The times., 1899-11-27
THE LOVE OF GOD.
The Results OF Faith Portrayed by
the Rev. j. Van Schaick.

The Results Of Faith Portrayed by
the Rev. J. Van Schaick.
The pulpit Of the Church Of Our Father.
corner OF Thirteenth and l. Street north
west. was occupied at the II o'clock ser
vice yesterday morning By Rev. John Van
Schaick ir. Of New York. A special mnsi-
cal service was rendered by a seXtette OF
mixed voices. assisted by Mr.. Ernest
Beatty. organist. Dir. Van Schaick preach
ed an eloquent sermon. taking for his sub
iect the love of God God is love and
he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God
and God in him." John iv:16-
We who have felt the love that God
hath toward Us" he said. cling to il rs
the most precious of our possessions. It
makes us new men and women. Our heart
beats stronger. our brain works better
and all our being thrills with q purer
JOY. But man is a feeble creature. He is
so often content TO grovel in the darkness
when he might walk in the light He
lets the cares Of the world drive away his
best thoughts. He frequently permits his
lower nature to control his higher end
nObler instincts He sinks into sin. He
falls into indifference. He loses his faith
and his knowledge. And so to many the
love of God. the great central part in
more il means but little. To none Of US
does il mean all that it should.
Continuing. he said that God teaches US
the truth through the eternal books sign
ed by his hand. The first of these is ra-
ture which is so vast a volume that no
man living has been able TO turn all it's
pages. He spoke of nature in it's kindly
moods which, he strongly contrasted wien
she is more stern and harsh. Continuing.
he said You picture the green hillside
with its blooming flowers. How about the
struggle going on under the ground be-
tween cOntending rootlets. How about the
death OF the millions of plants crowded
out that the thousands may survive2 What
of the hawk. whose cruel beak mangles
the heart of the wren?
You speak Of the great plains sub
lime, What OF the hour when at midday
there falls the shadow of night and a fun
mel shaped cloud runs swiftly over the
earth. destroying the labor OF months and
Whirling crops cattle, barns, men, women,
and children into one awful mass of con-
fusion and death? You talk about oceans
| and mountains and the inspiration hey
give. How about them when the one
| dashes vessels upon q coast in fury and the
! other vomits forth fire and destruction
| upon cities? You see Gods love in the
beautiful white sunlight. Tell me- is il
| still his sunlight when it pours down
month after month upon a parched val
| ley, when il dries up the springs, withers
| the grass. kills the flowers, makes The
! cattle low for water. and the children cry
| piteously for drink? The love Of God in
| nature, You mean the blind operation oi
| a terrible force or the malignant power
| Of a demon"
| Mr. Van Schaick said that he was will
! ing 10 accept the challenge implied, bu
AZ present did not intend to go into the
mystery OF evil. Another volume in the
| book OF nature Of which he spoke was
/ the volume of history. He said that VT
/ have learned little by little how the tender
plant Of civilization has grown out of tht
/ blood -soslled soil of barbarism, and bow
century after century the great nations
! have slowly built their structures Of GOV
! ernment. Here in history" he continued
we can see plainly how the world has
! not been at the mercy Of chance. but
! mighty intelligence has made every pla!
| on the chessboard count. That men from
the beginning have marched upward to
definite end.
I'm nature in history, in humanity
| he continued. I'VE see the beauty, tho
| majesty. the snblimity, and the tender.
ness of oGds love, which will never fail