St. Paul daily globe., 1893-05-22
CROWDS HEAR JUDsoN.
Two Interesting Talks by Noted
"SIummer.'

"SIummer."
Rev. Edward Judson, pastor Of the
Memorial Baptist church, New York
city, and the preacher who left fash
iOnable congregation at Orange, n. Y,
to preach the Gospel in the slums of the
metropolis, addressed two large congre
cations at the First Baptist church yes
terday MIR. Judson has been preach
ing in New York for the past
twelve years, and he has asserted
great sway over the masses. In per-
sonal appearance he is above the me-
dunn height, with smooth. full face and
determined. though kindly expression.
His methods are OF the persuasive
quality, and simple and direct. At the
forenoon service he preached an inter
estlng sermon on the parable of the
vine and the branches. demonstrating
the beauty of placing full confidence in
and abiding in Christ. He also outlined
his work in New York.
AT the evening service he took his
lesson from the ninth chapter of
Matthew. wherein Christ utterS the
parable that man should not put new
cloth into an old garment nor new wine
into old bottles.
''It is always interesting" he said,
''to study the beginnings of things.
People never tired of hearing of the
anecdotes of great men; it is interesting
to trace the deeds of our forefatherS
just as a man liked to look at some
picture of a boyhoOd friend taken long
ago. 1t is on this account that the New
Testament never loses its interest, nor
it never would as long as mankind
loved to dwell over again the scenes OF
Gallalee."
The speaker then alluded to the adj
vent of John the Baptist from the
wilderness, where he had been living
on honey, and to the establishment of
his church, which represented the
teachings of the old religion and Of
Judaism. At this time also there came
another teacher, Jesus Christ, who was
the apostle of the new dispensation, and
there were then two churches started
in the valley of the Jordan.
He then said: NV hen people are in
tensely in earnest there cannot help
but be friction, and so it came to pass
that the two churches came into con-
flict. The disciples of John went about
with dOWncaSt and Sorrowful faces,
always mourning over their past sins,
while the followers of Christ were
joyous and happy. The former thought
there must be something wrong in all
this, as they could not understand how
the others could be happy, and SO they
looked aroud for weak spot in the sys-
TEN that made men joyous. 1t was here
that Christ showed them that it was all
simple enough. He showed them thst
He had not come into the world toiput a
patch on Judaism, and that it was
not His mission to put new
cloth of the gospel into the
old garments of the Pharasees. 1t was
this that made John sad. Christ had
come with the new cloth, the new wine.
the new bottles. The whole of Judaism
was contained in the two words: Re-
pentance and Righteousness; it was
the ola Mosaic doctrine. and when
Christ came Judaism had gone to
seed, and all there was left
was Pharasceism, which meaut that
men pretended to be what they were
not, and they were sorry only on the
outside. Their righteousness had de-
generated into punctiliouSnesS. They
were like some people OF today, who
prayed only on Sunday and did as
they liked ali the rest of the
week. They carried their religion
used it only as a mere matter of form.
John was the stern, rugged Hebrew
prophet, and he had come to rehabili-
tate old Judaism only to make the field
ready for Christ. When Christ came
He brought the gospel of for
giveness. He brought the new
birth, forgiveness over repent
ance; the one was only superficial,
while the other was born in the heart
and worked out. He brought the new
and JOYOUS and spontaneous religion; ;
not the kind that is kept III band box
and is only used on stated occasions.
ibut the religion that is good in all times
and in all places. 1t is the religion that
brings the power to do right with for
giveneSS.