The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-04-04
SERMON,
Oeliv ed in the Baptist Church,
Leavenaorth, March 3!st,
1873, by

Leayenworth, March 3!st,
1873, by
REV. HENRY WARD eEEeEER.
! will speak TO you this morning from
the 18th verse of the 4th chapter Of Ephe-
SLAMS: "Till We all come in the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son Of
God unto a perfect man, unto the measure |
of the stature Of the fullness Of Christ"
This is as near to a philosophical state !
ment as St. Paul anywhere makes. The !
context is worth moments consideration |
And he gave some apostles; and some
prophets; and some evangelists; and some
pastors and teachers" Here you have all
kinds OF ministers embraced, in a general
way, and he then proceeds to show what
they are appointed for: For the perfect
| ing of the saints, for the work OF the minis
try, for the edifying OF the body of Christ"
That is, for the building up OF the body of
Christ. And they are to do that TO this de-
gree: "Till We all come in the unity Of
the faith and of the knowledge OF the Son
Of God unto perfect man unto the meas
|
Religion, then, is manipulating, and all
churches and all ministers and all ordinan
ces and all government are but school
houses and other places OF learning that
build up the citizen. We have all manner
of institutions by which they are taught
| The Gospel declares that soul-building-
man-building-is the end and aim OF all
ordinances, OF all government, OF all minis
/ D., Al -. . t.s = ts.
followed which is presented in the person
of our Lord Jesus Christ. There We have
the perfect man for all time and all eternity,
and the object OF all ministrations is to re-
produce the elements of Christ. the charac-
ter of Christ.
Now religion is generally presented in
such way as that 1t appears to a person
partial thing, and often as a very unnatural
thing and TO some as very unreasonable
thing, and TO still others as a very empty
thing, even If it be not a very insincere
thing. wish could fatter myself that |
could succeed in presenting to you the great
elements Of the Christian religion as they
are in nv own mind, and show you that
they accord with sound judgement, with
philosophy and with common sense, and
bring YOU to know that all the essential
elements OF religion must prevail with every
right-minded man. That religion, properly
explained satifies the judgement Of man;
that it involves substantially all the Ordi-
pances for the government of the church
| all the evangelical doctrine and all the
morality that all mankind everywhere il
the world believes in for think it does.
Well then, what is the very first element
of religious life-Of man-bLilding-o char.
acter-building What other single word
or what single sentence SO perfectly ex
presses the whole process? II there be any
other such word or sentence, / have beer
unable to find it. Religion consists in the
obedience of man to all the laws Of which
he has knowledge. 1t is implicit obedience
, TO the Divine will. Obedience 10 the law,
of God as they are made known to Us i,
the word OF God, certainly, and grea
deal besides that-much that comes 10 u
, from other sources-that whole Will @
God
Man lives in five sphere, and We have Il
take them apart and analyze them and Sc
S of what they consist. The will Of God i
. made known to US in regard to thing
physical and in relation to the whole phys
zeal world about us. Acknowledge OF God
will is expressed in natural life, and habit
of obedience to it have become natural viii
us. And ON the matter of Obedienc'
let me say word. TIL:
: child with the knowledge that h,
has to obey his parent, feels that he is bur
dened and doesn't like it. He sto play onl!
in the donr-yard he is 10 avoid such ant
. such company; he is to do sch and suci
things; he finds himself hampered on ever.
e side, and it seems to him th,re is no liberty
C and that idea SO far spreads itself that MAJ
e comes to feel that obedience to the Diyin'
a will, is at the expense of his own liberty
: But no man has any liberty or power ex
o cept SO far as he obeys the Divine will an,
command Let man disObey the laws o
God as regards the physical universe; le
y him say there is the law OF gravity, but
will not obey it, and he will be in a helples
condition in less than twenty-four hours
a Man may say it is Gods law that fire shall
n burn. but | will not give away TO it. Still
IS he will suffer for any infringement on thai
It law. Man must recognize hardness ant
n softness, bitterness and sweetness, fluids ant
solids He has to recognize everything tina
relates to the health of the body and it
N relations to the world. When the child frs
begins to walk it doesn't know how to ODE,
the will of God. Let it go and it fall
e. down. 1t cannot understand the law o
rs gravity and is helpless, but by perfect ODE
n dience to that law it becomes stronger. )
IT as man finds out what is right and what 1
t. wrong and follows the right and avoids tn
a. wrong, he becomes stronger, and perfec
liberty follows obedience-not agrumblin,
obedience, but an obedience soperfect that i
becomes automatic, unconscious in the mar
Let the wellbred man 60 into society, b
does not think anything about his head o
h his hands or his feet, but the man who la
r. not been well-bred dones't know how
k to dispose of them. As lon
rs as he has to think what to do, he j
c. awkward, but when it has become so natu
2 raj that he does it without thought, it be
comes graceful. Let man go to the plan
or the organ, and so long as he has to sa
&c that is A, b, c, and think where to place hi
fingers, he is blunderhead but when h
submits himself to continuous practice til
lie his hands think for him, till his fingers ru
he over the keys all unconsciously, till his fiu
1t gers find the right keys even in the dark
d till he has SO absolutely subjected himsel
is to mechanical law and the law of the in
r strument that he forgets there is any law
1t or that there is any subsection on the par
he OF himself, then We call him master. 5
that perfect liberty follows obedience
| lneSe Will uOl Dc
It by any man acquainted with Physica
laws.
i The next is obedience to the laws of on
:, physical organization and the laws of on
. social organization. Man was not made
= live alone. The love Of appreciation woui
as not be possible If man were alone, and tn
. hunger for it implies that We were to hav
= it. Men were made TO live together, an
:, the second sphere OF morals is obedience
social laws whereby men can live harmOni
ously together, and those laws have bee
perfectly expressed in the precepts OF on
q Lord Jesus Christ.
Man comes into the world with the necei
sity of obtaining livelihood, Of caring fc
ID others and providing for them, Of MAR
IN tanning the whole frame work of societ
III and that brings US TO the third sphere {
r morality. Many suppose religion is rot
N thing of a business character. But really
Or when you look at it, there coul
lie be no religion unless there wa
some business. Suppose man ha
nothing to d. should like to know ho'
!. he would learn activity if he had no me
tive TO do anything. Ease would smothe
man. How would a man ever be patien
is If he were never vexed or worried? VIVA
,c is patience, but teaching man to maintai
Of an equable temper amidst things that don
~ suit him? Man could never learn patienc
e BY sitting down and thinking about it, Tha
i III