St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-16
Rev. Sam Smiths Sermon to
the Peoples Church Yes
terday Morning.
He Has a Large Congregation
That Listens to His Hon
led Words.
Inclined to Make 1t a Bit
Easier for Sinners Than
Of YOre.
New Wine Must Have New
Bottles or Sonnet thing
Will Break.

The Rev. Sam Smith evidently intends
that there shall be no doubt in the
minds of, his hearers that he has entirely
cut loose from all church organizations,
and is hencefOrth to preach Christianity
on as liberal a pattern as any one can
desire. His sermon yesterday morning
was most vigorous against all church
organizations and creedS, or dOgmaS.
He went "a Their against the idea OF
future punishment, and urged that men
should refrain from SHINING simply be-
cause Of the utter hOrriblenesS of sin,
in itself, to God and man. The trend OF
his whole discourse went to prove that
sin would cut no particular figure with
the Creator.
The Opera house was well filled. The
attendance, while nearly as large as
that of week ago. was quite different
in it's composition. The parquette and
orchestra chairs were all taken when
the services began at IL o'clock. After
the usual opening exercises of the
church DIR. Smith read a number of an
nouncementS, among which was one
stating that the committee on church
organization would present a full plan
of organization to the members OF the
body on Wednesday evening.
HIS SERMON.
The text of the sermon was Matthew
tx, II: Neither do men put new wine
into old bottles: else the bottles break
and the wine runneth out, and the bot
ties perish; but they put new wine into
new bottles, and both are preserved"
The disciples of John, said the
speaker, were perpleXed when they
saw the disciples of Jesus ceased to
worship God after the old plan. The
PhariseeS were angry; these men only
perplexed. The matter was carried to
Jesus, and in answering it. in The words
of the text, he showed the breadth of
his own spirit. The old law had ten
commandments; the new diSpenSatiOn
ten beatitudes. The old law spoke of
penalties for tranSgreSSiOn; the new
Jew thrift, and the new one benefi-
cence. Jesus Christ came into the
world with,an audaciouS spirit, annOunc-
ing liberty for all men, and breaking
the letters which bound him to formal
ism and dogma. He opened to men a
new life, a new hope, and new lnSpira-
ton. Since that time dogmaS have
had no place in thes world. They are
like skeletons here, and theological
students like medical students are grave
| robbers. Christ came to establish a
worldwide religion which could not
| have it's existence in the national life
of His time. Hence there was break
between Him and His time. The dark
ness of that strife brooded over His
soul till the midday glow of Calvary
showed the cross on which He died.
|; There is anew wine of life in our
time which cannot be measured. There
is new life in every age as there are
new forms and institutions. There is
the new wine of manhood which runs
riot in this generation, of which older
I times knew nothing. The time for
building pyram ids for tembs has gone
by, and thank God that tire cathedral
building age. too, has passed away.
The time when men worked for 2 cents
a day slept in hutS and ate black bread
to build grand temple of worship has
gone by. We cannot run our inStitu-
tons by putting new patches On old
conceptions. The
PARTISAN METHOD
of cheap theaterS for the amusement of
the people will not do. Such things
must be regulated by spirit of justice
that recognizes that the neceSsarieS OF
life are due to every man. The true
blesSedneSS of life is not found in gain
ing things, but in doing good. Then
were the theological wine skins en-
tirely too thin to ever contain the new
wine that is ready for them. Every
generation brings new systems of
thought. Our little systems are only
side lights in the history of the religious
world. Every true and wise religion,
every one that touches the present must
lay one hand on the blessings of the past
| and the other on the thrObbing
life of the present, and build of these its
| joy and hope. This century of ours has
seen new sciences, new liberty. new
hopes, new theories, and new dreams in
| the heart of man. How large is the uni
verse of God and what conceptions does
| it bring to ones mind. Far back in the
twilight of history come new and
| grander rays of learning and knowledge.
-! This century comes to demand
A NEW THEOLOGY,
statements in harmony with tile age in
which we live; conceptions OF man, of
God, of how he manages this universe.
| Man must come to see how each swelling
| bud mingleS its life with all
| life. No wonder, when conceptions like
these crowd themselves upon us, no one
would think of putting new wine like
| these into old bottles, nodded 1000 years
ago. No wonder the dogmas and creedS
stretch and crack and break in these
days. Our Father in heaven is jailer, and
lie QOeSn not spend tilne III ueVlSinS
how l0Ag He will cast this man in to a
dungeon. Penalty abides with charac-
ter. Sin is a blight. Had nature as
many eyes as the sky has stars, she
would weep enough to deluge this
| little earth over the sins of men.
In face of all this will any one stop and
argue how long hell will last. Let
| them see that all sin, all wrong, all
| unholiness makes chaSm wide as can
| be between us and our God. Of the
old conceptions to the new wine of sal
walton, cannot speak this morning. bu
of those wicked conceptions which de-
bate whether God will damn us to ever
lasting torments or not, will say few
words. God pity the follies of those an
cient men. and may God blight and de-
| StrOy their abSurditieS.
Christ came to reveal to us new con-
! ception of divine truth, and our institu-
! tons should combine the historic growth
| of the ages. When a man worships
these he becomes like China, the
mummy of nations. When be destroys
| them he becomes savage. We cannot
rest on any old-time Traditional teach
ing of our boyhood. Every fiber of our
faith m ust be rebaptised every Nay"
! y