Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-01-06
A NEW YEARS. SERMON.

Rev, DR.. Newman Smysh From tho
Pulpit OF center Church Yesterday
Morning.
Rev. DR.. Newman Smyth preached his
New Years sermon from the pulpit of Gen.
ter church yesterday morning. It's delivery
was as eloquent as it's literary character was
elegant. II ia here given In full. He chose
his text from:
. 1. Chronicles, a1;s: 1.-THE word Of the Lord came
" Also the 18th verse of the same chapter:
"Arise and be doing"
l want both of these texts for New
Years sermon to ourselves. The one fur
nishes the powder and the other the shot;
and in the sermon these two are to be put
together,-the word of the Lord for Us and
the work to which it gives speed, In the
Bible the Lords saying is always for mans
doing; what in this year of grace 1890 We
may hear the word of the Lord saying to us,
should determine what at once we arise to
do.
The frst part of our sermon, therefore, is
concerned with such word of the Lord as we
may hear coming to us. David, whose ex-
perience furnishes us with these texts, heard
the word of the Lord coming to him, not, 1t
would seem, in any marvellous or supernatu-
raj way, but as voice from his whole expe-
riencs of life. He remembered what his
work In the world had been, his great wars
against the Philistines, who are not yet all
dead by any means; for the true Israel al
ways finds Philistines to fight against. Da-
vid thought of the purpose to build house
for the Lord which had been for a long time
in his heart; and he took fair and full &C.
count of what his circumstances and manner
of life had been; go to his mind the matter
gradually resolved itself into clearness, and
as the result of his experience, meditation,
prayer, he knew what the word of the Lord
that came to him was saying. To every man
of us some word of the Lord comes, if we
will listen and understand what it has to cay
to us. But you are not going to hear that
word of the Lord to you, ii you do not care
to take quiet thoughtful moments to listen
for 1t; we have no right to expect that we
shall understand the real thing it is saying,
unless we take pains with ourselves to learn
what Gods personal word to us may be.
There are two conceivable ways in which re-
ligion might have been made very easy to US,
and in which men and women are constantly
trying to find religion made easy to them,
but which the Lord has not seen fit to choose
as his way of giving his word for mans
life. The one imaginable way of religion
made easy would be by sign from heaven.
The other would be by some sudden inner
light. If we could open our eyes in the
morning and see the Lords will for us reveal
ing itself by some outward sign, or If we
could shut our eyes and read the word of the
Lord by some peculiar inward illumination,
duty would at once be simpli6ed, and the
task of mans daily life made def mite as a
treadmill, or the Lords will distinct ss a
piece of chemical writing when held up to
light. And there is much fondness in human
nature for religious made plain in one or
the other of these ways. Dogmatism with
Its thus satin the Lord leans towards this
first kind of religion made simple by author
ity; pietism with its rule of individual senti-
ment inclines towards the latter. There is
indeed authority of the true religion to be
and there is light within the con-
science by which to interpret life; but that
authority and that light are neither imposed
from without nor kindled from within; bat
truth, the one living and eternal truth, is the
higher law of all nature and history, and
bears witness of itself in mans reason and
conscience. To know what the word of the
Lord, which comes to US, is saying requires
something more and better of US, therefore,
than blind submission to outward rule or a
thoughtless trust in any inward feeling; 1t
requires on our part the exercise of all our
rational faculties and the repeated searching
Of our human experiences in order that we
may receive the word of the Lord for us.
Gods word of truth comes to the whole man
and is not to be received by any fraction of
his being. Divine revelation is for humanity
in its collective experience and in its high-
est perfection in the Son of Man.
The FIRST commandment of religion,
you remember, particularizes each
Of the chief features of human nature which
we possess, as though to emphasize the fact
that in dealing with his God man must be a
whole man and use all his powers in wor-
shipping and knowing him, with all thy
heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind;
and, as though that were hardly enough and
everything possible to our human effort is to
included in the religious life, it is added,
''and with all thy strength" thou shalt love
the Lord thy God. We cannot get along
with any Of the common abridgments Of
this great commandment, and be religious
simply with all the doctrines of our minds,
Or with all our pious sentiments, or with all
The passion of our souls; nor indeed can we
satisfy the commandment by the use of
Ihese several faculties of our being-mind,
md heart, and soul-if these are exercised
,nly feebly and Internationally; and we do
put into our religious life and knowl- |
all our strength also. In our ways of
q = ligious, let Us not take up with any |
= = noy Rular abridgment of the Lords first |
mnandn ent. I will not stop to mention
many n these are to be found on the
,ious or ec( lesiastical market.
nave been ssy hing that through thoughts
md prsyerfni Interpretation of our whole
,rience of life, on tnis year OF our hfe
finished and put WIN Inc o. Ss.
nd volumes of 1t, We lS1e 10 earn wnat
word of the Lord has y gay 10 US per.
lily. Those of us, at lei sst VINO are fairIy
9 know something Of TIL pro yidsa.t
d of It, to determine the d yam cireGtlon
hitch life for us must flow, al 10 learn
ething of the country through whicn NE
rs IL to pass on. I would not say tnat
IAN determine at any moment IN tnls
the whole will of God in human hie,
I 1t may have to endure, what it ma De
I'd to render before 1t reaches its q pd.
brook may not have prescience OF To y
r into which 1t may expand, nor dream,
leaps from the mountain side of the
dows below which shall be made fresh
fair as it shall wind through them; and IA
river may flow for miles and miles be- pe
whole industries are set humming by &C
power. So have seen careless noun wi
brook that ran along singing to itself in pc
sunshine, flow ere long troubled and lit
kened In the shadows between the great gi,
70, and, blendiHg with other streams, tic
'rge into deep lake, and gathering up Gt
strength of many waters move on BIZ
,ugh gorge and over the broken
yes in the power of a resist or
river on Its determined way to tn
sea. We cannot say what a life. humble an
Is beginnings, may become in the course CO
3od's providence. There is ever the fas- de
alton of the future mystery about a bl
ing life. We know not what God holds an
he days to come for the little child's life se
Ich now we see, careless, pure and rip lo
~ with mirth in the shelter of its early al,
ne. But those of us who have tn
sed beyond childhood have been al
this world quite long enough. wi
know In general what way the will of God be
aking in our life, what things offer them 81,
res to be done by us, how we may win or
aud on towards our further and fuller be- ne
and power of good. At the turn o. the Ia
r, IL we will climb up little above our sh
" pursuits, and look down, backwards ne
forwards, there is reach enough Of our Oh
in sight to determine what its main m
rent is, what its true direction may be. VI
. temptation of pride indeed may magnify ye
life in some use of 1t to our eyes, and 80 of
MS to miss Gods true word for us. Or, W
the other hand. indifference and incidence bt
y minimize the possibility of mans life b,
him, and the careless eye mics Gods W
ter will In 1t. But 1t is not impossible, it w
not altogether difficult, for any one who al
l take into view his surroundings, oircum-
noes, and Gods daily offer of duties to