The record-union., 1897-04-17
THE GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE
A Large Congregation Of Men Present at
81. PaulS.
Rev. 6. L. Miel'S Discourse on Christ 5
Death on the Cross and
Its Lesson.

PauPs Church, Rev. C. L. Mel, rector,
were full of solemnity yesterday.
There was morning service that was
very impressive and Somber the only
music being that of the organ. In the
evening it had been announced that
there would be a service for men only.
and a large congre cation assembled to
hear it. The Typographical Union,
PreSSmen's Union and BookbinderS
Union attended in a body, and there
were many members of the Federated
Trades, as we'll as members of secret
orders present, and all listened at
tentively to most impressive SER
mon.
Mr.. Miel took his text from Paufs
Epistle to the Philippians, H., s: He
humbled himself and became obedient
to death, even the death of the cross
Why did He humble himself and die
on the cross? Because he synlpathlzed
with men. He came to make GOD
known to men, and did SO. That was
why He suffered. There are two kind
of uffering-common suffering anu
royal suffering. We all know what
common suffering is, but there is
higher form Of suffering. 1t is part
and parcel of a noble character, ara
there was never hero who did not un-
dergo it. They suffer, not for them
selves, but for their felloW-men OF
their country No one can escape II
and still be a noble man. When
man can pass through life ana yet
wrap himself up so that he experiences
nothing but JOY and pleasure, he can
not still stand with us as one or
noble nature. He does not square win
our ideas Of high character
No one can think of parental love as
separated from suffering. 1t is the
caring for their children; the continual
effort to ward off danger and trouble
from them, that are the highest mani
festationS of parental love. so with
God If men say that God cannot sut-
fer thus, they take away from Him
the loftiest attributes that they con-
cede to men, and reduce Him to the
level of a material God. Men who are
in trouble do not seek the haunts OF
ioy They go to those whose hearts
they know have been broken and VINO
have suffered like them.
What the world wants is a God that
can sympathize with the sorrows and
close to him in his time of trouble.
A God who is above sympathy is not
the God who attracts the love and re-
gard of men. There is nothing like
personal sympathy and personal friend
ship We want a God that pities ana
sympathizes with us like as a father
pities his children.
Christ came to make known TO the
human race the truth that God Is su-
preme not because He Is lifted up
above man and above the universe, blN
because He sympathizes with man; be-
cause His sympathieS are warm ana
universal: that He earns the molly
name of Father because He loves and
gives gifts to His children and cares
for their trials and sorrows.
Christ died because He insisted on
making known the sympathy OF GOD
with all the trials and sufferings ana
sins of mankind. Bearing the sins or
the world was bearing for a short time
every sin Of every man who had slnned
from the beginning of the world. The
mother suffers for the child far more
than the child itself does, and so does
the father This does not mean that
there was a transfer Of every sin
and wrongdodng of men to GOD.
Christ revealed a Father to the world,
but men have distorted and changed
the revelation to suit their several
ideas.
We have all suffered more or less,
and will doubtless continue to sufIer
to the end. What we want is the tonic
of hope-the hope that al these sufTer-
ings are a training for the enjoyment
of something higher and better IL
we grovel in darkness here, we stlil
long for such a God as has been mani
Him yet. The man who by his SYM
pathy and kindness can work to lft
up those who do not thank him or
reward him with gratitude Is the man
who has in his character the love mani
tested by Christ, and we shall ma
tested by Christ in His sacrifice
We shall not enter heaven by what
we have achieved or as conquerors, but
as redeemed by Christ and brought TO
Him by his manifestation OF Gcd 5
character.
After the service was concluded, Mr.
Mel thanked his audience for their at
tendance, and gave them a cordial IN
vitation to attend the Easter services
with their families. He also an
nounced that on Tuesday evening or
next week there would be q service In
the church of an unusual nature, being
no less than a Salvation Army service
conducted by Major Winchell or the
army.