, 1879-07-07
The Magnihcence and Meannoss Of
Lus Portrayed by Dr..
Lorimer.
Ths Rev. =. D. Wilson on the Church,
aud How Its Members
Should Act.
l. Sermon by tho Rev. 1fr. Bartlett
Concerning the Influence Of
Gods Word.
Interesting Celebration Of "Ohildren'a-
Day" at Centenary Methodist
Church,
DIR, JORTbITR.

DIR. IlOIsI1IER.
"rnn 4AaS1rtcnscH AND NEAHNzss or rFr"
The Rev. @. c. Lorlmer preached last evening |
10 the First Baptist Church, corncr Of Thirty
Gret strect and Solth Park avenue. II was lila |
Inst sermon prior TO his ak weeks vacation, and
tho audience completely Ated the church.
Tic reverend gcntlcn,an's subject was !" The |
Magntaccnco and Meanness. Of Lsfe," md bis
text vas as follows:
Lord what Is man that Thou tatest knowledge
count Of hlmt-It.. ectr., J.
Once bofore, said Mr. Lorftnor, had David pro- |
pounded the same question. uo was then younu,
unfamiliar with the world, Its dlsappoinsmcnts,
It'd carcs, and tho ansHer to Ills inquiry Was
q triumphant ono. In substance, lie had |
exclaimed that man vas not a creature
breathing away from fellowship with worms, not
. being to bc overawed BY tho lmnlonsltica of
matter OF crushed by tho prepondcranco OF
physlcal forces, but being, rather, who should
r,se superior to tho world ha Inhabited anl be
recognized ea Its King. But when he pro-
pounded It the second time age was upon him,
he tad suffered aIIlict!on. witnessed tic de-
parturc oI friends, nnd iu sadnsss of tone he
exclaimed, What Is mna that Thou takest ao-
count Of hin11" whio there zane the responso,
"Hc ID like to vanity. His DAYS AREAS n shadow
IDhL phA8Gtu away AN kApukA stGHl niGh
OF tho whole brood Of men. he cried ont, "Cast
forth lightning and scatter them, shoot u1t thine
arrows and destroy t'en." Yet hesdfd not tor
get that man was o. saltl,ecnt i1np9fsanee i, ,,,
account OF him. The two answers to his qucs.
tton Illustrated al oncb the 1nagnliiecncc nfl
mcanness Of life. Man. according to the Script.
nEe seemed to stsa af al n ts lghi aa a,1
on tho other. Life was flass OF nnttthcscs, OF
glarug contradictions, Of puzzitnx extremes.
liow wore they 10 bo accounted for and ex-
eept tho serptural explanation. Had they any.
thing bcttera 1t required no intelligence ut I'LL
to tear down and leave tho problem unanswered.
Chit eSs ofsu1d Ssa as DGsg g sesk na aa e1 .t
should find. II would be tho purnosc Of this
discourse to show how Insufficient intlucllty Mas
to meet certain facts, aud, OIL tho other hand,
how sufficiently thry wcro explained and ae-
counted for By tho sacred Scriptures,
The reverend gontctnan then proceeded to
notes soma instanees Of the nsngntEecnco a,lt!
mennncss Of life. Society, he eat atood with
head. threatening TO commit suicide, but
neyer loinu 1t. There wcrc reforms tito noccsss-
" OF which It readily admitted, but ,oon tho
bringing about Of which u turned its back, md,
ttnuc, corruption must fastcn up.on II win
ron,orselcss grasp. Even now, when minister
preached prohibition nr stopped To discuss social
iroblems, ito tell capital not. to Rr!nl lalor
fanatics. Nowhere was tho contrast more a1-
paillng than that between shs wealth Of thc OK
trcmcly rich mud the poverty OF the extremely
to 10 Logical, ought to tlow It's bra!ns olt, The
ncannssses to which men daily rcsortctl
were tlosoicable. Wherss would ellusch-Eo-
Ing audience find tlie n,asscs after church
6cry!cca Not studying tho beauties OF llnture, rs
the c.saTists painted thntn. but In lagnr-besr
liz 81 some ons .ho might eiso lsnsisd insult.
trcmes. Science failed to aolve tho problem Of
cxlatencc. The world hns been prepared
for man, not BY science, b1t BY 2 suprrlor
intellect directing and ruling the uni.
;or sou1e ono who would want to build lire.
md tho Iron fn tho Garth for soma one WHO
would need q asteatn-cneinc. rake the brightest
examples OF tl.e worlds hetory md yet how
m,let, OF mcanuess was revealed III their lives,
tlIcir practices hcsng ottcn In direct contrast
with their precopts. Eow wcro NO to account
for thisl 1t would nat do to nttrihnta 1t TO
aIrection, too many sklllful combinations, too
many Instances Of men appearlnE at Just the
tuo the world needed them, to allow o! any
such auswcr Al that. The "pscacter men " bud
tic donbtcrn, would not ueeopt It. They wanted
to know who lnndo the key, instead Of putting
tho key In the lock- und seeing II It would un.
lock tho box. II t. did unlock, then IT. va. =:
was mndo by Tubnl Cain or the 'ocEsnisn
next door. A great many wanted 10 know
Il tho kcy Was substantially In tho Bible When
snads It, and thcnn what rtght they hai to mako
Il. Ia this they thought themselves wondcr.
fully wsc. The speaker did not. His advice u
them was to take the key, and, Il IL unlocked
II, whoever made l.. The answer to this greu
problem Of life with Its ,nagn';Icence n,ul it.
1peannese, its virtue and vice, ia light mn
sha " good and sy rs1emntan sonnns IN IS
singular u,aelstrom Of lifo there wns too mucl
evidence Of design, purpose, mud intention
to ALLOW The rejection Of tue scrletu.;
& n.s:: sasl1st fasf' Ga in 'S
c1plana tton, tie Ind no adequate account to gly
fot The sense Of obligation under which ma
wus placed, the tsrrieio lashines Of consesane
pulses to dutY, The sacrifices made for other.
Then thers was SIN. What did that meant Tin
men wesa moral agents. God made them s
dld liz make Il possible for u.cu, 10 s!na y
cause lie wanted 10 make them fteo. But IL
could not make tsm free without making
possible for them 70 ~ When , man I,;,I had sil
sne ine neannss. s s0 Of NV vlsieh . tho ras M
had s'nee tsoa guiltyl With all revercns
the speaker declared nat l'e could not 1usttl
that Ile had nurpoaetl REDEMPTION for II throuE
lila 6oa. The true aoswcr 10 the lnagn!tiecns
md The meanncss OF life was coptutncd In u
three words-lod, sin, and rcdstnpsion,-
trinity Of w0rls, three in one; and the long
people thought alurg tfloso three lucs u
claoa OF lie would become tho cosmos, aud /
darkness, light. :
In couclus!on, the re7ercuta gentleman apol
Of tho duty Of siuuers to accept this answe
and u wofk uIght and day to rcmuvc the MAT
Of lin covering the sstnthoo4l III their character
THE CHURCH.,
.BHHMoN nY THE HEv. J. D. WILSON,
Tho NeY. Joseph D. Wilson. formerly ut Chr
Church, Peoria, preacl.sd his inaugural serm
at st. Juhn's Reformed Ep!scopui Church