The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-14
Central Union Church

Central Union Church.
At Central Union Church
morning the pastor. Rev H. EtGsterday
spoHe on The Court of ConsciencI :. H. H.
, No change In the religious tbink,n,, -,
W, udy IL more remarkable than -. ",
W ,,,i'at iecoghlzes that the final court Of
o ma, ot 10 any authority outside
man: Within the closing Years nf ,6 ol
ulutletnth century great emphasis ~
,,,r., ,aiu upon the doctrine of the i'm
sue Ills universe. but in the nnita Uuo-
p,rNading u, controlling it. using a. 90
t tns sPl5rit Of a man uses his body. with
iIaI lhousht as central, other trr,tbs
nave come into prominence 'iu'hs
III God Is within man, even tbougb
c,,raptr n,,ie IN MN may have little. If any
SSvyinething to which appeal can be made
nat Is conscience? Something within
edch man that tells him that he ougbt
70 do right and ought not to do vvpS,3 ~
mere nave been many explanations 81
, nriS TACT II Is az old as history 1t is
uluNersal. opinions may differ as To
what Is right. but not as to its aut1,or
w t0hsclence Is God speaking in the
S SUI 70 violate conscience is TO disobey
1tu. conscience judges concerning what
comes before u, and it's approval is ali
lne authority that any statement recds
me truth that commends itself to con-
science may be accepted wherever IN
comes from, and whether there he rnsrv
on lew names behind II. That which
ttlbptls 10 ne truth which COINCIDENCE
does not approve carries with IL the evil
jected. i'
II there Is not something even in a
bad man whic hcan ne trusted II is
useless To present the truth to HIM N
he cannot recognize the truth, he is not
blamable Tor rejecting IL. III in the heath
en-, or In these wrecks of humanity which
We see about us, there is not something
essentially divine. they cannot recognize
the divine when IL is manifested In is
always safe to appeal to this court of
conscience. II that cannot be trusted
il dining ~ can be. " that deceives, there
Us no way IN which "a revelation about
Cod or duty. or Immortality could be
scented the Christian idea Of God Does n
commend itself as true. or Is IL repealed
as false? What is the Christian idea of
God? IL begins and ends i'm fatherhood.
The New Testament says that God is
father; that He Is love; that He makes
all things work together for good: that
lost. In the midst of the midnight, when
we md ourselves wondering whether
there Is any intelligence. any affection
arywhere-if the heavens are not brass
above our heads and an abyss the end of
litt-a clear. strong voice sounds down the
ages. the burden of which is: All men in
all ages, In all lands are in the hands of
one who feels towards them as a par
ent feels toward n child. Love Is at the
heart OF things. As the planets rest in
space and are bound to one another by
invisible leashes, so all men rest in the
love OF God. are unswathed by it. and
are bound to Him by lines which cannot
be broken. The Christian idea of God is
so glorious that | wonder that any ever
turn from u. Bring It close to your
heart and tell me. Is there not something
within which responds? This is the truth
for which my soul has longed? The
heart Of the Gospel is the proclamation
OF the forgiveness of sin. Nothing has
been sought more eagerly than an answer
to the question, How can who is i'm
wrong relations with himself and the
univ erse be made right? The doctrine of
sacrifice Is as old the human race.
What does IL mean? That men burdened
with guilt have thought that by the Of
f,ring OF the things dearest to them they
could appease an angry God. But the
worlds burden of guilt only grew heavier.
The Master came with this message:
You cannot save yourselves: you cannot
get away from the past. What you seek
In vain by costly sacrifice, 1 offer as a
hands OF tyrant anxious that all His
debt be paid; you are in the hands of a
Father who Is seeking for you a shep-
herd seeks for sheep that is lost" What
wonderful messagei And yet how often
u has been twisted. until II has seemed
To mean that God requires certain
amount of suffering for "A certain amount
OF forgiveness. But clear and unequivo-
cal - the message OF Paul: God com
while we were yet sinners. Christ died
that. ~ 10 were only true"
answer. Can that which satisfies the
dee pest longings of the soul-which gives
peace In the midst of the struggles of
life-be only n dream, a falsehood? II,
now we turn TO the teaching of Christi
anity concerning duty. do we not find
the same correspondence? Christs ethi-
cal teaching eliminates in the new COM
maudment, Love one another as ] have
loved you" How should treat others?
Ne Christ would. What Is Christs teach
ing concerning duty? That we are to be
TO all men as He was. And He died for
those who reviled Him, maligned Him,
rruciiied Him. Whom can we refuse to
forgive and helm, " we follow in the foot
stems Of Christi ] ask you again. Do you
find one note of discord when you bring
ne fore the inner tribunal OF conscience
the God whom Christ reveals, the saliva
ton which Christ offers, the rules OF du-
% which Christ teaches?