The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1894-09-01
AnAnIe sermon.

1
| The Methodist church vas crowded to its
utmost capacity yesterday morning, the
occasion being sermon by Bishop joyce,
who has been holding conference here dur.
ing the past week. Very many came from
distance to hear :be celebrated divine, and
| long before the hour for the service every
seat was occupied.
Bishop Joyce is very agreeable and in
forehead, hair gray and inclined to bald
ness, and very classical features. His ex-
| preston indicates kindness, sincerity and
| honesty, and he is possessed of that emo
| tional temperament which exerts magnetic
| Influence uynn an audience. Tbs is the
proper temperament for the ,rator, and
without it addresses or sermons are cold
and lifeless.
Taking his text from one of the njunc-
tions of st. Paul to Timothy his theme was
the sacrifice or poverty Chlist suffered in
assuming human nature or b=ing incarnated
therein He evin ed deep thought and
some original ideas in his prelude to the
discourse in discussing human nature This
is the same the world over, and the polg-
nant grief of the mother over the grave of
her child is the same IN all countries and
climes Human nature, to be ldged prop
erly, should be taken at its best, and this
supreme epoc is experienced by every IN
iIvdull. He who is now stranded wreck
on the shores Of time may have taken the
wrong step when the tide was at its food,
and If he had not made the mistake might
have lived to have developed into noble,
Christian manly man. Rich and poor are
simply labels on different conditions in life,
and these art not to be considered abstract.
ly or in themaeiyes; but the effects the,
produce. Human nature has no inherent,
volitive power to progress. There must be
a model, and this must not be coufined to
any age or country. ALI movement is not
advancement. There are circular move
ments which denote no progress. To ad.
vance the movement must BE- forward-In a
straight line. Christ furnished the model,
and there has been advancement for the
past nineteen hundred years He has be
come the con science of humanity tor al ma.
tIons, for time and for eternity.
After carefully giving full outline of
human nature, and the effects of the incar.
nation of DEITY therein, the bishop spike
OF the poverty of Christ In this worlds
goods. The foxes have holes, the birds of
the air have nests, yet the son of man hath
not where to lay his head In these de.
scriptions he reached the highest summit of
pulpit eloqueuce, and there was
not hardly one present who was not
in sympathy with the sentiments expressed
His pen pictures of Jesus in the tempe
with the Jewish rabb;s, his entry into
Jerusalem, agony in the Garden Of
Gehsemane, sufferirgs ON the cross and res
direction were word paintings which placed
Bishop Joyce among the cultured language
artists. Then the g'orIfication of Christ IN
His ascension into Heaven was portrayed as
only master could. the sentences were
so mixed, like the colors in the painting, as
to make tlnts, perspective and background |
the perfect picture. The audienc. were |
under his control, and sobbing |
from every part of the house.
His adunadversion on ''little newspaper |
men, who did not possess sol homore's |
education, was rather out of place and in
certain measure unjust. There are but
few papers in Oregon that are not hand in
hand with churches and other moral insti-
tutions in tine work of improving the con-
ditIon of the human race. Eiitors may not
have paid as much attention in the curric.
nlum of their studies to Paley's Evidences
Of Christianity, Buffers Analogy, or Wat
sons Iostitutes and the dogmas of priest
made theology as members of the clerical pro.
'essIon, but it is fair to state that they know
rs much about Greek philosophy, literature
md art. metaphysics and modern scenti6,
'esearch. But we will be generous enough
% consider this as an Inadverteut reuIark
IN the part of Bishop Joyce and not inten-
led as thrust with barbed dart in the
back of men who devote more time to the
)u bile welfare, are more selfsacrifcing and
inselfsh In their work for the benefit of
than any other profession.
The sermon was complete in every re-
gard, and will leavea lasting impression
lpon those who heard it. Words and SEN
ences were choice. and every period well
'ounded. The earne'tness and sincerity
which the bishop displa, ed 10 its delivery
ave it life and soul, and very few who
leard him preach yester day will doubt
hat he is Christian gentleman. who
ttempts to pattern his life after the Great
Master.