The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-07-03

\
 Proved by Nature and Revealed b l Jesus.'
 The Rev. pr. Frank Woods Baker o Trinity P. E. church preached an elo quent sermon yesterday morning hefor a large congrega ton. His text was talk
 en from St. Matthew X, 29. 30, 31: Ar
 are not two sparrows sold for a farthing
 And one of them shall not fall on tn | ground without your Father. But tn very hairs of your head are numbered | Fear ye not, therefore, ye aAe of mor'
 value than many sparrow-.
 | The subject of Dr. Bakers sermon
 was "Providence of God, proved by na
 ture and revealed by Jesus.'
 ! Dr. Baker spoke in substance as fol i lows: ''The very reading of these word! gives us comfort The knowledge that | they are the words of Jesus and revea the fulness of the Fathers life fastens our attention upon them, and makes us long to appreciate them. Who has not felt the need of the assurance that some one knew his life as fully, yes, infinitely more fully than he himself knew, some one between whom and self there was no secret some one who greatly cared for him and with whom a deep and
 lasting communion was possible?
 T know there have been times when
 all of us longed to believe that this
 were true, longed to know that Fa-
 ther's arms upheld us, that a Father $
 wise love ordered the conditions of our
 at nf hn nF
 the divine Providence ordering all things
 for good has often taken possession of
 our minds and apparently finding cer-
 tain facts in nature and in history to
 support it. has filled us with despair and carelessness. Nothing will sooner
 take all true effort, all aspira-
 ton, all hope from human life
 than disbelieve in wise Provi- dence, ruling all things for good, Take that away, and what is left but q blind unfeeling fate that knows nothing, cares nothing for the individual soul It is a fundamental truth, touching the very heart of your life.
 The existance of a Providence in the world has always been one of the funda- mental truths of the highest forms of all religions. Mankind in it's highest re- ligious aspirations has never been con tent to believe in a blind, memorable fate. Even in the most entangled and complicated systems of polytheism, the gods were believed to come very near to human life and to control it's condi- tions.
 The order and arrangement of na- la 1l nf fn1 causes, the plain use and intention of every part and organ, all these be- speak in the dearest language an intel ligent cause or author, The heavens and the earth join in the same testimo- ny The whole chorus of nature raises one hymn to the praises of it's Creator.
 Nature not only does not oppose but, in the fullest sense, co-operates with the revelations of Jesus in telling us of q Fatherly foresight, care, Providence in the order of all things. How is it in regard to the history of man. Does 1t show the same thing? As we are ab- may seem that it does not But 1t is only because we do not look far enough, 1o not take large enough view. | we examine our own epoch from the point If view of universal history, we cannot fail to find an intelligent and wise pur- pose Working itself out in the compll- ,ated and entangled condition of hu- nan life. Yet the very possibility of | history and pre-eminently the possibii- y of any philosophy of history is based | lpon the existanceo of wise Providence | History in it's totality everywhere dis plays connection and order, guidance md aim. Now just ae the forces which | govern the whole earth are the same | IS govern each atom of the earth, so | hat same Providence, seen in the uni ,ersal history of mankind may be seen n the history of each life, I do not | ay that you can always clearly | lee it at the time in each detail of the individual life, but that, as we look ,ack upon a life as a whole we can ee it. But there are limits to the full | nd beneficent operations of Gods prov lence. Nature, exclusive of man, offers 10 impeachment to it's full working and fe can see it working clearl everywhere. where. When we come to man, the reatest of Gods creatures, we find elllS Wlln the power 10 reS1St, at least or a while, Providence. As a conse- uence we have the great entanelement nd complications of human life. So hat if your will or mine is set against tod, and the things He would, have us O, then our own life will not manifest hat Providence as distinctly as the in rganic world about us or the animals elow us, Is it not tOuchngly beautiful nat Jesus, the most perfect manifesto on of the Fathers continual care. lould point his finger down the creation ) the little sparrow which perhaps un- tlyeth about to accomplish athere will, and through it teaches an Il important lesson to the twelve apos- es, whom He is sending about into the orld? Be not discouraged" he says, y any conditions, any prosecutions, ny circumstances with which Gods )irit leads you. When ye are delivered p for trial it shall be given you in that ln1e hour what ye shall speak. For it
 not ye that speak but the Spirit of lur Father which speaketh in you As ng as you give yourself up wholly to , His will, His care shall be manifested I
 all the details of your life.'
 Are not two sparrows sold for a | rthng? And one of them shall not ut the very hairs of your head are