The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-27
BAPTIST CHURCHES TO UNITE
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 Wallace N. Butrick, who was for many
 years pastor of the First church, con- aucted the services and preached the ser
 mons. lie is at present pastor of large
 cuufcn Tn Albany, x. I. His presence caused the congregations at both serylces to be very large and he was heartily wei comed by the many close friends winch ne made during his former pastorate here.
 n the morning he preached strong and aple sermon on Growth"
 Rev. pr. Butlicks took his text from the eighteenth verse and the third chapter of
 the second eplstle of St Peter, which reads: But grow ln grace, and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Savlor Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen
 He, said in part: Have you ever won dered what growth ist It may be the growth of plant or an animal. II plant IL hrst gains our attention and eXcites our curiosity. seed is placed Ill the ground ana by nurture of nature, by partaklng oI the substance of the soil 1t taxes life and begins to grow. Then It appears above the ground and from the light and heat which It receives 1t continues to grow in beauty and proportion. We call all thIs growth but suen Is so common that we soon for get all about 1t; yet how wonderful u thing 1t Is that 1t can grow. Taking, for instance q rubber plant. tirst it IS one single stem, then few leaves, then branches appear and soon 1t increases un- til there is need of larger vessel to con tam It, but the mystery of 1t all IS that It keeps growing. A plant lives and grows from the substance 1t receives out or the sunlight, the soil and the air Who can help wondering at the mystery of 1t all!
 But even though plant lile is wonderful stlll more wonderful IS what we call ami mate life; that which is self directed. 1t IS Gods offering from on nigh. Wonderful again is the growth of the animal. Take the dog for example. First it is the small bit of fife, then It grows into the big tel- low that we wonder at and admire. lie has keen eyes, quick senses always ready for q romp and the watch of all the chl- dren of the house, We stand in awe when we consider such rapid growth and won der how 1t all comes about
 But more precious yet is the growth of human life. We are first utterly helpless, and dependent entirely upon the loving care of mother and parents but yet we grow and wax strong. Men though we years of understanding, yet. no two are alike ill character. That is something which shapes itself differently in each in- dividual We may be brother and sister, even twins, dress alike and look alike, go to the same school yet our characters are not alike. Each has his own peculiar way and it all comes about by growth. This is largely occasioned by the conditions which man may impose The child's character is largely directed and developed by the intelligence of the parent and by home and social surroundings. Yet this is the mys- terious quality which we call growing. We are given to be careless and not pay the proper attention to this growth which we Should. The child is not surrounded by the moral and social atmosphere which should surround him and we are responsible for failing to strictly regard those things which determine character and disposition. There is fear that we fail to appreciate how we are growing
 It is important for our growth that we be favored with that moral and intellec- an awful thing to live and an awful thing to be an immortal soul. It is the realiza- tion of this responsibility which the Apos- tie Peter urges
 He shows how by the knowledge of Jesus Christ God has granted to us all things of the life of godllness. He has thus opened things of diverse nature. In this second epistle the whole theme is growth. If we would go on in the right way we must repel temptation and grow into the Christian doctrine. This IS given | us to do and we must choose for ourselves. | We must grow. in the grace and knowledge | of our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Peter inl- plies the extremes of peculiar kind of 1 life and a knowledge of the New Testa- | generate life. Growth in grace is condi- toned on antecedent birth in grace. There is too much inidelity in the necessity if regeneration but that is no more mysterious than that of generation. The Christian teaching and theory of regeneration is mysterious but no, more than the growth of plant life. The fact of conversion to re. generate life leads many to believe in Pc ter's exhortation to grow in grace God has promised to give us q new life and the author of all life has done this in order that we may grow up to Him and that we may be partakers in this new life Growth in grace is also conditioned on the ntelli- gent culture of the home life. Many of us do not receive the teachings at home that we should and many parents are to be ceu. sured for their failure to impart to their children the things, which are, right and tend to build up their characters in the proper way. God has given us all things which pertain to the growth in grace of which St. Peter writes. Just consider how many are shut out of this knowledge and thus become barren and unfrutful. We and they do not appreciate the necessity of the culture of the divine life and teach ings.
 Do we realize as Christians that it Is just as necessary for us to nourish our souls in the Christian teaching of the Bible as it is for us to eat to nourish our human bodies. We all deoend on God for our life and the Christian life is no reformation but it is life The same God whose power is manifested in the plant life has manifest ed it to us and waits for us, to put out and must grow by affinity The power of God will be manifested in us just as we see it in the plant. We will thus become strong and be able to endure and over come. We must thus develop and strength cn our faith and grow in grace, and then , we can successfully meet the temptation which unconsciously draws us down. Christian culture does not consist sin the fighting of the devil that is within us but of growing up into the life divine. If we are not alive unto Him we shall become useless and wither. We can grow in the Son, Jesus Christ, and this can be accom- , plished by the constant culture of the life , ,, which He has planted within us and we thus grow in grace and the knowledge of I our Lord. ,
 NEW HAVEN ORPHAN ASYLUM The monthly meeting of the managers I