The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-28

At the First Methodist church last
night Rev. Henry, the pastor, preached
the second of his series of sermons on
the Mystery of Goodness" A large
congregation was present and listened
with much interest to the young pastor
whose popularity is rapidly growing.
The text was taken from John LA:
And the word was made flesh and
dwelt among us, (and we beheld his
glory as of the only begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth"
A word is a vehicle for thought.
There are meaningless words as well
as there are empty vehicles. The
value of words often depends upon the
speaker; there must be character behind
them. Now then let us consider the
fact that Christ is the articulation of
Gods thought to us. I'm him dwelleth
all the fullness of the godhead." Thus
we also have in Christ complete reve
lation of God. The relationship be-
tween God and man being thus estab-
lished, the need of communication be-
tween God ard man becomes clear.
Without God this life is naught but
a mockery and it is self-evident that
man was not intended to get along
without God.
The ultimate relationship that exists
between US and God is: revealed to us
Father" The ties that bind us TO God
are natural ties. Thus it is directly
opposed to the spirit of Christianity to
suppose that God is far away; that
he is hostile to US If we would but
recognize this relationship and all that
it implies how much happier and bet
ter our lives would be. Because God is
our father he desires to save us from
our sin and folly, and consequent
shame and degradation. There is more
than one story of the prodigal son. l
knew a young man in one of the east
ern states who will serve as an illus
tration of the modern prodigal He
had home surrounded by all the COM
forts of daily life. He was petted by
his parents until he grew to manhood.
Then he became diSobedient and grad
ually became dissipated. The result of
it was the father sent him away from
home. The son went to q great city
and nothing was heard from him for
years. There was a mysterious yearn-
ing in the fathers heart, but he was
too proud to humiliate himself by look
ing for the hayward son. Finally one
day a message came. Your son is
dying, will you come to him?' it read.
Instantly the barriers to the fathers
heart were broken down. No longer
he considered it humiliating to go to
the boy and tell him there still was
love in the fathers heart, but he de-
parted on the next train. The over
pcwering desire in the fathers heart
to help his boy was kindled anew and
no power could stop him. The love
God bears to his children is the same,
it is but for us to take the initiative.
Christ, by his life, has revealed to
us Gods sympathy. sympathy is the
love that understands" Christ mani
tested sympathy for the sick, the hun
CRY, sinners and poor. His only de-
nunciations were directed against
those who, although they had the light,
deliberately chose to walk in the dark
ness.
Christ by his death reveals to us the
serious nature of sin. Sin means fail
ure; it means the separation from God.
On the other hand God has decreed
the ultimate and complete happiness
of his children. He has prepared a
home for them that shall be perfect
in its arrangement. There shall be no
pain, sorrow, WEAKNESS, night or death.
How strange if he had not assured us,
There shall in no wise enter into it
anything that defileth, neither whatso-
ever worketh abomination or maketh
a lie." There will be no admittance to
the man whose heart is full of envy
and hatred; whose passions hold the
mastery. There will be no striving, no
malicious tongue and no selfishness of
any kind tolerated.
1t is because of Gods great love to
us that he cannot tolerate evil A
father has right to protect his own
home and so the heavenly father keeps
above that nothing unclean shall en-
ter. If you choose sin you Danish
Yourself from God. Through Christ we
may escape from sin.