, 1874-04-27

invcB md is baptized shall be saycd !" but who
pauaed before lle como to tho sixth, which
r9a lnye r.; PM GlttoA tho tmnorson ad hayo
sd sdan nt nna SSeTSs @ sh hS ssyo Tho
having found tivc tcxta that gnvo halvotton to
faith only went AWAY nnd mAdo up Ills oreod
without waiting for any remsrlta from any aunr-
ter about good works or imn'oln!on:, Tho Fatnl-
iBt is . mortal who Inns turmoil tho Sacred Book
over to find pasaagos that should indicate tho
| absolute empire OF God md tito humility ct nun,
ana hxtng iitH 7ioo gazo ut last upon the figure
OF "eay n tho hn'at.h of tho potter, F." has an-
his condition OH account Of nothing he has done,
Or over could do, hut soc4y by tho will Of God"
While tho Armioian is oAe wlio hab rend all such
words 2 as ~ " Como unto no." 4" Book, aud ye shall
oea ot lito tr"ag wh9q'o'ef wi" los him take tho "atoF
.TiluB, much of each crood IL only an Indication
to the world ns to what part Of tho Diblo the
'nakera OF II had canvaasel. Whom a SLIP anohoro
oranges and pinenpp1es, you perceive ut once
that that vessel docs mol como in from all nniona,
from Greenland, and England, ahd Geruiany,-
bnt from some island or port III the Southern soa.
pick up, tho Confession Of FAITH Of any Church
aud read q fow pages, you perceive at onco that
the book LAS not, como III from au tho great
Bible Of the Almighty, but tint this particular
,aormnuy. Far,be it from YOU to despise those
human conpendiumB Of truth. for book is vslu-
nhIo 1t It, III a condensed form,. makos only
tooraoEe estimate of tho Divine truth; for, going
doducc 20 full i philosophy Of life and Balya-
When tho Westminster fathers sat in Council
for four yoara 1t is prehunahle that thoy
way az would have boon impossible to tho world
Tint stood In vaat multitude without. Hence it
would be folly mud vanity not to confess the va1no
Of their great digest, But after sill this admrn-
whore divine wisdom fully Expresses itsojt, but
are plaoob where the human mind falls plaoos
where tue mind givos up aud ,eooks roBt. Tho
'orood Of tho Baptist only informs US whore tue
student paused, and tho oreod Of tho J.! Fatali1t
only tells; us .what verscH ho: read Thus. all
tloao compendium aro marks aot up to tell us
where the toi1er quit work. -
DO you know, my friends, how weary DR..
yohrs .',Aftor ho had proaohod his astronomical
defmons,' and had by scientific study begun to
see how vast thing tho uniyorso is, le Boena
to have ontgrown tho nneliaoyal theology, and
Dom stanloy's history Of tho Church Of Boot
land. the historian sayB. "Eyon late in life ho
(0ha1mera) was nccuaod by suspicious zoalots Of
roply was certainly not calculated to allay the
alarm" omit the roply. It was, in brief, TINT
ho preferred ''the New Testament" Who thoso
a.Hpicioua zealots wore, Dean Stanley does not
6ta&6i AnG perhaps IL would Do lmppsslDlo TOT
any historian to separate their names from the
oblivion Which comes soon aud deup to tho minds
that aro only " "suspic1ous zoalots " IN tho grcat
battle Of ltfe. "a
Tho accusation brought about no reform, for,
Chalmers exclaimed, "Who cares about tho
Free Church, compared, with: tho Christian
good Of tho people Of Scotlandl Who carcs
about my church but aa IN instrument Of
Christian goodl !. For; 10 assured thnt tho 70.
ligious and moral woll boIng Of tho people ia Of
infinitely higher importance than Tho alvance-
u,ept OF any Sect" Chalmers, In one Of l,is
broad discouraes, quoted this little fragment OF
YorHa:
That could surround the sum Of things, and Spy
The heart Of God and accrsta Of Ha ein1iro
Would o,anse tie duo of ateranediate t.,'as.
A4d make Ola thing af all ttenfoaR.
These thoughts and this poetry, from Dr..
Chalmers, too, in bis glorious old ago! It Is
such heads the Free Church Of Scotland sprang
forward to groat careor. His was not the only
DR.; Duncan EXPRESSED ideas equally herottcal
i've demand on 1oligion. 1t is miatako to look
OIL cur fathers az our seniors; they aro our
juniors. The Church has advanced wonder
fully slnco .its foundations were laid" :.
!" / am first a Christian, next broad ChrlAtian,
ian."
hnvo drawn these illustrations from history
to remind you that tue manifold glory Of God is
phrases Of d few Mon at soulo given time and
place.. Bay what we may in our condensed
formulas, the glory Of God will 1nah in on the
Now. Testament aa though wo had taken nothing
away from itB profuBion.
After you haye doclarod TINT ono Is sayed By
tho deity Of Christ 60 to tho book atld find
tho dssc'p1oe oil buay will, Ills humanity also;
and after you have cried out :" Faith alone!"
loved much, aud Peter forgiven beoauso Of his
tears Of penitenco; while tho woman who
empticd the eLabaster-box seemed blossed on
account OF tic good norks dono in tho name .ol
Jesus. The truth ia. salvation seens like the
City Of Thobes, entorea by any one Of hundred
gates, all beautiful portals Of n,arblo or brouze,
or glittoring brass, but all opening from the
dreary, lonely country into tho spleudor Of 30
cioty. and art, aud government; bnt como in at
any ,gato, it was Thebos you, perceived and
reached. So In religion, bo tho golden gate
faith or hope, or charity, or penitenco virtue,
1t must open out upon tile presence Of Christ, or
elRe you nro not a Christian. Ho must bo the
vision before The eye, whether tho ego iB radiant
with tho saving hope, or bedimmed with peni-
tout toarB.
Now, We are informed in tho tcxt that the
Church WAN organized to make known to pripci-
palit,es and Powers this many-coiored wisdom
Of God 10 the rapturod vision OF st. Paul, to
bis elevated mind which Il ever took common
Wow OF any subject, but to which all the truths
Of religion loomod up toward the worry throne Of
the Almighty, it seemed that tho Church was es-
tablishel that it might unfold tho glory OF God
before all the potentates of earth and heaven.
So grand WAS this redemption Of a world to be,
that eyon tho very sesaphim in heaven would
looK down upon the earth aud sec Gods love
pouring forth through Jesus Christ, and flooding
the earth, not in wrath, a. in tue days Of Nonh,
| but with the windows of heaven opened for d
nov outpouring-that Of infinite graoo.
As IN presence, therefore,, OF an august COM
pany, which Paul cals "p1lncipalities and pow
.ers" and to which We, loss poetic, less divine,
heatlen world, the educated world, tho Bceptical
world as boing the s'principhlities aud powers" ="
| that plainly encompass us all. :" In such preH-
ence let us make tho church plaoe not where
tue nar1owness aud vanity Of man is unfolded,
but where all oycs looking mar catch glitnrBes of
tho manifold wisdom Of God. The manifold
| dlsoorda OF mon have already made sad havoc In
| this manifold wisdom Of tho Creator aud Savior.
| The Church has boon so narrowed that It would
! scem not ordained ~ a gate to heaven, but as a
| wall to keep the world away from it's bliss. The
principalitiea and powers looking dow, from
| heavenly places must see the tumtlt OF secta
raffar than tic suNrkuV gea of ret]eeminr 1nyt,