Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-17
THE CHURCH CONGRESS
Continued from First Paos.

him. II is hardly credible that they ever
kept up with him. The newspaper reporters
came near giving up in despair and one re-
marked afterward that he would rather rely on
his imagination and creative faculty than upon
the notes he had been able TO make. II would
not be at all surprising if there were good
many people in the congregation this morning
who have not very clear recollection
OF what they actually heard. They all
leaned forward and listened with the closest at
tention in order that they might lose no more
thsn they could help. The sermon was not .
long one That Is to say il did no; occupy
much time in the delivery. How much paper
1t would cover if written out in full no man
may say.
TO COME NIGH UNTO THE LORD.
The bishop began his remarks with the state
ment that it was customary at these church
congresses to draw nigh unto the Lords table
at the commencement Of the session. IL was
right and proper that they should begin by
coming near TO His truth, to which He so
heartily welcomed them, before they began
upon their deliberations. to which thew were
all sure He also welcomed them.
He announced as his text the FIRST verses Of
the ninth chapter of the Gospel according to
Saint Matthew: And He entered into a ship
and passed over and came into His own city
And, behold. they brought 70 Him man sick
OF the palsy, lying on a bed; and Jesus, seeing
their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy:
Son, be Of good cheer; thy sius be forgiven
thee"
Bishop Brooks then referred briefly 70 the
circumstances Immediately preceding the event
recorded in tho text. He laid special stress
upon the element Of surprise tina. enters here
In the case Of the man stricken with the palsy
and the fact that here aud elsewhere many i'm
portant divine truths are brought TO human at
tenticn through this means. Here, as usual,
God was ls;ing accent upon the wonderful
hl lt, xlasa a
attitude toward oNy fellow man we are always
dividing up our sensN of relationship into min
iature cells and chamNers, but when We get
away out beyond all that we cannot but realize
the oneness Of the life THAI is received and the
life that is bestowed. God is the giver of His
entire life to our life as far as we are able TO
receive it. He gives himself entirely to the
whole of us and fills humanity with himself.
All through His word We find only VIE fulpess
of Him filling all humanity.
CHRIST THE DIVINE MAN.
Christ is not only the teacher and the healer,
but behind all this we see the divine man. We
do not come up to full realization Of HiNa
when We simply see Him helping us here and
helping us there. but only when we realize the
fact that He redeems us and makes us whole. 1t
Is well that we should realize to-
world. He does more than simply to
provide us with a lot of old dry truths, which
We ponder over and argue about in DIR efforts
to decide whether we will accept or refuse. II
is the day when there must be deeper under
standing and profounder realization OF the
truth Of His saving grace. salvation is the
universal and divine help spread through mind
and body, soul and spirit.
The preacher went on briefly to speak Of the
good that had been accomplished by the pre-
vious church congresses and urged upon his
hearers the truth that no matter through
which door God may enter into the soul He is
still the same God. With one man He finds
that He may enter by one door; with
another He comes in a different way,
but He is still the same God. God and
man have ever been attesting through the ages
of human history the fact that they belong TO
each other and are one with each other. The
artist and the scientist, the scholar and the
statesman, are likely to see things differently
and place emphasis upon the importanceof diff
ferent elements in life, but they may all be
seekers after the same truth.
THE UNIVERSAL NEED FOR GOD.
There is ever with us an attempt to use
science or art or letters as a substitute for re-
ligion. The trouble is that the effort is made
to use either as a substitute. Take each in its
best sense and there is something re-
ligious about it. Go deep enough into any
one of these and you will find there
the soul of man; you will find God.
The greatest danger will be removed if these
elements are regarded and used not as allies
and confederates of religion, but as more than
this. as one with it. Go far enough into each
and you will find there the utterance of the
universal need for God, the greatest of all gods.
Coming to him today at his COM
munion table we shall be ready for
a fuller service, strengthened and en-
larged by our fuller conservation to Him and
by the knowledge that there is no part Of man
that may not receive a conservation from Him,
and no activity of man which may not be used
as portal through which the realizing sense
Of His divine power and grace may come.
COMMUNION ADMINISTERED.
Upon the conclusion of the bishops address
communion was administered and then the
clergy retired from the chancel and the re-
ligious portion of the opening exercises
of the congress was brought to an
end. The congregation, however, re-
manned seated 10 witness the brief
business opening of the congress. After a
short interval Bishops Dudley and Brooks re-
turned to the chancel without their surplices.
where they met ex-senator Edmunds, the pre-
siding officer. and Rev. DIR. wiides
the general secretary. A hymn was
sung and then Bishop Dudley
introduced Mr.. Edmunds as the presiding
officer. Mr.. Edmunds stepped to the front.
and taking from his pocket some manuscript
read the following: