The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-12-29

X~S-S~S~@S0S~c~c00~-07S
These words are the prayer of one Sim
con, whom we are told was righteous and
devout and who was looking for the con-
ISOLATION of Israel Unlike the great major
fly of his race. who even after they had
heard Jesus speak rejected him, receives
the child into his arms. blesses God and
seeing in him the salvation OF his people
prays that he may depart In peace.
This isolated instance and this feverish
prayer did they stand alone might be
considered as ths results OF one over
hopeful and over enthusiastic borne away
by q wish tnat was father both or the
thought and the action.
But our eyes sweep back over the long
pages OF Israers history and We hear
again the sigh for ono delayed but who
should come and we today stand down
the distance Of two thousand years from
that cradle and childhood and prayer and
with sincere hearts believe that Simeon
saw the source OF lsraers salvation. the
revelation of light TO the Gentiles and
God salvation to our day and generation
SALVATION THE GOAL.
mine eyes have seen thy salvation"
We have chosen these words as a text
and the words the Eternal Christ" as
subject because we believe the thought
In each is the same.
Salvation is the goal Of creations striv-
ing and Christ Is the means by which 1t
is to arrive at that end.
Salvation Is not belief In your creed or
mine. In accepting your ism or mine, In
Joining your church or mine but part
of an eternal process that lies deep hid
den i'm the bosom OF the universe itself.
Christ Is not an accident OF history or an
unrelated event in the march OF things
but stands I'm true sense at the begin
ming and at the end and holds In his
grasp the means by which the end shall
be reached.
II salvation is an eternal process work
ed out by the eternal spirit OF Christ then
we shall not be able to take any small
conception OF sin. We shall find II to be
one of the largest and one of the most
real things In this world OF ours and Its
overthrow and the consequent freedom OF
man from its shackles the meaning OF
the ceaseless unfolding OF the centuries.
Curtain after curtain drawn back and
generation after generation peering out
farther into Gods eternity We are forced
by history 10 look upon the world from
this point OF view. When nations and
people have sought any battle less fierce
than the struggle against sin they have
gone down with Sodom and Gomorrah
into their endless oblivion.
THE HUMAN STRUGGLE
We are forced by our hopes to look up
on the human struggle from this point
OF view, for hope sees no future apart
from righteousness and no spirit of the
age no materialistic leaning or agnostic
signing Or doubling can ever convince the
human mind that we shall 60 on fighting
and ascending unless we fight against sin
for Righteousness and mount up toward
God.
We minimize the facts In connection
with our religion. We forget II Is hstor-
ical We are borne forward with willing
feet by the historical spirit Of the times
10 every other fact but the fact OF Chris
tianity. The fact OF Jesus OF Nazareth.
Then the fact that human thought has
woven into human civilization, the eter-
nal Christ. That We are seeking salvation
and that as OF old we have here the eter-
nal fact of sin the eternal enemy OF
man.
Mine eyes" said Simeon. have seen
thy salvation
At the same hour there came Anna, a
prophecies, and spake OF him ito all
them that were looking for the redemp-
tion OF Israel"
Israel seemed standing tip-toe and ex-
pectant waiting for one who should come.
Year after year and century after century
there was the fact The fact of 1sraels
sin OF her limitation, OF her unfulhlled
destiny. There was the other fact. You
may call Il II you will a faith. Yet 10 was
sin itself. 1srael's salvation. Israel's des-
tiny. IsraePs freedom. Israel going on,
where she ought 20 go. And how grim a
fact that is laid alongside the fact OF sin
today.
our problem n the same old problem
Unclean hands and impure hearts. We
speak today Of social evils. Evil insttu-
tions. Yet what are these but the object.
ihed lusts OF individual souls The insti.
tutions themselves are not evil, its tho
evil I'm the hearts OF men who constitute
these institutions and there in that par
ficular place and way give the evil ex
preston. We speak OF social evils and so
cial organisms and IN these glitterins
generalties condone and overlook oui
own sins.
SOCIETY HAS NO SINS.
society has no sins. they are your sins
This church has no limitations OF faulu
these are the limitations and faults OF nj
Of us. II count" says Maurice. "the sim
OF the times as my own These sins o.
fnfemperance and dishonesty and all tn
other sins we label sins OF the times arr
a. personal az fear. They are a type o
our sefnshness They indicate our limita
fions They are an index OF our unfulfill
Cd satissacfions. They tell us that tn
yearning OF the soul has not yet beef
There n nothing new about thes'
things. Society changes. The years 60 o'
apace We express ourselves IN nev
language or In an old one more highl,
developed. We manifest our evil after
new fashion. But the new language un
49, old sentiments and the new instItu