, 1874-03-23

Sermon Mt Grnco Church By thu Kcv.
r.. l.. pNtttsl.
DR.. +. l.. Patton preached in Qraoo prosby-
torian Church yesterday morning, from tho
text: "13ut whon the fullnoHs Of time was
como."-Gal., iy., (. His sermon was substat-
TALLY rs follows:
1t was great idea Of Dionysius tho Little,
anys DR.. schaff, to date our era from tho birth
Of Christ, 1t waa indeed q grand idea. Mo
botter toxt is needed for q sermon Of tho Divine
mission Of Jesus than tho symbols IA. D. 1874 ~
would furnish. For why? I would ask Of hin,
who denies tho divinity Of Jesus, Why haB His
advent hero been ulado tho contral point In his
tory2 Why Inns 1t boon found convenient
TO digide oil historic time into tho
periods before and aftor tic advent Of
| jesus? Greece measured her time by tho
successive olympiadg, and nonaan chronology
waa bascd OH tho ago Of tho city but wo-I
mean all thauationa Of tho civilized worla-agreo
| in reckoning os1r chronology from tho birth of
Jesua Of Nazareth.
1t aeyolyes upon those who dony tho claim Of
Jesus to divine honors to prove tl,at tho re-
ceivcd chronology tH based upon q fAlaehood
for, 2s,..or = usa4ay 3ssss pe ep only y vol a@ nguaa
centre Of tho worlds history. Believing, IA We
do, that tho birth Of Christ was tho greateat
event that ever took place on this piauot, thoro
is grandeur n tho thought TINT chronology is
made to testify to the truth Of tho Incarnation.
There H lnenning i'll the figures that Hoom to
record tlle shifting sconeH Of life. when l re-
lnomber also that they Horye to mark our dis
tauco from tho tllno whon the great mystery Of
| goaliueas was manifested. whom Jesus, tho Soc
| ond Person in tho Godhcnd, robel Himself in tic
garment Of humanity ana honoefurth bocamo
our Brother. Christianity exists; mon may
a1;ateraa Ia ~ ha oxc,a;no5 mt thnv cannot
doubt the fact. 1t Is trgceab!e to Christ. It IL
historic. Men may deny, but they mover oan
disproyc, the historic origin of the Christian
Church. II they can, il thoy can bring myth or
character portrayed In tho Gospels is that Of 4
reul man, I will give up Christianity and become
-,ah TINT III q moro difficult question for II
should give up 0hrlst, sec nothins before me
But tho testimony Ia too abundant for me- to
fear. It is not MY doaign, however, to pursue Q
limo of arguulont to.aHy for tho purpose Of
proving, this eroat dootrino Of our fatsh. I
! pnrattous for the coming Of Christ which wo
gather from tho study of history. We atart,
tlleu, with tle nct that JosuB Of Nazareth il tho
founder OF tl!as great society, called by
Inns nlways and will over provo tho
stumbling g-block to inlidollty Is: How
did Christianity succeed? The life OF JeBua up
10 his 3Oth year you aro familiar with; years
| tiol, and then JesllH OF Nazareth came boforo
| His countrylneu III their toachor proaolletl d
morality more exalted thau that Of tho HcriheR;
darod to rebuke thoir orilnes; claimau to be
| mans Judge; made tho destinieA Of mon hugo
OH the acceptance Of Him !; claimed equal rights
| with God gathered from tho fishermen of Gull
leo q eoterie Of Disciples who listolod to Ills
teachings and eRpousod His cause; camo into
collision with the chief priests; wns cruclicd Oh
the charge Of blasphomy: rose from Tho dead,
and III doing 30 gavo to Ills Disciples thomo, by
prcachiug which they conquered the world. The
question winch tho Jews could not an-
Whence carao this A1an, this wisdom, and
these mighty works2 Wl.on did this
Man, who grow up in the aeclusion Of q Galonn
village, away from tho influences Of intellect,
without the advantages Of learning, unknown to
tho heads Of the milton and unrocognizcd by
| thsm-Whonce dld Ho receive the sublime teach
lngs which are preserved to us in tho fragments
| of tho Sermon On the Monnt And whrn did uo
society without force without appealing to ap-
| petitea or gratifying tlem, while denouuclng in
lie soyoroat terms tho idolizcd sius of tho race,
aud by menus, too Of 1neM un1ottorea, without in
| duco them, AMI with tl,a:Bure prospect Of op-
posing themselves to the projudicos Of tho
| Dntfon
Thoso ia ono answer whicl, solves the question;
only ono. 1t is tho acknowledgment that Jesus
is tho Christ Of God. II We hayc giyon tho truo
account Of the character OF Jesus. wo
shall have no dilhouity in supposing
that there was q special Providence at
tending Ills entrance into our world. We shall
naturally inquire whether tho world was appriaod
OF His coming whether preparation Ind bocn
| made, and whether His coming was at TINT juno
turo Of human afrairs best fitted to receive tho
princpes Of Worldwide religion. The ipcar-
aanaa hstory Il ho wor wb roer
| ence to 1t. There were announcements Of tho
advent which antedatod by 1000 years tho
tidings Of those who OIL tho plains Of Dethlelem
| sting tho bIrtll-song of jesus.
| Lot uB study the method Of education which
God pursued. But tho first preparatory stop III
| the training Of u mutton III the fundamental
truths OF religion. God makes Of Abraham n
great nation. ue takes that nation under His
spiritual cars eduoatca it, iustils tho first priu-
cirles Of true religion, teaches by marked proyi-
| dental dealings the cardinal doctrine Of faith.
lIe Hont them to Egypt, a,,d kept tliom there In
| grinding bondago and then delivered them
by the strength Of Ills urn that thoy might learn
duty aud obedience to Him. ,Aonce the prolaco
| to tho law of Sinai reads: II ain tho Lurd thy
God who brought tlao up. out OF the land of
Egypt" The Jews were drilled In the doctrine
| TINT tho Lord our God IL Que God, aud they
stood alono among the anoieuta al tho adhereuta
| to monRthoistio cveod.
Their education did not stop here. It was
eBsential to their trninng, to tho part thoy woro
to porform as nation out Of whom tue Moaslah
was to como, TINT they should be instructed In
the doctrine OF sin and Of the atonenlont, and to
symboiixo these ritual was appointed, altass
woro erected, tho victim waa alain, tllo blood
was slr1nklo1, tho flesh consumed. Tho cc" :
monal law, from beginning to eud, was q stnud..
ing !esson in thoology,--a hymboltcal statement
Of the ea1deat OF truths, tint man Ia sinner,
and without tue shedding, Of bloou thoro III 10
remission: ~ Thsne M cardinal elootrlnos gro the
honco You soc what 4 hold. upon the minds
Ut mon tho ApoatloB had when they
reaHoned to the Jews concerning tho rela-