New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-20
"ORIGFyIL. YET Not ORIGINAL"

TIE REV WILLIAM LIoYDS DISCOURSE con-
cERNrNi TIE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
WAS the Sermon on the Mount Origina?' was
the title OF a sermon preached yesterday morning
I'm the Central Congregational Church. West FIFTY
scventh-st by the pastor. the Rev william Lloyd
There are those" ne said. who take keen
delight In saying that Jesus s,id nothing IN the
Sermon on the Mount that was not said before and
quite as we'll said. on the other hand. there are
those who think they honor Jesus by affirming
His teachings be absolutely new. 1t seems 10 RE
that the view lies between them. The Sermon
on the Mount original and yet not original
And all the original because II was not original
and because lie made no claim TO originality. That
IL paradox. but IL Is so.
Many OF the sayings OF Christ had been in some
manner anticipated by the prophets and by pagan
sages and orators before Him. For instance. Christ
said: Blessed are the meek. for they shall In
heri, the land David said The meek shall inherit
the earth and to them shall be given the abundance
OF the nation Christ said; Blessed are they that
hunger and thirst, for they shall have their ull.
Isaiah said: Let every who thirsts come to the
waters and drink Christ said: Blessed the
poor In heart for they shall see God. David said:
Who shall ascend into the hills. but he that hath
clean hands and pure hearth
II we turn to the sages OF other lands shall
ind that Confucius sums up the whole duty OF man
to man in the single word Reciprocity Christ said
Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you
do ye also to them Christ commanded men TO be
kind to another and TO their enemies
Cicero said: Men should furnish benefits to
the unthankfu
Christ commands 10 do our duty TO Father
Who Is in Heaven Epictetus says: Man is only
true and good and free when whatever is the will OF
God is his Will. too. and whatever is not Gods Will
Is not his Will
Therefore. say the Sermon the Mount Is not
original In the OF absolute newness but IL is
original In this higher sense that Jesus spoke these
things out OF His own consciousness and reached
them by years OF thought and communion with God
old. The Deatitudes were not new In the sense OF
never having been limited at before, but they We're
never spoken Jesus spoke them II was this that
gave a noble siranReness and originality to them.
The whole world was living In spirit contrary TO
those blessed laws.
SO claim FOR Jesus christ IN the truest sense
intellectual originality. Originality does mercy
consist In saying things 1t consists In giving
old things new meanings. setting them In clearer
light and bringing them into vital relation with the
life OF Men may borrow much and Justly claim
originality. Shakespeare borrowed lai ge part OF
his arguments In a good many OF his plays and
he borrowed the characters But would any sane
dramatist? IL he could lay the whole intellectual
world under tribute he had right TO do IT,
Ralph Waldo Emerson has said Great are
more distinguished by range ana extent than by
originality How often do IL said OF
preachers that they not original. that they
borrow 1t was recently given a reason for a
minister to resign In this city that his did
not sufficiently upft his congregation intel
lectually"
In closing Mr.. Lloyd said that It was not within
the power OF every man TO upft people intellect
uay and morally