New-York tribune., 1884-01-14
PULPIT THOUGHTS.
EXTRACTS FROM Yesterdays SERMONS
THE VALUE OF PRAYER TO YOUNG MIN.


look out upon things and events too often through te
lens OF pIeudice or passion The great need Is c'e''
spiritual vision. This from prayer Goa gives T"
every man spiritual insight he but asks for ~ Beware
Of the man who il above prayer! seIconndehce 10
slender staff There mysteries IN he boie
Don't try 10 solve them by sheer Intellectual acueh
Pray for light Prayer unlocks the hidden truths of Coz
To try to make brains to do the work ofsprit is Ike uy
ing TO unlock Yale lock with key intended Tor "snts
Castle Prayer three things to the young man Oh our
text: Confidence, ald comforts just What eey
young man needs to-day who il struggling Win 'ne
powers Of evil in great city Ike this insight lnto 'nc
spiritual world is necessary to correct impressions OF
this world The men that have made the great dls
eoveres the men that have inauguraed the great re-
forrns-have been great believers in the unseen
When we rumseers banding together in leagues 10
corrupt Assembly at Albany and the CONGRESS AT
Washington. the enlarged vision which prayer pes'o"s
enables us to sec also Of good at work During the
Rebellion man said TO Abraham Lincon Let Us pray
that the Lord may he side" Lincoln replied: lt
is not half so to that the Lord be on our
side a. that should be on the Lords side"
CHRIST THE BASIS OF TRUE CHARACTER
Mr.. Beechers sermon in heforenOon was upon
Christ a. the foundation of all and noble things in
life and character Among the Greeks, he said, art Was
consecrated 70 patriotism and religion. 1t was the public
language Of the state and the Church. but had nothing to
do with home life st. Paul said that the true foundation
for character Christ and that one must not build
with pcTishable materials Many preached better than
they lived but Christ the who lived better than
he preached. The Divine nature He taught was love
which would bring down the very highest to serve the
very Christ taught the victory OF the Invisible
the visible and that the unseen as 1t was transcend
emily more beautiful was also vastly, more
imUOrtaut than the exterior world. IL was
ont necessary 10 know Christ by His name Jesus,
but by His generic qualities, what His name meant OF
character aud duty Of life here and OF life to come lie
who tried like Christ honestly and purely was ac
cepted Of God whether lac knew Jesus Christ 0y name or
icht be had was following Christ The man who was
Chriss scholar and wac trying to sraduate IN tlat scool
would be saved because God loved man and wanted To
save him. As the sun shone on al things warming
not so cod regarded al things In His world. and loved,
pitied and would al men vino sought To be saved
CHRISTIANS As THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
The Rev Dr. Patton Of Princeton al the First Presby
terian Church. sad THE Christian Is the light of the
world in matters OF knowledge The question to-day il
this thatis but whether there can be
any knowledge az all All mowedgc. i said Il relative
ana the result Of evolution; therefore Is doubtful But
in that case doubt itself be rejected for it, too is
relative and evolved The Christian comes forward in
the midst OF such uncertain with a sure Eowedge OF
God OF life and duty drawn from both Nature and the
Bible. The Christian Is the light OF the world IN
ethical matters: ne both knows and does his duty
rregious philosophers preach about the greatest good
OF the greatest number but ind Jeremy Bcntham
nhrmcre5 or John stuart NH ho@IttIs. lheI Iouo"cr7
leave Christians the carrying into practice of these al
tu-tic teachings. From the days OF Julian the Aposatc
ID testimony
tanitv has been the grandy unsesh lives oi IL follow
er- The Christian i, the light oi the world IN the matter
of rational happiness. The old change that religion makes
men unhappy has died for sheer lack OF support
Socialists that the Church fosters social ineqInlues
order in their desired anarchy they should succeed IN
getting the wealth OF oheIs thay would be eager To- re
TIE EFFICACY OF PRAYER
Dr. William NJ TAYLOR spoke about the prayer
Of Hczckah H. said in part: In biz trouble
the King sought the consolation he was familiar with.
