New-York tribune., 1874-09-07

in onr naiure n Is the bar at which pleads
4 IS Sdgs han M others
world 10 and makes heaven ana nell anu uou an
espe has 70 do ' His Office to bring out the worlds
conscience in response TO the truths and claims Oh uoI
II he speaks TO the intellect the philosopher may OUT
strip him. If speaks tothe Imagination the poet may
soar above him he must address the conscience.
Another and perhaps the chief element OF the power
Of the Gospel lies the fact that It reveals God to man
in the act Of suffering and sacrice In MS bena
represents the of God omnipresent lnnnlte-ne
Gospel represents God love- as SUFFERING as sacr
IN ina Of ss that sg in our
teratuTe He could not move my yrc heart or yours cpY
lie that can move the heart and save the soul.
THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF GODS LOVE.
The Ret NJ R. vinoeHs at ne Church Of u" Covenant P'"'S
The Rev. Marvin r. Vincent, pastor OF the
Church of the Covenant, at Parkave. and Thirty fifth
ST. oiciated in his pulpit yesterday for the hrst
time his return from his Summer rest The con-
gregaton not very large, and In the prayer tne
absent parishioners earnestly remembered Inc
sermon upon the love OF God which dwels IN the
human heart. and Its manifestation. The text was
taken from l. John, w. 16: And we have known ana
believed the love that God hath to us, and he that
dweeth in love dwelleth in God and God In him." @
Every parent, said he, has been impressed while look
ing upon sleeping babe with the TACT OF the ht'ie
seepers unconscousness. OF the love and care which
center around It, II is unconscious monarch Ihough
it knows not the fact the whole household is cohtroed
by It, Its weakness is mighter than others Strength
What tender words breathed over i'll What tIerVent
prayers ascend for it! How many tears are dropped
it forms the center! And OF all this the baby Is
unconscious has no Dr. % eS5erv ate tepder
ness To a mother there Is no happier hour than than
when the little one emerges IRON .de n ber who loves
il best, find Its sweetest refuge IN her arms @
veal ~ q measure of the same unconsciousness. Not
usually until years bring with them sympathy WIN tne
these subjects of parental soietude and affection be-
come themselves fathers and mothers, 90 they Ieacn
complete understanding OF the love ana deVolion pe
We always had these natural relations fruitful in
uses these familarze with our position ana priv
iege and duty His children, and through the 1aiar
lust been cOnsiderng we are lnlrO-
duced therefore, most important ana most cheering
feature of relationship to God namely tne oeseu S
analogy between natural and spiritual INFANCY Is very
clear and is easy TO see that many OF tne iears anu
doubts aud disturbances peculiar to that stage OF
Christian life due to unconsclousness OF Coos iove,
for II there were IN tue tio emu Ui that Cod
love- at all times and under all circumstances,
that all things work together Tor good 70 them at love
peace As is he frets at IDS chasenings
because lie fails to understand that d 'nu d st
tered life he does not cast himsef upon the
sshery % G Dyg @ @ sonsp Now
IT is Gods desire and design to hft us out ol TINS
condition into spiritual manhood, into conG,
of Gods fatherly feeling and interest, in
which il shall have become. not q matter Of theory
merely but of experimental, habtual knowledge that
God is love- that the sign and seal OF our dwelling ID
God shall be our knowing and believing the love which
God hath toward THIS then, the PLAIN proposition
Of the text. that true life in God is accompanied by
clear consciousness of the love OF God ana py h'ey
and comforting faith in that love- .,,
Let us note, in the first place. that the object OF TINS
blessed consciousness here declared TO be- not the fact
of our Cod but the fact OF Gods love TO US ana
OF this distinction s rs so s
very frequently mlscOnceyed at TINS point InouSut
ful persons frequently found whose chef endeavor
seems to arrive at clear cognition OF their own
love to God. Though falling TO have TINS sentiment
always conscious action. they are often IN carkhess
and doubt and look forward to some possible stage IN
the Christian experience OF the future when they sai
have no more nISewnS itS S as no;n,ins ma not IN
our love TO HIM. but TO His love for US, 0lddlng US
look within, but without not to our own frames ana
appreciated by will create right frames and feelings
If we and believe the love which God has To u.s. we
need give ourselves uneasness respecting our love TO
God. 1t will follow naturally and necessarily we sha
love Him because He first loved US. But there is sll
another for insisting this the object OF Gods
discipline is not only 10 excite us TO right emotions ana
sentiments aud principles but asO anu as means 10
This end to show OF what these are capable. God
desires not only that we should love, not only
love should be rightly directed bu also that
we should understand the wonderful capacities OF love,
the fathOmess deeps Of tenderness and Of devotion
which includes, the majesty OF It's power the lntel
gence and vivdness OF It's sympathy, the mighty reacn
OF its yearning Aud this we shall not understand II
we have no higher ideal Of love than that which pre-
sented the slow. ffu hesltating, tlmd movlngs OF
our hearts toward God BY the lips OF this very Apostle
to Him for read therein is love; not that we love
God, but that lie loved u.s." Thus only when we snail
discerned love as the fundamental principle OF
the divine IecOnOmy, as the representative OF the
divine esseuce, and shall have marked the wonders
of It's working 1t from the heart OF the lnnite
Father, only then will 1t begin TO exert It's mighest
attraction and to stimulate Us 10 the cultivation OF its
We know this love which God hath to us, first, a his
torical manifestation God not content with merely
telling OF His great love tO maSSiDd he desired that
men should IL in active operation amid the scenes
with which they were most familiar. JuSuss life was
elm 1xr fUau fnn nf q Iue wi
GOD hath to us" IN Christ the divine love first took
"a familiar gulse. Where before IL had come down upon
man, it down among men. As we look back 10 the
picture OF those thee years Of ministry we divine
love in daily contact with the wants the sorrOws the
aspirations the trials the passions of men, and meeting
all the demands and exact0ns which any or all OF these
shows the divine love in actual dealing with all the
sides OF human character and with all the exigences Of
human life. WHAT is thus revealed in HIS life
shines forth with intense spendOr in His death.
ChTlss death gathers up and concentrates in itself all
the devotion and tenderness and sacrifice His hfe
and lifts them up that bloody cross that they
draw as men unto Him. There lie exhibits the relation
of love to sin, love burdened with the burden OF sin,
peryaded with the hatred Of sin, gathering up its divine
majesty in the Intent 10 Druse fatally the serpents
head yet in wise temperlng the blow because itself
must suffer In the recOi moved profoundly for
the sinner yet refusing to be false to justice in tue
merely historical. III 1t were only thng OF the
past while II must always have appealed strongly 10
us, much of its power would have e1haled with the
flight OF years But Christ is with his people always,
and His love is present. active power in the life OF the
individual, the church, the nature. IL God was Ia
Christ recOncinR the world unto HIMSELF God is still in
Christ recOnellng them unto 10 Himself In thus find
lug Hin daily in our homes aud in places OF busi
ness and in all the paths which we ofenest tread, aud
all remote and dark to which aud
care sometimes lead III thus finding His cOunses
and His comforts. His warnings, His sympathes, His
for US. Aud then, more, know the love which
God hath for us through the gracious re-