New-York tribune., 1874-09-07
THE FORERUNNER OF REDEMPTION.
Prof SaHusi Hart', D. d.. Of Sro Hdren at & Csi"t0naeS

THE FORERUNNER OF REDEMPTION.
Prof SaR~i Harrts d. Of Neso Haren at n Csi"tonavr
COn0re0attoaa Church. Broosya.
Prof. Samuel Harris, d. D., of Yale Divinity
School, preached yesterday morning at the Cintonave.
Congregational Church, Brooklyn The Rev. Dr. Bud
ngton pastor Of the church. who left Liverpool on Sat
urday, will his until Sept. 2o The
preacher chose for his text "Whither forerunner s
for MS entered, even Jesus"-Hebrews vi, 40. The
word forerunner" said he occurs nowhere elsen the
New Testament and here Ut is significant 1t is pc
cnharty OF the inspired writer's that their minds
to be iful even TO overfowing Of the thought that
Is In them. They very often throw in incidentally,
In single word phrase. thought scarcely less
great than the main they seeking to put forth
The words Of the text give the OF Jesus
as our great forerunner into heaven In the incarnation
OF Jesus We God working redemption in the midst OF
should follow him The scrptural representation OF man
is that In his original condition he in union with
are two obstacles The first Is from the
ure OF God. God In His infinite purity cannot take TO
HIS bosom the man OF sin In all his impurity The sec
ond obstacle is that himself is contented with his
condition and separation from Cod but God Is not con-
about their redemption through the incarnation. When
once God has come EARTH recOnciing the world TO
in the way OF light and glory Ths is the general TRUTH
Christ is our forerunner because He has placci Himself
Considering this general truth In detail find, first,
that Christ has been our forerunner We have the GER
Him, especially the nfe after death and the bessedness
Of those who believe in Him. In this age Of unbehef
however, 1t is inherent human nature to believe in
future life aud 1t is difficult not to believe in it,
future state In intellectual speculations we
smother the life OF our, nature aud the voice
this world. Our God has added to all the
arguments that reason may bring. the fact that
God In Christ has wrought redemption by going earth
and dying and rising again Heaven. Hundreds OF
years ago there speculatons 10 the effect that
hlra ua M nnUt Vna
sci sailed from Europe aud landed on these shores After
thai there was no more doubling Just so IN tns case
lived again; SO shall we. The matter has been trans
ferred from the domain Of speculation TO that OF fact
behind the vail aud has IL iuminatedit
A r Trs rs Is cur tnUn mr In9 WAY io @
and duties. Sometimes In the more ecstac moments OF
ing the pearly gates and we think we see the road
to heaven; but when We get back to our everyday
way to employment merely. This Is the road 20
heaven-:hr0ugh our huindrum duties. In the wilder
ness snail the streams break we go 9ach 70 our our
something seems now TO be added to them The way TO
the round OF our daily, houely, prosac duties lies
the road 10 heaven for of such was the hte OF
eyes to the gates of pearl and TO think We have
no hope until we see them We are to do our duty
faithfully in the love OF Christ aud for His sake We are
to seek Chriss footsteps the tangled maze OF life
Our question should be- How shall we act in the spirit
but to be ministers We walking with the golden
gates Of heaven before but 20 see our next
duty and TO do II Christian should We are ike
person walking with lantern IN the darkness. lie
just step ahead after he takes that step he sees
with his lantern just one step more Redemption con.
sists in sanctfying this life, not in lifting men above IL
or out oft.
Again, If Christ is forerunner, this life which we
sometimes speak OF as so unworthy ana the duties OF
which seem petty, Is glorihed and ennobled. " Tue
heavens declare the glory OF God" But little or the
glory OF ID does scanning the heavens teach us
when compared with that shown by Christs ife That
was the the medium through which was made manifest
the highest glory OF God. There lie has revealed To us
tnat human life is glorious. It's like Jacobs ladder.
the greatest fact about which was that IL led TO
Heaven. But still We get defective view II
we say that human life is glorious because it Is
a way TO Heaven 1t Is more than this. It
is itself divine. Christ experienced all suffering
all the fearful ills OF life We have the opportunity or
showing divine spirit in enduring them. T1s spirit,
shown even business cares is just divine. God
has sanctIed fe and made cOnsecrated just
are spots earth which great deeds were done.
We die as we live. We see the footsteps OF our
Lord aud we should follow them confidently