, 1874-11-09
Dedication Of tie First Baptiat
Church at Hyde Park.


0'---
An, ho yas In ts wilderness forty dys tempted Of
mindstercd unto hfna.-!uark l., u.
Tho thono suggested by tho text is the value
Of temptation in forming tho highest type of
human character. Tile only rational theory Of
earth Is. that liero III tlis field of labor, and
study, and sorrow, man ia claboxatiug a
character with reference 10 somo higher being
nero and hereafter. UnloEs wo may assume
some glorious outcome Of the dark days OF this
world, 1t will bo Impossible for ub to be!ioye in
tile existouco OF a God; for temptation, aud sin,
aud sorrow, In Themselves, would indicate that
tho world Is without any such wise and
powerful beng as tho ono whom VIC worship
aB deity. II II tho ideal outcome at cartl-tAo
beautiful emergency 1oyo1ld-that rnakos belief
world, taken by itself, might lead to belief iu
great Satan, but not in great God. Nationa
Which hnyo limited their survey to anrthly
phenomena chioiy. ar tho Romans, 0rookB, Him
worslipod God differing bnt little from tic
conception Of Satan. But whoil tho great lfo
beyond ii confessed. and when tho darI. ycarB Of
thib shoro arc thought 10 be .only for soul-oul~
tnre, blessed being springs up out OF TINT
future. aud philosophy thnt nakes HIN i'm
mortal makes also blessed God near and pos
Hible.
No mortal oRn perceive tbs gouls nature
clearly enough to dotormine Low it might,
doSeopmon low may ansec ssG Sue Iones 1a m
othor starH may have reached grandeur of ua-
ttro, uo one cxn affirm. Our horizon ia limited
to our own world and observing its phesom-
ena, wo perceive that resistcnce OF temptation
IL path that leatlA to Il character the most firm,
tho most happy, tho most beautiful. It Ia essen-
tia!, howeyor, that tho temptations be actual,
aud not imaginary nor contemplate. They must
ha such NJ allure lis against the great laws Of
character. Some Of tho old monks tried to find
food TINT had no pleasant taste to it, for they
thought pleasant staAto was d temptation to tho
life Of all epicure or q gntton. Pascal avoided
might bo tempted to withdraw q 1lttlo Of his
loye from tho Creator. Battling against tompta-
tion il wretchcl purstlit unless Ronlo great law
OF society bo before III 10 bo kept to be broken
by tho heart. But there nre great laws bosdoa
tue Ton Commandments. and tue voice that al.
luroB lib ngainat these il to bo opposed a. faith
futf az tho voice that nytes us to revolt against
tho dccal1gue.
Tho law Of industry is QUO Of tho erandost Of
life, aud yet i'll tho mind and heart there is
constant tomptution to mloence. Hence to
battlu against lifo Of Toposo Ia as essential NJ
to batte for the laws Of Moses or OF Society.
Eac'. condition and locality OF man has its local
tolnptallon, just u II has lucal language or local
discusses. Tho city tampts to drens, to luxury
the yillago to indolenca; and ho that liyca
plainly, aud escapes tie vanity OF tho fornor
or that rises above tho Incidence oi
tho latter, ~ equally hero; As death
place, city. or farm, or village, MI evil genius.-
cxtteins luxury Or extreme poverty, oxtreme am.
bltion or extreme Indifference, extreme labor OF
extreme rorose; aud so il great man anywhere
that rises Up oveiy morning against the owl
gonina Of bin placc., a'd prcusnls lis virtut
against its vice, lIs wil-power against i.s ropoHo
Wo often fail to lud tho real Zoe Of the soul
md in the city wo will guard ourselves agains
Gcrnan iniidc;ity, wllcn the real enemy iB per
hans tho Cllr,ntian love Of gold; and in the vii
lage, men viii array themselves against it'll
tlranl.Bhop whom tho grand enemy Of tho tow
ID iudoehce. nnd tho decline Of pablic aud pri
yata ambition. 10 lind tho peculiar tomptatioE
Ut tho place and tight it ii tho first duty o!
inRl,.
st. James says: "Couut it all Joy when you
fal into divers tomptAtious." III your Boul il
found opportunity for stsrping torwasd.- aIaa
il nothing until llo il educated. 1t ~ said thA
tho African Bushman las language Of 0nlyt
few wosds,-haH no house oxoept tho bushos aud
no instrument except cub. Ihih Ia man With.
out education. 4 lnan without education beard
tho same relation to tho ideal nau that piece
oF marble IN tho rough bears 10 finished statue
lrom phidias or praxitelsb; OF tlata 10y OF tlo
forest bears to the carved work III the palacoa at
Kings. Thd outcome OF Afo. therefore.
ia IN the banda Of education. Tint ii
tho divinity tint shapes our onds, that
stands between our dust ind immortality. The
natural man III tossed over to tins divinity as
lunp Of clay il tossed tn tue pottur At tho wheel.
You may not have looked III upon this artisan.
Invoked by the Bible itself to show how God
| shapes the career Of man. Tho potter'a whesi
rovolycs horizontally, and, throwing . piece OF
white, plastic clay upou ats contro. tho potter
presses Ills hand against it. 1t receives u fur
row where Ais hand touclca 1t, ,utld rises up to
ud inoro room. By gentle OF llardor pressure
standB tho yaso, graceful aud true. Edu-
casion llas thlla always stood beside the
human race. and has driven the blood here
anI there by pressure or by liberty, until man
stories about tlle Dnshlnan Ut tho Congo negro
Aeem almost Incredible tales told by 1uo,ltacioua
travellers. Tho labor OF tho blacksmith Aeuda
tllo blood to tho arm. hoat-sowing and bali toss-
! ing develop tao phynical frunle. but each hour
of study aud ouell moral action sends tho blood
to tue llearL aud brain. Education, and ciyiliza.
tion and religion rusl. Of bIo0d to tue soul,
nlld arc tho boat bahks TINT btream can laTo,-
banks Of vernal sunshine and sweet lowc's;
When Jo4n bunyan saw e. murderer sIett.
woroo h!lt for tho grace Of God" With equal
truth. when you read Of tho wild men Of paho~
lnoy or Fiji you may bay, ''Illat we're but fol-
| th0 grace OF Cod" expressed in edncaton.,
ThlB grace OF Qud iB not all BY OCCASIONAL MIR"
aeic, but much Of it comes regularly ny taw, nko
| the Hu'lslIiue aud harvest. Education ~ pEr-
petaa! flowing Ut Gods grace, al1gol Of lla
Wisdom aud IliA !oyo. III the wilderness among
via 40 besss II j. tue F'fsf a ooas ot ts ea
siy,oh yiyo dsuIu|i"o atI ms to tho mind The aohoos
liayo thcir COURSES Of stntty ,nasAod out,
and in tho trades 10y sI sn u e shJfo th re yoass
Jcari,a tllo tuystory of touch. Wtlen we look at
| tla t;nrBo wprk iu ivory OF sanAal-weoa, or tho
I'rautifnI Workmanship Of Paris in gold. and sil-
Gar nnu precious at0neH, Wo 1MtBt teo what q
mislty creator education in tlA world il, what
| u,u,,nr nf t1GHttur.