The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-07-09
CHANGE AT FALL SAINTS"
TRINITF'S CURATE TO CARRY ON
 THE YORK.
Rev. Philip Downs to be in Charge Plan Outlined by Dr. Baker-Sormon
 by New Curnte Yesterday Morning.

by New Curnte Yesterday Morning.
 In accordance with the recent change
 put into effect by Rev. pr. Baker, rec
 tor of Trinity Episcopal church, in re
 gard to All Saints chapel and it's con
 gregation, Rev. Philip Downs, D. D.
 curate of Trinity, assumed his duties
 at that church yesterday. The morn.
 ing services were conducted by Rev
 pr. Baker, who announced briefly his
 plans in regard to All Saints. Rev
 James E. Coley, the rector of the
 church, has resigned his charge and
 gone back to his former pastorate, and
 his duties will be assumed for the most
 part by the new curate of Trinity. The
 latter will be assisted by Rev. MT. Sco-
 vile, who preached the sermon at the
 church last evening.
 pr. Bakers idea in thus putting All
 Saints in closer connection with Trin- ity is to inaugurate work which
 should greatly enlarge it's membership.
 He stated yesterday that he believed the field an excellent one for such work,
 and he urged the congregation to be earnest in their efforts. He then intro-
 duced Rev. MT. Downs. who, he said,
 would be closely connected wit hthem
 during the ensuing year.
 The new curate's sermon was very
 interesting and exceptionally well de | livered. The theme of his discourse
 was Gratitude" the text being taken
 from the twelfth Psalms, verse 1l6--- What shall l render unto the Lord for hll His benefits towards me?" In part he spoke as follows:
 The writer of these words betrays a healthy religious mood. He recognizes that all the things that have come into hls life to bless and to gladden. and to uplift, have l come not really as result of the exercise of his own powers or of the operation of come from the. Lord. He docs not how ever stop at the mere recognition of the source of his benefits he feels that he should render something to God in return | and he asks what he can render. It IS, of course, quite impossible for any man to | render to God an equivalent for the benefits otf say yS to us test fe Re will M give us such and such things, If we will give Him such and such things. The words of the psalmlst have however a definite answer that which every one of us can render to God for Ills goodness to us is gratitude.
 One would think that to express grati- tude would be the easiest and most spon- taneous thing in the world, when 1t Is ad- mitted that great benefits have been, re ceiyed But If we are not grateful to those whom we have seen, and to whom we should be grateful. how little are we gratt- ful toward God whom we have not seen! Some persons will say that men do not owe duty of gratitude to God; but those who do believe in gratitude as duty owed to God need, l fear, frequent exhortation to It's exercise.
 Gratitude is a disposition of the heart. But more Is really implied In that disposl- lion than might at first be supposed. To be in an attitude of gratefuness of heart tinement of the religious character. It would, of course, be extravagant to say that only Christians are people of refine ment of feeling and generosity of action; yet it Is true that Christian character de- mands both-and creates both as nc. other system of conduct does. Our lack of grat- itude to God arises from many causes. the principal one being our lack of the true n deep realization of the attitude of God to us. One who thinks of God merely as q creator, who is apart from the world and has no particular interest in the. world can hardly feel deep sense of gratitude to God for the benefits he enjoys. Such one will easily say, God has made me by His own wil-I am not responsible for my being-lt is the duty of the Creator to do all He can to make me live and grow wise and be happy-to thank God for the goods of life which enjoy is needless and ab- surd Besides, God has not the feelings of man that He should enjoy the expression of gratitude to Him. Even professed Christians at times act. toward God as if this argument were valid, But the ,nrgu- mcnt is based upon an entirely limited con cept'on of the Divine Being. Our God is the God who led the people of Israel through the Red sea, that inspired the pro self as the Universal Father and the God of Love. Tn other words, the Christian should think of God ns He appeared to the consciousness of Jesus Christ. Now If we try to make in our daily practical life the Father of Jesus Christ our Father and our loving God-if such conception becomes daily more and more deeply ingrained into the religious experience, we shall have so personal to usthat the duty and pleasure of expressing gratitude to God will pre- sent themselves to us as inevitable. Gull tlvate, then, continuously, the idea of God Spirit flow on evenly from day to day be- tween you and God make your religion deep communion of your human heart with the heart of God. It is In this commun- ion, that is, 1t is in the Christians com munion. daily Inward life, that one derives the true knowledge of the being and char acter of God. And what. is that charac. tcrf So great do we find the impulse of God to help man, to develop the spirit of righteousness in man, to vastly and vari ously does God seem to be identified with even every lnSlgn1ncant llfe that one almost grows to believe that God exists for nlan. But in any case the point to be made clear is this, gratitude to God is not subject for argument, any more than love to God Is. If but to see God Is to love Him, to love God is to be grateful to Him. or, at least, to recognize gratitude as q duty.
 But only so because God is Love and our Father. All the life of religion Is q life of love. Love alone gives us the key to the | mysteries of Christian knowledge. If Is l when we are really living the life of love with God that we perceive what our duties l are. All the demands of God upon us dis | close themselves to our hearts as means | whereby we may realize more fully what | God is, and what we may become. It may seem to be begging the question, yet eX 1 Christian is to live the Christian life-then 1 all the demands of God are not external to us, but reveal themselves as written on the | heart. Some men, however, assume q diff | ferent attitude: they will not first trust | God and hope through that trust to come to a larger knowledge of God, but they | would know God first and then trust Him. | They stand aloof from personal religious experience, and from the fellowship of the | saints. "Tel us, they say, "the nature | of this God whom you propose we should 1 worship and render gratitude to for the benefits of life" He may ask us to tell | him clearly just what duties he shall per form, toward God and toward men. And | lnands he may conclude to become Christian. Not many persons, however, be. come Christians in this way. Nor have ab- stract proofs and external delineations of |, the character of God to any considerable rvtcnt made people religious Faith trust