Morning journal and courier., 1881-06-13
SournaI artO Courier.
Monday Morning, june 10. 1881.
Local News.


rFor other Local News see Second Page.l
Rev. George II. Hepvvorth of New York at
Center Church.
The announcement that Rev. George 81.
Hepworth, of New York, would preach at
Center church yesterday, morning and after
noon, drew out large audiences to hear him,
| and they were afforded rare pleasure. The
morning discourse was from Luke 2-49: 'fWist
ye not that must be about my Fathers
business" It was beautiful sermon,
Astounding in rhetoric and thought, and was
listened to with profound INTEREST to its close
The words of the text, said the speaker,
are statement of truth and beautiful il
lustration of the character of Christ. Some
statements cannot be fully comprehended at
glance, or in short period of time. One
has to mediate on truths, as he who gazes at
beautiful landscape which stretches too far
on the horizon to admit of immediate COM
prehension. He must look again and again,
or perhaps the most salient points will es-
cape his notice. The text implies that there
| is working God interested in all human
affairs. And this is the foundation for all
| our hopes. A working God must have a
| plan. A God who works with a plan must
| at once divide the world as if by magic into
| two classes-those who are loyal and those
| who are rebellious This conception of God
is, in the first place, an intellectual surprise
| and seems almost too good to be true. 1t is
| truth too vast for our conception. Our
hearts are grateful, but our minds grow
weary in the attempt to grasp how it can be.
1 n 10, tod
the stars watches my wandering feet,
and takes an interest in what l say and do.
In the hopes that gid my plans for the fu-
ture this thought is pre-eminent. Once put
| this rock under my feet and I am changed
from lead to gold. 1 stand in this life, but
know that the other life is mine, and some
time l will grasp it. This seems to contra
dict the natural order and outcome of things.
1t is almost irresistible to US to believe that
one that has all must take his ease. We work
hard and willingly in the hope that sometime
we need not work. Our inspiration during
the days drudgery is that tomorrow we will
| cease from it. Here in the word we are
taught that Gods happiness consists in cease
| less activity, toiling forever towards def
| mite end, and in the accomplishment of that
| purpose. You and are invited by the King
| to cooperate, and promised that we shall be
rewarded richly. No such conception of
God as this is found in natural religion. In
| Inc EaSL tQ0 lnQaDltaQL dreams as ne Gl1QkS
| his way up to the sky. Brahma sits,
the god of power, on the cloud. He lies on
| his couch satisfied with himself. His eyes
| are closed almost in dreamless sleep. 1 am
the peasant in rags, doomed by circumstances
| to hard life. No hour of sweet repose is
mine. My only shelter is my matched roof.
| I am the slave of fate, while he, maker of all
things, hears mot one of my woes. There is
| bridgeless chasm between us. He is all I
| am nothing lift my wondering eyes, but
my wonder only increases He lives forev-
er, while toll and then go back forever to
that oblivion from which 1 sprang Such a
God was born out of the necessities of hui
man life. One peers through his own
wretchedness and thinks of one who never
cries, who never tolls and that one, the en-.
We'd one, is God. AS I come towards the
West find almost the same God. The Gre
clan hero is magnifed into giant, the giant
into god. But it is only a human concep
ton. The gods of Greece were imperial and
imperious. Selfshness predominates in ev
erything. They were interested in human
affairs only in SO far as they could use then
for their own purpose, and were led by ca
price We have presented to us their crea
ton born of their circumstances. Now We
come, last and best of all, to a picture tht
like of which we have never seen before
We are startled, and ask ourselves how car
this thing be? We become stimulated anc
excited. We are not ourselves, but become
better than ourselves. We feel that in some
way this world and we are one, and, better
still, the spirit that controls it is in anG
working through us. A working God! W.
have found at last the pearl of great price
We have wandered far and long, but such
thought as this has never rewarded oul
; search. 1t must have come from the super
natural realms. It is gift which came from
unexplored regions. It must have been spo
ken by lips that never spoke before VIZ
bow as did the hosts of Sinai when, looking
; up to the clouds, they heard the voice of the
Almighty. He who disclosed this to I'll
must have occupied a vantage ground upor
which no earthly feet were planted. The
conception stands alone. A miracle! Won
drously inspiring and marvelously comfort
ing to know that strange bonds exist between
Him and me. That I, leading my humbl,
life, am observed of God. That he has sen
angels to care for me. This transports MT
at once from present unhappiness to future
glory. can look up to the stars and say O.
him whom have never seen, he is my Faith
er. This is to have a new heart the momen
that this thought becomes a precious reality
From this time my eyes must never los
, sight of this north star, but ever keep it il
view; ever remember that above the stars il
my Fathers house, and soon shall pass tn
golden threshold and have waited upon m,
senses the strains of heavenly music
Though now am a pilgrim in rags, an
only in disguise, and soon shall throw off thi
earthly raiment in response to the command
'Come up higher"
Let US now look again into the past-tha
part of human history filed with discord anC
blood and strife, the chaotic period. It i
hard to find a meaning in every event, o.
? | group of events. The world moves, I an
: vaguely sure of that; but when you tell M
that the world began and will end with God
| that through all the centuries God has beer
| working out his DEGREES and consummatinl
| oY,kO re hose
tions shall come joy, peace, justice ant
| righteousness, I feel in my heart stron,
pulse, and that in some way the great Coo
and are related; and that Christ is present il
me, my life. And say of the Galilean H
stands not where I stand. He is not simply
larger and broader and profounder. He mus
have stood and listened where have neve
been. He must be the incarnation of God
! Omnipotence must be in Him. hear Hin
! say, Il am the way, the truth and the life :
81 am the resurrection and the life.' W,
are told that Jobs hands were full of thun
derbolts but here is he who holds the gift O.
truth and love, and opening his hands h
, scatters these blessings among ALL He is GU
friend, our Lord and God 1 see men irwin,
to teach that the Bible is partly true ant
partly false-a part of it is sunlight and tn
rest darkness. Either it is wholly true or false
God is what Christ said He is or He is nothing
Men theorize and speak of the dream of tn
Christian and then vaunt in its place wha
they call the truth. l would say to these 1
you have discovered the truth and it denie
my truth, my dream is worth thousand o
your truths. What has your truth done 70
morality, for progress, for civilization? M
falsehood unlocks the door of heaven. You
truth bolts it. He it is that sheds igh
around my path. I am safe only when will
! Him. He has magic that changes ashes t.
beauty. I 60 to him and am refreshed AM
comforted. Temptations Turk everywhere
doubts arise, but the curtain is lifted by tn
Master and the condition of and help fo
humanity is clearly indicated. God tries M
as the goldsmith tries his metal. His lovinI
care never ceases through life, and when a
last the time Icomes when eyes must b
closed and lips sealed, and the strange mys
terry of death is upon u.s. we go and sit a
the feet of the Master and He comforts us
saying You are only throwing off the ok
garment. Stretch forth your hand and 20,
shall be lifted out Of the darkness into thu
radiance Of heaven. And without murmu
or shadow Of regret we say, 'God know
best" May it be our blessed experience
| through life to trust Him and at last dHal