The herald., 1895-07-15
THE CHURCHES YESTERDAY
Large Audiences Were the Rule
Throughout the City
CUP OF CHRIST AT UNITY
Bishop Cyrus N. Foss at the First N. E.
Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church Organ
lied snd Officers Are Elected
and Installed
CUP OF CHRIST AT UNITY

The usual large congregation was pres
ent yesterday morning at the church OF
the Unity, and the pastor. J. S. Thorn
SOL. preached a powerful and direct SER
mon on The Cup Of Christ. taking for his
text these words: "The cup which my
Father hath given me, shall not drin k
it?'-John 1871. The cup of Christ sig
nifies mental trouble--fear, doubt, loneli-
ness, anguish. In the garden He said !:
MY soul is exceeding sorrowful, even to
death" aud this sorrow was his cup. A
covenant IS an agreement, contract or
dispensation. The New Testament should
be called the New Covenant. and this COW
enant was signed by Christ with his
blood. life, sufferings. 1t was this blessed
gospel of Gods love and mans duty,
with NO sacrifice required but the sacri-
flee OF q mans own heart and life, and
not the sacrifice OF an animal or another
persons life. Christ was put to death for
preaching the truth which would destroy
sin forever from the face of :the
earth. Our sins put Him to death, as
they put Socrates and Hypatia and other
prophets. reformers and truth-tellers to
death. We say we have free press and
free speech in America. Certainly there is
no law to prevent man from declaring
his convictions; but party sentiment.
demon national sentiment and prejudice
boycott man for uttering his sentiments,
and subsidIze our sOcalled free press.
Christ at the last supper filled large COB
lot, and said this wine symbolizes my
life poured out. Drink it and do as
have done, pour out your lives for right
eousness. Remember me by acting like
me. and by drinking your bitter cups OF
persecution. Neither Satan nor an angel
nor demon gave the cup of mental tort
ure to Christ. God, whose spirit led him
into the desert to be tempted by the dev-
il, gave this cup to Christ. God gives ev.
cry soul bitter cup; ana, like Joseph in
Egypt, we should have divining cup TO
find out the meaning of each mental trou.
BILE. 1t is blessing in disguise to the
wise and rcverent soul.
The strongest prayer ever uttered on our
earth was the thrice-repeated prayer Of
Christ in the garuen, and yet God refused
Coz, the prayer was made to himself.
So God refused to answer Gods prayer.
The law of self-sacrifice is evident in the
universe. God gives his power. wisdom,
and love-himself-to all his children, as
the sun gives his rays to the planets. The
mother hen and the mother animal would
die for their young. and Christ's gospel
declares this law to be the golden thread
of religion. Christ had will, and that
will was different in some respects from
Gods will. He acknowledged Cod s will
to be superior to his will; but God has
not two wills. and. therefore. God and
Christ are different beings. Christ, Jacob,
Moses, Elijah. the Baptist, Paul, and
John. on lonely mountains or deserts, and
face to face with God. fought their men
tai battles. The creed reciter is like a
parrot, repeating words without a realiza-
ton of the sense. These parrot believers
should ponder Christ's words to the two
ambitious disciples-"Can ye drink out
of my cup2' 81 thirst" said Christ; but
thirsteG for God. MY God, wny h asst thou
forsaken me?" He felt that God had
forsaken him. and this was the btteIest
part of the cup. To remember Christ is
to do and suffer like him, and do our
Fathers will at all cost.