St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-23
And Rev. Father Gibbons at
the Cathedral Says EN-
phatieally Yes"
Central Park Church Opened
for the First Services Yes
terday Morning.
Summary Of the Doings of
Sunday Gathered From
All Sources.
DOES 1T PAY TO PRAY?
Sam Smiths Sermon at the Grand
The First Church Roll.


''The first church roll of the Peoples
church viii be historic document" said
Rev. sam Smith yesterday morning.
'On il will bc the names of the charter
members. One hundred years hence
the grandchildren of these members
will he looking over this list and thank
ing God for such ancestors. We now
have more than 100 names, and the
work i still going on. The first bap-
tiSm will take place next Wednesday
evening AZ the Sunday school rooms, on
Macku1in street, and members will then
be received into the church."
y larger crowd than at any time be-
fore III the history of the new church
movement was gathered together at the
Grand Yesterday morning. The par
Quette, dress circle. and even part of
the balcony were filled. After the
ritualistic part of the services had been
gone through with, Rev. DIR. Smith
stepped forward and delivered an elO-
Quent. but in no wise sensational or
even striking sermon, from Job xxi, Is:
''What is the Almighty, that we should
serve Him. And what profit should
We have. ii we pray unto 1im?''
$50 questioned men in the far-off
dawn time. said the speaker, lin the
youth Of the world. So asked their
longing hearts under Chaldean skies, as
they ask to-day, What profit is there in
prgyerF Ii 1t is true that there is an
ear ever open 10 our cry; If it is true
that this ear is bent down to hear us
pray. what more lofty conception can
be given lis? Prayer arises out of the
realm of reflection and not out of the
realm of action. Men have prayed in
all times. in all countries. and in all re-
ligiOuS systems. Life is not an ideal
thing.
IT'S A COMPROMISE
fin every case between ourselves and our
environments. l can't come here
and force You to believe there
is anything in prayer. A
religious truth is not a mental club that
knocks man down and cOmpelS him to
receive it, There is nothing good in
the world. nor has there ever been any
thing good. against which doubt could
not be raised. The highest and hottest
things can be argued against. A good
argument can be made that it does not
pay 10 love. but the human heart will,
nevelt eleSS continue to love TO the utter
most limits OF time. Prayer demand that
there shall be sympathy in this uni
verse: that the fierce heats of summer
somehow tempered for us: that some
where in this universe there exists a
being as tender-heaTted as we our
selves are. 1t is demand for unmeaS-
ured beneVOlence as over against un-
measured power. 1t is a demand that
ocean storms, that earthquakes, that
whirlwindS shall be subject to a great
master mind. --
lt-.'Wifl God hear and answer us in our
folly, when interests clash, and one
mans good is anOther's injury? This
would make a eapriciouS universe.
FheSe questions can be answered when
this universe, in which we live; has
been so explored that the mystery of
everything that surrounds us is known.
If the chanting of a half dozen priests
can set the air in motion and start an
avalanche crashing down the valley,
producing widespread desolation and
destruction, who knows what may be
the effect of an uplifting and sending
out of mans spiritual breath. What
would men and women do in this
cursed world without prayer? What.
in the dark nights of our sorrow and
trouble, if we could not pray? What
would the man do, strong with life, but
weak from
REPEATED MORAL CONFLICTS,
if he could not ray? l call you from
the realms of doubt, despair and trouble,
and ask yOu what would you do could
you not commune with God? / tell YOU
that this morning he bends down from
above, ready to bring you joy and good
ness if only You will ask him. Does it
pay to pray? Ask that saint who has
gone on through all the years of his
life, as he has stood on the mountain
heights of prayer and caught such Wis
ions as Ezekiel never saw. Ask him, |
saw"