New-York tribune., 1889-12-23
SERMONS WORTH KEEPING.
THE MANIFESTED GOD.
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM THE REV. Dr. j. E.
PRICE OF ST. JAMEs's METHODIST EPIs-
CoPAL CHURCI

COPAL CHURCH
The people of ST. James's Methodist Episcopal
Church are listening with pleasure and proht 10 inc
sermons of their new pastor, the Rev. Dr. J. E
Price who has succeeded the Rev. Dr. o. H. llhah9 :
Dr. Price is an eloquent speaker as well is an aDic
writer As is shown by the fact that he was chosen
orator by the Legislature Of NewJcrsey for the cele
bration of the onehundred and-hftieth anniversary
| of WaslhngtOns Birthday. lie IS the author Oi 'no
volume entitled The Book Divine which mas al
| tracted much attention. Dr. Price IS graduate Oh
Dickinson College, and received the degree OF Doctor
of Philosophy from Syracuse University. lie was
| for time a member of the faculty Of Pennington
Seminary This is the third time he has been pastor
of ST. James's Church. Dr. Price took for MS text
yesterday morning, John !, is, NO man hath seen
God at any time the only begoten son which Is IN te
bosom OF the Father, lie hath declared Him. lie
said in part
Man longs for God, asks for vision of his face
Upon this instructive yearning for the Divine nave
been built the great religious systems of the world.
| God. David voices the deep pathetic cry OF
humanity. "As the hart paneth after the water,
brook, so panteth my soal after Thee, o God N0t
! all men allow this desire 70 assert itseli
Pleasures and business may occupy The mind ana
But as the child wearcd with its play its toll turns
from its toys and its tasks hungry for sight OF lC5
or haned, sooner later cries out for God -,
The complement Of this heart hunger Of humanity
manifest Himself That God has chosen 10 anliest
Himself is Of the most inspiring truths OF the
scriptures, and in this opening and profound chapter
of Johns Coz pei the manifold manifestation Is rep
resented by a term OF peculiar Significance" me
Word and the Word with God. and the Word
was God An things were made by Him " He
was in the world. and the world knew Him not
And finally: "And the Word was made hesh and
dwelt among us"
word is an expression and may he an utterance
made vocslly or otherwise. sculptor views sun
rise and thrilled with the pageantry of splendor throws
his thoughts into marble. a painter looks upon ne
scene and seiZng the brush puts upon canvas the
emotions awakened in his artist soul The musician
behoding the same morning sky seats himself at inc me
organ and sweeping the Keys evokes tie melodies
and haimOnies almost divine. that voice for Im inc
hope and Joy and promise which the vision has en-
kndled. 4 novelist arrested and stirred BY the awful
mystery Of unfolding day lifts his pen ana n some ONE
sentiment begotten in him. In each instance the
sculptur, the painting the melody, the novel Is
Now the world is the sculptTed Word Of God.
The clouds. the rocks the are the pictured pages
voicng God. The invisible is seen and understoo1
bv the things that are made This accounts for the
effects wrought upon US by natural scenery
THE WORLD Is FULL or GOD.
In her more majestic displays Nature. as VIC call
her. wakens Joy and often alteration The explana-
tion Is that the is thus finding its God the or
phaned child Is finding its hOmcward. And this
is only occasional because sin has taundiced our
vision. Science demonstrates that If Our ears were
only attuned we might hear notes far above or far
below those in the musical scale that reach us
fly NAV not hear the loudest peal Of thunder. 20
il our spiritual eve were adjusted might see God
in everything. Ii spiritual ear were rightly
attuned we might hear His voice in the roar Of the
cataract the rush Of the storm and in the sobhing Of
the sea- God is in nature. the tinted sea shells
and snowy foamfiahes adorning oceans shore III the
pencled violet. the crimsoncd sunset the broodlng
forest. and aged saint once said " in everything
that goes AND everything that grows
mmanence Of Deity gives wide range. profound snG-
gestiveness and lofty spirituality TO orr study Of tho
| how our great poets have seized this truth. Goethe
in Faust calls the outer world the living garment OF
the Deity In one ofhiS shorter poems he expresses
| forcibly this idea OF an indwelling God
No. such God my worship may not win,
who lots the world about His finger spin
A thing extern my God must rule within,
And whom l foy Father, God Creator,
Hold nature Himself, Himself in nature.
