The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-04
THE SPIRITUAL CHRIST.
First Morning Service at st. Clemen
Church, on Market Street.

Church, on Market Street.
The first morning service of st. Glenn
ent's recently organized parish, took place
yesterday morning in st. Clements hall,
Market street, near Jackson. The congre-
cation filled the large hall. Miss Minnie
Maltby presided at the organ. A chorus
choir rendered the musical service and
Mrs. G. A. G. Rochester sang an offertory
solo. The Rev. John F. Won Herrlich,
rector of st. Clements, took as his mora
ing subject "The Spiritual and Historical
Christ" The reverend gentleman took Is
his text two seemingly contradictory texts.
Gle hath no form nor comeliness; and
there is no beauty that we should desire
Him." Isaiah, SO. He shall come as a
root out of a dry ground" Isaiah, 53 "He
is chief amongst ten thousand and alto
gether lovely" He first dwelt on "How
great is His beauty" and said:
The child OF Bethlehem's manger presents two
aspects, according to the spirit in which We
view Him. Materially viewed He must have
seemed just as any other child In its infantila
beauty aud weakness. But If the scene at Beth
lehem be Illuminated by the inner presence OF
Divine spirit the Babe in the manger cradle be-
comes radiant with spiritual beauty So those
who went to the manger cradle saw two differ.
ent scenes. Joseph's friends and neighbors
who came hurrying to the inn TO congratulate
him on the birth of an heir TO toll and poverty
only q poor mans son. But the angels
who sang "Glory to God in the Highest" gazed
upop a babe which TO bs "the
hope and glory of all mankind"
The prophet Isaiah represents only the
vision of sense when he wrote, ale hath no
form nor comeliness and when we shall see Him
there is no beauty that we should desire Hint"
But Zachsriah presents the vision of the
spirit when he wrote, GLOW great is His
beauty--He is chief amongst ten thousand and
altogether lovely" Many of us have seen
what are called dssoying yiews-pictures
which depend entirely upon the amount of
light thrown upon them. Under a certain de-
gree OF light you see a fair landscape, In the
gray dawn, silen. and motionless; or the lofty
aisles OF some grand cathedral in dusky
shadow. seeming TO be an empty mausoleum of
a majestic past But as more light 10 thrown
upon the picture the gray dawn puppies and
the landscape grows clear, the cathedrals
shadows fit away, whle the ma
iestic building emerges from the
dusk, and as mere light still is
thrown upon the picture. the silent landscape
becomes peopled as on busy day snd the
cathedral becomes filed with life and people in
the living present SO with Us in all things in
tellectusl. material and spiritusl-things will
be to us according TO our capacity and power;
according To the spirit the light and knowledge
with which we view them. If we can only get
light enough upon the scene OF the nativity tho
look OF material sense will become q vision of
spiritual grandeur at FIRST Isaiah. in impas
stoned strain, writing TO worldly minded Jews
who Observation-Disclosures nothing better than
the restoration of temporal power 10 Israel de-
clares: Unto Us a child is born. unto us Son
is given, and the government shall be upon His
shoulders"; but as a divine light breaks upon
him he sees the spiritual Christ and
he sings: "His name shall be Wonder
full, Counselor, the Everlasting Father, the
Prince of Peacei" When those shepherds.
all glowing with excited expectation, oeheid
that Babe, imagine that their hearts fell.
Ike birds shot upon the wing, at the reality.
Heavenly messengers had directed them and
heavenly music was sull lingering in their
hearing But they come 20 the door Of com
mon stable; they hear the lowing OF the cattle
near them and they see in msnger, swa;hed
SIS the poor always then WFappe0 'heH paoes,
tho promised Messiah!
We can almost hesr them whisper, HE hsth
no form nor eomelineSs and there IS no beauty
that we should desire Him" But As they turn.
disappointed, away the Divine Spirit gently
whispers, "Hs shall feed His flock Ike shep-
herds; lie shall gather the lambs IN HIS arms
and carry them in His bosom and instantly
those simp.s-minded shepherds comprehend
the meaning of the prophecy and divine
.njri,usl beauty sweeps over the face and form
NJ the slumbeTing FAINT, aud they realize He is
the shepherd they have longed and looked for.
And now with the dawn, come the maid ser
wants from the inn. Imagine their discomfort
when they peer into the stable, II q mangeE
lighted by the dim rays OF e dusky lantern. and
behold only & poor mans child swaddled a.
other poor parents swsthed their children You
can hear them. for they speak IN no gentle
whisper, "He hath no form nor come!iness, ana
thers is no beauty that we should desire Him!
But something touches chord OF memory, aad