He had called Got before. deathjei has enough IL
itself for though To delay till the las, moment the seek
ing God after using life for selfish ends is the very
sence Of meanues- 1t is taking the good for ourselves,
and turning over the lowest dregs 10 God. II l
were called up even IN tie middle OF the night
TO visit dying man. l would never re use;
yet let you OF the risk there Is in delaying
thoughts Of God. King iezcIh could not put Ais sorrow
into words The deepest agony dcnes expression Ihe
silence sincere heart is worth infinitely more than the
r u+trrauccs OF shallow feeling To pray sincerely
believe in prayer so oul a. believe in the father
can persuade NE from prayer The Kings PRAYER
answered one body Of men hold that no prayer is ever
answered The opposite extreme Is to believe tnat every
prayer receives literal reply hold an opinion midway
between those extremes Every PRAYER receives some re
spOnse though not always a literal fulhlmcn,."
MANS DEPENDENCE on GOD
At Trinity the Rev Mr.. Douglass preached from the
text W-t ye not that must be about Fathers bust
ness 2" He said "Thcre kinds of strong in
the worId-those who depend entirely on themselves
and those who depend on Cod Man can not be inde
him He shrinks away from DEATH but there place
to shrink into There only three things to do-stop
thinking the Of all suicide or humble himself con-
fcss his guilt give himself up to God Just he is
There are truths Of religious lie, which,
tboueb common, must ever be mentioned.
II they seem tnreadbare 10 us, it IL proof that
hearts are night. II feel the truth Of mans being
In the world his erraud it will make char
Itsbe seeming failure Of maLy lives about It
will help vs. n own feor he is fool who pays no at
10 the adverse criticism, OF Others and more than
fool who sccumbs. How We 10 meet all the perpleX
ing questions Of life By realizing that we are not here
on our own merit but GOds-tnat not 10 choose
for ourselves, but let God choose for u.s.
THE SACRIFICE or ISAAC.
Here is the wood and here the fire. but where Is the
lamb /" Isaacs question 10 his father Abraham, Mr.
Tauoes text what DO we get Of this text :" ASKS
Mr. TaImage. Il hear aged minister say,
1t meaus that whatever God orders
to do, however unreasonable it seems. do
~ You must he willing to give up I.aac, and T. per
haps you wont nave To- eve nun up. Jeh'Vah iran
EnerN "o] ] hl if INT n G IN t fll f ii1 ,l
that God comes relief aud breaks ~ 10 stop pro-
ceCdHEs II Id. been 80 al through y LIE OF seventy
anf hnff 'IaG our heart. Tn are ~ oreanr Win Win Pns the
u.s. II we only look little further into te woods we viii
find substitute. TINS sceu"i- typical Of the last sacrifice.
only then there was no voice 10 SAY, -op! no arm tD
arrest the blow and the knife Glove down through
and artery sprayed the face OI the Prosecutors with
blood Isaac typical of JESUS Abraham knew That
Isaac he carried the wood mp the mountain. was - Oe
the yIe Of Jesus carrying his cross up alva. There
Isn't young man now who would allow NJ
father 10 bind him for such q sacrifice Christ will
Ing Had ne wished To II all the armies OF
Heaven had resolved drive him they could not He
was equal with God, and could tn sweep OF his
little finger have topped over the se.c hosts Had they
t!ied stay him he would have upftrd the gates OF
Heaven OE, step INTO ilt hihSdOm OF Goa, {" MaSSt-
not ten Of you hundred, thousand, but this
whole audience, IN mdss,, en- maSse!"
THE TEACHINGS OF JACOBS WRESTLE.
The Rev. George Alexander preached In the afternoon
from the text 81 God face TO face and my life
is preserved" JACOBS wrestling" said the preacher
lis an type Of the struggle which, at some time
other comes every mans SOUL and which determines
his whole after career Jacob had walked forth into the
darkness alone. II then that he met God. so with
us N we would truly meet God must be alone. our
Saviour recognized this when b. gave the eXhortaOn
Enter into thy closet alone Jacob wrrstled
I'm. LLr-un..- So ~ 4. MOT Il