The herald., 1896-11-16
UNITY CHURCH.
An Eloquent and Scholarly Sermon by
Rev. Mr.. Thomson.

Yesterday morning at Unity church
the pastor, Rev. J. S. Thomson, preached
a sermon on Christs Own Declaration
About His Mission to Our World, taking
the text, John xviii, 81: ITO this end was
I born, and for this cause came l into
the world that might bear witness un-
to the truth"
Christ came to bear witness to the in
spired truth in the law and the prophets,
said the speaker, to develop and perfect
that truth, to fulfill the dreams of the
seers; but he plainly pointed out the
errors of the law and the prophets In
the synagogue one day he selected
Isaiah Xxi. 1-3, for his text, and he de-
clared that his text described his mis-
sion to our world. He was annointea
and sent to preach the Gospel to the
poor. the broken-hearted, the captives,
the blind, the prisoners. He came to
save the lost souls. He did not come to
save the righteous, for, as he said, they
did not need physician. He came to
not that the race is fallen, the property
of Satan and the heir of eternal suffer-
ings. He came to show that useful SER
vice exalts the soul and prepares it to
receive Gods approval and blessings.
He rejoiced in the name, form and work
of an obedient servant of God. He came
to teach the unity, wisdom, justice,
strength, love and care of God. He came
to teach that morality is essential to
salvation, to development, and to heav-
en-. He preached the highest and divin-
est morality. In fact, be was the great
est preacher of morality. His sinless life
is the strongest proof of Gods demand
for our moral development as the sign
and the offspring of religious faith.
Christ's creed was his character. He
declared that mankind would be judged
by its works; that our works would ap-
hereafter. hxy
its fruits; that the goats and the sheep
were judged according to their works;
and yet, in spite of all this, many
churches preach against good works as
q necessity to salvation and heaven.
Good works are. according to them,
''flthy rags" and no one should trust
in them as factors of salvation and de-
velopment. And the result is that too
many church members have very few
good works to trust in. They are lazy
enough. to let Jesus pay it ALL" If the
Gospels are true, then these churches
which preach against morality are anti
Christian. Christ came to denounce the
shams, dishonesties, superstitions,
frauds. OF the world. and it is the duty of
his church to testify against all political,
social, professional. commercial and &C.
clesiastical sins of the world, The
churches have denied Christ in not
preaching pointedly and vehemently
against vice In high and low places, and
in glorifying their creeds, notions and
speculations, and now it seems as if
Christ is denying the churches before
God and his holy angels. HE that hath
seen me hath seen the Father" said
Christ. In Christ's life we see God as far
as 1t is possible for human beings to see
him in this world. Christ is the grand
est revelation of God to man. He repre-
sents God upon the earth. He is the
manifestation of Gods heart. God was
in Christ reconciling the world to him
self" Christ is the witness of God
among men. He is witness to the NOR
ality, religion, naturalness, beauty and
glory of heaven. He has revealed to us
the civilization of the angels, the man
sions of the just, and the homes of the
saints. We do not go to the creed
makers, the pagan ritualists. Oriental
dreamers, the speculations Of Alexan-
dria. for the Gospels are sufficient for
us. What Christ says about his mission
ought to satisfy US. He does not say that
he came to be murdered to pacify Gods
wrath about Adams eating an appla in