New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-07
RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT.
svpNoN BY THE REV. HENRY J. VAN
DYKE, JR.

-uv FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES ot fHo'""''
1h' PERMANENCE.
r,o Rev. Henry J. Van Dyke, lr' preaoneu S,'''
-. roorninc in the Brick Presbyterian ohuicn'
ia" s.t oye and Thirty -seventh-st. OF winch no "
non &" Progress and Pemanence III No
"a, . taking as his texts Philippians Ill., 10
nS no,,rg forth unto things which are before
IA 1s, Thessalonians, v, 2l Hold las, ,ha' "i"'
ed The sermon was in part as 1oilo"s'
,,.,orv Of civilization ia history Of advance
- lager 70 higher from worse 10 better H"un i.Dp
- ,ortect the human advances, ana hlaiA'nu "
- HAMMER and nober to-day than ever pe'oto
H. ,ras iost do not see how any one whopeho'''
cd Almighty and most Mercifm can ia'l u oe''
,hs do not understand, above all no" any "uo
aocr,,es Jesus Christ God manifest IN 'ne hee" ~
.s solvatton OF the worh who believes tha' 'io D'
w n,ored the human with light and power anu i,io
go, Heaven who receives the command 10 Pio"' ~
I % ayerv creature and the promise tDdV ~
IN ultimately prevail everywhere with redeehns
n,sbt-I do not see how any one who Oene'os 'ii ,
,u olso 10 believe that the world Is even ro" ooi"e
,,,,ed purifed and blessed by the hahucs"Ho"
.cd,s truth and righteousness and love- Ihi7h opium
a., a belief in the best, Joyous fath' ahopeluI P'
49, whether We look back twenty, or tcn OF ceh'u
tes ~ we look back straight, we can see th"' 'uo "
is better of than 1t was then' -
rur OPERATION OF PROGRESS AND PERMANENT
How has this come TO PAST By the opera'iono' wv
5pciples First, by a certain KIND OF onahSe '""'
nrogressve; and second, 10y pernd"ou.o' "
che holding fast that which ia true and good rros'
1o,, permsnepce is foolish steed which prances up
and down but makes no advance. Perulauehco VIM 49,
rocross plants its feet wide apart and declines al SUM-
,atous OF whip or spur TO pursue us oh"a'u way ~
pstorkogether and In their perfect union Is louu no
highest wisdom and the secret OF human "ciaIe lnS
beautifully set forth IN the two teNtsi hcaon"s
60, shore IL progress Hold fast"-there Is perm"-
rerce Now let us apply these two principles 10 'ne
Christian religion -. - ,bo Chris
Observe Their action in the development Oh 'ne
tian Chm ch the visible body in which reneoh Is mann
test IFS primal idea is separation nom INC "oiu anu
ocnar relation to God This Is carried out uis' III 'no
,rch,l church; then in the national church OF the
Jewish ueople; then in the social Fellowship OF inc uS
MES OF Jesus then in the ecclesiastical system VI
,csm: then In the great moral unity OF hNanseI0o O
trdou, This IA surely wondrous advance III FORM on
the Jewish hierarchy, yet the primal loea iei"'i' w
,o,ne II there were time we might trace mah!
other Illustrations OF progress ana permanrn'o
In the outward things OF the church pilnc'PeS "uue
fxed and firm forms changing from age 10 age ldAe to
ork Of missions in our branch Of the church. VINO
ouId abandon the system Of Boards once so bitterly IT,
s,od and 20 back 10 the old way OF conducting opera
trsa Or take The matter Of public worship. Have not
we made considerable advance on the Pur1tan7 oi
few generations ago. who would not allow
tho Holy Scriptures TO he read In the churches because
svornd IF Fniscopalism Or take the service OF muse
e. me- Sonsc Of cod Isro the organ, which, when rightly
1'T yctnhie mproyemcnt on the harps of the Jews
or the tuuing-fork of the precentori ana AeU ~
and permanent has been and must 0e held fast Let an
The people sing praises unto the Lord COO is sPir
and ithfy that worship Him must worship HIM III spirit
and in Truth The Church OF Christ must send the Cos
pei 10 every creature These tru'hs s'duu uin' We '
never let them slip.
