Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-11-10
REV. MIR. mAnKwIcK.

courses HesSoTuay ~ Sc SOnn SsAoo
Church.
Rev. Mr.. Markwick, the popular pastor
of ST. John street NJ. E. church, has not
yet fully decided in reference to the call
rendered him by the Ansonia church, nor
as to the other calls he has received in his
own denomination. He is at present wait
ing to her from presiding Elder Beach,
who is away in his district. Should he
accept call elsewhere the st. John street
people would probably consent to release
him before April when conference meets)
in order that the new incumbent might be-
gin at the beginning in the work OF build
ing the new church or chapel on Orange
street, corner of Edward.
Rev. Mr.. Markwick goes to Ansonia
Thursday, where in the evening he lectures
before the Young Peoples society of the
Congregational church on London"
Mr.. Markwick is a rising clergyman,
whose future promises still higher achiev-
ments than those he has already SO sue
cessfully made Mr.. Markwiek preached
two especially fine sermons yesterday
morning and evening. The evening dis
couse was a discussion of how much OF
the inner life is carried beyond the grave.
The morning discourse was based upon the
passage from the Psalms, LET Ny Soul
Lives
Said the preacher: Of the complete
round or circle of ministerial LIFE AND
vet, while the minister is privileged
| character, he is most fully impressed
with his absolute helplessness, and most
| crushing defeats. It is no easy task to
| translate the spiritual and the divine into
| the language Of our human and common
place surroundings. That there is such q
| thing as soul-lite, we all, are fully pre-
| pared to admit; but what that soul-life is,
we find it anything but easy to divine.
We often define the soul itself as the life
principle of the body; and we do not hes
| itate to say, that in the soul, life and vi
tality are inherent. We are beings of
two lives; a life of deeper thought and
feeling, which is only occasionally moved,
and a surface life, responding readily and
constantly to the touch of things around
u.s. It is upon this inner, or deeper life,
that the teachings of the Bible, the
life and the words of Jesus and
the lofty hopes of his religion,
most directly bear 1t is not too much to
say that this inner life occupied the
thoughts of the Savior more fully than
anything else, for you will find that it
constantly forms the theme OF his dis
courses. No person will question that the
life of Jesus is the true model of our own.
But in the outer life Of Jesus there are q
thousand things which to US are impossi-
bilities of the most absolute type; and
therefore we must look for the inner and
spiritual phases of the Savior's life if we
would rightly understand it's meaning.
Contend as we may about the letter of the
| gospel and the externals of tho life of
| Christ, the inward and spiritual phases of
both remain untouched and uninfuenced
by our decisions.
| It is in this inner life that Jesus main
| tains his hold upon the world, to-day. 1t
| is lust here that he is "the same yester-
day, to-day and forever" It is through
| this medium that he makes all our lives
more full of peace and hope, and gives
| permanence to our existence, and reality
| to our being. When all things around us
seem tending to decay and death, we look
to Jesus, and he is "the resurrection and
the life" He lifts US above fear. he
takes us where he is, close to the father.
He makes us to 'ssit with him in heavenly
places" The harsh voices of the world
are hushed when we come to his side. The
cruel ISLANDERS, the bitter animosities, tbs
fierce struggles of life are all forgotten
We sit at Jesus feet, and hear his words
and we forget all about the changeful
and dwell only in the permanent. W.
enter into q higher state Of soul, where W.
can look through the shadow and see the
substance. It is just here, I repeat, tina
we return to sense of reality, and see tn,
permanent and abiding issues of our if'
hidden beneath that which is temporal ant
passing away.
A fuller grasp of the inward and spirit
ual character of true religion would, an
sure, relieve us from a great deal of per
plexity and care. In its external phase
our Christianity often seems to be a fail
ure, and the world seems to be almos
constantly pushing to the front. For in
stance: Sometimes we battle fercely TO
our creeds, our party, our church, GU
cause; and we follow this line of conduci
until we really persuade ourselves tina
every good thing depends upon the sue
cess of our party or the interests we rep
arrived at just this point, some peculiar
turn of the great wheel of providenc
leads to our most absolute defeat. Blu
in few days, or years at most, we Be
that while our stronghold has fallen
Christianity has not been defeated or pu
to the sword. The battle ground has sim
ply changed and on a new field religion
has gloriously triumphed over her ancien
foes.
Circumstances like these lead us to lool
upon God as the only changeless reality
and to see in him our one unchanginl
hope. Only in the contact of our inne
life with man do we come to know him a
the great being of beings, the substance 0
substances, the strength of all things; an,
only as we know and feel his presenc
around, above, beneath, within us, do W
stand firm on the rock of ages.
We need this sense of the divine pres
ence for the present world that we ma
have inward faith and courage and hope
that we may live in peace and die in tn
assurance that we are falling into the arm
. of loving father and friend. When a
our little questionings and troubles al
, emily and the divine. Churches, creeds
J parties, methods, organizations, may all b
shattered and broken; but truth and Go
still remain uninjured, nay, untouched
, by these various forms of externs
change. Only let us love God fror
within and then all the influence
from without will be ministers G
God to do us good. The passing breez
will whisper to our souls of purity an
pesce; and our delight in the natSrt
beauties around us'will pass into synps
thy with that unseen, but indwelling spirit
of whose presence beauty is everywhe1
the manifestation. In q word. Go
dwelling in q human heart makes it cas-
to discern him in everything else. Onl
let there be God within us, and the
everything outside of us will become
help to the fuller knowledge of his natul
and his love.
It may be asked, then, if religion is
it's essence purely inward thing; an il
!. | breathing into our inner life of the life
Z vine; and if God is continually rainin
a down upon men those heavenly grac.
' which form the seed germs of the Chri
tan character, why do we find SO man
r men and women devoid of this heavenl
! gifta
Now, really suppose that there is 4
man in existence who is not exposed
influences of divine grace; and that the,
, is no chamber SO secret that they do n,
] penetrate it. I do really suppose thu
the outpouring of the grace of God is un
Z versal and it enters where civilization
even, has not reached; and that all ovt
the world there is the same gracious il
huence at work upon the souls of mel
SO that we are bound to say that the r
demptive work of Jesus appertains to a
our fallen race. Such is Gods eide of IL
picture.
And on the human side what have "
We see Gods mercy thwarted by mai
Multitudes are stepped in the stagnal
waters of sin. Men in the full strength
manhood only use that strength to destro,
as far as in them lies, tho. work of the r
deemer in their behalf. With their a
cumulated habits of weakness and wicked
naca fhau h1ocL TIT, tho ovop,1oo Loo Hive