Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-16
BISHOP FOSTER.
sERTICES 1T THE JACKSON STREET
M Il. CHURCH.
Great Gathering of the People, Filling the
House to Overfiowing--A Mastery Dis
course Upon the Mystery of Goodness.

placed down the aisles aud in every ayalia-
bio nook and Granny were occupied and still
there was large number of persons throng-
ing each doorway, and still others unable to
gain admittance. The unusually large congre-
CATION was occasioned by the fact that Bish-
op Foster, one of the ablest prelates of the
Methodist church, was to preach, and to give
their people an opportunity to hear
him, the other churches of the connec-
ton suspended their usual evening service.
The immense mass of people crowded to-
gether proved how miserably the church is
constructed for ventilation. The heat was
intoerable, and the people present could
form some ideas of the horrors of the
,'black hole of Calcutta" Tbs only ventila-
ton provided in the church is by the bottom
part of the window, there is no outlet in the
ceiling for the escape of foul gases and
polluted air. But this church is not alone in
this respect it appears as if the lunatics who
design churches and public buildings are
like the crazy genius who built magnificent
carriage in chamber of his mansion-when it
was built there was no means Of getting it
out except by taking it or the house to
pieces. Architects provide means for air to
get in--often too abundantly, but none for
its escape. After the usual service Bishop
Foster was introduced to the congregation
by the pastor, Rev. John Stafford. In ris-
ing the venerable gentleman said he sympa-
thized with the congregation in their being
SO lily provided with seats and on account of
the intense heat of tho room. He directed
their attention to the following words: Sand
without controversy, great is the mystery of
goodness; God was manifest in the flesh,
gorifed in the spirit, seen of angels, preached
unto the Gentiles, believed Ill the world,
received up into glory" l Timothy, LII CHI,
Is ".
The text was formidable one i'll its mass
lveness and the granduer of it's truth. 1t
was enough TO appall congregation if they
thought the preacher would exhaust his sub
ject. There was sufficient material for a
hait years series of discourses, but he would
only call attention to part SO that he could
close at the proper time. He then COM
menced a thoroughly methodist sermon full of
fine and novel thought and old fashioned
time honored ideas. He commenced by ex-
planning the term 'mystery," observing that
it has greatly changed in Specification since
it was used in the text. It had been gener-
ally applied to unexplained and suppressed
truth-to doctrines kept secret
by the public teachers. Certain
doctrines they refused to make known to
common men and impaired only to their
immediate disciples or followers. The word
means very much more now; il is applied
even in connection with Scripture, to truth
which, because of its obscurity, cannot be
grasped by the human mind It does not
mean myth, dream, an absurdity, but a
grand fundamental, uudell ying truth which
cannot be grasped by the mind. For in
stance, there is the truth of the intinity of
space or of time ; we believe in them but
cannot comprehend them. The text says
Goodness is a mystery-the doctrine that
God was manifest in the flesh, justified
in the spirit, is incomprehensible
to the human mind. And there is no truth
which does not end in incomprehensibility
The reason of this is we are finite truth is
Infinite and the finite cannot grasp the in
finite. This was illustrated by the law OF
optics, the speaker imagining man looking
upon nature for the first time, he would i'm
agine that all creation lay within the narrow
bound OF his own vision. But lift him ul
in the air; his horizon of vision extends as he
ascends till if his vision was strong enough
he would at length behold the
round world itself set i'll the
blue azure. All that had beer
done was changing his position, and so is il
with the mind; elevate it by culture, educa
ton and exercise of thought and the horizon
widens, and if we could be lifted up foreve
and ever our horizon would forever and evel
be extending. This is Gods plan. He be
gins with atoms and unfolds the mysteries
one by one, disclosing greater beauties an(
pleasures. Some think we have but to die t.
know all; thinks that with death we shall
suddenly awaken TO all knowledge; but this
IS not Gods plan; the rapture of happiness
is in gaining knowledge continually.
The mystery in the text bewilders many
minds. That God appeared in human fiesl
is incompIehensble to human finite intellect
and the dispute commenced while he Was OF
earth and Christ himself asked the question
Who do men say that l am? There were
those who disputed His identity, but the
disciples said, Thou art the Christ, the Sor
of the living God. and Christ acquiessed
De is not only the Son of the living God but
God himself-the Father, the Son and Spirit
are forever joined in the one Godhead. Bu
this mystery agitates secretly even now
There are those who regard Him as man only
and there were those who thought Hin
God de tncto and not man. We believe he
was both God and man-the two extremes OF
nature. Godhead and manhood perfect GOO
putes the humanity of Christ, but the truth
of his Godhead needs to be offered persist
emily as the chief doctrine of the Christian
system. This he went on to show by assert
ing that his life did not begin as human
life. He came direct down from heaven He
was sent into the world on grand mission
and when about to pass away, he betook him
self to solitary place for prayer. This prayer
was remarkable: Celebrity thou Me with the
glory had with thee before the worlds were
made" These are the words of Christ him
self.
Christ is co-equal with God and the sole
personality by which God is revealed to man,
and He is the Creator of all things. In sup
port of this he quoted l chap. of st. John
which he characterized as the most compact
piece of logic ever put into language.
In speaking of the second phrase, "justifed
by the spirit he said justified was legal
term. 1t meant attested, indicated.
The case had been put before the universe
as jury, and he was vindicated, and he that
spoke did SO by the authority of heaven
There was never vindication more COM
plete. 1t began in Eden and continued down
through the ages till his glorious ascension
Prophecy is a true test of Godhead. We
can guess and imagine, but foresight is
impossible to human minds; but there is a
spirit who sees the future as the past
Prophecy is direct attestation of the holy
spirit.
The Testament history OF Christ gives
sublime chain of miracles. The an
nunciation, the conception, and incarnation,
are mysteries. These the preacher went on
to describe in beautiful language and con-
tinued with a graphic account of the baptism
n CfNx
gates of Heaven opening and the descent of
the dove, while the Acknowledging VOICE nro.