The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-11-27
GOSPEL And CA7SUP
-
The Abandonment of Prin-
ciple for Expe-
diency.
DISCOURSE OF REV. DR.. sTODDARD
The Word of God Should be the
Standard by Which to
Frame Your Prin-
ciples.

The Rev. E l.. Stoddard preached to a
large congregation in ST.. johns Free
Church yesterday noraiug the third AND
last sermon in HIS series on Thoughts
for the Coming Century" He took his
text from the Nlcens Cr.sd. 81 sslisve In
one Ged, maker of all things visible aud
inviaible.p He reviewed the conclusions
arrived at In the first. Two sermons, aud
continuing. said:-
The third step is the beginning of a
life ordered by principle. Tne reason for
rightly living. aecor.ifug to science. is. In
one word. sxpedisncy. The reason. &C,
enruing to the spiritual revelation, Is the
ehasae er OF Got. the commands OF God,
tue hope OF Immortality. the iu.titutI0n
Of Jesus and niB revelation of holiness
ana love in personal form anon e US.
Rut these grounds have no wsiR At where
he ssieuTidc method prevails, and be-
cause science appeals to eX 2edielcE the
reiga OF science has been marked by n
substitution Of rules OF expsdIsncy tor
ct r;iai principle.
ABANDONMENT OF PRINCIPLE.
=" ne il OF principle for ex-
pc i cy is sen In the Cnurch. A week
II very distinguished man SAT in =
q Brooklyn cnurcn. After the
4 y - WAS over tHe clergyman sAlG C1aL
2 MS duty TO a~naoQucs Gn At his Coz
Z lion hal had the great pleasure and
D iege OF having with tnstn that mora
. e. whof Gnds Tue Holy Ghos ? A
ctu4pan ~ angslss Governor Mcklalsy
of ONO. " rrupon the audleucs oroke
lnio vociferons cheers then and there.
To me, here WAS a clear abandon uent of
tns whole principle OF what a church Is
anu is for, for the Sake OF Il ciaBtrap no.
turiety. The same thing is shown
in the use of sensational. 1 6.
sc eniinc methods IN church, praise SER
vices. concerts. startling sermons aud
giris' bri9ades. it is The abandon ment of
Tine principle of true worship for OK
prffency, popularity or money, The
G ocer adnlterates his sugar, the manu-
,eturer puis cotton in IN his wool, aud
tue minister mikes hiB Gospel with alit-
tie worl IL catSup 10 mSke it go down.
i Ia all the same thing, Tia. Abandoning
of 6 H's netnod aud tue principles of the
spiritual life for the sAtlstActloa of tea-
poEary worldly success. Among the
si.ns OF the times Is "A disregard for
morality provided ons eau attain smart
ness aud success l. must be evident
that a man Can only thus desert princiDle
for the methods OF this world when ne
n s really lost faith in any other world.
When faith in God aud the reality of
spiritual things comes back to him he
Willsfssl himself forced to live again by
6A&o ~
business or his CHI arch.
MUST SEE L DIFFERENCE.
but faith Will never come oAcG until
We are willing to see the difference pc
Tween principle. aad the ruls OF sxpsdi-
eDee, bstweeu right at all costa aud the
sacrifice of 1t whenever any little profit
eau be made by the abandonment OF IL.
Therefore, the call to this generation.
Clearly defins aud lay out your princi-
pies as to what buziusss should BE-, and
then live by them come what may.
Clearly dsfns aud lay out Tor Ycurs3lf
wHat government should be aud tnsu
vote for those principles. utterly indie
pendent OF what party may say. Clearly
defre and lay out for yoursslf wat tae
prih ciplss are which should govern the
cnurch. sni then tolerate no deviation
from them. Otherwise we are at sea,
tossed asous like children with every
wind of doctrine aud cunning, craftinsss
of men. Such 9 man is trimming
bis sails and shifting his helm win
every Whit of temporary sxpsdisnt or
popular claim OF Mau. while he who
sails by principle steers rs by u star.
Have your principles about art, painting,
music and be true TO them. Ask not il a
thing plsases a gaping crowd, AK not II
IL pleases you, ask IL the painting, the
music. the novel be trus TO what is right
and good aud eternal or II It represents
what is false or f~1ssting or immoral and
SO rightly applaud or reject with intelli-
gent disnity. And now if you ask in
closing what shall be the standardsaUo
which you are to conform and by which
you are tb frame your PRINCIPLES, l an
swer unhesitatingly, the Woed of God
VOICE OF q BIBLE.
The voice uf the Bible ia the realm of
science is not, we believe, la auy sense
an infaIlibls voice. In the realm of NOR
ality, Of true principles aud holy living,
we believe that It's voice Ii lual snd I'M
pr,raruria II ia fhn raanra fhran-n
1900 years of God revealing himself
more and more TO man. and man grow
ing more and more Into the kn0wIsdg e
aud love Of God. It 10 therefore the COM
mon law Of man in mia relations with
Col. Ii is the concentrated spiritual
experiences Of the ages. IL is therefore
an authority. There are large pats of it
which VIZ do no.. fuiiy understand aud l
think wa we're not meant to understand
them until we should grow iuto them. II
is life that interprets. i have many
things to say into YOU, the Saviour said.
.Dul ye cannst bear them now,r think
these words are true now as thea. God Is
cunstautly having more to say to us as
history goes on, aud l believe that he says
f. out of this Bihls making il
plainly ths Holy Spirit working ia us.
Though there may, therefore, De matters
which we do not understand. enough is
plain to give US u clear line of life aud
along that line we are TO sail. By AMI
by we may not want the Bible at all.
Gods law will be written in our hearts
as the Prophet said 1t would be, and the
Holy Spirit will be our perfect guide.
But thai time is not yet aud till tnat
tine the great value of the Bible AS GU r
guide is in this, hat in 1t We sse Gods
laws aud principles worked OUT. Seeing
10 the Bible how Cots eternal principles
have been made practical in the past, We
have the courage to apply them in this
nineteenth century,
TRIED TO GIVE AID.
I'VE have trle1 TO give some aid. in this
less cru. Il the course, to the straugs