The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-11-06


ic quality rarely. imagine, recognized.
and. II consciously appreciated by him
self conscientiousiy and cannot but
think unfortunately suppressed. ! remem-
ber when was boy hearing him preach
sermon IN St Luke's church, Phiiadel-
phia, which might have been called The
Trial or the SOUL" and which consisted
largely OF a dialogue between the soul and
his accuser before the judgment bar or
God ] wonder IL ne ever preached that
sermon here? IL he did, you have not Tor
gotten IT..
But the pre-eminent note of his preach
Ing consisted in a characteristic. largely.
then, unrecognized and even now Inn
perfectly discerned. for the very simple
reason that now prevailing usage has
caught up with IL. Bishop Clark was.
maintain, the father OF colloquisl preach
ing, the first of his time TO break away
from formal. stately and often sesquipe-
dslian habits OF expression. which IL was
then widely and honestly II not uniyer-
sally. believed. belonged 10 the pulpit. II
any minister OF religion doubts what I
say. let him take down q volume OF SER
mons from his shelves published during
the first third OF the last century. We
hear constantly the lament that the
preaching OF the tmes is not the preach
ing OF our fathers. thank God that II Is
| not.
better. more intelligent, more widely In
formed. less stited and pretentious and
more direct. Bishop Clark illustrates this
himself by a story he tells In his REM
iniscenees' OF DIR. Hawks. DR. Hawks
was I'm the Episcopal church quite the
foremost preacher OF his time. but he was
a preacher OF polysyllabic commonplaces.
! delivered with an Incompatible elocution.
Once. as Bishop Clark relates. he preach
| ed I'm Trinity church, Washington, and
Daniel Webster went 10 hear him.
When Webster came out OF the church
/ he said: THAT is the finest sermon I ever
heard" and hailed with delighted grsti-
tude an offer from the rector OF the parish
| 10 borrow the sermon from DIR. Hawks
and read II again to him. When tie rec
| tor did so Mr.. Webster said that with
an emphasis OF contempt upon the word
that lis not the sermon heard. y
whereupon the rector handed him the SER
mon and the spell was broken.
HORIZONTAL ENLARGED.
Let us tread with reverent feet where
the steps or our forefa theirs have preced-
cd us but us not be afraid TO own
| that they clung 10 archaic forms OF ex-
preston and TO a holy tone" long after
the life had gone out OF both or them, and
let us thank God for the courageous lead
ership Of that rare man who gave 10 his
preaching almost its chiefest note Of
power. because he gave IL fhe supreme
touch OF nature. Since then do not for
get that the pendulum has swung 10 the
other extreme. ana that we have often
exchanged the stateliness Of the pulpit In
other days, for an anchastened vulgarity
I'm our own. a style which deals with sa-
cred themes aud sacred occasions with
equal fippancy and boorishness. But ex-
travagancies In these directions need not
blind us 10 the value OF that other and
earlier movement. in which. with such
rare fearlessness and wisdom. Bishop
Clark led the way
There were. however. traits In the late
bishop OF Rhode Island which lay even
deeper than these. and 10 the recogni-
hor OF these we may not fail TO advance.
| have chosen my text because il appears
to me to be SO precise and accurate a por-
traiture of the bishop whom you have
lost. and OF his relations to that larger
life OF which he was a part For we may
not forget that originally the words were
written OF David. and that they indicate
that remarkable evolution which came 10
pass In tn. shepherd boy who once was
touowing fhe ewes. great with young
ones" and whom God took that he
might feed Jacob. his people and Israel.
his inheritance" fPsiater. ps IXXVuI
| 10 once such man could think only Of
a flock OF sheep on the Syrian bIllsides
and how 10 shepherd them But one day
God called him 70 go up higher. and Is
rael and all It's people became his flock
IN this he was singilsrly like that bishop
whose life and gifts we are here to re-
cal David, as King had his horizon in
comparably enlarged; and no Hebrew
man or woman or child. could sny longer
be indifferent 10 him.
HELD ITSELF ALooF.
Does, anybody who knew him doubt
ma DtcI.
Of his ministry? An extremely intesest-
Ing transformation was beginning TO
come tn pass I'm Bishop Clark's time the
influence OF which has been often over
looked The original minister of religion
IN these New England colonies was. in
more senses than one, man Of all
work "
lie was not unfrequently. magistrate.
teacher. preacher. and political leader ali
In one. and the influence OF this combina
ton OF somewhat opposite fcallinrs I'm
one man was inevitable. The minister
of religion became sometimes more OF q
political leader or social reformer than
anything else and his pulpit rostrun
for the propagation OF particular views
upon slavery. temperance and womsn's
rights. rather than the place for the
proclamation of the gospel OF Jesus
Christ.
Now. II was At this point that the Epis
copal church. especially In New England.
round its calling. II was a refuge for
people who recollec from radicalism in
reform, and longed for upward reaching
petitions To God, in public Worship.
rather than for downward reaching ana.
themas OF men. And so there came TO
the Episcopal church and to the clergy
this inevitable danger that. In holding H.
self aloof from the controversies of its
time II should grow away from that
fellowship with our common humanity
which Is a supreme note in the doctrine
OF the incarnation
There were two mon IN our church
who, 90 years ago did more 20 correct
this error than any others: one OF whom
waS my father and the other Bishop
Clark. Ny father had this advantage
over Bishop Clark. that he was then
"Dr Alonzo Potter. professor I'm Union
college Cfrom whence came To you Fran
els Waylsnd. who once lent lustre 20
your Brown university and 80 was with.
out n psrochial cure.