Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-10-25
AN ELOQUENT SERMON.
Rev. DIR. Aubrey, Of London, in the
Congregational Pulpit.
His Subject, "The Reward Of Good
IntentiOn," Beautifully Handled.
"a Merciful Savior Takes Into Ac.
count The Motive and Aim"

cStcIud1, llc pulpit vi the Nov -
Brainerd Thrall's church was occupied
by the Rev. DIR. Aubrey, Of London, Eng
land, whose brief visit to this city was
announced in our issue of Saturday. The
auditorium was filed by an intelligent
and influential audience, who listened
with close interest while the Doctor dis
coursed for thirty-fve minutes on
THE REWARD OF \ GOOD INTENTION,
AS suggested by the incident recorded OF
David in Kings, vi, 1913. The Doctor
showed how the principle therein en-
bodied runs throughout the Old and New
Testaments. God judges, not by visible
or tangible results, which can be weighed
in scales or ascertained by measure, but
by the impelling motive. Ii this be right
and noble, then the attempt to render
service is recognized, even though it may
fail to accomplish all that was intended.
The Divine relationship to men is OF tue
same kind as that of parents to their
children, though infinitely higher in de-
gree, as the Savior has clearly taught in
the analogy laid down in the gospel by
ST. Matthew. Just as father would
not tantalize a hungry child by offering
him stone for bread, so God does not
withhold any good and needful things
from his children. In like manner, Just
as parent accepts some little loving gift
from child on a birthday, without APP
praising it by commercial value, so God
accepts human service according to the
motive that inspired it, even accepting
the will for the deed where actual per-
Torrance is impossible. The principle
was amplilied and illustrated in variety
of practical and touching ways by the
doctor, who drew some beautiful pictures
that helped to exhibit the subject in
vivid light. He graphically described for
example the widows two mites, as
furnishing striking instance of the prin-
ciple enshrined in the text, and as he de-
lineated the incident, the hearers could
almost listen to the
CHTNK OF THE MONEY IN THE BOX,
So intense and realistic was the word
painting. He also showed how the
Savior's teachings all tended to develop
and apply the same great rule, OF how
good intention is divinely rewarded, as
in the promise attaching to the gift OF
cup OF cold water to disciple, and in the
parable OF the judgment day, when
acts and words of kindness done
and said in Christ's name shall
meet with their full recognition and
reward. 1t was pointed out that even
Christian people are sometimes inclined
to despond when looking back upon their
lives, because they have not succeeded
in realizing the lofty ideals with which
they set out, or in carrying into effect the
grand plans laid down in the glow and
hopefulness OF youth. They may even
be prompted to inscribe against their
life-story
THE BITTER WORD, FAILURE,
And yet the Savior does not so Judge
them, because He takes into account the
motive and the aim. They are, perhaps,
timid and hesitating about the presenta-
ton OF their life-service to the Savior, be-
cause it appears so small and insignif-
cant rs to be quite unworthy of His
notice. But He takes it, and looks it
through and through, carefully scruti-
nizing it to discern the intention. If this
be good and pure, the service becomes
great and luminous, far beyond its in
trinsic value, and it will be received and
rewarded, not according to its
supposed worth among men, but
because OF the motive that actuated
it. The discourse, while thoroughly
evangelical, was intensely practical, and
was calulated to he Of great service, as
encouraging and stimulating those who
try to be and to do the right under adj
verse and difficult circumstances. 1t also
abounded in exquisite touches OF feeling
AMI OF pathos 1t was delivered wholly
without notes, and was the earnest utter
ance OF man who evidently felt and
meant what he said. At the close OF the
service, many OF the hearers were intro
duced to DIR. Aubrey, and expressed the
high qualification with which they had
listened to him; although the unim-
paired attention and the unbroken silence
of the audience during the sermon were
the best proof OF interest and the highest
tribute TO the preacher.