The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-02

have ordinarily Ventured to brave the
sharp weather. Bishop Satterlee preached
an ideal New Year sermon. and used as
his text Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom
of heaven, but he that doeth the will Of
my Father which is in heaven"
He said in part:
On this eighth day of the birth of Christ, al.
ready he begins to be our exemplar-God's blessed
Son. The first lesson of Chrst's life is the les
son OF obedience; the seal OF adoption whereby
the sons of men enter into covenant with Col
and become sons Of God. But Christ was the
son Of God before he became son of man; and,
again, as n son of man he had no stain Of sin.
From the theologians point of view, it would
seem almost like Inconsistency that such being
should receive the rite of circumcision, but
the reason is manifest. There is everywhere in
revelation. truth and counter truth. The contrast
not only between right and wrong, but between
two rights; a lower right and a higher right; and
here the lower right must be sacrificed to the
higher. Thus also was it when our Lord emerged
from the secluson of Nazareth to enter public
ministry, when he came with the crown OF peni-
tcncc, with the brutal soldiers, the depraved
publicans, the hollow-headed Phlrisees and world
ly Sadducees to Johns baptism. Gods prophet
shFank back in dismay; the ncongruity Of the
rite struck him most painfully. Who was he
that should dare to baptize the Lord Christ Il
have need to be baptized Of thee cried the bap-
tist, his whole heart quailing, fainting within
him. II have need to be baptized of thee and
CONTEST thou TO me2' And Christ's answer was:
to fulfill all righteousness The sacredness Of
that scene is almost too hallOwed to be gaZed
upon by worldly eyes. 1t is altogether unearthy.
We behold there the two slintlest beings that
ever tr0d this earth, each veing with the other
in humility; on the one hand the baptist, crushed
down by the sense of sin and the humility of
sin and ON the other Jesus Christ who knew no
sin, bending in humility OF obedience to be bap-
tiled by his servant.
In the contrast between these two leaders of
the world with all other men, you behold the
littlcness OF earth and the greatness of heaven.
And also brethren, the first lesson of Chrsts life
is the lesson that the church reverently reads and
breaches to for the New Year, the necessity
and divine worth OF obedience.
New Year is time for to take a reckoning
OF ourselves and see how souls stand in the
sight OF God. As We gaze back upon the past We
find that have been living at the surface; in
our hour OF toll our attention has been absorbed
by work at calling; in our moments of recrc-
alton, by the pleasures OF a much'needed holiday,
aud all the while character beneath has been
silently forming for time and for eternity. Char
acter is the thing that is real; ii is the only
thing that will last when all other things pass
away. Character is the only possession that we
will carry away with us when we leave this for
another world. And the formation of all Chris
tian character depends upon our obedience to the
laws of Christ Such obedience is the text by
which all our actions. professions and opinions
will be tried at the last great day. We shall be
Judged not so much by Sod as by ourselves and
the character of our obedience.
Many OF us have visions before us this day as
to how we shall build and what shall build
during the coming year; how we shall build up
a parish; how shall build up business; how
we shall build up a fortune, our profession, our
social or political position, our home and resi-
dences. How many OF us are thinking today
about building up our Christian character? How
nj pl,pfi