The Dillon tribune., 1885-10-31
oN' 6EAvERHEAD COUNTY SATURDAY, OCTOBER A. 1885,
A GLORIOUS SERMON.
Canon Farrar's Eloquent Effort ON nm Tenn,
Oclastic Theme,

oclastic Theme.
1t is said that Trinity Church. New
York, was never before SO crowded hv
earnest, thoughtful men and women Of ali
denominations as on last Sunday, when
Canon Farrar preached the morning dis.
course. The doors were besieged for ad.
mittance long before and after the service
began. Farrar wore a white robe. On
this was the conspicuous college hood of
Oxford. His text was: Little Children
keep Yourselves from Idols" The follow.
ing is passage Of his sermon:
"St. John tells you what God is, in three
sentences-God is righteous, God is light,
God is love-"
The idols which represent Him as a
God Of arbitrary caprice, treating men as
though they were dead clay to be dashed
about and shattered at his will; idols which
would represen. his justice as alien from
ours and those things as good in Him which
would be evil in us, are shattered on the
rock Of truth-that God is righteous.
The idols which represent Him as dc.
lighting in narrow Journalism, self
satisfied security and bitter exclusiveness,
making dull and acrid dogmatists the sole
elect, rejecting the brighter, bolder, larger
natures as though he loved the Jagged
thistles and dwarted bush better than the
Rose Of Sharon and the Cedars of Leba
| non; idols of the sectarian, idols Of the
fanatic, idols Of the Pharsee, idols Of those
whose ignorance would label themselves
as the only Christians and only gospelers,
are shattered by the ringing hammer stroke
Of the truth, that God Is light.
The idols which represent Him as the
only living life turned toward self or folded
within, caring nothing for the endless ago.
nies Of the creatures He has made; burn.
ing with implacable wrath against little
deviations Of opinions regarding even the
sins Of a child as deserving of infinite pun.
ishment-idols Of the zealots, idols of the
ecclesiastic, idols Of those who think their
puny wrath can work the righteousness Of
God, are dashed to pieces by the illimitable
force Of the tru:h-that God is love.
With these axes and hammers the world
breaks down the carved images Of the idol
temples, whether they be reared by sys.
tenatizing theology or BY ruthless syllo.
gism, and SO little children keep yourselves
from idols. But St. John will not merely
leave you to what is abstract, he will point
you to one whom. he has seen and from
whom he has heard the word of lie; to
one who in the brightness Of Gods glory
and express image Of his person, you read
the revelations Of your Savior. DO not go
to the human systems Of theology. DO
not seek human conceptions Of art in Or.
der to trust Him. II you trust even to
Thomas Attempts he will draw you a
picture Of Christ which leaves out Of sight
altogether the most essential feature of
His ministry--that He went about doing
good. II you rely on religious teachers
they may offer YOU dead Christ for the
living Christ; an agonized Christ for an
! ascended Christ. An ecclesiastical Christ
| for spiritual Christ; Christ for the elect
few for Christ for the sinful many; a
petty formulating sectarian Christ for the
royal Lord for the great free heart OF
manhood; a Christ Of the fold for Christ
Of the one great flock; Christ of Ger.
izim, Or Of Jerusalem, or OF Rome, or Of
Geneva, or Of Oxford, or Of Clapham, for
! the Christ of the universal world"
The sermon made a profound impres.
sion, and is printed in part by the morning
papers.