New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-04
PREACHERS WORTH HEARING
yXXvIIL.
m LYMAN ABBOTT IN PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

u .t,or v.sterday In his prayer he referred to
coming political conventions, and prayed that all
,,ons OF the land might be bound together, and that
,hsro might be no undue manifestations OK feeling ds
.,srsd The sermon was on The Christians Rest
~. text being MY presence shall go with you and
In rive thee rest Toward the end Of the hour
w. shhot. began to talk about Plymouth Church and
ho facilities which 1t enjoys for the work OF social re-
en-, Az he did SO he stepped to the extrcne edgc
=, tb nlatform and spoke with something Of the fro
Cor which tho pulpit was so long celebrated The
.s,snon was substantially as follows;
TIE soctne that Gods presence with His people
. ~ csntre doctrine OF revelation. 1t is for the
nicaon Of this that revelation has been given. 1t Is
,bs enforcement OF this that It has given limo upon
"a rreceut upon preeept This is the central truth
nron which all other truths converge around which all
sr ruths circulate Even that truth which sometimes
onn,ed the central one" God is love'would have
,.o ,-aIue FOR US IL not accompanied with this
other declaration tina. the Oh .nss D hs love
- an the various events recorded in the Old Testament
Ia en- no New, accounted miracles. were wrought
Sey are witnesses Divine presence not to truth as
sometimes said but to living person. and to the pres
snee Of a living person In the world
II ts for this thai all these stories are recorded That
. might be clear Israel that the Divine presence was
Win his people. the waters OF the Red Sea opened and
his people marched through as upon dry ground For
~. too the stories OF the later revelation This is the
u,h which above all other truths nhdelty seeks to de-
priye US Of -, 49,. ,,.,
s,acrerate its fathl The Church believes in Gods
sence with Moses with David with Jesus with Puui.
pfese a. stons The God that once spoke nas suddenly
rrown dumb The God full Of allpervading vital
energy suddenly lost power or man has lost ears TO
sosr hearts feel hands 10 obey and follow. They
will Relieve that Gods presence is with particular
church or in particular epoch at particular time,
witnessed by particular event
THE OCCASION OF PROMISE
Now In our text this presence Of God is set forth
n-o e 10 who is weary in his work. and appalled, by
sense Of magnitude OF it. Moses had been called to
ead an ignorant ustemancpaed people out Of bond
age 20 organize them into peculiar nation and TO lay
in them the foundatlons Of future civilization He
sreb task had declared himself utterly incompetent
FOR IT, lie had asked for assistance, and God had givon
him Aaron. and with Aaron as his eomrade ne had
started wilderness. and the difficulties that lay
In the way nothing compared with the dlmculties
that presented themselves at every step from reoeAous
ana recaeitrant people There from the very out
se OF the evidently parties ane loyal to God and
70 Noses and the disOya TO God and TO Moses Az
every new anlction difficulty the disoyal element DE-
anded 10 be led back TO Egypt At last they 10 the
foot Of Sinai and Moses went up the mountain ana
=, the host 10 Aaron The nebelous element stronger
So wild was this orgy become that Mosess appearance
id not hinder it. did it cease I'LL he had called nose
that were him his SIDE and the sword was gded
reonstrance Is the assistance was to have 10
snsrees NV presence shall go with thee and win
give thee rest 1 don't think that Moses ever after
that looked TO Aaron for his helper
TIE LESSONS OF THE TEXT.
With this opening up OF the subject wish very orcny
~ make app cations Of those that are engaged In
Christian work and first make the individual and per-
sonsl application OF II. 1t Is as true row as IL was
then that Gods presence goes with His people There
are no Miracles but If all the witness OF the past ana az
the testimony OF the prensent DO lot suffice to make Us
belye that Divine presence that guides s'reug
ems comforts ard helps Gods people it would be In vain
that should part their waves ana Ia yam .na'
rocks should open To-day trust in different evil
dnce but Gods presence goes with every one on whom
laid work which he halts or heate ana uhoer
which he feels appalled, ,, -
many faces as 1 do this morning, knowing not how his
shall be translated knowing not mas mess ms nay
make OF it he may be mountaineering preacher
does feel with Paul when he cried OUT Inc op s
preach is a OF death unto death as wen a. Iie
unto life, and who is sufficient unto those things
What statesman with any sense OF national Ile ane
progress really desiring 10 lead Coos people along uoa
beaten highway TO nobler future does not sonetlos
cry as Washington did Lincoln did for greater ana
dyiner guidance than any he find either In himself
or the councillors about hm What Sunday teacher
looking faces Of her children bright ana ineee.
