The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-06-12
TRINITY CHURCH.
sI AN THAT I AM SERMON DY THE REV.
MORGAN DIX.

81 AN THAT AM SERMON DY THE REV.
MORGAN DIX.
The feast honor OF tho Holy Trinity celebrated
yesterday by the congregation OF Trinity church with
pomp and elegance Tho altar decorated with liz.
ing flowers and blazing with lighted tapcrs In the grand
choir was large orchestral band experimenting tho
organ. The choir tho chanecl was much larger than
usual and directed with great effect rho services
commenced with the professional hymn 1873, followed
by anthem. Wcber's "Kyrio Eiclson," Hadyn's
"Glora Tib' and the Niconc Creed followed, after
which the rector, tho Rev. Morgan Dix,
preached n sermon on the fourteenth verso
OF tho third chapter of Exodus-"And
God said unto Moses, Am that Am" In presenting
his ideas the preacher that tho time tho place.
scene, all in keeping when Almighty God thus
announced his name TO human Tho scene was
OF grandeur and OF Solitude FAR from sho abodos or
men; such q retreat might seek VINO would DO
sac IRON tho foes Of body and soul and alone with tho
Spirit Of tho Lord and with his own thoughts The
place desert byway, amid the storm and secluded
lodges OF a mountain. And there found that day.
whose name to pass into history aud 70 DO
known unto the end OF the world-a oi plain
and hard life, shcphcrding wandering lock
aud mcditating IN silence and loneliness Tho
oi his people. There Also that day. had he bched
marvel, ono Of Gods signs to faith, for bush
had been found burning in fierce fame yet
unconsuned by fire, aud while no drew nigh
from heaven telling him OF the dread task
before hnr Moses drew back from tho com MISSION of
such great and hard things aud asked :"Bchod, when
come unto the children oi israel aud siull unto
Them The Coo Of your fathers hath sent me unto you
and they shall say 70 me, What IL his name what shall
say unto them And God said unto Moses, am
that am" IL Is The answer 10 human darkness, to
human fear 10 human curiosity tho answer once for
ALL Horcb aud the desert expand into world OF hard
ship and difficulty The lone, grave shepherd Is tho
typo Of plsrm man from age to age. The work laid
must carry. The question no asked about God, so
subtle, no iarreachng. Is ono which men are perpcu
ally framing IN their hcar3 God Says To Us to-day az
distinctly He said to His oxiled son OF old. II am
that am Tho name IL not ono OF past era and
dispcnsaiion .ong slnco vanished II Is the name OF
God to day When Christ hero lie assumed that
name His own, and the Jews would have slain Him
instantly for what they deemed tue blasphcmy. but
passed on, Lords OF II, and became
everlasting name the earth, and we may draw from
IL oil It's meaning and u shall teach what
OF compassionate regard who docs feel The sub-
Ivy OF these brief words. There Is more than sublmty
In the words there Is deep tcachng there s what this
age needs, M answer t0 zach Of is gravest errors
A CREED IN BgIEp.
a formula by which We may test and exhibit what Is
wrong In modern thought, which We may use to keep
thoughts clear the first principles OF rc-
ligion First, then OF the leading errors about God
there arc such thcse:--1hat God person, does
not exist that there Is no God Christians that
term, aud say that nothing whatever can be
predIcatcd OF God wnc others pretend to tell just
what He IS and what He is not Some think ana speak
though they thought Hc changes with our
views concerning HIM; so that whatever any
that man, and is to all incnts aud purposes his re-
gion and good and sufficient TO that end. What does
God say Of Hmseliy Firat, there personality.
Tho pronoun Of personality Is !. II implies
and asserts the truth of His being. His unity,
His real existence In the Ego, the lies all tins.
God speaks plainly, TO tho point and Enthusiastically,
when He names Himself and says, Il am Thsis
the vocal symbol OF being, the lrst word was the
symbol Of personality Il expresses being, sub
stance which exists which ~ am" Is tho state
ment OF perpetual presents u Is The first person q
tho present tense, active IL - the guide TO us when
hear the falsehoods OF Satan. When tho father OF
lies whispers there - no God the answer comes rom
above, IL am" When he says God not from
eternity and shall not be hereafter the answer comes
from this eternal present IL am When he says that
God aud matter the same, that there Is but one
universal substance. taking one form atcr another, cx-
pressing itself dryers forms aud shapes from age 10
age, the answer comes roG far above the region
OF phenomena, from outside the great movement OF
ages thai roll on and die away, tho same lilo words,
II am''-God IL. When the Jews said unto Jesus,
s.Thou not yet ny years old, and hast tnon seen
Abraham" Jesus said unto thcm. Verify verify !
say you, Before Abraham was, am" They
knew what u meant; IL can only mean one thing-it
Is the well known 1T the Eternal, ever living.
ever present. nevcr.changmg God. Aud then follow
other great words rcrrcss our curiosity ana TO
stop II possible, reckless voices, II am that an
The form 10 like . veil. hiding what MAJ