The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-02-03

REV JOSEPH H. ODfLL.
ity student We're preaching. but the
more careful listener would know at
once from the ease of the speaker and
from the clear. logical and forcibin
manner in which he eXpounds the
truths of the Gospel that Il clergyman
ripencd by experience and cultured in
the trueSt sense of the word, was III
the pulpit
Rev. Mr.. Odell is neither IL showy ~
a theatrical preacher. He INDUCES in
no airy lights of rhetoric and does not
work himself into passionate and fren.
zied outbursts. He rather seeks to
bring home the truth of his remarks
with quiet aud simple earnestness. US
ing few gestures and aiming at reprcs-
sion rather than at defamation.
At the night service, he chose for his
text words taken from Pau's epistle 10
the Corinthians, I'VE know only in
part" and developed clearly and logi-
cally the thought that the ways Of
Providence are mysterious and that it
falls to the lot of man to know ana
understand but little OF the reasons ard
causes for the acts of the Almighty.
ITO those who feel things with their
minds as well as with their nerves.
said he. life is insufficient and is but
preparatory for that larger life be-
Nond the space between this world and
the neNt--that space which is the mar
gin of the book on which the poets
write, the atmosphere in which tie
philosophers speculate and in which
hope grows. Beyond that space will
be found the justification of our high
est thoughts and endeavors and the
Nindication of the fatherhood of God.
Beyond that space will all our ques-
tions be answered. Beyond that space
Only the Master shall praise us and only the
Master shall blame,
And no shall work Tor money .Dnd M one
shall work Tor fame:
But each for the iOv of the working and each in
his separate star,
Shall paint the thing, Us he sees them. for the
God OF Things as They Are.
ONLY IN PART
"AS we are now. we know only in
part. There is God of Things as they
are, but we do not draw them as He
would have us. We draw them as others
see them. as they are distorted by our
imaginations and often as they take on
varied forms, according to the passion
of the moment
"We think of Christ as the most
beautiful of all beings, YOU and /. We
look at the beauty of His life: we SEE,
the light of love in His eyes; we think
of the grace of Ills condesccnSion: we
think of His strong arm raising the
weak and SuccOring the helpless, and
we learn to dream of Him uS the most
beautiful of I'LL visions and the "rairest
of ten thousand" and yet what we see
of Him is but the dimmest outline.
I'VE have seen Him shrouded in the
mists of theology, distorted by super
stition and the story of His life inter-
preted by interpreters OF all the CEN
turies that have passed. We see Him
with the eyes Of other men and yet He
is TO us the rarest, sweetest and divinest
of beings Think. my friends, that we
know Him only in part ana that the
true greatness and universally of His
love will never be revealed to us in this
life We know Him only in part, and
a full realization of His glories goes be-
yond the concensus of human thought
1t would not surprise me to learn that
He has saved n thousand worlds more
sinful than our own.
Our love Is great, and we can ac-
compish deeds of daring and fine chiV-
airy by it's aid, but our love is but as a
tiny seed compared TO the great love of
God. 1t is but as single piping voice
as compared with the grand chorus--as
one dewdrop compared with the mighty
ocean. When we know and realize the
full measure of Gods love in that other
land we will know that He is love- ana
that our greatest sacrifices and noblest
redemptions We're as nothing. We know
only in part, for eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither hath it entered into
the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love
Him."
MORNING SERMON.
' At the morning service he preached a
mastery sermon, based upon Paul 5
message to the Corinthians. He spoke,
in parr, as follows:
Paul's message, that was in the van of an
apostolic ministry in Corrth il most uppropri.
ate TO the circumstances of this morning In il
We may lind the Inspiration and model tor our
work--a work which must deal with universal
essentials.
First Of all-That Christ died ior our sins ac-
cordng 20 the Scriptures
The first note that rang ont was the clear
tone Of hope, II was gospel Of redemption.
Sin is something that needs neither discussion
nor description. The worst charge you can make
against our modern literary realism is that II is
superfuOus. The only argument needed is TO
turn ones eyes inward, 10 take one absolutely
honest look at self 10 get into the scale Tor an
instant against our conscience Or 10 come once