The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-06
;. nisssoNu MEET. LAsrNIGnr
Tean Bradley Preached Sermon OF
Unusual POWER, Which Was Fol-
lowed by Impressive Prayer SeTvices
.-Meesings To-day.

Last night was the third night of the
| mission meetings at the Cathedral of
| the Good Shepherd. They are being
! conducted, indeed by the hearty CO.
operation of the whole church seem
| inglv, but the sermons have been
preached by Dean Bradley, of New
York.
These sermons by DIR. Bradley have
/ caused much comment in the city, the
one preached Tuesday night having
been pronounced performance of
| great power.
| Last night every seat in the Cathe-
| dral was taken, and after the opening
| service DIR. Bradley came forward,
| quite informally and without notes.
| He is a man feet, inches, face
| shayen except for a moustache full
enough and of iron-grey. He stands
of comfortable habit, with gestures
very natural. His head not at all bald
is that of the student who has keen
sympathy with the artistic, the beauti-
full, the classic, as well as patiently
gained understanding of the great
| truths of life. His sermon showed
these things. He touched here and
there with that magic simplicity and
| skill of every scholar upon Lowell,
| Plato, the Mer de Glace, near Chamon-
nix, and what not, in way to let IN
sunbursts here and there upon his sub
| iect. But all this was, by the way, n
mere succession of different colored
lights that he kept playing upon the
real work he had in hand.
For to say the truth, his subject was
simple, simply presented, and simply
illustrated. The force of it lay in the
fact that it was simplicity applied to a
great subject.
'sBut now we see through glass
darby"
The words were at once focused in
to the subject of Unbelief.
The speaker, however, did not put
the subject forward to suggest any pc
culiar growth now in unbelief. He be-
lieved that the world was on the verge
of a splendid era of faith.
The main definition of the preacher
may come here, though it came in a
later place in the sermon. But the
splendid light should be turned on at
once without further waiting.
This is it: to see through a glass
darkly did not mean to see through a
smoked glass, as many thought, but
to see through a mirror This was the
proper translation, and the custom of
the time made it all perfectly clear
Then mirrors were beaten and polish
ed out of copper or brass, and the
image was thus multiplied or shatter-
ed as moonlight might be upon culver
ing water. But though the moon, itself
over the hill and out of sight, thus lost
| it's shape and individuality in SHIN
mering mist of light. yet the human
| eve could see it even out of view, shin
| ing over. the hill Dir. Bradley here
! gathered up the books of the Bible
with brilliant effect and turned them
| toward their authorship in God just
| as the moonlight in the Alpine lake
| reached back to its source.
| 1t would be unjust here to take up
| the sermon, even in skeleton
| way. The points followed one another
| naturally, convincingly and sometimes
with startling originality, as for in
| stance in this case: the speaker was ar
| raigning the skeptic for his use OF the
| words good" and bad" He had no
| right to use those words unless there
| were a moral law, and behind moral
| law must be a moral force. That was
the clear-cut logic with which now and
then the speaker whipped a half
/ dozen exquisite paragraphs into final
| shape.
/ When he did not make his conten-
| ton with the blade of syllogism as
above, he stood midway with analogy
between that and rich, lucid illustra-
! ton; so that all three methods might
i reach all three classes of minds, ac-
cordingly as they might be persuaded
bettr by one than by another.
/ The speakers voice was one seem
| ingly so used to the expression OF
| strong words that it was safely free
| from unnecessary infiexion. His de-
1 livery was not the least charming fea-
ture of the whole dicourse, and there
| was a holy earnestness present that
seemed kindly pervasiye.
Such is merely an imperfect glimpse
| that preceded what followed.
/ Beautiful hymns were sung, and
there were cards that had been dis
| tributed throughout the congregation.
Here is one of them:
NOW is THE ACCEPTED TIME"
Please Put an X Before Any of the
Following Questions Which You !.
Wish to Answer in the
Affirmative:
DO you wish to be Baptized?
Do YOU wish to be Confirmed?
Do you wish to join this Church?
Do you wish to join a Bible Glass?
Do YOU wish to undertake any Chris
tian Work?
For whom do you wish Special Pray
/ ers offered?
Do you wish an interview with the
Rector or Missioner?
Do you think the Mission has been
n blessing to you?
| Questions, ......-.............'
| Name, .................... +.
| Address, ....................
The plates were handed around and
| all were asked to deposit the cards