New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-30
HOW no BEGIN THE YBAR.
WE SHOULD FORGET TIE THINGS THAT
ARE BEHIND.
TIE REV. DR.. HALLORAN. OF JERSEY CITY
breaches on THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW
YEAR"-HE EXPLAINS ST. PAULS AD-
VICE To THE PHILIPPIANS AND
DEDUCEs FROM 1T SUCCESS
TONS FOR LEADING

| tHElSllaN
/ The Rev DR.. Halloran, pastor of Simpson Metho-
dist Episcopal Church. Jersey city. preached yes
| terday morning Thoughts for the New Year"
The sermon which intensely interesting was
! based on the passage from Philippians ill., 49, I'm
which the Apostle says: Forgetting the things
which behind and reaching forth unto those
| which are before" The speaker said In part:
| We have had season of joy: we now come to
| that OF thought. We are in the last hours OF an
| expiring year-the chill Of its death is upon us.
This should lead us to ask ourselves inc.sive ques-
tions and lead us to the full appreciation of our
as b r TINS s end In TeW
| assisted in discovering its blessed truths.
| The great Apostle exhorts these Phppian Chris
! tians to forget those things which behind from
| the depth OF his own remarkable experience He
| salutary in the retrospect, there are many others
/ which, If remembered would weigh down the Chris
one of the first things to be forgotten is that of
| the many failures that strew the path of the be-
| lever. You will notice that our trunk railways
| erect no monuments where wrecks occur. simply
because The rene mbrance would expose the manage
ment and nlure the traffic so IN our christian lie
there are ures-opportunites for good neglected
abortiye-whch have caused us the deepest pain,
| but which, If dwelt upon. would paralyze further
virgin year with an overwhelming sense of your
impotence in divine things. Let the dead past
! would have you forget the opposition that has
come to you in your Christian life. To some this
life has been the urcovcrIng of bacteria hitherto
unknown. Indeed. have known men who stood
dazed at the conflict and asked themselves whether
promise in it. They forget that when we become
Christke must partake OF His suferngs, indeed.
inflicted, If INDUCED in: VIII turn the honey OF the
sospei INTO vnega forgiveness Is aVlne rsa
the viper In your own bosom. brothers. leave all
trampe the surface and say, with the help Of
God. they shall have no resurrection
year behind also. These are closely related to the
oppostons just mentioned. but in philosophy the
latter are from our human associations the former
Here may be asking what seems to you an impos-
hopes your business has been wrenched from you
by dishonorabe methods: your temples are hidden
by snow that no summer will melt have no
doubt dear friends but you could call up sufficient
affection that would so embitter your soul that
prayer would be impossible to YOU But you forget
the ground as well as the purpose OF affection.
We are human, with limitations, and tendencies
we are unshapcn. Heaven puts it's cold chsel on
us and we finch but i is the only process possible bic
residence with God. and for likeness to the angels
to o all adeton This were IMPOSSIBLE but the sting
may be extracted from it and the mercy Of God so
only reveal the greatness of the Deliverer. Remem-
Der that the path of sorrow and that path alone
leads to the land where sorrow is unknown;
The last advice on forgetting which ! shall men
ton is sef-deprccaton. Pride is an overestimate
OF ones power and 4 contempt for others: because
of such assumption self-depreciation is the other
extreme of the vibration of the pendulum There is
that there H. given each of MS conscious ability
iSrrc hc no paljne IN the presence of duty this
wear Christians In the name of God. let arise to
the conquest OF sin.
The things which are before Let MS note for
moment the Injunction in the second part of our
text. reaching forth unto those things which are
before"
Apprehension Of God is vital to all Christian liv-
ing That I may apprehcnd God as my personal
friend guide. deverer: that he may pervade all
departments of my life and never be absent from
me is a sublime sossibilitY-yoa. more a positive
duty with If there il one fact clearer than an
OF her in Revelations. II is this We must be OK
here. This Is different from the Divine omni-
presence which secures God everywhere even IN
splcndor but its rays he focused so as to pro-
n confla grafton without depriving surround
ing nature of whit of its light or force God
i'm omnpotence is dfusc If you will, but Is focused
felt the atoning blood of the Redecmer to the wash,
ing away OF transgression without depriving angel
or seraph. man. heaven or earth of one beam OF
His glorious coUntenancc.
Another thought il mat tIOd mas uefliite pur-
pose in the creation OF each individual composing
the human family THIS we Should auuresS our
selves and fulfil.
would further have YOU constantly remember
that your suIiclency IS of God. ont OF Him we are
nothing. i'm Him are Deity in miniature; we may
draw infinite resources in labor for God.
I would have you finally remember the reward OF
the true believer. Even in this life we are the
yctors Tell me not that the age Is becoming more
corrupt the world at large more sinful. Then in
deed is Christianity the colossal failure OF all time
sun witnesses trophies for the cross, Christian
ity Is being incorporated into new languages, and
lips that never praised God are now trembling
with the halleluiahs Of redemption. The hnal
reward is heaven We grow weary often. the journey
seems long and hazardous. and some may think II
sinful to long for rest. Paul did not so beeves for
he had "a desire to depart and be with Christ. which
is far better" They tell you the shadows indicate
hn Of DAY. You going toward the sun
down 30, no. ''rhe path of the Just is as the shin
ing light that shineth more and more unto the per-