The herald., 1896-08-03
LESSONS FROM THE PULPIT
Topics Touched Upon by
Leading Divines
MORNING SERVICE At ST. JOHNS
Eloquent Sermon by Rev. b. W.
r. Taylor
REV. BERT ESTES HOWARD
Also Preached to Large Congregation
At the First Presbyterian
Rev. Mr.. Wilson's Discourse At the First
N. z. Church
The Danger Of Trusting to Conscience to the
ELOQUENT Sermon by Rev. B. W.
r. Taylor
REV. BERT ESTES HOWARD
Also Preached to q Large Congregation
at the First Presbyterian
Rev. Mr.. Wilson's Discourse At the First
NJ. z. Church
The Danger Of Trusting to Conscience to the
Disregard Of the Testimony Of the splr-
it-Song Service at St. Paul's.
Other Church Services

. Otucf oetViCee
There was the usual large congrega-
ton at st. Johns Episcopal church on
Adams street at the morning service
yesterday. The rector. Rev. b. w. r.
Taylor, preached an eloquent and in
structive sermon from st. Luke ix-33:
Peter said unto Jesus, Master, 1t is good
for us to be here; and let US make here
three tabernacles, one for Thee. and one
for Moses, and one for Elias; not. know
ing what he said"
The rector mentioned the fact that
Thursday next was the festival of the
TRANSPORTATION, and our thoughts ma
turally turn to that event in the life of
our Lord, and the many lessons which
the event teaches us. The festival it.
self was first instituted in the eighth
century, when the Greek church intro
duced it into her ritual. About the fif-
teenth century, the Roman church gave
orders for the observance of the festi-
val. 1t is not one of the greater festi-
walls of the Church of England. but our
own branch of the church catholic in
troduced the festival In our American
prayer book in 1885, and appointed a cell
ebration of the Holy Eucharist for the
day.
Three of the evangelists record in al
most identical language that striking
scene on the Mount of TRANSPORTATION,
viz, Saints Matthew, Mark and Luke.
St. Peter. in his second epistle. declare
that he was an eye witness of the event.
XyT = 7 ,,I Co &c, ID
ter. James and John-the same three
who subsequently beheld his agony in
the garden-up into high mountain,
supposed to be Mt. Hermon, the highest
peak in the Holy Land, and there in
their presence he was TRANSPORTED. His
raiment became white and glistening,
sparkling with radiance. And there APP
peared talking with him Moses and Eli
as, the former representing the law and
the latter the prophets. st. Peter, with
his characteristic impetuosity, while
gazing with his fellow disciples upon the
transcendent vision of the King in his
beauty, suggests the building Of three
tabernacles, or permanent habitations,
in which to enshrine the Savior and his
two companions. Then came a voice
out of the cloud of glory which envelop-
cd them, which said: This is my be-
loved Son, in whom am we'll pleased"
Three times during our Lords sojourn
upon earth was this awful voice heard,
first at his baptism, second at his trans
1iguration and third in answer to his
prayer, Father. glorfy thy name"
There are so many lessons to be
learned from this event that they can
but be briefly touched upon. We may
see. for example, how our Lords BODY
not only at the TRANSPORTATION but also
at Gethsemane became the subject of
supernatural phenomena. We could
also elaborate this thought: That as
Moses and Elias representing the law
ard the prophets had testified and pro-
phecied of the coming of the Messiah.
so their presence with him now testified
that he was the promised Messiah
There are many lessons of this sort TO
be learned fIsm the event. But leaving
them aside, the endeavor will be made
to siy our thoughts on the impetuous and
tnouShtless proposition of st. Peter to
erect three dwelling places, or tents of
boughs. for our Lord, Moses and Elias;
the Immediate vanishing of the latter
two when the suggestion was made, as
being unworthy of such honor, and the
divine voice with its implied rebuke to
St Peter: This is my beloved Son."
retention upon earth of our Lord in the
glorifed garments of his transfgura-
ton; his desire was that his eyes should
always feast upon this glorified vision
of Christs humanity. Now. had this
been permitted. the disciples would
never have willingly descended from the
Mount of TRANSPORTATION to the lower
scenes of daily life; they would never
have wished to take their eyes from the
dazzling beauty of perfection, and turn
them to behold the rottenness, the cor
ruption, the poverty and the misery of
the world. There are many Christians
with the Informed judgment of st. Pc
ter They are willing to worship in
churches, where art, melody and song
will engage their rapt attention-will-
ing, even, to approach that tabernacle,
that altar-shrine where the faithful do,
in their Utmost hearts, get vision of
the King in his beauty-all these reali-
ties and privileges they love andenjoy;
but they forget that the church cannot
always fix her rapt gaze upon glorified
Lord, that she must also seek that di
vine image among the foul and waste
places of the earth. and take that foul
pollution from the lives of men and wo-
men so that their lives may become
TRANSPORTED, enwrapped in the glow
and radiance of new light, with new
hopes and new aspirations. We all feel
the thrill and the glow of being in the
special presence of our Lord in the Eu-
charist but there are also the lower
conflicts to which we must descend,
there are the lower problems which we
must solve
Then this most important point we
must not overlook. The transfigura-
ton scene in it's sublime splendor shows
how the Eternal Father has glorified
before mankind his Eternal Son. 1t cuts
away completely the ground from I'M
der the feet of those who would rob
Jesus Chris. of his divinity. Surely that
awful voice, This is my beloved Son,
in whom 1 delight; hear we him." cannot
apply to any Of the ordinary sons of
earth, even be he a Moses or an Elias.
The divine sonship Of Jesus Christ is no
cunningly devised fable. Our worship
and alteration of him would be bias
phemous We're he mere man. But 1t
Is because of his claim. and the fact that
the Eternal Father substantiated that
claim on three distinct occasions by the
supernatural voice that we say we be-