The herald., 1898-08-01
THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE ABUNDANT
Rev. Burt Estes owards Last Sermon Before Vacation
petition and Cooperation Contrasted by Rev.
W. D. P. Bliss.Rerbutive Justice

Rev. Burt Estes Howard preached his
closing sermon previous to vacation at the
Church of the Cove
That They Might nant, from John 1O-16:
Have T1fa "I came that they
might have life, and
nave 1t abundantly."
Jesus had no idea of adding another to
the worlds religions. He did not think
to warm the worlds heart by tricking it
out in vestments of some newer pattern.
It was life the world needed, not laws
and ceremonies and more splendid
temples. Jesus did not propose to save
religion in any form in which 1t then ex-
listed. He was not particularly interested
in religion either as a system of doctrine
or as a mode Of worship. He was inter-
ested In men.
I'VE often get the notion that Jesus
came into the world to found Christianity,
to establish a church. But at no time has
he uttered word that could justify such
an inference. He came to set up divine
manhood, not Sect With his advent new
ideal of manhood took its place in the
thought of the world.
"In spite of our protestations Of spiritu-
ality we are given to rating each other and
to measuring UP the value of things in
terms Of the very things wherein Jesus
was a pronounced failure, or which he did
not deem Of sufficient Importance to give
his serious attention. The things Of the
kingdom, which he declared we should
seek first Of all, we crawl around to after
we have gotten a clear title to enough Of
this worlds goods to make the following
of righteousness comfortable and not very
costly. He looked out on a world that
was writhing, and striving, and cheating.
and lying. and killing bodies and souls for
the mere heaping up Of stuff that was not
current beyond the grave, and he saw the
futility Of wasting mind and strength and
immortal qualities on such things.
1.-THE test Of things is their power to con-
tribute to fullness of life. If anything
letters a mans soul or brain. if it chills the
fires of genius or draws the blood from his
heart, that thing, be it business or econ
omy, or religion. Is to be done away.
The great thing Christianity must seek is
not to get men to be theological or logical
in their view, but to get them alive,
tinglins with life through and through.
The pitiful thing about poverty and crime
and ignorance and evil is not that these
things destroy property, attack social
comfort or produce bodily pain or misery,
but that they cramp and wound and destroy
the high, true life that is every mans d.
vine right. 1t is every mans di-
vine heritage to have the opportunity to be
the largest and holiest kind Of man. And
when anything, whether 1t be industrial
or political, or ecclesiastical hinders the
man from moving freely toward this pos
sibility. 1t is the work of Christianity to
remove the obstruction. This is Chris
tian's work, though it be not opened with
prayer and closed with the benediction.
And what Is life? Not some mysterious
gift that Christ. like a magician. draws
from his enchanted casket and bestows on
man, but that strange something that sits
within the SOUL that fragment of univer-
sal life that thinking. choosing, sentient
god which slumbers in each bosom. wait
ing the bugle blast that rouses 1t to ac-
tion.''