The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-07-25
REV, HUGH X. WALKER ON THE
DIVINE CHARACTER
DIRECTORS TO BE CHOSEN
At the Annual Meeting Tomorrow
Afternoon-Assembly Notes
and Today's Program

.
the seating capacity being taxed to the ut
most. The sermon was preceded by the
usual congregational singing and solos by
George Cook of Los Angeles and w. Cliff
ford Smith of this place sang fine bass
solo at its conclusion.
There was a special Bible study by Dr.
Frost in the morning which was indepeno-
emit of the regular Chautauqua course ana
was free for ALL In the afternoon mode
Sunday school was conducted by Miss Nor
ris and In the evening mass meeting oil
children was presided over and addressed
by Rev. Mr.. Walker. George Cook sang Tor
the children. Mrs. Long sang solo at the
regular evening service, the sermon pelns
by the eloquent and popular vice-presioeht
of the Chautauqua association, Rev. Isaac
Jewell of Santa Ana.
Mr.. Walkers Sermon
Rev Hugh K. Walker, pastor of the I'M
manuel Presbyterian church of Los An
geles took for his text Psalm cxix 63-'Thou
art good and doest good; teach me Thy stat
utes" The subject was 1.-THE Vindicatlon
of the Divine Character and the 1mparta-
ton Of the Divine Character 10 Man. Mr.
Walker said, in part: ut is somewhat OF
a. fad among modern theologians to make
much of the theory that the gentler and
more lovabe side of the divine character Is
quite indlstinctly revealed, If revealed at
all, in the Old Testament scriptures. In
the light of old time prophets and histori-
ans God was mighty sovereign, stern and
severe, austere and implacable. scourgins
the nations with a whip of scorpions, ano
ruling over His own chosen people with
ba. theory n
able appears from the Twenty third Psalm,
where God Is described as the GOOD Shep-
herd" and the One Hundred and Third
Psalm, where he is compared to father
who pitieth his children while in the
Prophets He is called the husband OF HIS
people and the mother who comforteth Is
rael' 1t may be truly said that not only
the fatherhood but the motherhood OF Goo
Is clearly revealed in the Old Testament,
and that some of the tenderest, sweetest,
lovliest traits of the divine character are
beautifully portrayed by writers who lived
In those olden times.
ut is true that John, the beloved disciple,
first formulated the doctrine God is love,
but hundreds of years before the mystic OF
the first Christian century lived, another
poetic soul, under the same soft Syrian sky,
caught the same inspiring idea and put 1t
in concrete form when he cried out TO Je-
hoyah. Thou art good and doest good;
teach me Thy statutes
1.-THE great question of bewildered hui
mainly is How do you reconcile the exist
ence of so much physical pain and mora!
evil In a world over which presides good
God, and an omnipotent Creator? In ar
swering this question we refuse to be pu.
on either horn of the dilemma which John
Stuart Mill suggests when he says that this
animate creation was either the work OF
demon or else of being who did not pos
sess infinite power. 1t is true that nature
is apparently anything but kind mother.
1t breaks men, as Mill declared, ON the
wheel of a relentless fate, casts them out
to be devoured by Wild beasts, burns.
brushes, starves, poisons and freezes tnem'
and acts as a GRIM stern tyrant, ini1lctlnS
untold tortures in apparent wantonness.
And yet this is all the result of sin, and II
is no denial of the divine omnipotence to
affirm that God could not create voitional
being incapable of SHINING, and If He had
not given man his moral freedom we Woulo
have been no more than stone or tree.
And If we say that 1t was cruel for God to
create us when he knew that we would
surely sin and suffer, we indulge ourselves
in a childish absurdity that would make
parentage a crime and birth the greatest
curse. Here is the solution of the problem.
God created man for His own glory. Some
NAV claim that this Is divine selfishness.
But how short-sighted a criticism! Look
how Gods glory is inseparably interviewer
with mans happiness What was the rea-
son for the creation Of man? 1t was because
the rebellion of Satan and his hosts of fol-
lowers and their expulsion from heaven
had emptied countless seats in glory.
1t is well for the race that Eden was
failure. Contrast the first paradise
with the final paradise of the
children of God-Eden, a primitive garden.
where naked creatures walked in infantile
innocence and unconcern; Heaven, a city
of order, where the inhabitants are clothed,
but In garments of white, as pure as the
driven snow.
Such was the divine dream for our race!
such the magnificent drama of redemption!
We fall that we may step upward on our
dead selves to higher things. We suffer
| that we may reign. 1t was worth while for
| God to die, that such glorious result
might be accomplished.
In CONCLUSION, MT. walker pointed out
| the way in which men are made like God,
and explained why there was no easy road
| to heaven. The Christian may indeed say
! though clouds and darkness are round
about him, that Goods in his heaven and
alrs right with the world" for out of the
darkness he will eventually emerge with
the luster of a divine glory on his tear
| stained face.
Chautauqua Notes
The annual meeting at which five direct
ors will be chosen. will be held on Tuesday
afternoon. There are fifteen directors COM
posing the official board Of the association.
! Of whom five retire each year, those elected
to take their places serving for the ensu-
| ing three years.
| Hoyt L. Conary, entertainer, will give
his celebrated entertainment, Around the
Stove" tonight The characters portrayed
in this unique entertainment are the typical
'Ioafers' to be found In country stores on
winter evenings. The plot Is simple and
deals with simple things and simple peo-
pie. 1t was written by Mr.. Conary himself,
and his representations of the various loaf
ers represented in the plot was a wonder
| full exhibition of character acting.
| A paper by Harry Brook of Los Angeles
read by Vice President Rev. I. Jewell, on
Good Roads days was full Of excellent
suggestions and was one Of the best fea-
lures of the meeting.
| The concert which was given under the
direction Of Prof f. A. Bacon of Los An