Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-09-01
REDEKMER,s NEW PASTOR

breaches His First sermon Before n
Large Congregation of His PARISH
foners-A Preacher OF Dfgnffied
Address and Finished Style-ssTo
an Unknown God,,-PauI I'm the
Agora.
The Church of the Redeemer was filed
by large congregations yesterday morning
and. evening to welcome the new pastor,
Rev. DR.. Watson Phillips, late of Wilkes
barre, Pa. The impression created by DIR.
Phillips was highly favorable. He is a
preacher of dignified address and finished
style and in the pulpit bears a strong re-
semblance to the Hon. E. j. Phelps of this
city, ex-minister to the court of st. James.
The topic of the new pastors first ser
mon to his parishioners yesterday morning
was Paurs embassy to Athens and his
famous address to the Athenians in the
Agora, Tor market place. beginning with
the famous words ''To an unknown God
These words were chosen as the text of the
pastors remarks.
The epicureans We're theorists and athe-
lists, said he in speaking of Paul's hearers.
They believed in the atomic theory of
things. They believed in the unity of
body and soul. The stoics were another
enemy of the gospel. Theirs is pride.
Paul faced both of these multitudes in the
Agora and they are the foes which have
resisted the advance of gospel truths ever
since and have hindered every step of the
progress of Jesus. To-day they stand as
threatenly as ever before. They all de-
sired to hear Paul then, although they
called him babbler and dreamer. They
took him to Mars Hill and it was here that
he uttered that wonderful speech, so ia
nous in theologic oratory, inscribed, ITO
an Unknown God"
With the Greeks it was significant fact
that there was no temple, no image, only
an altar for the worship of God. 1t was
an emblem of the unknown God. This
worship of an unknown God implied the
lack of knowledge and the grouping of
minds dimly conscious of the divine pres
ence seeking to lay hold upon that pres
ence. The object of worship now added
was then unknown. Yet the worship of
an unknown God avows the possession of
an unknown God. And the dim eoneep-
ton of religious truth will always be found
in the pagan forms of religion. St. Marks
the erection of the altar AT Athens. Paul
stands forth to give the God consciousness
head in the human heart and to give to
mems minds true divinity. Is it too
much to declare that the living God in his
highest attributes. is an unknown God:
The world of human hearts is repre-
sented by this market place at Athens
| There is an altar upon every hand to an
| unknown god. Each heart stands before
| its altar, but it is ignorant to
| whom it is dedicated. In the primal sense
| he is still an unknown God. His name
has never been revealed to these and the
sweetness and majesty of his love is I'M
Il H. II
our sensibilities until we have become in
capable of understanding our God be-
| lieve that the looseness of creed and con-
| duct in the present age are traeeable TO
| this underlying ignorance of the God in
| whom men believe but do not understand
1 God commands all men to repent and turn
to him.
| Again, this ignorance shuts out of mans
l life the one hand which can support and
/ guide him, the love to comfort him, the
i voice that can answer all questions. 1t
| cuts off the possibility of future culture,
a renown and throne. We must know
/ him, not as a ruler, but rs a saint. The
best results of reasoning theology which
| the age has produced give but despairing
\ agnosticism or an imperfect belief, which
| does not soften life or soothe the soul
| Revelation teaches that when he speaks il
is God; when he opens graves, it is God;
| Wnen ne raises IrOm the dehu, II IL hou III
Christ saving the world; and men declare
there is something in him which hearts
recognize as divine. Jesus of Nazareth is
the only parsonage before whom the hui
| man heart has bowed itself to declare MY
Lord and my God"
A large measure, of the worship of
Christendom is still the worship of an I'M
known God. The knowledge of God is not
only power, but it is peace. Standing be-
fore his altar 1 confess, above all, that he
is. / do not know what he is. To me he
is as though he We're not, or something to
be feared or shrunk from. l am in con-
slant dread lest in some incomprehensible
way may meet him in some of the walks
of life. But when look into the lace and
come into the life of Jesus see the knowl-
edge of the glory of God. Now 1 know
who he is and what he is. L need no more
The clouded face of nature smiles.
This is the burden of my message to any
one who may be uncertain Acquain
yourself with God and seek the peace o
him who is the God of ALL
In the evening Rev. Dr. Phillips
preached to a large congregation regarding
the memorial stones taken from the Jor
dan and reared in Gilgal by the Israelite.
| to their children.