The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-26
HIS INAUGURAL SERMON
REV. c. B. CUITEN 4T HOWARD AYE.
 BAPTIST CHURCH.
Outlines His Policy in Plain, Unmcas-
 ured Words-Considcrs Existing Con- dftfons i'm Churches Due to Sermons of Pastors-Church Not an Entertain- ment Bureau, He Says.

"uohs I'm Churches Due to Sermons of
 Pastors-Church Not an fDntertain-
 ment Bureau, He Says.
 The Rev. George B. Cutten. formerly
 or the Montowese Baptist church, as-
 sumed his new passionate at the Howard
 avenue Baptist church yesterday morn-
 ing. The occasion brought forth all ur1-
 usually large attendance and when the
 morning services opened the church was
 well filled
 The inaugural sermon of the new a11ir1-
 lster was model of it's kind; in it tho
 speaker outlining his future policy as pastor of the church in clear. concise
 terms, and the whole taking but twenty
 minutes. As when playing football. the
 Rev Mr. Cutten believed in aggressive
 and concerted action
 He spoke from the text First Corin-
 thians. ninth chapter sixteenth verge:
 But though preach the gospel have
 nothing to glory Of for necessity is Iaid
 upon me, yea woe is on me, if preach
 not thereof In part he spoke as fol-
 lows: In the time of Paul, Corjnth was
 the center at which gathered the phil-i osophers of the country. From here con- stantly came new doctrines, new ideas
 and new Issues" tending to distract the apprehension. In these learned discuss
 sions Paul, although as great philoso-
 pfer as any in the land, took no part W but confined himself to spreading the word of God, and in his epistle to the Romans shortly after he made reference < to the fact that in these words, woe ia az$ on me if preach not thereof T The present time sees a condition of < affairs very similar in this respect to- the time of Paul. New "isms are con- stantly springing up and upon them the philosophers place their attention. Peo4 pie formerly solid and firm in their con- victions are becoming demoralized and uncertain in their belief; and in the s' minds of many, where formerly peac9 reigned, supreme chaos is allowed fNll M sway. You believe in one thing, your N next door neighbor another; another neighbor has still different belief and between them all you, too, will get mliE~ < ed up if like Paul, you don't foIloWs X closely to the gospel.
 In times of Encouragement all is not bright to the minister of God. Iveoften thought that perhaps I was wrong il S my calling, while under discouragfmentg but as often as thought this I would a think of my communion with Him above, and all would at once become bright to my mind. I want to tellfmen of the perfect peace that comes from communion with the Lord Jesus Christ. M l believe that if there is anything peo- pie need it is to read the Bible more. You read the newspaper to know tho latest news A study of the Bible will reveal news in many respects far ahead of the times. I'm not here to tell any man his duty. If ever during my ex- perience as pastor here a man should not plainly know his duty, the best V can do is to tell that man of my ex- perjences Duty is between God and M man; between man and his Master.
 During the anti-bellum times in the south slave on one of the plantations preached quite often to his fellow slaves on the plantation One day the planter sf went to him and said: T want you to preach a number of sermons on 'steal- ing Cant do it, massa,'' replied the preacher, "It's a little too near home, pse afraid" It's very nearly the same way in communities to-day. Ministers preach of the sins of David, and of the fathers and patriots but never a word of what's near home. don't intend to tell you of the sins of the people of the Biblical age, but of the sins of the peO- pie of Howard avenue. My object here is to help man nearer to God.
 I want to preach the gospel. 1t is not in so very many churches that the gos- pei of Christ is preached nowadays Ministers may preach of Rudyard Kip, K ling, of Plato, of scandals in society, etc., but my duty is to preach the gos- pei of Christ. I think the great trouble in the church to-day is that the gospel is not preached more. Again, am not here to please the people of Howard avenue but to please God. The church is not an entertainment bureau, al- though that's what it is developing into to-day I don't want anybody to come and tell me that I preached good ser mon; you'll probably not have an op- to do so, anyway--for it makes N no difference to me what you think of !, me. But if I'm ever able to do anyone of you good individually, that's what [ want to know of I glory in seeing a person who has sinned kneeling down and avowing himself to God. I don't glory that I'm entertaining anybody
 But I want you to feel right from now--the first day of my pastorate-- <, that I'm here to help you. I want you .o come and make demands upon my lime and anything else I have I don't want you to feel that you are troubling ne. if I'm doing you any good I want .o preach the gospel of Christ. and want to feel that its power is uplifting 5ou and helping you in the right va.
 Y. M. R. CLUB EXERCISES.