The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-04
PRESIDING ELDERS SERMON.



At the First NJ E. church yesterday
Rev. L. b. Ford. presiding elder of the
Seattle district, occupied tho pulpit both
morning and evening. His text for the
morning was: For We Are Laborers
Together With God" found in the ninth
verse OF the third chapter of Paul's First
Epistie to the Corinthians. There was an
unusually fine morning audience present
and IL listened with deep attention TO the
eloquent exposition Of the subject from
the lips OF the presiding elder He said
in part:
As the supernatural pillar Of cloud and
fire which stood as an iuppregnable wall
between the Hebrews in their fight from
Egypt and the Egyptians in their hot. re-
lentiess pursuit of escaping bondmen,
was radiant with the shekinah, so this
epitome of the divine economy is pro-
fulgent with the divine presence. It
quiysrs with the forces of divine power
and 10 replete with the forces of human
philosophy and affords clear intro
spection of our being. its mystery, dignity,
fellowships and the glory of possible des-
tiny. The Law OF human and divine CO.
partnership is written everywhere. Ii is
well-nigh universal. Our lives and the
life of society, where individuality Ii lost
In the aggregate mass, are curious, inter
esting and instructive combinations of its
forces.
Mere humanitarian systems conceived
in q brrning brain, formulated with con-
summate skill, promulgated with glowing
enthusiasm, and glorihed as splendid
types of religion, are only systems of phil
osophy built not on the mediation Of the
divine Christ, but on the humanity of
Jesus of Nazareth, ignoring and denying
His divinity. and have demonstrated that
the supernatural work of transformation
through the disintegration Of the mass
aud the regeneration, publication and ed
ucation OF the individual can never be &C
eomplished with the divine element left
out Linguists tell us the most perfect
Languages are the dead languages" This
explains an important truth in history.
The peoples who have lived in the great
Rones. founded empires. built Kingdoms,
established thrones. wore crowns, welded
sceptres, who sank to depths of philosophy
and rOse To SUBMITS of intellectual power.
who excslied in learning, literature and
art. are those who have died out of history
and live today only in hieroglyphic mona-
ment and in stereotyped, unknown
tongue, while on the other hand, the I'M
cultivated low peoples without states
manship or philosophy. without sehiev-
ment in the me arts. literature and the
sciences, have pushed on through
the ages, their own monument The
lesson from these coincident facts IS that
mere intellectual culture Is fruitless and
dangerous. and that whenever humanity
tries to rise 20 power and Immortality in
dependentsy of God 1t wears out aud dies
without relief All the Babel towers have
been smitten hy the wroth Of q rejected
God, while their builders have persisted
amid confusion Of tongues and disaster
Of hope. And the divine element as
utterly fails when separated from the
human element ft inheres in the nature
of the case that God cannot work out his
designs ia this world without the consent
and cooperation Of man.
Oae vast plan spreads cut before Us
God moves ~ q mysterious way. We may
severaliy and con Jointly avail ourselves OF
eli the immense resources OF nature.
providence and grace in working out the
problems OF life and destiny. Let Us study
The manifestations OF this law.
Flfst-~kn the material realm God works
through Us In the production OF material
results
Second--in the social realm this law
holds over character as we'll. The ancient
systeras OF philosophy vex rs with con.
Trajectory definitions Of man. CHRISTIAN
ity Is q revelation Of mAn's morai nature
as the hAsal fact IN our sgperstractare.
ThIrd - In the supernatural realm
this revelation. luminous With truth.
ag.ow with love. radiant with power~how
divine and ye. hos human paradoxical
il may seem In the incarnation. Dsas
Aoaso, ne have the highest Illustration Of
tais law.
lie works iH IS 10 will snd 10 do % His
good pleasure This yiex o. cur relation