The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-04-03
SERMON BY REV. DR.. LEETE
THE NEWLY ELECTED PASTOR OF
DWIGHT PLACE CHURCH.

| ton Which Filled the ChuTch-Es-
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Church-An Able serm II on tn Source
AT Dwight Place church yesterday the
newly elected pastor, Rev. William w.
Leete, d. d., formerly OF Rockford ll'
preached to an unusually large congre-
cation. Every pew IN the church was
occupied as were also a number OF
chairs set back of the peWs This was
the first Sunday on which DR.. Leete Oh
ficiated as pastor of his new charge
and just before the opening
of the service he was met
in the reception room by the deacons Of
the church and was escorted by them to
the pulpit. AS the pastor and deacons
entered the auditorium the large congre-
cation arose and remained standing IN
til DR.. Leete took his station at the pull
pit DR.. Leete Is native OF WINDSOR
this state, and a graduate OF Amherst
and OF Yale theological seminary Oh the
class of 1881. He has been stationed III
Rockford, ILL.,, for several years.
The church yesterday morning was
finely decorated with Easter MOWERS AL
each side of the pulpit were banks or
hydrangeas, potted plants ana palms,
while around the pulpit was protuslon
OF hyacinths. tulips ana Easter Niles
The choir rail was set with ported hya-
cfnths. The music was exceptionally me
and the programme was arranged es-
pecially for Easter.
DR. Leete took for his text: Eplstle OF
James /: 16, II, DO not err my beloved
brethren, every good gift is from above
and cometh down from the Father OF
lights with whom there is no variable
ness. neither shadow of turning. he
spoke in part as follows;
'Those to whom James was
writing had probably been discussing
that old qestion of the origin OF evil ana
had been inclined to lay 1t TO GOO AS
the heavenly bodies SEND fofth only
light and no darkness so does He VINO
made them send forth only goou TO man-
kind. God is the author OF all that IS
good and perfect about us. The gifts OF
God are above all the supreme theme on
which the gospel has to dwell and we
may see suggestions of the truth OF all
these great things when we consider
mans feelings of fear and dependence
Why is it that this rs such an entranc-
ing subject for the mind or man! BE-
cause man is made religious creature;
not because man in his thinking came to
make a God, but because Goa at the
beginning made man of His own image
and with spiritual nature.
THE earliest history which we can
find reveals the existence of the rel1g1ous
feeling. Whenever and wherever men
begin to act and think, they act
and think as dependent on a higher
power. There is something very
suggestive of this even in the fables of
antiquity where we hear of statesmen
going to sybils to have written out
on leaves, the VIII OF hlgher power
Civilization law and art has its insplra-
ton and source in the sanotuaries OF the
idivine. In every nation we find a monu-
ment showing that God is master. rms
religious feeling endures. Superstition
decays but religion survives.
1.-The evidence is plain, 1t seems to me
that there is more religion in the world
to-day than there ever was before. These
things bring to our mind the thought
that those things which are enduring are
gifts from above. Man on his physical
side may come from low order of be-
ing but man has gifts Of eternal life
from above. There are two tendencies in
modern life and there have always been
these two ideas, one that Of man build
ing himself up to God and the other,
that of God coming down to take hold
Of man The first idea is illustrated by
the story of the building of tower to
reach heaven and the other by the pic
ture of the Pentecost where the disciples
having gathered together in prayer, the
breath of heaven comes in upon them
and prepares them for the work In
which we to-day strive and to which
the Christian church has been going on
in triumph.
"The spirit of man is the candle of
the Lord. Man stands ike cahale 10
die. The book Of God on this Easter
morning comes and says to man that
even though he were dead he shall live.
We find much in this book tina is hard
for our human natures to yield to- Men
do not manufacture laws of this kind,
precepts which they can't keep. The
book of God is to lift US up to what
we ought to be. Think of that character
the center Of il all. We can compare men
with men but Jesus we can't compare