Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-09-13
CHURCH CHIMES.
The Sermon of the Reverend :. j. Car
roll, Pastor of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.
"Neyertheless, Tell You the Truth;
tits Expedient For You That
1 Go Away, &C."
Mr.. CarrOll's Plan of Preaching From
the Scripture Selections Of the
international Sunday School
Association.

There was an excellent audience at the
Methodist Episcopal Church yesterday,
and the people listened very attentively
to the sermon of the pastor the Rev. S.
J. Carroll.
Mr.. Carroll has been preaching every
Sunday morning on some portion OF the
Scripture for the day, selected by the In
ternational S. S. Association, and studied
in all the Evangelical Sunday Schools in
the United States and other Protestant
countries. He selected as text John
S6:7. Nevertheless tell you the truth
it is expedient for you that / go away,
&C." As furnishing suitable introduce
ton to this, the subjects of the previous
SUNDAYS were briefly referred to,
carrying the thoughts of the nearer
to that memorable "upper room" in
Jerusalem when the memorial of Christ's
death was instituted His apostles taught
| to serve not rule by the Masters lowlv
service, washing the disciples feet and
| from whence Judas went out, having re-
ceived "the sop" to complete his deed
of mfamy, then went out of the upper
room," along the narrow shaded streets,
out OF the city gates, over Kedroms ''mui-
muring stream" along the slopes OF
| Olivet to the border OF the Garden OF
Gathsemaen. Here, or perhaps before
crossing the Kedrom, the Master stood
with His disciples, and comforted their
dropping hearts with the beautiful senti-
ments and sublime promises of the 14th
and 18th chapters promises covering
every emergency in this life, and secur-
ing to them the inheritance of peace here
and mansions in our Fathers House and
then, He tells them that the condition
by which these are secured as
such union with Himself
as exists between the branch
and the vine, saying: "If we abide in Me
and My words abide in you, we shall ask
what We will and it shall be done unto
you" Then He suddenly announces to
them, at is expedient for you that 60
away" How strange! Contrary to or
binary human reasoning. For ii union
was necessary, it was needful for Christ
to remain. To illustrate the human view,
father gathers his little ones around
him, and says, | know that when |
am gone there are foes who will
drive you out OF this home; and
he doeth God service. Nevertheless,
|
The Master knew their weakness,
that they were not yet confirmed, that in
the palms OF one the silver was clanking
at this moment; another would swear he
did not know him ere another day break,
and another knowing if his tomb was
empty he should refuse to believe with
| out vision of the nail-prints, yet he
said it was expedient.
This brings us face to face with the
| problem OF the age, the comparative in
terest OF temporal and eternal things
We know that the best does not al
ways seem thus. that the painful is
sometimes better than the pleasureable;
but how few practically realize it. Every
agent, every individual OF the race, comes
painfully to the practical knowledge OF
this truth.
If the three influences that have drawn
from mankind the greatest amount OF
toll, sacrifice and suffering, were named,
they would doubtless be gold, honor and
pleasure. But gold will not purchase
health honor will not buy unselish love (;
pleasure is not exchanged for peace.
Aye, all these, gold honor and pleasure,
are not the price OF moments peace.
The higher interests OF the disciples
demanded that he should go away.
Even infidels who have written
OF Christ, and by impious hands have
torn from Him His robes OF divinity and
taken the coronet and septre OF the
King OF Kings away, have been impelled
to confess not only that His teachings
were the sublimest philosophy and His
character the grandest in human history,
but that His death was heroic martyr
dom for humanity. Even they who fol-
| lou NOT avap He taonbipnu laclara
was expedient for Him to 60 away. 1t
was the flower, the fruit OF His life and
teachings. He saw every moment of that
terrible night and awful morrow, yet
He deemed it expedent. Deeper reasons
there were than these; there must be a
Precipitation for the sin OF mankind, such
as will maintain the majesty of the law
against sin, and yet permit mercy to be
offered to the sinner consistently there
with. EXpedient, because it would cor
rect human conceptions OF God and teach
them that Good so loved the world as to
give His only begotten Son" to ransom
man. also to prevent anthropomorphic
conception of God. 1t was necessary to
make intercession for man. EXpedient,
because else the Comforter, the Holy
Ghost, would not come.
The extension and perfection Of Christ's
kingdom depends upon mans conviction
OF the sinfulness of sin, and his hatred Of
it; upon correct ideas OF righteous living
among men, and dread OF judgment
to visit punishment upon the transgressor
OF law and the neglecting of the obiga-
tons to righteous living
Mr.. Carroll then explained. and en-
forced these thoughts at length, and
closed his sermon with fitting words.