New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-07
SERMONS WORTH KEEPING.
pR. D. H. GREER IN ST. BARrnoLoMEw's
THE mpxe OF rmp CHRISTIANS POWER AM

che Rev. DR.. David H. Greer. the rector Of St Bar
thoomewS Protestant Episcopal Church has This Is
duo In part the individuality OF the preacher ana
In part TO his peculiar power an extempore preacher
The following may show why st. Bartholomew
Is crowded with eager listeners Sunday after sunday
The text taken from the opening sentence OF the
Lords Prayer Our Father which art In Heaven
ballowed by THY name," ana the sermon was In sub
stance
You remember no doubt the famous phrase attributed
TO the old philosopher when asked by the ring 10 eA
plain to him the nature and the attributes Of Cod ana
Who after patient plotlactcd and serions renecuon'
came back Ills royal master and said 70 him IN re
ply that the longer he medtated upon the subject TIE
more hopeleSsly difficult did il become something
like this is the feeling which one must experience IN
medtstng upon any of the words OF Jesus christ ana
especially upOa those matohcss words which lie taught
Ills disciples, ana which We usually designate as the
Lords Prayer,-so short so simple, so easy ult inc
youngest child who speaks at all can soon De ta9gh
they stretch i'm meaning IKE uncxplored ocean be-
fore us whose depth we may not fathOm and whose
LooS ~ Goa Ills providence over Ills works, His
Kingdom on the earth the brotherhood OF man, the
doctrine OF sin and forgiveness the problem OF human
evil the mystery Of temptation the struggle for daily
bread and need of divine assistance 1t is the whole
light that dummies the earth and the Sky reflected
In the mirror of the morning dew. ,
sst Of 20 a q sa there E 9 onc houg
wonderful prayer to Which this morning viii venture
70 cali your attention and the thought thse
or more literally our Father In the Hesyens,-and the
manifestation Of that power Hallowed be Thy name
First let us consider the hiding of the Christians
power. The primitive type OF relationship; our an
jes were the first kingdoms and fathers the first kings
After while for ysoni reasons ,o these S ia SaG
the Tube, the gene, the naton-s9 that all the forms
% % upon G q se e saaet g may be
regarded by but sociazod expressions Of the ele
which every citizen has, and which some to-day would
carry to impTactcable excess that the state shouo
nG & IN po %' eSS 10 @ shod be @
father 10 him. for 1t essentially as It's history SHOWS
Now corresponding to this, just faherhood l. che
hiding OF the citizens power 50 does Jesus ChrS
spreading or revealing IT ronsb91i al te heavens
TOO, like forms Of government Ike all your civil sys
tens and an Your oceas o He TeSs y IN s m the
universe s. but the entphOne of gcr scope OF vaser
yS e force VI which, RJ has every%hee built human society up
Is the same In kind vi that which hs; eullt the UNI
Ne po up When the tight falls INTO the distant
skies and sce with solemn and awful smazeieht Ill s
depths. planets upon planes and systems upon sy VS.
TENS. revolving around their central suns so lsr re
moved that thev look like burning staalfsSt points
X Is our Fathers host and our Fathe hers glory;
We wander back in retrospect before The begnhIng U
when timo shall be no more we seem to stand peIort
great judgment throne In the midst or some erea
Sna avn rore sayHr a" ovecgS tone Come and
aGO whether 10 JOY or to chaStisemcnt i Is right II
20 quickly by old age comes OF apace disease ana
sickness Law us low; death strikes and we fall some
matters not for wherever fall. when. or how. ii
s egough to know that we cannot fall out OF our
Fathers arms.
FREEDOM THROUGH PROTECTION.
In ALL through ALL above all, in all the forces and
Jaws, in all the facts and phenomena, in all spaces and
places IL Is our Fathers Kingdom. so Jesus Christ
declares.
Thus docs Jesus Christ say, take that great aud
elementary principle OF iatherhood, which has every
where built human society up and seems 10 spread il
throughout the heavens, declaring it TO be tile force
which has built the universe up. ....
Now, it is the consciousness OF that that gives to US
power, not simply because 1T gives protection to
US, but because from that sense Of protection theis
comes the sense OF liberty Of freedom, which takes OIL
ali restraint, which enables us to LIT up thougt anu
feeling and heart ana head; TO be at home IN our
good, may be abused. and yet, do VIC not know from
our own experience from observation that without
things the power that is latent IN Us cannot be
wholly expressed How awkward II Is. how emDar-
under constrat -,0 simply overwhelms us and seems
ness. We stumble in our conduct we staHmer 10 ON
speech, we trip IN our words, saying what we do not
Kes$ ind meaning what We do not say, assuming at
Time b0ldness and al another meekness which
we do not possess we are not free to be ourselves our
our OWL family and WITH those who stand In near ana
dear relation 10 Jesus Christ would make Us feel
II We do SAY some wrong and foolish things at times
and act AZ times in "a wrong and foolish way Is II
expression 70 our thoughts, and feelings In TT
is ne not the wlsest father who ENCOURAGES lbs chill
him. who makes them feel free and ut liberty TO a4
his back and when he is absent from them, but before
his face and when he Is present with them is not
the world at large gradually coming TO see and TO learn
liberty may be carried TO yet upon the whole il
Will contribute 10 the development OF higher and
stronger and more sterling manhood than too much and
excessive restraint is not that the great cardinal
Which has COMM ted Itself TO- freedom and Which, We
believe II Is gradually TEACHING the other nations Of
the Christian Church in our country stands that it viii
do It's best and MODEST work when ii is voluntary work.
and Gected by the State Is not that what the ishop
Of Peterborough meant in his celebrated utterance
ing by saying that he would rather see England free
than Eng.ang SOBER though he would of course rather
WHAT CHRISTIAN WORSHIP Is.
But when one has consciousness Of liberty and free
DOM in his fathers house. there Immediately comes
seflmposed restraint upon il: ii IS not a wanton
liberty. but one that will move him to halOw his
miners name Now let me say brief word about
that What is Christian worship3 How and when
do we engage In ii Does 1t consist chiefly or simply
IN going once week 10 house Of God like this say
ing prayers and singing hymns and listening % de-
nghtful hafmdnles by persons skilled in music. who
have been employed for the purpOse.-the harp. the
slgan the human v0ce.-OT 10 words OF counsel and
exhortau0n from one who is skilled In preaching and
has been employed for the purposel Does II mean
chiefly or simply 10 import into the services of the
sanctuary the ornament Of color and beauty Of form
and tie symbolism OF image and tbs soft and delicious
dream of an aesthetic rtual,-a matter chiefly Of
posture and pOlychrome and art and vestmcnt Is
II either the absence Of all these things simpler
palmer, balder worship Christian worship, 1
understand il. is something larger, deeper. broader
higher, than any aid all these things 1t is not con
fined and limited 10 any particular time. b. any par
cular place. any particular series # acts IN par
ucular place; IL covers the whole Of lb it touches
al the springs OF conduct and feeling ii proceeds from
the consciousness that not only here in this house
this morning. but everywhere are I'm Fathers
house and Ills children on The earth should respect
and honor and hallOw His
The question H. being discussed In books and mag
szines and by Christian assemblies today how shall
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