The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-08
TIE COMFORTER.

Yesterday morning the Fifth avenue Presbyte-
rian church, corner OF Nineteenth street. was
filed with an audience who listened to sermon
by the pastor OF the church, Rev. Dr.. John Hall.
Tho text from which MIR. Ball dlscoursed was
John, K, s-1l-"And when he Is come he will re.
prove the world or sin. and OF righteousness, and
OF Judgment. OF sin, because rhey believe not on
me; OF righteousness because 60 to my father,
and ye see me no more; Of Judgment, because the
prince OF this world Is Judged
These words are part Of the last discourse Of
our Lord to His disciples. Have you not noticed
what firm hold even trtning circumstances In
the last interviews with departing friends will
have upon your thoughts and memoriess Then
what very firm hold these last words OF our
blessed Lord before HIS crucifdon ought to have
upon the thoughts and memories OF all OF usl And
this not merely because OF the tender and touch
ing circumstances under which they were spoken,
but because OF their inherent Importance and
their intrinsic value. He Ia about to leave HIS
disciples in the world, and in the most tender and
gentle spirit lie IS preparing them by this dis
course for the new position in which they woud
md themselves; and especially is He encouraging
their hearts with the promises OF that Holy Spirit
the Comforter, who snail be to them In His stead !;
who shall continue the work OF teaching them,
and who snail fit them for the new duties and obli
cations under which they will necessarily be laid.
He says TO them plainly 81 am going away.n
Now, from what was He going away2 From peo-
pie to whom He had come in mercy, and by whom
He was being rejected; from His own, to whom He
had come, and they did not receive Him from men
who scored at Him and reviled HIM and hated
Him and pursued Him with the most intense ma
lightly OF purpose from Scrioes and Pharisees and
hypocrites, who endeavored to turn HIS good into
EVIL, and VINO never spoke anything but evil OF
Him; from reproach and scorn ana personal suffer-
ing and contempt. And to what was He going?
Why, back again to His Fathers bosom; back
again to the homage and alteration OF angels and
the holy company above; back again to the songs
of praise and thanksgiving, the unutterable
delights Of that throne from which He had come
down. He does not say. at Is expedIent for me
That go away but ut is expedient for you that
+ gor lie is thinking not OF HIMSELF but of His
disciples. Why Is 1t expedent that He go9 He
gives one good reason, and that is sufficient: 1f
20 not away the Comforter will not come to you, -
and that would not have been Ia harmony with His
purpose and the establishment OF His Church in
the world II He had remained His disciples
would have gathered around HIM and HIS Cnurch
must needs be . local community AZ was HIS pur-
pose that His Church should be expansive diI-
usive force, with It's ministers goina into all the
world and preaching the Gospel TO every creature.
not by signt but BY iaith they were to accept a
condition OF things that was normal. and In the
Of 1 ana and ,aas 1ns 81 and tho ev
go forth, taking the world as It was,
and endeavor TO subdue It for Christ.
81 am with you as you divine me BY my words, by
my spirit, TO De apprenended by faith and trusted
to, even when unseen; ] am thus to be with you
until the end or the worid.D That Is the meaning
OF HIS words. And now, when He IL gone away,
HOW WILL II BE WITH THEM
In the world that hated Him and them, shall they
iare better than their MasterS Hardly. "If they
have prosecuted me they VIII persecute yoC. The
time will come when he that kieth you will think
he doeth God service; ye snail be hated OF all men
/ for my sake.r Those are the Lords words; He hid
nothing; lie never stopped to cajonR men into
HIS service; they accepted the place with their
eyes open 10 its difficulties and hardships Yet,
snah they have no neperS Not so. "When have
gone,n He says, IL viii send you the Comforter,
ana there are two purposes that He Will serve; the
one Is personal; He will be with you, teach
lng and leading you into the truth,
recainng my Instructions. ministering 70
your needs.p But what about the world
around; what about its hostility and bitterness
III may be strong enough 20 extermnate u.s. and
with us destroy tins infant struggling cause. Only
j q dozen meps poor and obscure, what chance. hp-