New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-07
PREACHERS WORTH HEARING
XXXIV.
e,cuop FOWLER IN THE OPERA HOUSE.
,ocrRINE OF THE AToNEMENT PREACHED
no THE DELEGATES OF THE METHODIST
CONFERENCE AND HUNDREDS
OF THEIR FRIENDS.

CONFERENCE AND HUNDREDS
OF THEIR FRIENDS
,,.,ee that nearly nlled the Metropolitan Opera
-. .,,ered Yesterday afternoon the service held
nv w., he auspices Of the New-Yerk City Church Ex
49,, and Missionary Society. The boxes were
r,sd for the part by those who sit there from
sv. 70 DAY listening to the spirited debates In the
10. 80, which is reserved for the delegates week
pesN . first come first served" the rule The
,,,,es we.c soon filled the crowd poured IN from
-..wav Three familiar hymns, led by precentor,
- r,,ch seemingly every person In the great audience
,.ea. familiar chapter from the prophecies Of Isaiah
~ nreceding and following the sermon; q sermon
Of the leading bishops of the Church, professedly
.,rnal but so eminenty practical that the humbest
TIA could grasp the thought; these were the charac.
..as.,cs OF tho service.
vrupty at O'Clock President Spence, Of the Grant
,,,a, University, read Of Wesleys fayorite
s s.e 90 For q Thousand Tongues to Sing" The
,,sne was followed by prayer by the Rev. DIR. Leroy
=, venom Of Italy, who referred tendcry tho sudden
s,h n Dr. Clark, OF Maine, member OF the Confer
..s one Of its assistant secretaries. TIE Rev. DIR.
% nav OF Newburg, read the Scripture passage, and
- ,he singing OF the hymn When 1 Survey the
,,,,,o,s Gross" read by The Rev. Dr. J. @. w. Coke,
80, Dr. E. McChesney, OF st. Pau's Church, who
,asd introduced Bishop Q. ii. Fowler. Of San Fran
80 as the preacher Of the day. After reading the
-, Bishop Fowler laid aside his glasses placed the
phe on the table, and spoke for seventy minutes with
out referring to any manuscript His subject tho
.onenent and he pictured the love of God mani
sea in the gift OF His Son. giving illustrations from
,s,ory and experiences his audience deeply moved.
srCCEssFUL AS PASTOR EDITOR AND BISHOP.
Bishop Fowler was born in Burford Canada, in
lp0us; 1887 -Four years later his father moved 10
Illinois where the spent his early years farm.
After studying Rock River Seminary in Mount Morris
he entered Gcnesee College at Lima N. Y, where he
vas graduated in 1859 He afterward began the
study Of at Chicago, but soon after this he was
converted and at changed his purpose, began
course preparations for the ministry and in 1861 was
graduated at Garrett Biblical institute Evanston, Ill
The same year he was admitted trial into the Rock
River Conference OF the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and was appointed successfully churches in Chicago
III in 1872 he elected president of the Northwestern
University. He had been successful pastor and his
ability as an educator exhibited marked degree
But the General Conference had still greater field Of
usefulness in view for him
1876 Bishop Fowler was elected TO the editorshp
The New-YOrk Christian Advocate four years later
be chosen one OF the corresponding secretaries OF
the Missionary Society OF the Methodist Episcopal
Church 1884 he elected and ordained Bishop
The degree OF D. d. conferred him by the North
western University and that OF LII d. by the Syracuse
University. DR.. Fowler delegate to the General
Conferences OF 1872, 1870. 1880, and 1884. While
holding his present oce he has travelled through all
parts Of the country in the performance OF his official
duties and has also visited South America His home
IA in San Francisco and he devoted a large share
O. his labors to the interests OF his denomination In the
Pacific States.
