The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1897-07-26
The Pastor of Unity Church
breaches on "Amen"
A CROWDED CONGREGATION
LISTENS TO HIS LAST SERMON
IN LOS ANGELES
Exhorts His Hearers to Rise to the
Opportunities and Responsible
ties Before Them

The pastor of Unity church, DR.. ]. S.
Thomson, preached his farewell sermon
yesterday on Amen" using the text:
These things saith the Amen. REEVE
lation, 3:14.
The jews, Christians and Mohamne-
dams have inherited the word amen from
the sacred language of Egypt. 1t is the
name of the first person in an ancient
Egyptian trinity. The worship of the
God Amen was predominant in ancient
Egypt. The favors which Amen con-
ferred upon his true worshipers were
successes and victories. He was the
God who brought hidden things to light,
and showed visions of glory to his peo-
pie. Nature refuses to reveal her secrets
to irreverent seekers; and the sphinx is
the symbol of natures refusal. That
symbol was vitality connected with the
worship of Amen. The symbols, num-
bers, visions and doctrines in the book
of Revelation, the last book of the New
Testament, are Egyptian. That book
is a transcription of the beliefs hopes,
aspirations and services of the worship
pers of Amen, and it is the flower of Ma
sonic literature as we'll as the compile
ton of revelation in morals and re-
ligion. The author of the book of
Revelation substituted the name of
Christ for the name of Amen, but in
several passages the name of Amen still
remains. The text is one of those pass
ages. The author of Revelation shows
~ IT, AL
speculations and visions of the greatest
sages of Egypt, and that Christ's gospel
and life completed the revelations of
Godto man in morals and'religion. Every.
soul realizes revelation in experience,
and every realization in morals and re-
ligion is a revelation to the Individual
soul; but no new truths, principles, laws,
in morals and religion, have been re-
vealed to the world since the ascension
of Christ. All the titles applied to Christ
in Revelation were worm by the God
Amen centuries before our era. The
word verify" in Johns gospel is amen
in the original Greek In that gospel the
words ''verily, verify, I say unto YOU"
occur frequently; but, if they were prop
erly translated, they would be 81, Amen,
Amen, say unto you Christ calls him
self Amen" in this passage, and the
author of Revelation calls Christ 'the
Amen in our text. Christ was the real
Amen, who brought life and immortality
to light by his gospel He revealed the
laws of eternal life to the world, and in
his divine and glorious life the absolute
gospel became flesh and blood and his
character has become the ideal char
acter for the human race. Amen and
the sphinx were grand spiritual dreams,
but Christ and the gospel are moral and
spiritual realities, fulfillments and ever
lasting glories. At the end of public
prayer, or at the end of public service,
we call upon the name of the God Amen,
an Egyptian deity. but into that name
have entered diviner meanings of eter-
nal life through our Master, who has
the keys of hades and of DEATH Christ
is "the Amen" the true and faithful
Witness" He glorified the old thought
of the world, because he filled it with
heavenly meaning, and made it plain to
the common understanding. From every
point of view Christ is the perfect Mas
ter, and his gospel is the absolute re-
ligion.
attention by a congregation that filled
every foot of space, and many people
stood in the aisles and alcoves during
the entire service. An atmosphere of
sorrow pervaded the large audience
room and regret was stamped on the face
of every listener to the preachers fare
we'll words. At the close of the able dis
course Doctor Thomson spoke feeling
ly of his ministry in Los Angeles, of the
sorrows he had ministered to, the joys
he hao participated in among his people
and exhorted them to rise equal to the
opportunities and responsibilities be-
| fore them. The congregation assemb-
ling at Unity church is the largest
Protestant body in the state. The pas
tors farewell words in severing his con-
nection with it were touching, impress
sive and tender.