcth rain upon the just and tho unjust"
And all through tho Scriptures abound with pass
ages setting forth tho Divine loyo. mercy, good
elements Of the Divine character. 1n accord
ance with this, tue Lord commands and cxhorte
Ills creatures to receive, cultivate, and exercise
this attribute Of lore as creator than all others,
aud indispensable to the character Of true man,
Thus Ho not only commando to love Him with
oil the hoart, aud the noighbor az ones aolf, ~
the most important OF all things, aud
on which hnng all the law, aud the
poophets but h9 aso commands Love
you, do good to them that hate you, and pray
for thonl TINT despitefully use you aud porse-
cuto you; !" aud this that they "may DO the
chlldron Of their Father in heavon;" mud bo
mcrciful as their Father in heaven is morci-
ful."
But in contrast to all this wo find tho Scrip
turoa speaking Of the Lord as being "nngry
6"th ld ,t tho wi;oke0 eyery day." and as "ruline
wrath" Ho IL sad to tread tnom in His
anger, aud trample them iu His wrath =
TO execute vengeance In angor;" aud
1t ia often said that "T1e anger Of tho Lord
was kindlod against Israol," or against others,
or ~ DOurOu EH uDn3 thnsa who f,nH offandod
Him; and it is snid, s'His soul latoth tho
wicked" and that Il IIo shall rain upon thom
snaros, fire, aud IN horrible Tempest !" and in
ncford WITH M ths character fpl Of anger wrath,
manding His people to treat their enemies with
tho greatest degree Of cruelty. Titus, He COM
mandea 1ssaol TO- uttoriy destroy tho nations
.ahabiting sma tggv tic land Of Canaan Ct the
the Wilderness aud took possession Of it.
Thoy wore to sutterly destroy" in somo in
stances not only tho mon, but the womon aud
children. And tho greatest degroe Of cruelty
writer's, speaking by the Spirit Of God, often
pray for tho most cruel mud terrible things
to como upon those that displeaso them. Tho
109th Panlnl, to which public attention has been
similar kind. notwoon these two oxtremes Of
love aud hato, mercy and vengeance, oyory pos
aible variety Of character and disposition is, in
the Word, attributed to tho Lord. Hence all
lures some idea Of God suited to thom. Aid
hence comes tho great varioty of thought con-
corning tho nature Of God, and of Ills attributes
aud modes Of government. Ono class suppose
that He will at laHt bring all to Himself by tue
continued activity Of that essential oleu,eut of
His life; another TINT He governs with |
tho rod, and that to thoso who violate
His commands Ho will mete out q |
suro and severe, If not always swift punish
mont. |
Seeing that tho Scriptures do not represent |
the Lord, no aro led to inquire. how 1t is 80 |
sp 9sG GGv VIZ i i appv zS u hS ,1as 15'S Ssp Sss
planes Of human thought and life. "ILat" ap-
plies to the plane Of effects or things tlono and
we say OF any completed work !" that it is douo.
llow" applies to tho plane Of means or
sss iasi Se " @ @ss ssn aono X Thst sps
tho plano of ends or motives, and wa inquire
"wly" was 1t dono or, what motives used !
means to produce the effect? We have already /
eoen 'that in tue word Of tho Lord IIo ia often
With wrath, etc., ,'and that HI is Represented as
acting with raeo, aud exercising cruelty, md
commanding such acts in His creatures, wAile His
cssentinl nature Is a. the Hanlo time Eaid to ba
it il that tho Bible comes to speak Of God in this
Of God, which which must come from
His infinite 1ovo, and in themselves, as
they emnnato from Him, can breathe nothing |
but mercy aud tendor compassion towards all'
oven towards Ills worst onomics, can be u so
changed as to appear in tho lotter "of tho Word |
in tue forms Of anger, wrath, aud revougs; and
to appear to command hatred towards enemies
and tue cruel murder OF captiyes taken in war,
and Of their innocent women and children, aud
to even reyo1 In acts OF revenge.
This question Of how ~ Involves very large-
" the philosophy Of Divine revelation, or tic
naturo of tho inspiration OF the Borptures And
wo can, Of COURSE only touch II briefly iu
morning aorlMuu.
Tho Lord BayH, " lily words they aro spirit anl
thoy are Iife."' And It il written, Tie letter
hilleth but the spirit eiyeth lif9" Ana wo arc
outly commanded to Iaraol OH account Of htllo
l,aulnuHs Of thoir hearts, md not because tloy
were III agrooment with tho DIVINE good ploas-
lsro from tic boglnnlng., Aud also no know that
nd tlme,"-th is, III tho Inv OF Moses,-woro
nf this chnracter. And whom tho l.ard