, 1874-02-16

Tho Dctltcntory Services and FL
nunCinl Statement.
Sermon on Talking by tho Rev. Mr.
Howe.
THE NEW LIFDs


prcsltyt crinn Church.
Tho Row. Mr.. Gibson, Of Erskne Church,
Montreal, preached in tho Second Presbyterian
Church, corner of TwontY- first strnos and Michi-
gan nyonuc, yesterday morning, to a large colt
grogasiou. an unanimous call has been tondor-
Cd him by tho Bocio!y to become their pastor, at
n salary Of $4,000 ycar, and lie Inns come to
Chicago to look around and 500 II lo would prefer
living hero ratlter than III Montreal. Ills sermon,
although dootrnal, was MI ablo ono, mud pleased
his hearers, 4 full roport of it ia aub]oinol
Wo invite your attention to portion Of tho
Gospel according to john
And many other elgns truly did Jesus IN tho pres
book. nut M % thcro nrc written That IT, 70 ,nig noovo
that Jcss Is tho Christi tho Son Of God, and believing
@, il. n.S'' INV AA' 'A'''sA A'' AAtu'' ''A' ~
You cannot but hayo remarked tho greatnoas
Of the means and agencies enlpoyoi1 in tho work
OF redemption aB set forth III these Scriptures.
Tnko tho first chapter OF this Hacred Gospel "a q
specimen:
with God, mud tho Word waa God. Tho Same was in
the beginning with God. AL things were made by
was made. ana tho Word WAS matse arsh. and dwelt
t.e ealy besotten Of tic rashs fill oi eracs aud Of
There you hayo sample of the means What
must tho end bo? Surely 1t must DO no aubor-
dinnte end; it must ho no partial good; 1t must
bo the chiofcst good; it must bo tho chiof end
Of mnn uo has in Wow, il, such D work as that.
TliB introduces liB to tic question which il to
form tho subject of our mornings meditation:
What Ia the great object set before us in the
gospel M our chief good? Whit is the great ro.
knlt to bo attained through such magnificent
the great result to DO attainod through such glo-
rious agency Us that Of tue Etornal Father, tho
Eternal Son, and the Eternal Spirit Surely it
must be something corrcspondingly magnificent,
1.f1 1trnr ertiN O$n1< iY1nw
We uro accustomed to spenk Of the end In
Wow. not simply na salvation, but particular
ly to speak Of it % only q part Of tue whole. 1t
~ only tho negative part for tho word salsa-
idoa simply Of delvoranco from. But thoro is
that which is positive as vol. God proposes in
aud By thia glorious ro{lcoming work OF 11is not
only to deliver us from evil, but to bcstow upon
us highest good. What, then, is this good which
God proposes to bestow upon us /? Wllat does
Ho propose to make Of uH after He has delivered
US from Sin anl misory7 What is the prospect
which opens out before us GU our acceptance Of
Father, wrought out for ua by the Son, and
brought out to us by the Holy Ghost?
Now, to this question wo lind most cloar, dis
tinct. and satisfactory answers III the Scriptures.
them aotting bcforo us prospect unspcakAbly
grand. Tako single specimen. For example,
Ephcsians ill.,, 10, u. It ID iu tho fern OF
prayer rather than promise; but as it il IN in
Of those for whom it is offorod-oelieyers III
Jesus aud may everywhere bo takon Us d
promise:
That Lie would grant you according to the riches Of
in tue in,cy nlnn that Christ may dwell III your hearts
by faiih; TINT ye, being rooted and grounded IN Lore
breadth, and lcngth md dopth, aud height; and to
know tho loyo Of Christ, which paHseth knowledge
that 10 might be ned With al the 5uncss Of God.
Such ia the prospect. No wonder that, after
f.po
the aim und object Of belieyors III Christ, tho
Apostle bursts forth into tho doxology with
which ho closes:
Unto him TINT is ablc to do exceeding ahundansly
lint worksth III u.s. unto Iiin ho glory IN 10 Church
Of Christ Jcsua throughout all ages world without end.
You will find many othcr passages uko thia act
before us. prospect 30 unspeaiably glorious
that it seems ut tilnos impossible to believe
them. It seams too glorious to bo truo. Such
passngos rs those We commend to you for your
private meditation. Wo do not propose to taho
up any Of thceo moro glowing pnssagcs, chiotiy
rise to tho granduor OK tho theme. but there ia
one simple. compact, comprehensive form i'll
which this subject ia constantly presented in tue
Scriptures not in ona part or In many parts,
and so on. through oil tho booka Of tho Now
Testament; md not through all the books, but
in almost every chapter of every book. Tho
form roferrod to Is that which ia sot before uB III
tho passago We have chosen for our text.
These aro writtan, that 80 might heovo TINT Jesus
Is the Christ, tho son Of God: unl believing, ye
might lave life through his namo.
Tho pasaages in which tho blessings Of re-
delnption aro sot forth in this form arc 80
numerous that it would be hopeless oven to give
specimens Of tho ltGeront classes. Yet it may
DO we'll to refor to a few toxtB additional to that
before us. Take one from Matthew:
Strait is tho gatc and nurrow is tho way, which
leadotl unto life, and fow there 10 that fi1d II.
NJ, mt. 1nf
Tam como tint they might Aayo ufe and TINT they
might have 1t more abundnnty.
Tako another from tho Acts Of tho Apostles
To tho Geptilea he has granted repentance unto life.
From the Romans:
Tho wages Of sin is death, but tie gift of God is
eternal life.
And from ono Of the later Apostles:
Dlessea s tue man TINT eudureth temptation; far
when he Ia tried, la eaEl receive tho crown OF life
which tho Lord hath promised to tle'n that toyo Him.
II you look Ut tho book OF Iloyolntion, you will
find this dea very prominent, whore wo are told
river.
Now, whom you romombor that these passages
arc moro isolntud specimens out OF q multitude,
gou will soe It mcat 10 important Tor us to con"
siter tho subject before na in this ta most fa-
millas form OF life. YOU will observe that wo
ulnAo no attempt to exhaust the text. It has In
t not only tho ultimate object Of ]ifo, but a!ao
tho proxiinnso object-faith aud tho connection
llfo, but each Of these points Is so Important
tLat ono at d time ia quito sufficient. We tako,
ihon, only the ultimate object this morning;
These arc written THAI 20 might bel!evs that Jesus a
t Christ, the Son OF God. abt. peae'luB, W M'Rh9
aayo nfu through his name.
1Iayo no not life alrcady7 t appears not.
We have something which NO cali life, but tue
llto offered hare must DO something yory
ditforont for God would not mock US " oider- ,t
1H1 tfYcrod IN ff,nn Is something different from