The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-09
FORMER NEW HAVEN PASTOR
PREACHED AT GRAND AVENUE
 CONGREGATION CHURCH.
livered Last Eventng-Many Old Friends Greeted Him-Appropriate Refereu "a to Our ReInYed Presidenf.

l livered Last Eventng-Many Old
 Friends Greeted Him-Appropriate 1 Reference to Our Beloved President. | Rev. D. M. James was for nine years 1 pastor of the Second Congregational church. Fair Haven. For the last three years he nas been in Plymouth. Mass. The church of which he Is pastor is | the oldest church in this country its 1 life goes back to Scrooby, England, in 1606 This was the beginning, of the organized Pilgrim movement that re- suited in the founding of the Plymouth colony in New England in 1920. The church was driven out of England, took refuge in Holland and was transported Y as an organized religious body to this country. The present church is located | at the foot of the famous Burial hill on the site of the first meeting house erected by the Pilgrims. The historic interests centering in the town and church attract people from every part
 of the world The church has nne.'i- bership of four hundred and occupies a very prominent place In the estin1a-
 tion of the Congregational churches Of Massachusetts. The state association holds it's annual meeting with tho church next June. MT. James is one of
 the delegates to the national council
 which meets in Portland, Me-, in Octo-
 Der.
 The subject Of his sermon at the
 Grand Avenue Congregational church,
 this city, last Sunday morning was
 "The Universal Sacraments." Text
 I cor. 10:11. He said in part: In its
 outward and historical meaning the
 sacrament of the Lords Supper has
 value for the world. It is world
 sacrament symbolizing a world
 redemption. In its inward personal and
 spiritual meaning it has value only for
 believers. It is, therefore, an illustra-
 ton of the truth that privileges accord-
 ed the many are often appropriated
 only by the few.
 The Apostle intimates in this Scrip
 ture that there were sacraments of this character in Ancient Israel. Outward
 ly no limitations whatever were placed upon them. They were designed for all people and all the people partook of the outward benefit but the inward personal and spiritual value of their ancient sacraments were limited then and now to those who believed. Each person limited the value of the sacra- ments by the interpretation given them. The specific experiences which are regarded in the light of sacraments are mentioned of the Apostle in the opening verses of this chapter, "Our Fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea and did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink.
 Privileges do not ensure blessings. Men are continually surrounded by op- portunities from which they derive no permanent benefit. The people were all baptized into Moses. The pillar of cloud and the path through the open sea were designed for all and were sacraments of God of which all par took. All of the people who followed the cloud and who passed through the sea connected themselves to the leader ship of Moses. They separated them- selves completely from their former life They moved forward into a new course of life in new country and un- der new conditions.
 This same work is amply illustrated in the experiences of our own day. Peo- pie are continually sharing in outward blessings while they fail to appropri- ate the deeper spiritual good. They are baptized into an infinite and worthy course of life. They outwardly break from the old and commit themselves to the new They partake freely of the sacraments of God. They live thanklessly on the bounty of God and curse the hand that gives.
 The permanent value of special priv ileges depends on the use we make of them. People are too willing to escape from the old place providing they can carry the old life with them. They gladly partake of the heavenly food while they continue to do the devils work
 No outward circumstances can defeat such a use of the sacraments of God. Men are overthrown because they abuse their privileges and throw away their opportunities
 In the course of his sermon he made fitting reference to the assault upon President Mckinley, and recalled the fact that the Sunday following the shooting of President Garfield he preached in Richmond, Va. The ex- citement in that Southern city was in- tense but the great heart of the South | then, as now, was moved with indig- | nation at the assault upon the chief |