New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-18
THE GOSPEL IT'S OWN PROOF
TRUE BELIEVERS SHOW BY THEIR LIVES
THE WISDOM OF GOD
THE REV CHARLES d. sHAw's ELOQUENT DIS
COURSE ON THE WORDS OF PAUL. TO THE
CORINTHIANS THE DEMANDS
MADE BY UNBEIIEvERs
CONQUERED BY
THE BIBLE
THE BIBLE.

THE BIBLE.
Paterson. May 16 (SpecaD.-The Rev. Charles D.
SHAW, pastor Of the Second Presbyterian Church.
delivered an exceptionally interesting sermon this
morning on THE Gospel Its Own Proof" He
took his text from l Corinthians t. 22-2l: For
the Jews require sign and the Greeks seek after
wisdom; but we preach Christ crucfed unto the
Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks fool
lshness; but unto them which called both Jews
ana Greeks, Christ the power OF God, and the
wisdom of God" He said in part:
Every letter by the Apostle Paul was written out
o. o. a luz heart. He did not sit down TO compose
friends and converts In other cities. Each epstle
nad ITS inspiration in the circumstances condi
that fact. instead of giving to these letters
mercy mercy, temporary Interest long since exhaled, has
me present time and certain 70 endure so long as
centuries does not alter human nature ''''A'' -
Jet the heart OF man remains the same as 1t
cnaons and tendencies Of the haman ' rSce
on.y slightly modified by the passage Of time and
more more powerful than environment. NAPOLEON said
,rScratch a Russian and underneath you find a
any man, however highly civilized and underneath
you VII di,i find The original type OF humany-the
the beginning OF history"
. Paul man TO
with him i was no question Of outward seeming, or
ing ne so1 IN hg he
a; Cornth might well stand for all the word. II
were gathered all sorts and conditions of men,
drawn draw. from the teeming population OF large
and Immigrants from the very ends of the earth
As the city was. The church was; active eager
restless eLtcTprising. ambitious; full OF far-see-
ing. shrewd. seli-seeking. determined, persistent
s or ana her Rn hae had had no enT tier
individual city. Even as Christians. they were
Not for the dead past. then. but, for the living
present. notice. first. the demands made by un-
Greeks seek ef ra9e these Wo as lns
the church at Cor!nth was made up. The com
ae6ws the Bulk Of Re
sisted of people OF many countries and provinces
ciasscd as Greeks The Jews established ;heir own
an9 S after se 9wq e
attention and enlisted the goodwill OF many Cen
e AND Ma0 vet aq osook pG and e%pe ana
flee OF their own faith, to sii in lttle nnadorned
ment, and TO prayers offered 20 the one True God
20 take part most likely. IN the psalms that were
plain and unvarn.shed exposition Of the Scriptures
mainly as bearing upon the coming OF that MESSIAH
l hS5 S00m the whole Hebrew race waited and
TWO great types, of character. therefore are here
stands for the simpler nature. having no relations
with art or with worldly learning, deep.y i'm
nipresence OF God, strongly marked with natural
religion and continually looking for some mani;
fesiation OF Divine power on behalf OF himself and
his nation The Greek stands Tor the more complex
want Of the beautfG and a seeker after truth
eager 10 know the reason why; searching every
where for origin and causes gratifying himself by
inventipg reasons for phenomena: regarding re-
ligon far more upon It's artistic than It's spIliua
sde. and reviewing nature as the work OF many
divine beings Instead OF the product OF one infinite
Each Of these classes has its own preconceved
beliefs about religion. In many cases, these may
hey ex'st And when the gospel Of CHRIS, comes
knocking at these hearts there T. usually an an
swer Of opposition and denial. The Jew requires
a sign. that is. some miraculous manifestation OF
divine power as proof that the MESSENGER ss had
ent demand when Christ was among them.
doing n sP the MSk as sosh n s They de-
manded a philosophical explanation. according 10
according to another system. which although new
might commend Itself 10 their reason Thus. when
Paul at Athens preached the resurrection. some
Knocked and others said. We Will hear thee again
Almost Invariably on some plea. the heart resis,s
the Gospel. Cases OF immediate and ready accept
Something more, something other IL demanded: the
simple truth. the plain word is not enough. Ac;
kind Of resistance. The business man finds OBJ
jecilons in his sphere the RSsSt me s ais ine
whelm!ng sign the other. Convince me by philos-
0PRy" .,., .ooo,d,,. -. .,,,ro,, -os,s,anc. Nv
the Gospel OF these demands. But we preach
Christ cruc:ied. unto the Jews a Stumbling block
The apostle could not. and no other preacher
sey al n aside to @ no a 10 a%@
Jewish opposition by the exhibition Of miraculous
As before Felix so everywhere. ne reasoned rea-
soned OF righteousness. OF temperance and OF the
judgment 10 come. From Greek or jew he never
withheld the preaching Of Christ crucihed. though
70 the Jew II a 81 stumbling book and TO the
Greek foolishness. The Jew stumbled at It, because
It made chief and first the humiliation OF the
Messiah. 1t brought him lower than the dust Him.
that mighty prince TO whom the nation looked as
the King OF Glory. and for whom they waited as
the Great Deverer. Their pride rebeEed at the
entire history. tn
TO the Greek the preaching Of Christ crucined
was fool.shness because II involved depth OF
learning. For man to die IN some great cause
was not unusual A man could be a hero without
being a philosopher. This man Jesus had made
bold stroke and lost. SO the Greeks argued; put
the great Apostle continually met them WITH the
theme, underlying all his preach!ngs, the theme
OF Christ crucifed. .
SO to-day the Gospel cannot. must not. turn ASIDE
to every objection, 10 argue with every