New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-05
SERMONS WORTH READING.
Nv.
THE DOMINION OF CHRIST.
ST. BARTuoLoMEw's PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL
CHURCH LISTENS TO ITS NEW RECTOR,

CATION Of St. Bartholomews Protestant Episco
pal Church, at Madls0nave. and Forty-fourth-
ST., extended to its now rector, the Rev DR.
David II. Greer, DR.. Greer Is a fneloohins
pleasant faced man, fortyfour years Old and comes
from Grace Church. In Providence, r. l.. where, in
sixteen years OF earnest work, he raised the mem
bcrship Of the church from 400 TO LOO actual COM
municants Dr. Greer possesses rare gift of extern
pore speech, both words and thought flowing along
smoothly ard at the same tIno in most impressive
manner His text yesterday was Hebrews Kill, g.
and he said In substance:
to ts hgnSd ago s. pP wrote
history is an Illustration Of and commen
isa sy, upon tho truth Of his words Change and
decay are the order Of human lfo, and things which
arc apparently inmovable not able to stand
~rganst the tooth Of me and rayage of oblivion,
mankind, when the changes of society exception
ally rapid and radical; Such period was the fourth
schoolmen the century Of the Crusaders was tho
e h s OF the and such period seems
both more numerous and rapid, II not moro radical
period OF equal duration In the whole previous history
Naturally therefore, at such time as this, whom
In the Church and In the state, when no change
sV to Surprise us he sno and ts
while no great change occurs-naturally, / say,
AT such wh time ,. as h mi; we arc, disposed TO
which we can, In the midst of things that ars
passing away with feeling OF security cling and
upon which we may with proper confidence rest
1t Is in response to this line Of inquiry that Will
ask you this morning to consider first. the fact ITSELF
and then the significant of it, and the lessons which
II teaches; that spite of all the changes that have
tax place IN the past that are taking place IN
Jesus Christ has been, IS and In my judgment always
Will be, yesterday today and forever the abiding
life. do not mean to say, of course, that the
speculative beliefs of concerning Jesus Christ
AZ ctfhfe 10 fatr hat hapo hux,n
been no changes In what is commonly called the
world of religious opinion, for in the face OF facts
could l or any ono truthfully say that But what
mean Is this That the personal dominion Of Jesus
OF men, by all the changes that have taken place has
not been In the slightest measure disturbed but
has widened more and more |" with the process OF
me suns and this maintain Is a historical fact
we can see it in our Immediate audience, we can hear
us voice.; and with our hands we can touch and
handle and come into contact with 1t.
The first of disciples of Jesus had to walk by faith
ad nm IN . us calm TO- perpetual dominion has t hey
up IN the sight of the world His attractive power had
not been widely felt, 1T had not yet been proved
But to-day, with the manifestations of that power
throughout all civilization for $500 years and around
us on every hand, pevading our best political inst-
tutlOns, percang our social economy, leavening our
literature, glorfyng our art, inspiring our phllan,
thNpes, influencing moro or less the whole broad
movement Of our modern conduct, and emanating
from character which even after the lapse Of nearly
nineteen centuries IS still regarded as the ideal OF
over the face Of Christendom, with painful sense
OF shorcomlng indeed, yet with sincere and honest
%o ste sH IT, John sua Mil MS fom Sis him.
% 1 wei to 1s and OF
he hen ei' SPEAKS AXIS as hottest ameas the mighty
mighiiest among the holy, lifting With pierced hands
uhes. out Of Its channel, and still governing the
ages'
away iiuddha, and the light Of Asia such as 1t IS
SIN shines take away Ioroaster, and the fire SIN
AMI hilltop take away Confucius, and the primitive
religion OF the Celestial Empire Is In no way impaired
Ills name is stamped on every page Of the New
Testament writings on every chapter Of ecclesiastical
II Is liturgy sypfy vsry %f o2 u w
for Christianity in It's essential and distinctive char
Jesus Christ exerts. And so from the very outset
wherever the great tidal wave Of the Christian re-
peoples Of the earth, from the shores Of Palestine,
across the waters Of the Mediterranean, through the
pu"be and pi the EST aber to- the ao coasts Of the
British Isles, it is the form Of the personal Christ
wave, commanding attention. provoking thought
elicng homage and love While, therefore,, there
and with numerous disciples It is none the less true,
as Mr.. Lecky remarks that " 1t reserved for the
character, which through all the changes Of 1900
years has filled the hearts of with an lmpassoncd
on all ages, nations, temperaments aud conditions,
and which has exerled so deep an influence that It
short years Of active life has done regcnerae
and soften mankind than all the dispositions Of
istsD
Let us now 60 step further, and consider the sig
been and done in history also see what lie Is
Tor If 1t be true, and not that 10 Is disputed
that the power OF Jesus Christ has shown Itself 10 10
different from and greater than that OF all great men
combined, II must be other than human; II must DO
Rs e vr the gSat else bS not tat tSe es
impaired It, It must have proceeded from All eternal
source. Without any finite limitation TO 1t as far as
We can perceive, III It's range OF acnun 1t must nave
proceeded from an infinite source Overcoming all OBJ
siacles, and Obstacles too which others have found
nsumountable 1t must have proceeded from something
lie an omnpoient source. Without sufficient aad
adequate cause or explanation IN human nature, as
We know human nature, it must have proceeded from
moking exclusively for righteousness, IL must have
procee led lrIm perfect source Perfect, absoiuie
omnipoent, Infinite and eternal; there the positive
philosopher tells us are unthnhaoe terms, conveying
definite meaning to Us and which We have no right
employ and SO perhaps In the abstract, and up In
tho air, hey unthinkable terms But looking at
the power Of Jesqs CHRIST on the
done and is doing ia human affairs, and comparing
that power with all Others that have energ zed In
OF an English thcologian, that while In themselves
indeed these unthInkabc terms, yet far as
can enter at all into the comprehension OF them
them in Jesus Christ, and that for us at least
and as far as concerned, The Absolute
born at Bethcehem of the Holy Ghost and tho Virgin
Mary, the Perfect det on Calvary, the Omnirotent
rose at Easter, the Infinite assembled rom Be'hany
and the Eternal came down from Peniecost' Ihus
do reach the conviction, not by the subiotle
process of metaphysical analysis, nor by the
delicate balancings OF textual and critical study for
but by obscry ation-by looking at facts, by tho
positive method of historical review and COM
parIson that among all tho sons OF MOI. there Is
mono Ike unto the Son Of Man. that jesus Christ.
welding scepiro invincibie and divine, Is on the
throne In this world. King OF kings, Lord oil lords,
God manifest in flesh. Here then, is the fact and
hcrc is the significance OF Il 1hs Kingdom OF Jesus
hrst is perpetual kingdom, II does not pass away,
and the Kingdom OF Jesus Christ is the Kingdom OF
God.
Let mo now direct your attention 10 some lessons
which the fact teaches, and FIRST this In the ia,t OF
tho perpetuity OF the Kingdom OF Jesus CHRIST
In this world find the true Unity
OF the past and the principle OF CON
tnuiiy In history. We that all the changes when
have taken place. that all the dire caamities whlch
have been experienced, victories which have been
won, that all the defeats and Losses and ovsrthr0ws
which have been encountered, have had the enect