The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-04-28
REV. GEORGE A. GORDON.
MANS PHYSICAL AND M4N,S
SPIRITUAL LIFE
Likened Unto the ree-Character ID
lmmortal--Pitch Your Camp Along
the River of Life-Eloguent Words at
BatteiI Chapel Yesterday

! immoftai-Pfsch Your Camp Along
the River of Life-EIoguent Words at
BatteiI Chapel Yesterday.
The Rev. George A. Gordon of Bos-
ton occupied the college pulpit at Bat
tell chapel yesterday morning and
preached very practical sermon to a
very large congregation. His text was
from the Psalms and that very familiar
verse For He shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water. The
sermon dealt in the main in compar-
sons, that of the life OF man with the
life of tree and abundant scope and
many striking illustrations were afford
ed by the comparisons. He said that
the fortune of tree was very like that
| of man. The tree requires two worlds
IN which to live and both at the same
time. For just as much as it Iifts its
arms and branches above the earth SO
must there be corresponding suppress
sion at the bottom so that there will
be a balance and this balance must be
very even. Man also requires two
and the spiritual, and he cannot exist
without them. The saying that man
requires only one world at time Is
very foolish and has been proven SO
by many eminent scholars. So with the
injunction Of many "try this world 1t
is enough for you at one time'' If
this is followed out there will be dis
NAL result and a calamitous issue of
Nov r., i e.. IL. IL
and eternity. There is man and heav-
en-, the human and the divine, Christ
on earth and His Father in heaven,
the worlds both for the tree and man.
The greater and more rational your ex-
pectations for this life the vaster must
be your preparations for the life that Is
to come. The reproductive powers of
the tree are very illustrative of the
spiritual life of man. Character is im-
mortal. A legend is very illustrative.
Once an old sturdy oak stood on the
hillside and it's mighty and powerful
branches spread about and it was a
thing of beauty. The winds swept
through them and still it withstood all
attacks. Then the winds held con- 4
sultation and decided that they should
combine and tear the oak from its
place. So they did and they swept
through it with great fury but it de-
fled all their efforts So they tried it
again and with greater fury. This
time they failed and again and again
We're their designs frustrated. Finally
they did succeed in tearing it from it's
place and hurled it over and over again
down the hillside into the valley below.
Then they felt that they had done
good thing. But in five years they re-
turned to the same spot and to their II
amazement they found whole forest
Of trees. When the winds wrestled
with the old oak spent their force upon
it they below the acorns far and wide
and in the interim these had fallen on
good ground, taken root and sprung
up so that there was now not only one
tree but hundreds. So it is with the
founders of this college. First there
was mere handful, and they all pass
ed away in good time, but the college
stood on and increased and grew in
numbers and strength until to-day it is
this grand university. So it is with
man; first one then many and even
though the individual passes away the
race continues and will until the world
ends. Just so again with the spirit OF
Jesus Christ. 1t is nvincible and inde-
terminable. Though he died and as
cended unto the Father yet His lifes
work was taken up by men and carried
on until now it reaches throughout the
universe. These men have gone on
about Him until they have
filled all places with His glory and the
power and His grace. But young men
of the university you have before YOU
to-day the worlds environment. 1T Isl
a complex affair. There is the saloon
and the church, there are the good men
and the bad men, there are those who
are seeking to help and those whose
aim is to Cypress you. There are things
which will save your life and those vi
which will ruin it; there are the beau
tiful things and the terrible; there ara
represent atives Of Judas and of Jesus.
Select. The only place for you to pitch
your camp is along the river of the
waters of life where the soil is rich VI
and productive and where the river Of #
Sod flows. 1t takes the whole universe
% make a tree and so it takes the whole
universe to sustain the life of man.
The air that we breathe, the food that
We eat are all portions of the whole
Universe and necessary for us. With
tut Christ without wisdom of history,
he epistles, the glorious gospels, the
BEST wonder of the world cannot be
spiritually grand. Take the trees into
your consultation, let them speak tn
,ou morning and evening. So with tha
ortune of the tree is the fortune OF
he man. There are two worlds both
It the same time and you must select
he worlds environment whether for
rood or evil. 1.-THE Lord shall be thy
un and shield, shall be thy grace and
,lory, He shall keep thy going out and
by coming in and shall make thy life
o that thou shalt all be loyal men of
he nation, of the race and the King
om of God"
The Rev. Mr. Gordon also addressed
he university meeting in Dwight hall
t b;45 in the evening.