Daily globe., 1879-04-27
THE CHURCH WORK.

Confirmation mt st. PauPs Episcopal-Elo-
quent Discourse by Bishop Whipple-
MIR. Hulburd Tells of the Mistakes
Moses Did Not Make.
The confirmation exercises at st. Paul's
Episcopal church yesterday morning were
unusually interesting and impressive, con-
sisting of the confirmation of twenty two
candidates for admission to the church, fol-
lowed by an eloquent sermon by the Right
Rev. Bishop Whipple. The confirmation
exercises were conducted by the Rev. E. S.
Thomas and Bishop Whipple, interspersed |
with beautiful choral service by the full |
choir, several of tie numbers being executed |
with fine effect by a double quartet I'M
mediately after confirmation Bishop Whip
pie preached the following sermon on the |
subject of the Brotherhood of God.''
The festival of Easter is unlike any other
festival. Other feasts represent the joys of
unclouded homes, and merry households
but this was a thoughtful joy to those to
whom life has become real, and who have
deep heart questionings regarding what is
beyond the grave 1t is for Rachels weep
ing for loved ones, and for those, who like
GuS lSr86llGlSu WOllldll, COulu Sdy OuG VI buSlI
sorrow, call me not Naomi ''the pleasant,
one," call be Marah, ''the sorrowing one."
The bishop here drew picture of the scene
in the upper chamber on the evening of the
first Easter day. They were talking about
the story of the woman who
had found the grave empty,
and of Mary, who had seen him, and of the
two disciples going to Emmaus. Suddenly
Jesus appeared in their midst. His first
word were, sPeace be with you" He showed
them his hands and his side, and said, ''It is
- They recognized the Jesus they had
parted with who had come to them again.
Again, he said, "Peace be with yon," and
breathed upon them, saying, "Receive the
Holy Ghost" st. John Xxx. chapter, 22-3
verses. The first message of the risen
Savior was to declare the fulfillment of the
prophecy of the angels song of peace. The
bishop illustrated that the key note of the
gospel was q message to the heart, as found
in the first sermon delivered by Christ in the
synagogue of Nazareth. He had then said
that the spirit of the Lord was upon them,
and that he had been annointed to
preach the gospel to the poor,
to heal the broken of hearts
deliver captives and to unloose those who
are bound. The good news of God ap-
which aches, sins and suffers, so that which
is real to the beggar as to the prince. It was
universal as humanity, aud the first act to
the risen saviour was to set forth the truth,
thai the who had conquered death
was the same tender, compassionate and
loving Saviour. He had breathed upon them
ard said, ''receive the Holy Ghost The
peace came from himself, as the channel
between God and man. The gift of this
peace did not change the individuality of
their character. There was the timidity
of Thomas; the earnestness of Peter, and
the love of st. John. His grace was to
mould them into his own likeness.
This gift of peace from the incarnate son
did not change the laws of human life.
Each one of these men trod a path of
suffering and went home through cruel
martyrdom, and there will come times to all
of us, when the clouds are in every sky, and
the very ground goes out from under our
feet.
In that hour we must break through the
web of human opinion to find God. We
must cast ourselves upon that eternal revela-
ton of his fatherhood in Christ, and with
out this we are lost In his declaration of
forgiveness of sin he appealed to the deep
est longings Of the human heart. It was
declaration of a fact. 1t was bringing down
to earth from heaven the revelation of God
that the fatherhood in God is not different
from the fatherhood of man. Infinite in
piety and infuite in love, as he is in power
and Justice, there has never been period in
the eternity of the past, and there never will
be in the eternity of the future, when God is
not love. The fathers heart yearned fol
the return of the prodigal. The sorrow and
shame and suffering Of the prodigal's career
came from his wanderings SO peace an6
gladness and rest can only come by his going
back to his father. The penalty of sin is
not an arbitrary act, but the results of ar
eternal law of infinite goodness. The re-
velation in Jesus Christ was the revelation
of Gods infinite love and the means he hac
provided to help us.
The gospel is helpful gospel. The lift
and sacraments of the church are not arbi
trary conditions, but living gifts. The word
of our Lord were the committing to Hi
church of the blessed work of leading trou
bed, perplexed and wandering men to thei
father. Our Lord himself declared that th,
Son of Man had power to forgive sins, ane
it was this revelation of love that broke tn
heart of Mary Magdalen. The reverent
speaker here illustrated the doubt and unbe
lief of the times. He doubted the argument
about the philosophy of religion, as intende,
to reach men or silence gainsayers. Me-
might sneer at the facts of an historica
church and historical Christ, but the livin
Christ who dwelt in those that believed an
who helped them live truer and purer live
they could not deny.
It was faith in this belief that sent tn
Lords servants on errands of mercy, and
was His voice that spoke through ther
words of kindness and healing to the broke
hearted and brought hope to the despairine
The power and influence for good of such
divine gospel none could gainsay or deny
The bishop concluded by setting forth th
fact that the revelation of Jesus Christ wa
the highest truth the world could ever hav.
and that his lessons, teaching that the Gre
ator of the world was God, our father, solve
all the problems necessary for man to kno'
this side of the grave.
The Mistake Noses Did NOT Make
The Rev. Merritt Hulburd preached to
large congregation at the First Methods
church last evening on the subject of eth
mistake Moses did not make,'' basing hi
remarks on Hebrews, 18th chapter, 24t
verse:
BY faith, Moses, when he was come to year
refused to be called the of Pharoah
daughter.
After alluding to previous sermons in tt
course, the reverend speaker said that tt
world had but brief historical sketch
the patriarchal life of Moses.
Born of bond woman, and the adoptt
child of a princess, he became the deliver