The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-10
ON SPECIAL MESSENGERS
REV. DR. HALL'S SERMON TO CHIL.
 DRENAT CENTER CHURCH.

President of Union Theological scmi-
 nary Urges His Youthful Hearers to
 Devote Their Lives to the Service or
 Jesus Christ as His Very Special Ncs-
 sengers.
 1 Children's day was observed at Gen.
 ter church yesterday and there was .
 large congregation at the morning ser- l vice, the front pews of the body of tho church being occupied by hundreds of bright little lads and misses. The
 pulpit was decorated with daisies and
 other blossoms and Rev. Dr.. Charles
 Cuthbert Hall, president of the Union
 Theological seminary, New York,
 preached sermon on Special Messen- gers" pr. Hall has a very happy vein ill talking to children and he made his
 sermon quite understandable even to
 his youngest listeners. He took his
 text from Isiah, sixth chapter eighth verse: Also heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send and who will go for me? Then said I, here am I; send me"
 In beginning Dr. Hall told the chill dren that he considered it his highest honor and joy to be able to speak to them, and that the occasion should be graced by such a bright June morn ing. He wished to tell them about Gods special messengers. God has special messengers. God has special work which He wishes done in a very special way, and for this work, this duty to perform, He picks out his spe- cial messengers. Think of the special messengers mentioned in the Bible and see the special work they were chosen to do. Isiah was one of them, and when God picked him out Isiah answered Here am I; send me-" John, the Baptist, was another one. God called him from his childhood and trained him for the work he was to do. The apostles were special messengers: the great St. Paul was distinctively a special messenger, and our Lord Jesus Christ was very special messenger from God the Father, saying My meet is to do the work of Him who sent me- So, you see, Isiah, Moses. John the Baptist, the apostles and Jesus
 
 sengers, ready, and willing, and glad to say Here am I send me-
 Yet how hard it sometimes is to get a special messenger, and at other times how easy. Dr. Hall explained by tell ing how hard it once was for him, in the winter, cold and with deep snow, to get a special messenger by pulling the call box in his home, and he illus trated very clearly to his youthful congregation the difference between the boy who answers the call because he has to, because he is paid for doing 60, and the other boy who replies gladly and willingly "Here am I; send me- Make a study of the lives of men and women who have been special mes sengers; read books of biography, stories of the lives of people. You will find many who have given their lives to serve Gods purposes, eager to do for Him, eager to be special messerl- gers. Remember the midnight ride of Paul Revere. He was a special mes- senger. General Gordon, Chinese Gordon was another one, remarka- ble special messenger of modern times, who rescued poor, degraded boys from shameful lives and saved them. Yet another was Phillips Brooks. Read Robert Browning's poem "The Boy and the Angel"
 Let me impress upon you, my young friends, boys and girls, the idea of spe- ,ial service, the varieties of that ser- vice and the training necessary for it. Sod picks out His special messengers; He sends His man out, saying Go! Here in New Haven and all over the world God Is looking for messengers He wants those who lift up their hearts to Him; and whose service, is he service of love, not of treachery. Why should not each of you do special ervice for the captain of your salva- ion? You boys and girls before lr,c Ire just as different as you can be; ,our tastes differ, your objects differ. You are not all going together as egiment marches, but you are going to eater over the face of the earth. Zach one of you will get commission $ Gods special messenger if you go n the right spirit. God is even now hoosing His messengers among the oys and girls in this church.
 "The question of all questions, then, 5 on the training for this special ser- ice. Remember one thing, dear chil- ren; this life of yours is your one life ' n this earth; make no mistakes. 'here is but one right way, and that 1ay is to offer yourselves to Jesus 'hrist as His special messengers. ome have already done this, others re contemplating it. all should do it. When you have made this beginning, ecided that you will become one of +od's special messengers, carry out the pirit of your work at home and in chool, working and playing, in joy nd sunshine, in health or sickness"