PAUL,s STATEMENT OF THE AToNEMENT
Bishop words from the third chapter
Of Epistle the Romans as his text: Whom God
hath forth be a Precipitation through faith in His
blood His righteousness for the remission OF
sins that are past through forbearanCe Of Cod to
declare say, this time His righteousness, that lie
might be Just and the jusIGcr Of him which beeveth
In Jesus" Io his seymon he said:
This is PauIs great statement Of the Atonement Here
have Gods justice and righteousness mans sin ana
helpessness, Gods forbearsnee ana psraoninR herT
through faith the propitiatng blood Of Christ we
in the midst of group of majestic ideas There IS
hardly single truth in the whole round OF human
thought worthy of absorbing the attention or hrng the
ambition OF an immortal being that Is not mentioned ..
involved in this text AS great ruler must be surroanoed
ty great statesmen and supported by great people SO
this great doctrine Of aonemen must be surrounded py
Fundamental truths and IL must be supported by Vasp
extensive appliances for Its proper
handling Its proper presentation. Look at the mighty
truths reaching Of eternity and out OF mans inhnte
want to gspple and appropriate this doctrine ooo
righteousness Justice man, freedom SIM moral govern
rent accountability, Immortality. Judgment the fncarna
ton the dying OF the Son OF God forbearance mercy,
pardon. salvation eternal life These are an inhne pa.
Forty centuries full OF struggling philosophers never
turned the telescope OF human thought upon such blazing
and amazing galaxy Only God spread such firma-
men and train our eyes to mark the march OF
this mighty Once 10 have considered these truths
to elevated above the plane OF mere nature
and lifted darkness OF mere heathenism Hence
forth God forth Jesus for your atonement For
.vermore pardon and heaven have once at least been
Let everybody hear me- Art thou philosopher, lost
m the depths OF thy own reasoning? Hear For
this statement that God has set forth His Son as pro-
ntiao for our sins in such statement Chat be true
does not whatever else be false, and II be raise
II does not what else be true Art thou scholar
wearied with the weight Of thy knowledge? Hear me-
Though this may thee as it did TO the Greeks,
fooshness. Yet 1t is the wisdom OF God. Art thou
sinner with thy gloom and guilt ready at times
to break Jail with suicides hand and fee from thyse
into the enswahing darkness OF endless despair near
me- Thou needest not to die Jesus Christ mas aeo
remission Of sins that are past There is
way OF escape There is straight and narrow way up
To life eternal life For by this atonement God IS able 10
be just aud justify him. whosOever he may be, however
deeply mrd In corruption and lost TO all honor that De-
heveth In Jesus Art thou believer walking with trem-
bling and anxious step fearing lest such riches should prove
100 be thine Hear by this token thou mayest
hope for oil things Let everybody hear me- This IS the
good news for all God has made an Atonement Tor
oil men through faith in the blood of Jesus May God
help all to hear and believe and be saved.
IMPORTANCE OF THE AToNEMENT.
This great truth OF the Atonement is central In every
system OF theology. Every proposed solution OF the
problem Of mans redemption is characterized by its teach
ing In reference to Christ He is the bridge over the
bottoness gull. All systems cross 1t one way or tho
other and receive their value at this crossing Every
school answer, What think Of Jesus and answer
ing stamped accordingly. All other items in every sys-
TEN are ranged about this We stand face 10 face with the
word the one word, which God has uttered 10 the
Thus theme be studied first and and always
1t needs hardly TO be SAID that this is question be
settled by the Scriptures Nan has no faculties that
determine this weightest OF all questions. II is the
question Of deciding what shall mend the broken law OF
GOd This is too utep Tor nan. IL is the question
measuring the claims OF the moral government when that
government stretches all ranks Of moral beings and
has been Inundated and dehed and caused CULVER al
most in death agony TO the utmost OF its wide do
main. That Is TOO vast far man. 1t Is question OF
poing the scales OF eternal justice amid the shocks
OF open and defiant rebellion when the Of deirous
world about the eternal throne This too lofty
for 1t is the question Of arbtrang the direct and
indirect damages In the moral universe wrought by the
and hateful of SIM monster which
God hates IL must be purely question Of revelation The
infinite issues involved could AFFORD the bunders and
OF unaided human calcula TONS have the
absolute certainty OF Gods statements. With glad
hearts turn the electric lights OF prophet and apos
tie and let the headlight Of the Sun Of Righteousness
blase In the dark bosom OF this problem Whatever God
do and must final satisfactory
THE sUFFERINGS OF THE SAVIOUR
The AtOnement is defined by as the pro-
pitiaory sueFngs OF Christ for SIM which declare the
righteousness Of God and make 1t possible for Him 10
Justify the believer In Jesus
Here we have the sinner guilty and under sentence
needing pardon God righteous condemning SIM yindi.
eating His law as holy, Just and Good. The blood Of