National Republican., 1883-07-16
1sA1AHs VISION.

AT THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Yesterday morning the pulpit of Rev. DIR.
Rankin, Of tho Congregational church, was
occupied by Rev William Elliott, tho noted
English divine. The congregation was un-
usually large, and the sermon was listened 20
with marked attention.
After tho preliminary services, which woro
peculiarly impressive and instructive the
reverend gentleman took as the basis Of his
discourse Isaiah vi, O, T. lie said this chapter
in the writings of the prophet occurs In its
right place. The prophecies In this book arc
notarranged haphazaTd, as the loaves scattered
in the cave of the Sibyl are said 20 have been.
Isaiah had prophecied years before, and not
ono of the divine writors, oven in tho New
Testament, has uttered tho glorious gospel Of
the grace Of God in sweoter or simpler lan-
guago than that which he had already en-
ployed. In his very first ohaptor-addressing
the Judges and princes OF Judah-ho
calls them "rnlers of Sodom and princes
of Gomorrha !" says that their "sacri-
fees arc an abomnatiou 10 him; that
their oblations are vain; that incense aud
Sabbaths and calling of assemblies He cannot
bear; that tho now moons and appointed
fcasts Ills soul hateth." Yet even 60 these
Ho saith "Como now aud let us reason to-
gether, saith tho Lord though your Sins DO
us scarlet they shall bo as white as snow
though they be red likeorimson, they shall DO
US wool" When you quote this passage 20
circumstances under which twas first uttered
by the prophet; for that will increase 20 them
the intensity Of the affection with which the
gratuitous salvation Of God IL proclaimed in IL.
When Isaiah uttered these words he was q real
believer, with heart changed and dwolt
in by the Spirit of God, and he was proclaim
ing to others a salvation tho value Of which
he was himself experiencing, After years of
such labor and such experience God had still
deeper truth to teach him. Therefore, lin
h. L.. l.sal. sg.. aaal1 t..I " 10
brings him ''face to face" with the Holy One,
and shows him the vision, which We read as
the first lesson this morning Jacob had had
similar experience: First, his wonderful
vision ut Bethel, in which God had assured
him that all Heaven was attendant on him
that wherever ho went, or under what cir
cumstances soever he was engaged, angels
would wait upon him, and that the God Of
his father and of his grandfather would
never forsake Him; and for twenty years he
had lived in loving communion with this God,
and now under His guidance he has arrived,
i'll great distress ut Peniel. God seizes him
as u wrestler, makes him feel that his
strength is utter weakness that his purity is
corruption. He fights against him with
the strength of man; fights in him
against Himself with the almightyncss
of God; reduces him to utter depair as to
himself, and yet wont allow him to lot go
Him who has put himself into his arms, only
that he may leave an everlasting blessing bo-
hind him. From that night Jacobs cxpe-
rience is altogether of u higher tone. He
shranR," and the abiding consciousness
of his own weakness, but he carries
about with him also tho conscious
ness of union with the Christ who had dealt
so wondrously with him, Of acceptance in the
worthiuess. and of assured standing in the
strength of the "strong God" whom he had
seen "face to fnce' He felt that by impaired
strength, by grace flowing into him from Him
to whom he is united, his name is no longer
"snppl9nter," but Q prince with God"
In himself he is "black." He is "comeli-
ness" in his Lord and Head"
After giving other similar examples, the
preacher continued: Now Isaiah's turn has
come He also must learn his own utter vile
ness. He must realize that the very lips
which proclaim Gods Word are polluted /;
that they need daily cleansing, aud that there
is only one way in which they can be
cleansed. His lips must be touched
with that "coal" which represents the
justice of God, taking vengeance for
ain. Those lips must bo brought into con-
Sact with thQt fire from heaven" which
had that morning consumed to ashes "the
whole burnt offering" on the altar. That
"coal declares God and the penitont sinner
reconciled;" it proclaims God " satisfied
with the believing Otlerer; 1t assures the
penitent that God is well pleased with him
because of Him whom that "whole burnt Of
fering" represents that in Christ Jesus an
imperfect Isaiah, feeling deserve to be cut
off," is nevertheless without fault before
tho throne of God !" that tho very justice OF
God il now on his side that God thinks not
of his unworthiness, but only of the merit of
Jesus that because of Christ it would be in
Justice on the part of God to reckon to the
penitent believer his sins; that
Payment God cannot twice demand,
Fist at the bleeding surety hand
And then again nt mine!
That the sins of every day can be washed
away only by that same blood in which the
believer first ''bathed'; that the death OF
Christ must be applied to him daily; that as
by his first "bathing" he was ceansed from
all iniquity, SO by the daily application To
him of the merit of Chriet's DEATH he felt his
whole lower nature---his imperfect services to
G0d-arc clcaused from all defect, that united
TO Him In whom the Father is always, and
only "wci pleased, no and his imperfect
services are and can be only we'll pleasing tU
God This is hut sketchy outline of n dis
course which occupied torty-two minutes in
delivery, was entirely extemporaneOus, and
was delivered with the impetuosity of Il
mountain torrent
Hicks tabernacle Ninth and B streets south.
west, his subject being Christ and the Woman
at the Well"
THE CHRISTIANS MISSIONARY MO-
TIVE.
REV. ALEX. KENT's IMPRESSIVE SERMON Al
THE UNIvERsALIsT CHURCH.
An impressive sermon was preached yester-
day morning at tho Universnlist church by
the pastor, Rov, Alexander Kent, his suboo'