, 1877-03-05
i Surnassss All Other Organizations in
Its Devotion to the Outside
World,
Revival Fruits, Unless Gathered
into the Church, Become
ValueleSS.
Inaugural Sermon Of the New Pastor Of
the Plymouth Congregation.
Tabernacle Services Conducted by Messrs.
Whittle mud McGranahan.
THE CHURCH.
rvpHF0H. nv nDrr Eu-1A~-

N;sht be known through the Church the manifold
uisdom of God. -Eph., ill.,, 10.
The word manifold u is feeble translation
of the Greek word used BY St. Paul. The En-
e1;sh translators we're perhaps SO practical aud
theological that they overlooked the poetic
ouality Of the Apostle, and thought of him as
= nlatn, e1idactic teacher. The Greek literature.
trom which Paul had drank deeply, was or
usmented highly with imagery, and hence
al Students and lovers of that literature
must have caught something Of its spirit
The word which Paul used here to describe
Coils wisdom is the word which the great
nat Euripides, aud the lesser poet EubuIus,
nsed 400 wears before to describe the earth, the
sky. the sea, in their variations Of effect.
MANY colored, " "much varieggatcd,' are the
t.tter rendering. The text would then Indicate
tbs: through the Church were to be made
known to the world the many -colored wisdom
Of God.
Speaking OF this verse, Dean Afford SAYS:
aThc wisdom OF God is all one in sublime unity
Of purpose and truth, but, -. is variously
po.tioned out to each finite race and finite Ca
pacity of indiyiduals.-so that: the Church is .
mirror Of Gods wis1om.-chromatic with the
rainbow colors OF that light which in itself is
one and undivided"
From such text you will readily perceive
that the theme Of the hour will be the Christian
Church, the philosophy OF any such organiza-
ton.
Along with all the institutions of society, it
eplings up IRON tue nature and need OF man.
After science has gathered up all the truths and
semitruths it can, We find there remains much
0s the nanr-co!ore1 wisdom which may not fall
to the lot Of science. After political students
from lycurgus to Jefferson have culled what
they ca;I from this yariegated field, much re-
mains that cannot be pla:ed in their categories.
After ali common literature has extracted its
beauties and sweets from this Infinite field,
there rrmain yet truths and duties which belong
not to the verse OF the poet or the creations of
Tue ron.aacist or drarna:ist- The nlany-
sded truth OF God reaches on and. on,
.ariting other inquiries to arise and
greater than natura! science, for mans
prarer cannos be classified under any Of the
g7e:t tabulatious Of Cuyicr or Linnaus. Man
i greatcr than politics, Tor after the State has
sGd and douc for hint all it can do or say, man
wceps. and sins, anl repcnts, aud fears, and
hopes. Man is greater than common literature,
for after all his exploits, his home. his friend
ship. lis love- his ncditations have been gath
cred up by the Hou,ers and Shakspearcs, he dies
and passrs into an unseen land wlitncr 10
genius eau follow. Hence the Church springs
up to pour its mind and soul UPON that part OF
TIE m.ny-shaped wisdom Of the Creator which
ether forms OF thought must pass by. and of
which, indeed, there aFc unworthy guardians by
reasvn Of a divided heart.
II would be a mistake should you suppose
tia; the Church finds its explanation in sin, and
ii the need OF salvation; for # tho saints in
heaven arc without church and without wor-
ship one would almost prefer to bc q citizen OF
a sinful world where he could tind in
some hours chapel OF the Infinite One. In
deed. the Church of earth must be only shadow
uf what is called the Church Trium7 m7hant. But
the earthly Church has its own peculiar truths.
Tie sins Of man. lis Savior, his nenitcnce, his
his sanctidcation, his death, his
arc few Of the ideas which make
the Church OF time a peculiar institution, hay
ing perhaps no exact parallel IN another Lie
1or upon any other star.
H. then, the Church is an Institution which
makes known to the world the many-coIored
wisdom Of God, it will not be probable that it
will be renaanded back BY the Almighty to any
Que form, such as that set up and loved br the
Catholics, or by the Episropa'ians, or BY til:
Cslynssts, hut it is almost certain that that will
always be Church through which there
shall 1ow to mankind tie essential parts
Of the manifold truth. The wisdom
Of Ged is so many-sided that no one can grasp
whole v2rictv and unity i'll its arms aud can
6ay, See me, am carrying all the Alnlighty,s
TRUTH" That gateway through which there is
flowing outward toward humanity the leading
ideas Of Jesus Christ and His Apostles must be
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