The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-14
"rHE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER
Rev. A. F. Chaffee Delivers Most
Interesting Sermon.

Al the First Methodist Episcopal
church yesterday morning the Rev. A.
+. Chaffee, the pastor, delivered very
interesting sermon on some OF the eX-
isting beliefs and sayings of the Bible
and of modern times, Illuminating his
subject with common-sense descrip-
tions and illustrations of what would
really happen if the people at large
literally obeyed the teachings and
maXims> of other days. He took the
text for his discourse from III Corin-
thians, third chapter. sixth verse:
For the letter kiieth, but the spirit
giveth life"
The speaker began by saying that
every institution has its letter or
method of government or law He
traced the histories Of Sparta and
Athens and their governments or let
tels Of law and down to the present
day, declaring that the great constl-
tutional lawyers of the United states
could he counted on the tips OF ones
fingers; not that theyare not acquaint-
cd with the constitution of our coun-
try as it is printed (evcry LAWYER
knows that constitution and its Sec
tions and amendments), but that they
are not able to grasp the spirit that
dominated the fathers of our country
when they drew up this document of
human rights 1875 years ago, and hence
were not able to give 1t the subtle In
depreciation that the makers of it knew
and felt Religious organizations are
no exception to this rule. The letter
has ever been and is but the symbol
OF the law. The Sermon on the Mount.
the Commandments and the Mosaic
laws are but symbols. We have seen
how essential 1t is that one must par
take of the spirit of the law and not
of the letter alone. Baptism has no
efficacy in itself nor the Lords Sup
per. If the right spirit Is not present.
The partaking of the bread and wine
In itself will not make us feel closer to
God If we have not the spirit of the
occasion in our souls.
There are many things which the
Now Testament gives which we do not
copy and which 1t was not intended
that we should copy. One OF them Is.
/ believe. that when we approach God
in prayer we should pray after thl,
manner, the Lords Prayer, only this
and no more. There are many times
other things left to pray for that are
not mentioned in that prayer. While
II Is true that the letter of the Lords
Prayer may not suit the exigencies OF
life. yet the spirit Of that prayer must
be in every prayer that we utter II
is said in the New Testament that IL a
man smites you you should turn the
other cheek to him. If this was liter
ally obeyed the church of Jesus Christ
would be impossible to live in. Yet to
turn the other cheek and to be for-
bearing and conciliatory in all things
is really the spirit of the church. We
are told that we are not to lay up
treasures upon earth. Literally obeyed
that would make paupers of every one
of us. God is anxious that his people
should be thrifty, but God does not
want our spirit or our mind to be
eclipsed by a dollar--that is all. You
have all heard a street piano. How
regular and with what perfect time
every note is played If "a musician
should sit down and play the same
tune with the same precision--every
note faultless and in the right place
1t would be good playing. but it would
not be music. Something would bc
lacking-the harmony that inspires, the
spirit that lifts the soul aloft, and we
should have the letter and not the
spirit Of the melody"
After the sermon the following per-
sons. who had been admitted to the
church in December on probation, were
baptized by the pastor: Arthur A.
Tinany, Mrs. Elvira J. Munroe, Mrs
j. A. zimmerman, Blanche D. Hall
Charles NJ. Tucker