Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-03
AT THE CHURCHES.
Sermon by a Visiting Clergyman-The
Nations Birthday.

thence to w oodland and to Oakland, reach
ing here again on the fourth Sunday in this
month. His services were opened yesterday
by elder Kincaid, and Mr.. Mclean took his
text from the letter to the Hebrews !" For
the word of God is quick and powerful,
sharper than n two-edged sword" After q
few words of thankfulness for the hospitality
extended to him. and expressive Of his pleas
ure in meeting with the people Of God in the
church Of bis choice, he began his discourse.
The word Of God Is the gospel. This gospel
Of which the apostle spoke was his word,
given to him to speak, and was the equiva
lent of the gospel of Christ. The apostle
said he was not ashamed OF the gospel !;
and again lie spoke of it as quick
Ephesians he spoke of it as 1.-THE
gospel of your salvation" Again he
said Of it that it is 81 the word of the Lord"
and lit endureth for ever, and sit dwelt
with them himself. So then we have the
word of God as quick; second, as powerful;
third, as sharper than two-edgsd sword
fourth, as the gospel of salvation fifth, as
ever enduring. The word OF God is the
foundation-the source-of all our spiritual
life and strength. This word of God-these
blessed truths impaired through the minis
trations OF the apostles-sent down by the
Spirit are to us precious gifts. If we treasure
them they will surely do US good. In the text
we are presented the question of life-giving.
| Men are ever seeking the sources OF life. The
scientist asks whence the germ from which
| life springs. When he undertakes TO study
! the Bible and the question Of spiritual life,
the first thing he will try to do is to discover
the source of that life As in other cases, he
will very likely discover it in the seed. If
| science has demonstrated anything it is that
| life has its source in germ seed. The apos-
tie says that the word of God is a seed. The
i word of God is, indeed, seed which, once
planted in the human heart, springs up and
| brings forth rich food in plenty for all our
needs. The apostles all predicate the spiritual
| life on the introduction Of the word of God
| as q seed into the hearts of men. But we are
| told also that the word is powers power
| full. 1t is the power of God unto salvation to
| all them that believe. The power of snythingis
exactly in the ratio OF any resistance it can
overcome, and still do its work The power
| of any moral society is Just in the ratio of
| the good it can accomplish among men. By
Just such standard are we to Judge the con-
| fraternal societies, as the Mssous, the Odd
Fellows, the Knights OF Honor, etc, and all
the organizations promoted by man. God
says His word shall not return unto Him
empty, for the great purpose for which He
sent it into the world was the salvation of
man, that he might drink deep st the foun-
tain Of divine love opened up in the house of
David, and find there eternal peace and Joy.
The great purpose of the gospel, then, is the
salvation Of men-not that men may merely
enjoy themselves, but that they may be in
structed and informed, and made wiser as
well as happier, and thus better fitted to the
enjoyment of the world to come, and go
through the gates Of the eternal city. Oh,
how little men understand about the truth of
divine worship who cry out that what we
want is a service that will attract men. No,
we vant to realize the truth that the service
is best that best enables US to receive the d.
vine instruction, and that best elevates US in
the divine faith. We are asked, has the
gospel accomplished its work? We reply
that it has accomplished it to this time, and
will continue to do so. There are four ele-
ments of power in the world. All these have
to be met, resisted and overcome, to accom-
plish anything that is worthy of it. The first is
religion-the religions of the world that are in
oppositionlto u.s. Religion has more power in
the world than ought else. No matter if it
is false and foolish; 10 matter If to US it is |
absurd il it is firmly rooted and the believer |
is sincere, it is to him sacred, and for it he |
will imperil nay sacrifice all else, even life !
itself. 4 mans religious convictions are the |
sacred things of his soul. Touch anything |
else, but not his household gods, he tells you. |
If he is an honest man, it is the pole star of |
his existence, and nothing must come between |
him and that. Hence it is that we should be !
