The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-25
THE SYNAGOGUE SERMON
PREACHED AT co URT STREET TEN
PIE BY REF. MR., DICKEBMAN.

A Large Congregation Present Last Even
ing-Flrst Address Ever Made in the
Synagogue by Other Than IA Rabbi-A
Mastery Address-Points of Similarity
in Christianity and Judaism.
At the Court street synagogue last
evening a preacher of another denomi-
nation spoke for the first time in the
history of the church. The speaker was
Rev. W. F. Dickerman, whose address
on The Good Things in Judaism" not
long ago made such a favorable i'm
preston on the Jewish people of the
city. Mr., Dickerman is pastor of the
Church of the Messiah, and large
number of the members of his congre-
cation were present at the synagogue
last evening.
Inc regular opening services of the
church were conducted by Rev. Mr.. Lee
w, the rabbi, who introduced Mr.. Dick
erman in brief but well chosen remarks
He said that many people are liberal
with their tongues; they talk liberality
etiiN SCt pidCllCe lllllS Ol
it, but the Jewish people propose to il
lustrate their liberal spirit by works.
He then spoke of Mr.. Dickerman as one
who represents the liberal spirit of the
daughter of Judaism and one who
knows a great deal more about Juda-
ism than many followers of that faith.
Mr.. Dickerman took as the text for
his address Malachi 2:10, Have we rot
all one father? Hath not one God Gre
ated us? Why do we deal treacherous-
~ every man against his brother, by
profaning the covenant of our fathers?"
He spoke in substance as follows
on every hand we hear of the broth
hood of man. 1t is pleasant thought
to me to feel that / am a citizen of the
world; this worldly citizen is new
thing. This spirit is creeping out here
and there, and because this is true we
worship here together tonight While
good women are sending blankets to
the Hottentots and ice cream freezers
to the Esquimaux, we here tonight are
doing great mission work We are
reducing the pagan within us to man
mood. l stand here as the representa-
tive of Universalism on religion, a de-
nomination in which there is a catho-
licity which is not bounded in degree
or determined by creed This idea is
paramount everywhere above all our
creeds
1t is interesting to trace these uni
ties in religion which are to survive I
believe that Judaism holds those uni
ties which shall survive. The best that
Christianity has inherited comes from
Israel. That insistence on righteous
ness and justice so dear to the heart of
those old Hebrew brethren is equally
dear to us to-day.
Among the unities In which we all
believe and which no one can deny is
the unity of God, and believe / speak
for this congregation as well as my
own when ! say this That is the CEN
trail thought of Judaism We advocate
with you the inseparable unity of the
eternal
I'VE can say with you. Our God is
one 1t is comfort to fall back upon
this great unity. We also hold to re
ligion as conduct. Among the Jews re
ligion has never been dogmatic There
is in it not one line of creed With
them religion has been a family mat
ter, pre-eminently conduct and more
Christianity is coming to the same
thought. Faithfulness is desired rath-
er than faith. That which is called
faith is often merely gullibility. Faith
as we understand it is faithfulness,
fidelity, truth. Righteousness and JUS
tice are coming to be popular words
in our day, and we believe in religion
as righteousness, justice and faithful
ness
mo religion will ever get beyond the
sentiment, Love the Lord, thy, God,
with all thy heart" 1t is confessed on
every hand that this is the essence of
true religion. There has been much
dispute as to the source of authority
in religion. The theological world is
now in great unrest on account of this
question, and gradually the fact is be-
ing evolved that the authority is not
external, not a matter of tradition, and
don't belong to any book, and therefore
the belief in revelation of the Bible is
being questioned. We are concluding
quite rapidly that the Bible is not alb
solute authority in religion We rec
ogniZe it as a book of devotion rather
than as book of infallible opinion.
! Real authority in religion is the spir-
itual consciousness of man. We must
remove it from the scriptures and bring
it nearer to man. Reason must decide
the matter of religion in the same way
that it does matters of science. We
begin to respect the spiritual conscious
ness of man, to have faith in the ele-
mentS of human nature, and to see that
we have within us a guide. We are
coming to the fuller light of human
reason, nearer and nearer to the truth
| do not mean by the spiritual con-
| seriousness of man the holy ghost, but
the views we get from the summit of
our time; in the light of the vision we
have to-day, when we are guided by
the clearest intelligence, endeavoring
to know the truth which is for us. This
is authority. This is the best a man
can do for humanity with a prayerful
spirit and a regard for righteousness.
This is loving God with all our hearts.
This shall be our guide.
Religion must ever have a great
ideal, as sculptor has piece of statu-
airy for a study or an artist vision
which he cannot put into material form.
So the true religionist has ever before
him glowing image which inspires his
soul There has long been a hope not
only Israelitish, but world wide, that
there would be a day when the heart of
man would be more kindly towards his