Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-18
Than 1t Was Centuries Ago, Said
Principal Hurlbert in His
SERMON AT LAKE CHAUTAUQUA
Touching Ceremonies Held in Memory Of
Honored Ones.
LARGE NUMBERS AT THE MEETINGS
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DrsrAroH.

space of IL hours, and that as well upon the
holy day. Some form of divine worship or
religious entertainment was in progress
from in the morning until 10 at night. 1t
was certainly not the model day of Sabbath
rest, for he or she who attended all the
meetings would have been very fatigued,
and even then would have been obliged to
possess the happy faculty of being in two
places at the same time.
The pit of the Amphitheater was held
vacant, and few moments before the OPEN
ing hymn the members of the class of 80 Of
the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Cir
Gle, who are upon the grounds came in at the
rear door in double file to listen to the ser
mon Of Dr. J. L. Hurlbert, principal of the
C. L. S. c., who took as his text: "Till we
all come in the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son Of God unto perfect
man, unto the measure of the statute of the
fullness of Jesus Christ"
AN IDEAL LIFE.
This" he said, sis great text from q
great book, and by great man. The senti.
ment of 10 centuries has placed Saul above
all men of his age. In breadth and massive
ness Of intellect, in sympathy and great
ness, he is unexcelled. Anything from
such man as this we'll deserves our atten-
ton. 1t has been said that the Epistle to
the Ephesians was the grandest writing of
man. In this book 1 take for my lesson
this morning what seems to me to be its
eliminating sentence. l find in it two
thoughts, either of which is sufficient for
sermon. First, find here the Chri stlan
ideal of character the perfect man; and sec
ond, the requisites for its realization. There
lives in every soul the ideal of what it con-
siders to be perfection. All the time there
is going on in our souls the higher and
loftier life the ideal that we fain would live,
the ideal that we would do.
"Never was a sermon preached, but that
there was more eloquent sermon in the
minister's heart; never sculptor chiseled,
never painter painted that which was as
grand as the ideal in his heart Why is it
that we look at the great works of art with
a kindling soul? Because it comes nearer to
our ideal than anything that human hands
have formed. As the poet said, What
heart and brain went ever paired? The
heart has an ideal that the brain cannot
paint, picture or describe. The Christian
who has in his heart the ideal, has born in
his soul the desire to attain to that ideal.
NAMES SUNLIT WITH GLORY.
"The young dreamer spent one day in con-
versation and association with Jesus of
Nazareth, and went forth the John who
gave US the sublimest writing in all litera-
ture. I could tell you of Wesley of Sacke,
OF 10, 900 who were carried on by this ideal,
and whose names now stand sunlit with
glory. Chautauquans let US push on from
height to height, ever keeping before US this
1aff Pnf is Of hoeidA
anlideal in the text here presented.
You sometimes meet people who think
that the business life of man has very lit
tie to do with his spiritual character; who
believe that a man can live sort OF a
Jekyll and Hyde existence But we find
by this text that all must be blended in one,
and that we need the knowledge and faith
of God. Wherever there is a soul that rises
above the common souls, that soul is moved
BY faith. By faith a Columbus saw un-
known lands across the blue Atlantic;
Stephenson saw the railroad locomotive run
ming across the land; Edison. by faith, con-
ceIved electricity, our handmade. So you
see that not alone men of God have faith.
Other men see powers, principalities and
thrones. The Christian sees the beauties of
the throne of God. To other men this
Savior of ours is but Jesus, the Nazarene,
but we Christians see In Him the Savior of
the world. Other men see Him as man
crucifed, but we see Him as one who came
to die ior US.
THE LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE.
"Most mems lives are failure, because
they themselves are failures. The man
who seeks God and mammon is sure to be
disappointed in one. and often in both. Oh,
class of go, see that you have the purpose
of God in your heart and follow it out. To
have faith in Christ will not make your
deeds among men any less influential or
make you less careful and patriotic as a
citizen. Nay, more it will make your pros
perity the greater.
81 need not tell you what knowledge does
not for men and women. You know it gives
us larger world in which to live. A new
light which does not fade away at the coming
of night. But observe there is one in partc-
ular kind OF knowledge which the Apostle
Paul presents to us here. There is a faith
which is without knowledge and is often
full of fire and enthusiasm. In almost every
one of the writings of this man Paul we
find something about knowledge. Well,
you say, after all, that Paul was an intel
lectual man, and perhaps lays too much
stress upon education.
THE REQUISITE MODEL.
"Add to faith, virtue, and to virtue,
knowledge" The knowledge Of Paul does
not mean the knowledge that comes to men
BY intuition. 1t is the knowledge that
comes to us by close communion and ex
perience. 1t is not the knowledge that is
gained in a single day. 1t is not the
knowledge that requires us to draw close
lines; split hairs on technical points to
make fine distinctions between the divinity
and humanity of Jesus Christ. 1t is that
which makes Jesus Christ the very center
of ali thought. Stand on that one spot in
which you get view of Jesus, and stars
marching round you, strata under your
feet, proclaim His truth.
"There is Just one requisite more. You
remember the song of Longfellow, which
describes the building of the ship. The
model is what we need. The sculptor sees
it as he chisels away the marble. The
painter sees it in the books OF nature. So
it is in the building up of the character and
man. But sometimes we do not have the
defects. Find noble model and try to make
yourself like it.
HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN.
we need model An ideal is within, the
model is without. How shall we copy this
model of character? First OF all, we must
separate ourselves from all lower and COM
moner forms of thought, fix your eyes on
Christ by keeping them away from every
thing else, take your mind away from other
things and see that your soul is not con-
taminated by any lower object. Next,
study and commune with Him. Get your
self in proper mind of thought to read and
contemplate Him.
"We can study and read Shakespeare,
but we can not commune with him. But
we can commune with Christ, for He is with
us at all times. Translate the life of Christ
in your daily living. Live as He lived.
and walk as He walked If YOU are shoe