The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-12-12


Was "A New Order of Things.
Yesterday was the Fifth Ami
versary of the Dedication of the
Church and the Services Were of
a Special Nature.
I,ov. Richard Harcuurt. -. D., one
of the most talented of this Coun-
try's Methodist Episcopal ministers
preached yesterday morning and eve
nins in Elm Park church. The day
Witnessed the nth anniversary of the
dedication of the church. but the SER
vices had no special feature, excepting
,hv presence of Dr llalc"url ana extra
music in the evening.
Ir. HarCourt is pastor of the Park
Avenue Methodist Episcopal church Of
Baltimore the largest Methodist
/ church in that city. His rrpute is not
! confined to on" section, he having
Preached in the principal Methodist
| churches in many of the large cities
| IN this country. His style is bright
! and crisp There is "A newness about
! what he says. and in the way he says
| IL lnHl Is refreshing. ne IltdNI'h
| yesterday morning ON the theme AN
| Interchangeable Christ"
| In the evening DIR. Harcourt's topic
was "A New Order of Things" ms
! text was "A new commandment | give
unto you. that ye love one another,
| st. John xiii, 81. He said in part;
There was no lack of theology in the
| world when Christ came. The very air
was full of it. Priest and Levite, scribe
| and PhaIisec did little but chatter over
| doctrines from morning until night.
| The thing was lost in the theory; re-
! lgion was smothered in ritual. Little
| things grew into greatness, and the
| mint annis and Cumin, absorbed the
| thought of men to tn" exclusion OF
| weightier and NOR" important matters
| Differing in their theology men became
estranged. and this feeling often grew
into intense hatred.
\ CHOSEN PEOPLE
The jew had no dealings with Sa-
| malitanS They considered themselves
| made of better stuff--murc highly IA
! Vored by heaVen-a chosen people. They
| loved their own race and hated all othel
| races. The law of Moses had little n
| ii To cure this sore i'm the human race
The Hebrew looked upon this code oi
a
never meant fur the vulgar herd oi
| mankind.
They took it for granted that it,
| promises meant them and their chill
drcn forever--and they had not a lttti'
authority for believing this. No won
der race hatred grew and theological
| differences made walls of separation
high as heaven and deep as hell.
A new order of things was neces
| sity. A new interpretation of the scrip
lures. \ new exposition of the deca
| lOgue. In word. a new law: a new
commandment. Hence Jesus came. anC
| came with a message for the sons o.
men. "A new commandment ! glN'
unto YOU" Strange words theSe-Wha
right had this man to make new com
| mandment? Was not the old law Soot
enough? Could He improve upon wha
Moses had given? Whence obtained Ht
this authority?
Yet with all authority Jesus pro
claims new law and new life. which
the law of Moses could not promise
John gives this thought beautiful set
ting. He says: "Thc law was given b!
Moses. but grace (power) and truti
came by Jesus Christ. The law is {
fence to keep in or out. It's a prohibi
ton: a proclamation. 1t does not give
man power to do or not to do.
leaves him helpless after he hears /
as before its knowledge came to him
Now grace and knowledge supply boil
knowledge and ability to do. The be
stowment Of power to do the right thin;
is greater than the proclamation of tn
right thing to be done. Hence Jesu
is greater than Moses. as doing /
greater than saying,
CHURCH'S GREATEST NEED.
This is the church's greatest need to
day-a quiCkening, a resurrection from
the dead end defunCt theories to actiN
vital service in this world. Theory /
| a body, practice Is life; unite the tW
and you have living being. Religion
if anything, is practical.
4 theory which is too high for prac
tice is of no earthly good. If not prac
tical, religion is good for nothing. Oh
, ye saints of a goodness to be don
somewhere else. of a heaven to be i
the sweet bye-and-bye.
Don't you think it is time for Chris
tian common sense to think of a heavel
here as we'll as a heaven there, an
! that the here is as precious as the ther
and now is as important as then, an
that there is every material in the her
out of which to make heaven? Tha
. the wisdom and love which would max
YOU so sweet in the sunny land woul
make you equally wholesome here
~
here, and here is today and there
tomorrow; and that tomorrow neve
comes and of its nature never CaI
Grace and truth have come and the
are not for the after this life, but 70
. the now.
The reign Of truth would make
heaven anywhere; and what is the us
of dying to get To heaven If we can ge
it by living it? There is no other tim
but now. Truth is life, and we Canno
get the truth by lying or by dying. TIL
, grave is not the gate to immortality
We have got to go the other way.
What then, is this new command
mcnt? Not an old law covered over b
the dust of the ages and brought ou
, into the light, but a new command
ment: new law for new age; ne'
ordinance for a new order OF thing
Love one another This is the law tn
new law, the law of the new kingdom
= the law by which earth becomes "A
Eden. Jesus Christ was the most pre-
; grcssive man of His age.
HE WAS WEARY.
t He was weary of the solemn mock
E cry of the priests, weary of thei
mumbings, called prayers, wear
of their worship of scrolls, parCf
ments and sacred books. HenC
: the frequency of the word new
upon His lips. They said His doctrin
! was new" lie told them it was foil
} to put new" wine in old bottles an
. new" cloth in old garments. The ol