Ard in His kindly embraced. the whole
live and by His pcryading soul
Colerdgc. Who rejects SpinOzaS Pautheisc phil
God
And what Il all animated nature
BE but organic harps dyerseiy framed
That trembe into thought a. DER them sweeps
Plastic and vast intellectual breeze,
At once the soul Of each, and God Of am
But art as well as poetry has an aiilation with
religious thought that Is not accidental The principle
Of the spiritual Interpretation OF nature finds iustra-
latter. at once poet and painter religious and artistic
insight the same. though his statement Is some
questioned when the rises do you not see a round
company of the Heavenly host, crying Holy, Holy.
Holy, is the Lord God Almighty"
GENIUS THE INSPIRATION OF GOD.
But higher manifestation has God given of Him
self in the world of This is the world in which
was the Word, but which knew him not" Man
made in the image of God, setting forth, expressing
TO a limited degree the Divine Nature. "The soul OF
lnan is the candle of the Lord" has said IN
position, gathering up and expressing the invisible
fire Of divinity pervadng the universe. 1t is the Office
of the human soul TO display the divine intelligence
love, justice, tenderness. Ana what we call genius
may be but the inspiration OF God. Any great gift
of musical artistic power IS in sense only so much
You may watch blind Tom as he sweeps the keys
with master hand and evOkes heavenly ha,monies and
marvel at what You call burst OF genius. viii
rather say ii is God breathing through thc life OF
man. We should revere such gifts and honor the
pasSessor who seeks to afford them highest sweep
Of power 10y stcadfast culture. Ard II any talent
he given II, should receive it rcvcrently ana
through use thereof, the Eternal God is seeing
God calls upon man to manifest Him and man
rise; to his oltest mission when he gives himself
TO the manifestation OF God. some one has pictured %
They are Of no beauty and Of no worth 80 10 lOnE & a.
seeks them and needs them for it, own manifestation
Ry and by the bursts into the room and finds
he precious gems. and then each separate Jewel
begins TO glow with beauty, and receiving the light
breaks it up into all the colors OF the RAINBOW ana
Mission eGn While d the light Itself rcoces in the mani
festaton it receives from the Jewel ,,,o, ~ Ana,
incarnation of Jesus Christ. who is the brightness
of the Fathers glory and The express image OF ms
person" Soon the world was ready the Word
was made flesh. and John could say We beheld
Ills glory the glory Of the only bcgoten Of the Father
Several special manifestations had preceded thiS as
the flaming bush that Moses saw, ana the angel VINO
wrcstled with Jacob a. Pcnicl. and the captain of
the Lords host appearing to Joshua near Jericho
These latter were not true incanat0ns but tempo
rary employment Of humanity for "A special purpose
Rut when the angels song. boating down from inc
peaceful skies OF Palestine started the Bcthlcheni
bepherds IL was the announcement OF true incarna
ton OF Deity. "Unto You is born this day III the
CITY Of David a saviour which is Christ the Lord
Here we are confronted with profound my ,tery.
Paul comedies that without controversy. great i
Born of "a virgin. conceived OF the Holy Spirit the
human furnishing the human body. TIE Divine spirit
the soul or perhaps the Divine spirit placing itself
under limitations. the Divine being in ;nc, III.
same the human and differing only in degree Of
attribute-vicw IL a. may. the incarnation is
great mystery but a glorious truth.
THE PURPOSE OF THE INCAESATION.
This much Is made clear. that Jesus of Nazareth
hLnine LIZ aI.. WI q ..Lt