Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-04-02
THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH.
a BkRMON ERoM A STRAEGE
PULPIT.

PULPIT.
Ana the Opening Sermon OF Rfs
Mt. Salem M. Il. Church - "rhe
Duty Of saAn.'I
The picturesque little granite church at
Delaware avenue and Washington street,
In which the Rev. j. B. Parmelee, him
self originally a congregstionalist min.
lister, expoupds the doctrines Of truth
and life ss revealed TO the world through
the agency OF Emanuel Swedenborg, the
6wedish seer, was crowded Sunday
morning by congregation In which the
Methodist element was conspicuous. There
were present members of the Asbury,
Union, Mt. Salem AID probably other
Methodist congregations, drawn thither
by the announcement that the Rev. j. X.
Smith, recently OF the Mt. Salem NJ. Il.
Church. would occupy the pulpit.
Mr.. Smith 10 we'll known to Whining
toniAns. He is q genial gentleman, Of
medium stature and has q fairly modu-
lated voice tinotured with more Of per-
auasivsness than Of vehsmenoe. he is
81 years old and has = wife and seven
small children. He had been connected
wish the Methodist ministry for IA years;
arst as junior pastor on the Smyrna
circuit for two years, then sucoessively
stationed al Lincoln, Sussex county, for
two years, at Milton, Sussex
county, for two years, at Denton,
Caroline county, Md, for three
years, at Gresnsborough, in the
same county, for three yeas, and for tie
past two years at Mt. Salem Church, In
sbs suburb Of The Highlands. Some
eight months ago he began residing New
Church books, became deeply interested
in their theological teachings and made
theiacquaintsnoe Of Mr.. PArmelee aud in
vited shat gentleman TO presoh In his
church, which Mr.. Psrmelee did one Sun
day in August last. Gradually Mr..
Smith grew into the faith Of the New
Church and, at the recent session Of the
Wilmington Conference, at Snow Hill,
announced the change his religious Views
hsd undergone and withdrew from the
Methodist fold. At the invitation Of MIR.
Parmelee he occupied New Church pull
pit for the first time yesterday nnd CON.
Quoted the services throughout.
He TOOK the text Of his morning dis.
course from Isaiah Ii, IA /; "The captive
exile hasteneth that he may be ioosed
and that he should mot die In the pit ;
nor that his bread should fail"
Under this figure the prophet speaks Of
the remains Of Roud and truth on the
earth, that which Is frequently spoken
Of In the scriptures ~ "the remnsnt,"
the goods and truths which in all ages
and Irrespective Of creed or denomina.
tional lines have, amid the surrounding
darkness Of fslsities, made mp the church
Of God on earth and enabled men TO be
conjoined 10 God and to be fitted for
heaven, which could not have been had
all truth and all good psriahed from the
world.
Read In the literal sense this text is
almost inoomprehensible. But we are
taught by the Lord through swedenborg
that within the letter Of His Word there
Is q spiritual meaning and that every.
thing in the material world corresponds
70 some form either Of good and truth or
Of evil and falsity in the spiritual world.
In the spiritual sense captivity Is .
deprivation Of the truth, and captive
exile Ia one who Is withheld from the
truth aud vAststed by fAlsities. "Hsst
eneth" Is mot spoken of time, as there Ia
neither time nor space In spiritual ideas,
but indioates rather state OF
tsgerness to be "loossd," to come
into 9 knowledge Of the truth and
conjunction with God ''that he should
mot die" that ia that he should not be
utterly overwhelmed by falsities and
entirely and eternally cut off from the
knowledge and influence Of truth and left
In "the pit" where nothing but evils and
fslsities can enter. The word "bread''
In the spiritual sense sigpiAss all truths,
ss may be seen In the expression "the
bread OF life !" the word "breAd" In itf
broadcast sense meaning everything on
mans table, his whole physical nutri
mens, and hence, in spiritual sense, hif
whole spiritual nutriment, which en-
braces all Of truth that he can sssimilatt
into his spiritual life.
By sttruth" we mean not merely tht
expression Of that which is true indeed
the mere expression Of truth may b,
differentiated from truth itself. Truth II
substance, an entity, and In the highes
sense 10 predloated OF the Lord himself
Thus we fnd John speaking Of "the true
light, even the light which lighteth ever
man coming into the world" Even 81
every one, In every land, Of every Greet
or Of no creed, has stored up within hin
from his infancy something Of trutl
which, however 1t may seem to be \
after life perverted by islses, still
renders IL possible for him to be conjoine'
with God. This remnant OF truth, thes
''remaips," forms groundwork upol
which TO rear the superstruoture OF
true christian character. We're th re n
such remnant there would be no founda
tiou upon which TO build and man wot !
be inoapsble Of being ooDjoined TO God
The orthodox churches fail to see thii
teaching the doctrine OF total depravit
and Of salvation by faith; but ther
could be no work Of regeneration war
there no foundation Of truth In th
human heart upon which to build.
The speaker compared the growth
mans spiritual nature In truth to that
his physical nature In stature. In infAnc
his mother selects and often masticatt
his food bsiors giving 1t to him
swallow; as he grows he cuts his teet
and Iearus TO mssticAte the food seleote
for him; later on he both selec
and mAsticates his own food,
like manner the spiritual intsnt's food
At frat selected and prepared for him
others 90 he grows In spiritual statu
he becomes capable and IL fs his duty
examine for himself the spiritual food 8
before him, TO Investigate for himse
what is truth and 10 nae that only, ,rejsC
ing what his own owledge and resesit
show him is mot truth.
One great trouble with many membe
Of orthodox churches Is that they q
under the bondage Of cread. Th'
believe in the theology which they .
taught, not because they have inves
gated 1, for them elves and know 1t to
true, but because others whom tn
recognize as superior TO themselves
knowledge, and, on when they lean !
auidanoe, tell them that 1t Ia truth. 7
speaker was sooosted by member OF
late charge the other day, to whom
gave his fsas ms for the change that b
come over him. The response OF
friend was to the effect that those thiu
were too mysterious for him, and
could only 60 on and do the best he kn
how. Commenting on this oonvsrsatit
Mr.. Smith dwell earnestly upon the
portanoe Of individual research, Of ev'
mAu's duty TO seek after the truth
himself aud not indolently to acc
unqusstioningly merely what was ?
scented to him by others.
As an illustration Of the power OF tr,
In making the world better, the spea
Adduot our own repu lilo. In formul
ing the Declaration Of Independence
fathers Of our government caught
glimpse, but distorted one, Of this q
idea. They enunciated 80 "selfevid
truths,, that s'au men are created eq'
that they are endowed by their cfs'