New-York tribune., 1881-11-28
A SERMON BY A GREEK.


TIE pulpit of the Harlem Presbyterian Church,
MadisOnave and Observation-Disclosures y-dfth-st., was
occupied yesterday by Professor Waldo MessarOZ, a
native Of Athens, Greece who has recently become a
citizen OF this country with the intention of making it HIS
home. Professor McssarOz took for bis subject The
Unknown God" The preacher began with reference
the discussions upon Christianity in popular
review and called upon the ministers of the Gospel not
to OCCUPY with formal defcnces OF Christianity
against attack OF indes but To study carefully the
groundworks OF their faith in ordef to instruct their
people the ways OF truth.
"Our God Is not an mexplicabe mystery" continued
the speaker Hs promises sureand there su0 other
foundation which to build Christian character The
mythology OF Ancient Greece was perfect In is deica
ton OF material things Every grace and power mad
their divine symbol. The chi-el OF the sculptor, the
logic OF the philosopher, and the imagination Of
the poet united to embelish and magnify the
divine idea IL appeared to human thought.
Philosophy touched the hem Of Gods garment but It
failed 20 grasp the vital truth that Christ to pub
sh IN His person So IN tho midst Of their temples they
had erected altar to the Unknown Cod Socrates lived
long enough 10 make the Greeks dscoucnted wiki their
fbcosony After him Plato launched me pleasure bsrks
OF his philosophy upon sea of surmsc. Aristotle,
after years Of searchng, cried ont at the
end of his lie. Was born In sin, lived in Ignorance
and tic In perturbation Cause OF causes, pity me"
out al the ashes of the old philosophy sprng the project
~ thLs altar 10 tie Unknown Cod. Why Is ii tlat the
Creek gods prrshed while the Hebrew God sur,1;edt
Ir contrast bet them may De read IN their repre-
lcvt,tiyr ,r,tz Homer and David The former deihes
human ,lFtugtB. lie makes Lcus Hercules aud
Hercules pucs Pclon on Ossa and Os-a
ON Tri,,n bavd's idea OF n God is iuintey grander-
calm majestic OmuipovnCc. Paul observed tdIt the
tirrr., wefr particularly dcyuut people. lie on
% Iii ,,,,I IL, r,r, grya "a tc,,uln Ia "A cod and Lr
knew that throughout the world there was hut one God
m of love and pity lie STOOD In the shadow Of the Tom
nh, ~ scr "A Iuau ucnt and skilled In all the poetry
and philosophy OF Greece, ana proclaimed the Christ
To now many Christians in these days God is rs much
unknown 20 those who listened To fau on Mars H
wlu regard Christ ud,rcnty sort Of walf drifting
ON he sea OF circumstances to show that there
something somewhere; wnO dread hctntlnc discoveries
FOR ei-iou Wl receive some sudden shock THIS
Is terrible COwgrUcc IN the face OF that
which should only foster courage and faith;
wntu every raw oi hsht every sound AL time ana al
space bear witness to tie might ana esty OF Him who
iolus the world IN balance. Go 10 the Pyramids,
Snai 20 the remotcst human records. and bc con-
yiuced that the earth i5 the Lords and the mlness
Thereof. Look the jew and see jacob the Arab and
behold Eslu. The s6epticisu ~ this age Il naTheadrd
and critical Let reason with %, using logic drawn
from astronomy OF all 7clrnceS ihe most exact On ac-
cont oi the distance o. the EARN from the moon is
hgnt takes second dnd quarter To reach us, the suns
hgnt proporuouaiJ longer Ana 90 on III. we come TO
for y OJO years before IL is visible this earth Thus
We planets rs they are but only as they have
been. II With our ihlicd ml"s we can Etlsp 50 huch
OF iudny, now much more can the Ouniscencc Of the
Creator comprehend us FOR rs the warn ray OF light
rom the rtcrtOputAh projects e perfect "DETAILS OF
picture distant canvas, 80 may every lay OF light
nuud Us carry the story ui our life into space and
ho Tcad hy the eye "i Col mus our most secret deeds
ar, literally brought 10 the light. And not only ours,
but those Of lie whole human race from the time OF
Adam.
Tut!s We observe that God sCcth us, and tnat God
kupwetn rs: but of what avail tO argue with you thus
far unless add the idea OF personal responsibility
through mans mmOrality-there may Do some VINO de-
ny The Immortality OF the soul. Let them read
lie reasnnug Socrates, who CROPPED after the truth
one who walked In the dark. Disease may destroy the
body but il cannot touch the soul That belongs to eer
nify Destroy the organ OF hearing you do not destroy
sound Destroy the sight, you only break the window
through the mind regards the outward world The
soul perfect entity because is deeds are recorded be-
fore God How then shall we escape condemnation III our
tlouguts and our daily life There Is no morality With
out Christ The moral man s humbus. HIS very yir-
rs read upon the hCcls OF vices. We must be helped
by God and lilo has given His son to lean upon IN
tcmptation His love is all around us To the Greeks
God was me enlarged stature OF heroic To the
lew God was law. 10 the Christian God Is love- which
includes all strength, all beauty ana rest. We suOuld
tncu, of the unknown God, but OF Goa the
known whose muniicent protection enwraps us rs the
uuther enwraps her children in swadulns clothes