Morning journal and courier., 1890-11-03
nEDEEmER,s NEW PASTOR.

Rev. DR.. Phillips to be Examined by
Representatives of Thirty Churches
Thursday and InstalIed-His First
Sermon Yesterday Morning - A
Treatise on the Religion of COrinth.
The new pastor of the Church of the
Redeemer, Rev. DIR. Phillips, formerly of
Wilkesbarre, Pa, will be formally exam
ined by the representatives of thirty
churches on Thursday afternoon at 3
o'clock, according to the Congregational
custom In the evening of the same day,
at 7:30 O'Clock, the installation ceremonies
will be performed. Upon this occasion
the installation sermon will be preached
by Rev. DIR. Storrs of Brooklyn, N. Y.
Rev. DIR. Newman Smyth will offer the
new pastor the right hand of fellowship.
Rev. DR.. Burdette Hart, Rev. DR.. NJ. B.
Chapman and Rev I. G. Meserve will take
a prominent part in the services.
The first regular sermon of the new pas
| tor was preached yesterday morning to a
| large congregation. He chose his text
| from Corinthians ii, 2: "For 1 am deter
mined not to know anything among you,
save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
| Paul's object here seemed to be to show
the simplicity and purity of his intentions,
said DR.. Phillips, and draw the hearts of
the Corinthians back to their true gospel.
We cast many enchanting glances at the
| opulence and power of ancient Corinth
It's approaches and situation were pictur-
| esque and romantic. Its immense com
MERGE had brought it great wealth. It
was pillaged and burned by Roman coun-
Gil $50 B. c., but it was rebuilt by Julius
Cesar, and at the time of Paul's visit it
had regained most of it's former grandeur.
| The religion seems to have been mix
ture of Greek and Jewish, all impregnated
| with the prevailing immortality. The Ro-
man religion itself was conglomeration of
all of the religions of the people which the
arms of Rome had conquered and general
skepticism prevailed. In the time of Caesar
a Roman saw nothing to hope or to fear
beyond the grave Religion naturally be-
came the instrument of evil. Unscrupu-
lous men filled the high places in the
church. At Corinth Paul found the su-
preme development of this condition. No
place was 30 celebrated for voluptuousness,
debauchery and immortality. It was in
this place of moral rottenness that Paul
chose to go with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This keen logician might have faced all OF
the philosophers of Athens or Corinth with
open argument and have COMPOUNDED
them, but he chose to make himself 6
fool to the people, the common rabble
and tell them the stories of the cross
| To the Romans, Jesus himself was de
feated man, whose hands and feet thei1
soldiers had nailed to the cross; repre-
sentative of an effete civilization Ye
even in Corinth there were many heart
burning for just such story of promise
as Paul brought to them. With Paul i
was this spirit that bounded his heaven
He must lift up the cry or sink before thu
worldly philosophy and immortality O.
these people. The cry of s'Christ and Hin
crucifed" arose above the city. 1t filled
the atmosphere 1t was soon to fill tn,
world with its blessed promise. It is thi
cry which gives the church its courage ant
it's power. Such cry ca,
stay the heart of the churcl
anywhere and conquer the world
Bold, simple proclamation is over bust
ness, and over truth must not be con
founded and against it all the horror o
the devil cannot prevail. 1t has marches
trinmphantly down the ages and nothing
has been able to stand before it. Does i
| not establish the fact that this name an,
this symbol is the light of the world an
will be the salvation of the world? 1t
the all-conquering name. Let us feel it
power. Let us adopt its great spirit q
our own and join the grand triumphs
| progress of the church of God as it turn
upon the highway of eternal time.
Y. w. c. A.
The first of the series of entertainment
for the Young Women's Christian associs
/ tion will take r1ace at the homa IA