New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-10
GOD. THE GOD OF THE LIVING.
The Rer W. J. Tucker at s Mddis0n Square PTe3Dyterdn

of you. Let us pray.
GOD. THE GOD OF THE LIVING.
The Rer w. j. Tucker dtms Madison Square Prs''yeridn
Church. .
A large congregation assembled at the Madl-
SOL Square Presbyterian Church, at Madson-ave and
Twenty iourhs, yesterday morning, to listen TO the
opening sermon of the Rev W j. Tucker, who has been
invited succeed the Rev. Dr. Adams as the pastor OF
that church. The Rev. ". J. Tucker
was student at Dartmouth College.
He studied theology in Andover Seminary, and has just
closed ministry OF eight years at the Franklin street
Church, in Manchester N II. He is young nan, tall
and spare and of pleasing address and appearance His
voice and utterance very clear and distinct lie uses
little gesture speaks with great earnestness, group
ing around one central idea TO which be con
stany refers. His installation VIII take place IN me
church on Wednesday evening next, when the Rev Or
Adams will deliver the address TO the people, the Rev
Dr. Hall the charge to the pastor On Tuesday evening
church for the purpose Of extending the right hand or
fellowship to the new pastor The Rev Mr. chose
for his text Matthew xxi, 81: God Is not Inc God o
the dead, but OF the living"
Christ he said had an advantage teacher Of men
law in U perfact knowledge Of God lie had
something more to guide Him than the words OF tTnth IN
edge of God and Of Ills nature enabled Christ TO make
men feel the reality Of the Divine nature az they had
felt it before. In this the true gospel IL found1n
the simple endeayor to show iorth Goa aug Hako Is
presence felt in life In this lay Chists chef power
tho Father as He knew Him. this was enough, IL Is
doubtful whether, in the Christian faith, suifcieng
use made of this knowledge Of God. How with us
Have we made our belief available Do we carry our
faith AS simply believers did Of old wished TO show
the practice and use Of The thought OF God az living
God Throughout the Scriptures God speaks ~ the
God of the past. In the old law, God says am tne
God Of Abraham, of Isaac and OF Jac9b-not was ie
il not the God OF the dead but OF the uvIng ana IN @
there great lesson incucacd II God Is the God OF
Abraham, Isaac, and OF Jacob then these are living
and are And in this Is contained the doctrine
Of the immortality OF the soul , 80 ,.
If God il living God He is the God ~ the presents
and reality OF all life lies in ITS present experiences
Living the past and in the future Is real lie Many
because they place their God there But the question s
where is God nowl He is here with US. He is found
where lie is always to be found Wh .ne 1t generation
life. Wherever SHINING or suffering, or strug
ng 9ae IN ,9g ga er r 1 stem award reality
to call God up out OF the past We walk with me same
love of His heart on Calvary The same God Is the God OF
the future $50 . .
faith is after all only refined form of seshness. The
charge in true II IL true II religion
bear comparison with the worldly life If life DO nothing
more than getting let the end be heaven But life IL
not merely this. 1t the spirit OF giving, OF cOnsecra
ton, OF entering on Gods service Inc most granny real
days OF the world were those in which men felt most
deeply the constant presence OF God In their midst Tho
true work here below consists in the endeayOr to make
Gods earth like to heaven True reality il TO make the
G God, iit then III He i0 Is tho God Of life n
its largest and most varied sense-of
today Gods plan of salvation is from God 1t is with
this plan as with the of Christ. He who in
the beginning with God took on Him mans nature. SO
the marvellous plan of saving men which God has intro
duced into life enters into every relation OF life. When
world becomes tributary to that soul God may bring
some heathful influence to bear on life from the utter
most ends of the EARTH for the Church is the Lords We
struggle never to exclude life from the ends OF
grace -
OF the young man to whom great llght was shown,
which he told to reach by ladder stretching up to
It and each step that he took he support on which his
loot had fell into abyss beneath. SO God is lift
ing up Of He is lifting step by step by the
orr feet on the ladder OF light, and we have
stepped it, it gone God every soul on to the
God il the of the living. He is the God OF those who
dead to u.s. live in Him. Death often has been called the
the Great Disturber Love Is stronger than death Far
Of life than Is commonly supposed consists in what
that have the gift Of life is broken. Where are
who have gone from among usi Where are their
surroundings. Eye hath not SEEM nor ear heard. Are
utterly off have nothing In common with the
Gear Gear G the heart IN Wick e We s
here moving on lower plane they are s there IN moG n9
entering into the stronghold where death cannot
come. One family, dwell in Him; one Church above
and beneath divided only by narrow stream-the
stream Of death.
This conception OF God living God is the warrant
for the existence of the Church to-day. He is the guide
OF the present generation, which works for Him. 1t
makes infinite difference in religion where you put
God The Church requires her existence constant
presence It matters much where individual workers
get their commission He counted it chief necessity OF
every generation of Christian workers to have confidence
in themselves respecting their belief Are our methods
of work right Are they Of God What warrant have
we for missions They the growth Of the CEN
tury What warrant have we for certain changes and
Innovations ~ the mode OF worship Our warrant Ia III
the OF the Lord Cod the God OF the living, and
where the warrant for work lies, there lies the
work hopefully and
with Joy. Deep down under tho skepticism and
ndelty OF to-day lies place in every heart where the
spirit Of the living God dwes, and which responds to
the truth OF God The God brought before them to-day
God who has proved faithful TO His covenant with
He is strong in holiness when He spoke from
Sinaas tender in love when He poured out the life Of
His Son on Calvary God loved tho world then that
He gave His Only BegOttcn to the world. Ii He
had more, lie would give 1t to-day to He is your
God. AS you are living men. God Is your Cod He is
yours by the gift of life He shall be yours by the gift OF
eternal life. And this is the life eternal That they may
know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom
Thou hast sent.