The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-20
FAT H AND Low E.
Sermons Delivered by Prominent
Pastors Yesterday.
THE EFFICACY OF IDEALS.
Goodness as a Garment Mystery
of Existence.
CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES.


THE EFFICACY OF IDEALs-sERMoN BY REV.
GEORGE Fl. HEPwoRrH.
1t is not little surprising at first thought. said
Mr.. Hepworth. yesterday morning. in the Church of
the Disciples. that Christ should have given us
command like that contained in the words of the
text-"Be ye therefore perfect. even your father
which is in heaven is perfect" 1t seems remarkable
that He should have enjoined the impossible upon
But IL is 10 be remembered that the noblest effort is
Only called forth by the highest incentive. That
which lies around us within an easy grasp is never
clutched That which is out of reach fills us with
aspiration. 1t is the law of fe The artist. when he
sets himself paint the coors Of the sunset. knows
that he reproduce them. So, when we are
told to initiate God. we know that the task is
beyond accomplishment. but it is given to us
to strive after the accomplishment as the artist
strives after work that he cannot 40
perfectly. If man leaps for star he
undertakes what he cannot perform. but
nothing more certain than that he leaves the earth
behind him for a time. The world is ceaselessly
striving after ideal in society i'll civilization and
in religion. Five hundred years before Christ
born that gifted servant of God, Plato had dream
OF government in which all men should be brothers.
1t an ideal government. beyond all hope of
human nature, but the world has been working
under the inspiration that idea for the last 1000
years. The human race is walking forever up stair
perfection. The first step is laid in the dust of in
FAINT humanity, the top is hidden by clouds. 1t is
ionced for. We cannot see it yet. We only know
duty and know that the performance OF that
duty is progress upward We all acknowledge gladly
that the world is working upward gradually That 1t
is improving with every age. This is conceded on
all sides, but the grand impulse which moves it is
not so clearly seen.
have stood by the brink of the ocean and have
seen the tide rise inch by inch, until the hoodtde
ma WINS /
look below the apparent cause of things to find the
real say that the impulse is in the ocean itself.
This is what some men say of human progress.
Uiey claim that this progress is not only natural
but necessary man is constituted; that the race
in the of ages finds by experience that which
is good and chooses it, that which is bad and rejects
It, They claim that the attrtion of civilization the
intercourse OF man with man. brings about this i'm
provement. 1t seems plausible theory but 1t is
fallacious. The if left to itself would become
stagnant pool but there is power in the heavens
which moves it irresistbly. There is an influence
In the silver orb OF night which alone accounts for
the tides of the The ocean seems giant that
works its will in it's way, but it is merely
servant. obcdient to higher will. SO the power
that moves the world is not in of
the world, but comes from heaven We could
never find ont the word Of truth if God had not
spoken It, Christianity gives us the only word that
mankind. Without Christianity there is chaos;
with Christianity there aspiration effort and at the
last accomplishment Gods golden gift to the world
is Christ Chrsts power is that He has touched the
blind eyes and the deaf ears of the world with His
tio-iike fingers. We indebted to Christianity for
everything We have OF spiritual and intellectual ex-
cellence. This Is a bold word, put stand by IT.
Christ says that the mark of Gods finger Is in the
formation of bodies; science says no. In COM
pairing the two assertions can see the difference
In their inspirations. II man comes from nothing
he will return to nothing at last There is nothing
but darkness and fruitlessness in this vew But un-
der the inspiration of Christianity different aspect
OF lite is obtained. There Is no inspiration of any
other philosophy which compares with that OF the
philosophy of revelation.
FAITH IN GOD.
Christ speaks to us plainly of our duty and glori-
hes 1T. No matter how hard it seems-and duties
often seem to be caamities-He gives the
anCe of His promise, "Lo / am with you always,
unto the end of tine world" What difference there
IL between high views of life and low views-between
q right way and n wrong of looking at it. Let man
be established in business and have good home and
. family let him say to himself that love Is
purely matter OF natural instinct that honesty is
thing compelled by society which it is necessary to
in order to get along in business, aud that
home is the result OF mans gregarious instinct.
tell you the man who always looks on the ground
will into the ground at last 1t Is inevitable. The
preacher then compared the effects of the philosophy
described. on the man whose situation he had
sKetched. with the effects of Christianity. If you
look at life through common philosophy, he said,
you grovel in the dust. Ii you look at 1t
through Christianity you grow toward perfection.
But ASIDE from this thought there is another which
must be kept in mind All the ability to observe the
words of the text must come from God. and cannot
BE- generated in ourselves. We must look always to
God and draw all our strength from Him. without
God life Is a wretched failure. II is q despair. With
God 1t is garden of delights. than that is
the goodly portco of cathedral the doors of which
will by and by open to receive you into all the glory
within. He then compared mankind to q garden
cred with snow and ice and apparently dead. The
seeds not know that they have the power to grow,
and the ice and snow do not know that they prevent
growth, any more than the brute knows he is q brute
the bestial man knows his degradation. The be-
ginning of life is when God touches the heart. Mans
bascr nature will surely prevail until God touches it.
God In Christ is our helpful friend, our all in all in
whose BOSOM IL We are faithful, we shall rest ut last
forever. Amen