GRADUAL GROWTH OF A SAVING RELIGION.
o Consider again the operation OF the
principles of permanence and progress in
Christian doctrine and faith Here Is the human race
living In tc darkness ignorance and sin which followed
the disastrous fall The only source of light in God
The only medium OF saving enlEhtenmcItis revelation
But how is this revelation gvenl How does thlS
uminns process take place. ta '3 WhSo truth Ti
in its highest fOrmi Is there great o.uS 0d uel'
dazzling astounding overwhelming Nay, far dlneTehi
Infinitely wiser and more gracious Is the manner W "C
God makes Himself His law His mercy known 10 leh
d~npton ia hung in the gloom Of the darkling sky.
Then another, and another one by one the
and galaxies shine The law given The prophets
sent The light grows and hrghlGns ana az lehtth
not with flash Of binding spendor, out with diWhuS,
!nnr n r NE perfSct ay Cots rcye alton is pro-
gressive unfolding itself from hight to light from glory TO
glory and the difference between Genesis and the Apona
lvpse is the difference between the trembling star that
hangs al twilight IN the obscurty ami the glowing
shines from pooh TO epoch the history Of sayanon
IRON book of the written word deny or destroy
Increases and unfolds 1t. Christ comes not
the law and The prophets bel 10 llI 20
wider range, deeper mcanin- o'eptT got} 10 an
The inspired uttccances OF the past Inc LpsuGs aIe
written by the Divine Spirit, not 70 DO away with me
Gospels and the teachnl Of the Master but to unfold
and apply them In all the varied spnCres or ChrlsVah
doctrine ana me- Soh s cpT,sn ~ 0OI his most
glorious revelation Of the Goldman does not over
throw and cast that which has already been lad
He builds upon it. He holds fa-t to He gives the
crown and cousum4aon OF II all ID ihG Im"s, orng,D'
the son of God flesh and dwelling among us that
we may behold hi, glory fun grace and truth the son
Of Man raised 10 the throne the Universe worshpped
by saint aud angels and all living creatures the BeGin-
ninq and Ending, First and Last the Alpha and Omega
holding forever the keys OF death ana hell
THE UNFOLDING OF DOCTRINE AND CHARACTER.
And not only is true revelation that II Is progress
sve il is true also OF mems understanding OF revelation,
that IL advances by the twood process holding fast
that which has been learned and pressing
forward to learn more. Gods word is ineXhausthle.
il is put into the hands Of man that he may study
aud draw from IL Increasing rchcsOt knowledge ana
wisdom Has not the CnlcA mage PoSIe5s N nGT com
prehensOn OF Divine tmngst thank COD she mas
Through all her controversies and conflicts ard Oce-
sional wandeIin.s she has pressed toward the mark
for the prize a higher knowledge OF cod in Christ
Jesus Every axe has seen some Great rum
some lofty doctrine brought out and established ana lu-
minated IN the hight of Christian consciousness; not new
w. have ,d c dortTipe Of me Triniry ana the d.
yiny OF Christ from the Augustinan Age, the gm ana
grace: from the Reformation, the authority of
Scripture Justification by faith the personal relation OF
the soul 10 Ud nom the fathers or our own ChuIc the
absolute Divine sovereignty Injustice and N mercy from
Our own axe, such doctrines rs the funcis OF Gods
taherhoOd the salvation OF infants, the universally OF
the Gospel and the consequent duty of the Church TO read
It TO ali men Thus the mighty and blessed edder OF
Christian faith ana doctrine rises stone by stone and tier
by tier not by dcspSns and destroying that whch mas
been achieved in the past bat by strengthening 1t aud
building upon IN and hope. And has the pro
cudcdl trust not. Remember the grand words Of
the father Of the Pilgrim Fathers old John Robinson
he babe farewell 10 the little company setting forth to
found new church and new commonwealth on the
desOlate shores OF this uncXpOrcd continent: am con-
ndeut" said hc,-hOw wish could have seen the brave
standing the deck OF that vessel and speaking
this brave word am confident that God hath more
"A vat hpf4E fort p1 of
Word" Yea, more and and more. Ever higher
knowledge deeper understanding richer faith Then
shal we know, II we follow on to know the Lord"
D once nore We may observe the operation Of these
Two pIhces OF pro ress and pcmanence In the devcl