The New York herald., 1879-01-06
MADISON AVENUE PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH.

NEW YEARS GREETING-sERMoN BY THE
REV. WILLIAM LLOYD.
The Rev. William Lloyd pastor of the Madison
Avenue Presbyterian Church. preached to large
gregation. The subject of his discourse "a New
Years Greeting. and the text IL Corinthians kill,
1-The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love
of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be
with you ALL" 1t has passed into universal custom.
said the preacher, with friends to open the year
with greetings. With many the expressions
earnest hope that the budding year in its social, bust
ness and religious advantages may be greater than
that just passed With others, perhaps, the
words meaningless, and soon uttered
are forgotten. The custom OF greeting each
other at this of the year is not modern.
Among the Greeks the wish was that Joy be with
you or follow you" Christianity put into that
Greek phrase meaning. Christianity is joy. In all
the writings of the apostles JOY seems to have
bubbed up within their hearts, whatever the circum-
stances u which they placed. How is life to be
made Joy +? BY simply receiving into our hearts
Chrsts benediction Tako the text into your homes
take IL into your hearts, and only this year. but
all the years to como you will have increasing joys.
While injustice is done to St. Pauls mighty intel
lect must not forget the deep tenderness of the
great apostle His writings arc tho pillars of tho
times that must not be overlooked. Some people
carry their hearts upon their sleeves and they
like some goods in the market-plenty and cheap.
Then there those whose natures such that
they seldom give themselves to Others but when they
do it is with abandon that marks the act genuine
Come what may to such--misco conception sickness.
poverty death-thcy do not separate but blend
those natures moro strongly together. 1t was with
st. Paul.
The words Of the text are so sweet and winsome
they have become the form of the benedction of the
Church. Tho words arc like the box OF aabaster
ontmcnt-they must be broken to get the perfume
''rhe grace OF the Lord Jesus Christ be with YOU"
The apostle dwells upon the grace of our Lord.
Law has nothing but penalties, and IL
forgiyes Law lets up: IL Is relont-
less. But grace forgives and lifts up the
wrongdoer and pardons the sinner. There il
no pity in abstract virtue; it lacks the virtue of
charity. Grace, the contrary is charitable and 10
sees the agony and remorsc OF the wicked. and
beyond these something to call human. You cannot
find in any part of Gods universe smitten
and cursed with sin that God cannot something
in him that IL beautiful. No man fall beyond
the grace of Lord Jesus Christ On this, the
first Sabbath of the year ask that the grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ bo with you. We need it to
bear up against what is to come. "a bruised reed
lie will not break" When friends grow cold and the
end for shall need this grace. and His
is the only rock upon which can build hiding
place. The preacher assured his hearers that he had
proven the power of this grace without IL at times
madness would have been relief.
The next point of this benediction is the love of
God, Father. The order of the toxt is beautiful.
Grace opens the door to the love of the Father This
introduces us to tho fatherhood Of God. What
depth and height 20 which 1t leads the
Amid all our wanderngs our hearts have acned after
our Father without the grace of the Lord we would
wander up and down this great graveyard of hui
manity and be lost lie that has the Father and
has His love need not fear Through the year 10
come the preacher hoped that his hearers might
always look up and cry, with hearts full of JOY,
abba, Father"
COMMUNION OF THE HOLY GHOST.
This is the last point of the benedction. The
Joy comes TO us IL we had Christs body present
with u.s. What is better. have the perpetual spir
itual presence of Christ with The sermon did
not call upon the preacher 10 define the Trinity. We