or dull and unnteligent does say All know not
how L bear this burden and do this wotk = VIVA.
mother Il there into whose lap God has laid the young
re who does sometimes feel the
the babe grow heayier and yet heavier
a. ne. arms until at last she says, cannot take this
ME ~ 5e, cannot mn this place I think It would be
ear 10 stand on verge OF the great prairie wthSut
knowledge Of the SOIL without seeds without implements
od mako garden OF it, think 1t would be easier TO STAND
g, che midst OF the great Atlantic Ocean, with no know
edo OF the stars or OF Pole without compass and go
a. a haven than 70 this infant soul and say VIII
steer it TO the harbor of perfect rest Ihe thete
comes 10 the preacher teacher statesman une
words Of text Ny presence sna 80 WIZ ee Sa
thee 70 do ana in Ny hands thou shalt ind thYse able
to do it. 49,, -, ,,.o O..
aud the flute SAYS What interpret this master:
niece Caa I speak what this musician hath written
Can 7 entrance this audiences Can oil them Win the
hobbng life that was in him who %do, a,o 'n bSt %
bit OF wood. You cannot do much, but let nae breathe
s@ ySg asd y S9 s yH GO sn DC
but take myself and place myself In HIS hanus anu SJ
breathe Thou on me- play Thou on me- n me- " o'
nothing but great Artist is everything ana oGt Oh
nothing lie can sweetest music most blessed sioay
A LESSON FOR THE CHURCH
There is in this promise, too, lesson 10 Ohnst
Church Fifteen hundred years passed by al'sr uiIs
promise was Moses and twelve or raher eeNel'
fishermen fer already trailer and an sposate'
STOOD wond, ring they could do to better h worlo
IT needed bettement Il the prey OF drunkenhsss
ueentilusness slavery desposm OF every evil that has
oppressed mankind IL under the harro" oi UNI
versa corruption, and on these eleven men, none u
them with mower none Of them with great ofatofy'
none Of them with marvellous education, 10 whom indeed
One was 70 be added but one Of whom Ills enemies sald
his bodily presence and His speech were feebe-en these
twelve was task OF revolutiOnizins the woiIa
TO them Christ 4 promise which but put new
Interpretation the text Lo, am with you AWAY,
the end Of the world Ny presence shll go
with you, and l will give you rest" ltle handful
Of black sand-what il 1t good fort What can IL DO
But bore into the and pour the sand down.
and touch with fire. and will Glow the heart out OF
the mountain. Those twelve grains OF sand what were
theyi But when the fires from on high touched that
sand, there force enough In those twelve men 10
break asunder the rock o. paganism and lay IN ruins
that out Of its ruins civilization might DO built up
THE MODERN PROBLEM.
shall try this morning open before Plymouth
Church what 10 be tho problem Of It's life
for the future. No do this II must
be evolved by degrees We must feel way. But
here is much that is before The problem Of the
quarter Of century is the problem OF the last
quarter o. century. 1t is the problem Of the great
city There muttudes living In the cities Of
eur country large proportion OF the entire popuia
ton is clustering in the cities and in New York
onetenth Of the Inhabitants do live in houses OF their
own, and in Brooklyn corfespondlngly large proper
ton. Cities be- IL anything be learned from
she history OF the past tho guiding powers the forcefu
powers IN the civilization Of the United States And
IN the cities the churches utterly inadequate TO the
number Of TIE population In the country there Is q
church for about every 700 people. In great cities
there Is one church for 1900. o $780, even 5000,
ana l count Roman Catholic and Jewish among the
churches, liberal and orthodox alike Again, class
lines almost obitersted the villages; but In the
great cities they sharply defined rich and poor
meeting less IN the churches than anywhere else They
brush each other In the hore-car side by side In the
eeyaed traln and in concert and lecture