The New York herald., 1876-10-16
MODERN RELIGION
A Memorial Sermon on the
Late John P. Crosby.
RELIGION IN POLITICS.
The Divinity and Humanity Of Christ
Our Saviour
CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES.
tHB OPENED HKAvENs-sERMoy BY REV.

GEORGE HEPWoRTH
Mr.. Hepworth preached yesterday morning from
Mathew iii., l6-"And Jesus, when no was baptized,
went up straightway out of tho water and ioi the
heavens opened unto him, and he the
spirit Of God descending liko dovo and light upon
him. And To- a voice from hcavon saying, This Is
my beloved son in whom am vol plsnsed.'" This
scene which have called your attention. said Mr..
Hepworih, was tho inaugural Of new revelation.
Mankind had been without tho presence OF God,
but they had IL before In such vivid and
ytartlng fashion. In tho Old Testament We have
continuous revelation. God showed His hand
In human affairs from the time OF
Abraham to the time whom tho star sot ovcr
Bethlehem. and yet what . difference thcro
is betweon tho old or primary book and tho now. or
the book in It's completeness and pcrfsctness do
not know how Il Is with you, but after having been
ronvcrsant with tho spirit OF the New Testament al
ways read the Old Testament with certain degree OF
surprise, and, may add, disappointment We cannot
60 from tho full blaze OF light into the that llcd
with twilight without being startled Tho Old Tcsta-
ment is the carly dawn whilo tho New Testament 10
the full blaze Of day
You will that the great pecuiiarty OF the Old
Testament is tho cxhbilion or justice You are
stanty impressed by shat side of Gods character He
speaks in tones OF thunder from the top OF Sina and
there comes revcrberation from hill to valley through
out the history OF the Hebrew people. Beyond
j
have noticed that God is always delaying punishment
that His people may have new opportunity for re.
In His hand threatening TO hur it, waiting Tor q mo-
mcnt 10 see II tho people VIII 20 down on their knces
And ask for forgiveness mover read tho old hook
without seeing tho hand uplftcd and behind It the
mercy and forbcxrance thai born OF kindness and
Of gentsnoss and OF charity Now, when turn 10 tho
New Testament how very different tho feeling The
is the fulfilling Of the other, ana yet we almost
ai TO recognize The bud In the blossom or the blossom
In the perfect iruit. Tho New Testament IS the
harvest God hath revealed Himself. not partially,
but as completely as VIC can endure and Ao has shown
HIS iacc to our consciousness and wo tho
expression OF love on IT, and OF pity and sympathy
with us; and IN those dear eyes that are nllseeing
shcre is expression Of sadness, because We have
wandered hccdicssly and acted thoughtessy and
careicssy and thus brought on our own ruin In the
covered up II is thero and cannot be ignored, but
and above II arc the foldngs Of m unbounded
IN tho universe Is His affection for us. lie never
mentions the fact OF the eternal logic or
Law until we become rccreant and perverse Gods
commands IN the Old Testament were uttered In
voice somewhat STERN Gods commands In the New
Testament are uttered with the persuasive power OF
sweet and leading love. and, brethren, am glad TO
tcc that this incident from which have taken my
bext the heavens themselves open. and only
Jesus the and heard the voice, hut all the
world could look up through the rift and catch .
glimpse Of HIM who rules the world and asks your
allegiance and mine, and l would fam bcicvo that
when Gods voice said, 'This is my beloved son.
Christ stood az type OF the whole world, and that
God said, through HIS only begouen child the son Of
IL
up higher" There lttc wonder thcn that whom Jesus
began His movement and founded tho Christian inst
tuion by the Sermon on the Mount giving 20 tho
world a philosophy OF life, Ito should have told
Of the OF tho human and should have
given wnat call the Lords Prayer, which
tells say, not ''Thou mysterious crcator, thou
everlasting king OF kings" IN trembling tones, but 10
say, ''our Father. which art IN heaven"
You remember, my dear friends. when, In tho timc
Of Noah the flood was at its height and all the oarth
was nlcd with the gloom OF a coming destruction,
shcre in tho heavens radiant bow of promise.
II seems to mo that, when look upon this
scene OF the New Testamcnt-Christ coming out
Of the water and the heavens opened that
God might let the world Hr.-tbat tho whole
another millennium day, when shall stand sido
by side IN common brotherhood The hrst prophecy
was addressed TO The cyc the second, In Judea,
an appeal TO the heart In the fodcn time men were
children, but the voice Ia the revelation
heard with the Of the world and has
become the treasured prophecy OF the human race
6fty first chapter OF John-'And he said them,
verify, verify. say unto you, hereafter " shall sec
the open and angels ascending and descending
unto men," Again, | would believe that Jesus
Q type OF the whole human race, and I
moro inclined TO turn back to the Old
Testament TO ind passage parallel with this
You remember the dream of Jacob His head
piilowcd on stone and his Sleep though not Dream
less, sweet and refreshing, for In the night he
caught sight OF = VISION ladder. whose loot
Earth and whose top rested against the wnlte throne
clothed in white. AS would connect she bow Of
promise with The baptismal scene In Judca SO would
the dream OF Jacob with this 0rst chapter
and first verse of Thereafter you shall the
heavens open and tho angels OF God ascending and
descending upon men,"
We want not only to know there Is a rock on which
70 stand but want also TO stand upon n II Is NOS
enough to have q theology. We must have not only q
theory, but life, end tho sterncst logic OF the world Is
10 be found In your years. Let us do work faith
uy in the day time, for the sun shall set and shall