The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-01
SERVICE AT CENTER CHURCH
THE CONGREGAT ION4LISTS UNITED
THERE IN THdNKSGTTING.
Am Able sermon by Rev. Watson L.
Phillips, ID. D., Pastor of the Church
Interest by IL Large Congregation.

\ of tho Aforementioned to with
Interest by IL Large Congregation.
| The union Thanksgiving services OF
| the Congregational churches In the
! central part of the city We're held al
+! Center church yesterday beginning al
1870. A large congregat ton was pres
ent. With Rev. DR.. Smyth on the plat
| form were Rev. DR.. Watson l.. Phil
| lips of the Church of the Redeemer
Rev. DR.. ]. Lee Mitchell of the Grand
avenue Congregational church, Rev
DR.. w. w. McLane Of Plymouth church
and Rev. w. j. Mulch of Howard ave-
nue. Congrega tional church. The open
ing prayer was made by DIR. Smyth
DR.. McLane made an appeal for offer
ings for the Congregational union, and
explained its needs.
The sermon was delivered by Rev.
Dr. Phillips and is published in full
below:
Deuteronomy $40. ''And Joshua
the son Of Nun was full of the spirit Of
wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands
upon him: and the children of Israel
hearkened unto him, and did as the
Lord commanded Moses"
There was nothing supernatural in
that touch. If we are to get any prac-
tical benefit from these old records we
must once for all rid our minds Of such
vain notions. The laying on Of hands
to which Joshua responded was like
unto that of other great souls who have
inspired their contemporaries and sue
cessors by truthful words and the silent
but resstless influence of lofty charac-
ter and noble life; there was no other
power in this touch no more power.
Joshua had been the pupil of Moses, his
companion and trusted military leader;
they had been much together had dis
cussed principles and plans, and shared
responsibility. Moses had impaired to
his friend his own theories of govern
ment, his ideals for the nation, his hopes
for the future, and, what was more i'm
portant had inoculated him with his
pwn spirit Joshua was familiar with
his policy and believed in it; he also
believed in the man, and when he came
to power he strobe to emulate the ex
ample of wise devotion which had so
strongly impressed him. Never was a
subordinate more in sympathy with his
chief, or better fitted to take his place:
whoever wrote this history saw in him
the marks of the dead leaders training,
and said, "lle was full of the spirit of
wisdom: for Moses had laid his hands
upon him"
Here is the clearest testimony to the
uplifting influence of gracious and ODE
dent men, that influence affected Josh
ua, begetting in him fitness and power,
and it touched the whole people, inclin-
ing them to trust and obey him; they
''hearkened unto him" because his voice
was the voice of Moses, which was to
them the voice of God. Moses cherished
the purest and loftiest notions of gov
eminent of any man of his time; he had
the truest conception of citizenship and
of the relation of peoples life to the
plan of God; he was persistenly obedi-
ent to the higher law, he labored to es-
tablish human society which should
be true kingdom of God, and being
dead he spoke and acted through the
man who was most sensitive to his ideas
and influence. He walked with God, SO
have other men; so do all men who
themselves climb, and do any great
work for the world; the Lord spake
unto Moses so does he speak to all men
who have ears to hear and hearts to re-
spond and the extent to which they
heed the voice of the Lord determines
their value to the world. Let us not
doubt it; he is still speaking to men
and by men. He is speaking to-day;
~ ;eto IN, yr11
perceive the working and the triumph
of great moral principles, and plan
whose slow unfolding involves the evo-
luton of the kingdom of righteousness
and the leading forth of the perfect
man; through Christian training and
atmosphere which make it easy for
those who will to choose the right:
through experience which affirms in
no uncertain voice that, whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap"
through the message which is the dec
lara ton Of himself and of his redemp-
tive process in the life of the world
the incarnation which is the
of his nature and purpose
in the terms Of human life; through
His spirit communing with the human
spirit and revealing to man the deep
things of God; che that hath an ear, let
him hear" the voice of the Lord!
The men who cherish lofty notions of
life and duty, and are obedient to the
higher law, are the men who lay their
hands upon others and fill them with
the spirit of wisdom; they become the
prophets and teachers and exemplars of
the higher truth. Fired by their mes
sage and example, younger men set
higher goals for themselves, take juster
views of responsibility and do better
work in the world. There Is trans
mission of high thinking and noble pur-
pose that is not by the will of the flesh,
but by the will of God in the interests
of evolution 1t comes through the
influence of the high upon
the low. This is one of the lines along
which regenerating power is passed
from generation to generation and from
age to age No man can cherish gene
rous Ideas and purposes, live large
free life, be obedient to the higher law,
incarnate and serve truth without OPEN
ing the eyes and the souls Of others to
better things. And 1t is just as true
that none can live a low and narrow
life, none can be selfish lacking in pub
lie spirit negleotful of opportunity,
contemptuous of responsibility without
the average tone of society and
encouraging decenerative Influences for !