The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-11-05
CHARLES CUTHBERT HALL
PRESIDENT OF UNION THEOLOGI-
CAL SEMINARY.

Delivered the Sermon TN Batteil Chapei
vale University, Neutrality-suspicious. OF
cod,s Restraining Grace In Tempta-
toms Hour.
Rev Dr. Charles Cuthbert Hall, pres
adopt of the Union Theological semi
nary of New York city, preached IN Col
1ege chapel yesterday morning. he chose
4he following three texts for his sermon
On the restraining grace which GOO ex-
ercises in the hour of temptation, illus
+rating this principle from different
points of view
Psalms xix, 1S-Keep back Thy servant
also from presumptious sins; let them
not have dominion over me, then snail
be upright, and T shall be innocent
from the great transgression.
John xvii, -15--I-praysnot that Thou
shouldst take them out of the world,
hut that Thou shouldst keep them from
evil.
Jude 24-Now unto Him that is able
To keep you from falling, and to present
YOU faultless before the presence OF HIS
glory with exceeding JOY.
In these three texts the restraining
grace of God appears, first as suppl
cation. the prayers of one who feels
himself held down by his besettins sins;
next. as the intercession of our Lord for
men that while bound in by the world
they be restrained from sin, and last,
. THANKSGIVING, as of one who has pass
I'd through some great moral danger
restrained by Gods saving grace.
Grace is one of the leading words of
divine revelation. 1t represents the
healthful, saving attitude of the Father,
and is but another way of saying that
God is for us and not against us; that
I4odwills not our defeat but our victory,
This hea1thful influence of God in our
lives takes many forms. 1t is a sustain
ING grace; it is a pervading grace; it
is a relieving grace. 1t is also q re-
straining grace, so that man shall not
commit the sin he is about to do
IT is this latter side of Gods good
ness that I wish especially to make
clear. I perfectly realize that. there are
those who deny there is any saving in
tluence from above that comes upon us
in our time of trial, that 1t is simply
our better nature triumphing over our
lower nature. But from those who deny
this / appeal to the experience of all
who hear me this morning, if in the
hour when you have been vitality tempt
ed the restraining hand of God has not
been laid upon you to prevent your sin
full commission. l would have you
think not theoretically, but really, OF the
methods which God uses in his restrain
ing grace, and / say first that it is by
showing to us clearly the evil of our
sin. The consequences of that which we
are tempted to do appeal to us in all
their extension; we see the sorrow and
evil and hindrance of the sin, and in
THE view of that which we see SO clearly
would come upon us we hold back At
another time it works by thrusting into
the midst of our customary acts
doubt concerning the right of that
which we are used to do. Happy is the
man brave enough to heed this rising
doubt within his heart and to obey and
do the moral truth. Again, in the crisis
of wrong doing the flash of eternal light
may strike upon the darkness and storm
of our temptation, so that we may see
and flee from the adversary.
Finally Gods method works most
magnificently in the constant life. Most
rraeniffcent1v because NOT hv the fear
of the consequences, nor through doubt,
nor by the lightning flash of conviction,
but steadily, constantly keeping before
us the vision of the glory of noble liv-
ing, we grow through life into the con-
sciousness and reality of the altogether
perfect.