careful not to trsmple rudely upon mans |
religious convictions. By so doing we may |
offend and estrange, but can never convince |
or win. Second is the power of government |
patriotism, attachment TO the land Of ones |
birth, and such manifestation of which we |
are now on the eve of witnessing in our own |
land. Not all men reaiizs how strong is the |
love Of country until it is attacked by foe. |
Then will their swords fash from unused |
scabbards and their blood boil in eagerness to |
meet and repel the foe that has dared to at
tack the father land. Third is the power |
of knowledge-the power to turn and hold |
mental combat with each other. and fourth |
is the power of money. Sometimes he was
tempted to think it the greatest of all-and !
he remembered that there is one thing money |
can do that nothing else can accomplish. 1t |
will introduce a fool into good So
cisty; neither knowledge love of |
country, nor religion can do that. |
So we have the four great powers that are |
to be resisted, or overcome, or turned to good.
Now suppose that man wishes to establish |
a new religion, shall he call about him at this |
day twelve other intelligent men and say 60 |
ye out and preach i. to all the world and |
against all these powers that resist you |
Shall he say to thsm, I" l have overcome the |
religions of the world, and the government |
power of the world, and the knowledge of the |
world, and the money of the world, where
soever these resisted me!" But the religion |
of Christ has and is doing this. Jerusalem
represented the great religion of that age |
the religion of the Jews. There came to her |
teacher to tear down the affairs of faith |
strongly rooted in that people. He came to
set aside their system and set up a new one |
in its place. To them it was sacrilege, and |
in that view Of it shall we wonder so greatly |
that the Jews were 80 antsgonistic? He |
gave command that His disciples begin at |
Jerrsalem-in the very citadel Of that faith |
of that people plant the banner of a new re-
hgion, and from there go out conquering |
and to conquer. He attacked the religion Of |
the childhood of the Jews, and assailed those
things they had been brought up to hold most |
sacred. What did Christ's teachers that He I
sent out do? Jerusalem, the seat of religion,
with all her priests and affairs, became
Christian city before them and acknowledged |
their master. Rome, the political mistress of
the world, with all its power and all its pal
aces, with all her luxury and superstition,
with all her power in the then known world,
could not stand before them, and everywhere
the banners of Christ went triumphant till
Constantine bowed before the new authority, |
and, with Rome, acknowledged the meek and |
lowly one. There is no need, said the
speaker, to go on with an intelligent
auditory it would not be expected that there
was need to repeat the triumphs of the cross
further, as it has swept triumphing through |
the ages. He was, indeed, not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ. Il has upborne so
many millions through the dark waters of
trial and affection, and it leadeth now, as
ever, beside the still waters, and enables US
to say: 1--WE fear no evil for Thy rod and
Thy staff they comfort me-" Should he go
on and trace the triumphs of the gospel |
against the powers of the world Surely it
was not needed in this day to do so. All he
had desired to do was to put his hearers in
the line of thought on this subject, and he
knew the conclusion they must reach as rea-
soning beings. Napoleon the Great, on his
lonely isle, pointing to all the great command
ers Of the world, and not reckoning himself |
least among them, said that Jesus of Nazar.
eth shamed all our victories. Without blade
or armor, without armies or battle, He has
founded His kingdom. and it is enshrined in
the hearts of men. This dead man has over
come as before hath no other. So to-day we
present nothing newt is the sweet old
story, the loving gospel OF peace and rest
and love and truth, the same dear old tale of
Christ and His cross.
At the Six.h-street M. Z. Church last
evening, Rev. I. S. Dunn preached on the
subject of the nations birthday, taking his
text from the 10Th Psalm 1.-The lines are
fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, L
nave goodly heritage" He Said that on the
4th OF July, 1776, there was born into the
world new nation-the American Republic.
Freedom, faith, justice and trust in God was
written on the frontlet between its eyes.
The statesmen and patriots who stood
sponsor knew not but that the child
might be strangled in the cradle of
the revolution, but they were solemnly
pledged by their lives and their sacred
honors to live or die with it. He sketched
in very graphic manner the scenes about
Independence Hall on the day the Declara-
tim Uas ainnad and with r,nhrintin farrnr do