The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-12-17

FOR THE
|D-ALS
Sermon by Rev. Percy S. Grant
atSt Johns Episcopal Church
Last Evening.

Rev. Percy s.. Grant. rector of the
Church of the Ascension. New York.
preached the sermon last night at the
third OF the series of special Advent
services devoted TO THE Coming Of
Christ In Conflicts" his subject being,
The Struggle for the Ideals OF the Inner
Life" and the speaker took as his text
part of the eighth verse OF the fourth
chapter of Revelations: "And the four
beasts had each of them six wings about
him: and they were full of eyes within
Rev. Mr.. Grant said In part:
There are two important gifts for
which we should strive the power OF
vision and the power 10 attain what IL
seen. The text seems fairly represen-
tstive of our subject tonight, In these
days we hear a great deal to make us
believe that the world is materialistic.
I'VE ought to consider. on the contrary,
that we are not material. of the earth
earthly. We are OF heaven In this re-
spect. that we are Of the ideal In art do
We not sec the struggle toward the ex-
preston of the idealf All arts are con-
firmative OF the ideal that has taken
possession OF Us until In struggles for
expression. And In music is there not
something more beautiful than anything
man has ever dreamed Off There is
something here that uplifts, that beckons.
IF this Is true of art Il 10 even more
true of religion. Religion always dis
covers two conditions; frst. that human
nature believes IL has acted amiss Man
perceives his ideal and finds he has not
matched 1t In his life. He nnds he has
some shortcomings. some waywardnessi
some sin.
THE other inevitable teaching OF ren-
gion II the lesson OF omnipotenoe. Here
there Is something to uplift him out OF the
dust and teach him the great lesson OF
forgiveness. Again the ideal dawns upon
him. No matter what any man OF pleas
ure or any man OF business may say. We
are all idsalists.
Three great lessons Of hfe for us to
learn are: First that ws must con-
struct our ideals; second, that We must
maintain the ideals. and third. that we
must complets the ideals.
Take for example the struggle In the
schoolroom. We see a gifted pupil who
seems to acquire knowledge without ef-
fort. and we are apt to say: oh, II 10
easy for him: he Is naturally talented
and has no trouble to learn his lessons
We find It the same later In life when we
have the deeper problems TO solve. Then
we learn that that gift has only bloomed
by great struggle. by great work. Genius
has expressed itself only through great
struggles. Labor. then, is ever the
handmaiden of genius.
"Ae we go about In great cities we
find ourselves surrounded by all sorts OF
activities, great crowds and mighty
forces. Then we find that each in the
crowd In an individual who has to select
from all these things that which shall
be built into his nature, out OF which
his inner world shall be constructed. The
individual as he passes along has to con-
struct and create his ideals.
I'VE have to eliminate great mass OF
details that would overlay and crowd out
the main beauties of the picture. One
Of the special joys of the religious life
is this struggle to perpetuate the beauties
OF the inner view There is no other way
to maintain the ideal than by direct COM
munion between the soul and the source
OF all It's beauties.
There Is a third struggle In this at
tempt to realize the ideal. Some would
say that there are two kinds OF men,
first, he of the inner state. the spiritual.
and second. the outer man. who believes
that success Ia worldly attainment. IL is
nearer the truth to say that each man
has something OF both characteristics
Was there ever man who did not want
success? Was there ever a sanity man
who did not want his spirituality TO be
accomplished? The attitude OF prayer
and the attitude OF action must go hand
I'm hand in each one OF us This In an
era OF action. Men must be doing as we'll
as praying.
"The struggle for the inner ideal. Is
there anything more attractive than that7
We do not have 10 ask others TO help
us. II Is TO us as individuals that the
problem has come. Our lives then are
no longer aimless. As the soul weaves
and weaves, and weaves this inner robe
OF beauty, then Is the radiance OF our
ideals reflected over the lives OF others"