The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-04-17
A SERE0N3 l0R SUNDAY
4" !sYSS!xys;s u. ,.,,1,.e
"6eMS'TAE wrLC OF cop."

"oeMcTHE wLC or cbp."
The Rev. John Erskine Adams Explains
the lro1g Sudsr urpese. whish Asirsst-
ed rbs[ife,ssd l.sors OF unr Lsrd-
D.nSszsos a. spssa oI. u. ssrialis.s.
c6S@ New Ns. i2hA .S CsES1lpOiSs s:I aY ,ss M VIII q
rsq gohn ErsSe ins y u tss me kss: ss
his text John 4. 3i.rs' Ms grpestgis 70 do
the Will OF Him that sent Ne, and TO finish
His work" Mr. Adass &ida e. g
These words express the profound pur-
pose which animated the HE and labors of
our Lord; He ms been engaged in ths.
wonde,FH lcohs ersa aa With the sinful
woman or SamAria. and 70 her He has IN.
fslded truths which have IN part at least,
been ksPib;gR p tbis hour even from His
hidden from The wise aud pmdapt aaa are oten re-,
vealed unto babes. Some OF the most won.
derful truths that jesus uttered were 10
sinners; some of the most gracious prom
lses 10 those who. hike Himself, were de.
spised and rejected OF men,, To this out
cast woman whose life was branded with
shames lie not only reveals HIS willingness
20 impart the gift Of God, the living water.
springipg up into everlasting life, /" but He
reveals 10 her His divine nature and Mes
sianIe character. ''i that speak unto thee
am He"
The woman has eoae from His presence
with a new hope in her heart and new
light upon her face, and the disciples ap.
proaeh their MStep lie must be hungry,
for the fnt.SiKe tire Say has been lont.
and they offer Him meat. He replies: II
have meat - 50; Ina. ye laow, not Of; Ny
meat Is 70 do the viii Of Him that sent Ne
and to finish His work" Again does our
Lord declare that mansshalI nc Z live by
bread alone. There is o. deeper sat isfac-
tion than thai which comes from gratifi-
cation o; the carnal Nature; the satisfac-
ton OF outreach toward lost souls; men
ana women IN famine; wayward children
OF the Father, and in that outreach: doing
the Fathers will, who desires that not
one, OF theseElittle onesahall perish That
phllosopst, yhseh proved too proiound for
those dSsiples )i. We fear, lust as incom.
prehsasibs y !Is scmnerCial and mater
ton; What shall we eat and what shall we
drink! Is more imperiops to-day than ever.
Epcurus has his disciples still. and Nam
mon its shrine before which countless null
tltudes bow. To eat, drink and be merry,
that is .the, worlds definition OF life. =,
l b9H sad thatths Words of the text
express the purpose OF Christs life. They
by which His every action is Judged 'In
the vshihc ofitife Book il is written Of Me:
Lo! l come to do Thy will, o, NV God"
The wall Of the, Father was the actuating
power of His incarnation. He knew no
other iRpeillng focee. 1t was this which
turned His face toward Jerusalem for His
final trial and triumph; it was this which
gave to Him the victory in the garden OF
Gethsemane. and enabled Him to put the
cup 10 .Ass-l,vs- s-sss drsin-it-to the drevs.-
In lts glow all lesser lights paled; to its au-
thority all His powers were brought sub.
at.
were beaten down, all personal ambitions
were destroyed, earthly distinctions, and
emoluments rejected. His responsibility
20 the Father pressed upon Him when only
boy. of twelve years, and deepened In His
consciousness till II became the Novermas-
terng impulse of His life. Responsibility
to Almighty God was Webster's definition
OF the profountiest thought that could
comeSto man; the "Fafherss busnessv
was the supreme business of Jesus life
He knew % no other mission or message >.
=, AND we are speaking truly when we say
that 1t was this supreme purpose which
Character and, wGXI Without' Il. His lie
however beautiful would have been at best
an aimlses one. Without that purpose of
doing, tie Father eIi and naanifestine
His glor;hefa wouli baFe beenho eohsr.
ence to Christ s deeds or teachings, but in
and did hroasht IA ahe focus; to DO that
will was Hissneat and Hif drinkI q -
Now what was true of Christ is in like
measure true OF, every one of us. What
purpose was and gave TO the life OF our
no more live lives OF strength without the
deep impulses Of a, noble purpose stirring
within tbem. than can't the vessel reach
her destined haven without the compass
or the pole star. Behind all things are the
,h6nnb ,Piini5e ~ patp"seFs Tenhy'on gives us the
"Yet 1 doubt not thro' the ages one in.
creaslng purpose runs,
Ana sthe Thoughts OF men are widened
ie with the prosessof the suns .H,n7ra
God takes no delight in chaos or confu.
sion. His works are, ordered, according to
divine purpose. Not only His works of
creation, which move in the harmony of q
perfete ptlL but 1 ose of. redemption and
grace. st. Paul asserts that His manifold
wisdonr ~ declared according to the ter
jesus 5e pss' aps hsrs mGA m.Hsss I'M Ghrss
His Sory IN the accomplishment Of His
PURPOSE IN nature ana IN grace, and II
Christs life was lived in the hight of no.
bic purpose, how essential is at for US to
move onward in accordance with well de-
fined phnss gupder the inspiration aye,
comphlsions OF sotne 'aim in life, that shall
give TO life defniteness and conference.
Saint Bernard had over his study table
in iliumihated letters these words: "Ber-
made, I'd quid venisti - Bernard, why are
you here" The reference was not to the
routine tasks of his bfe. These were de-
termined for him. But it was: What is
the animating purpose Of ypur. .ltfet What
is thef of your existence? !.
every pkAsdre tahd every task made sub
servhnr % The one purpose; the one su-
preme motive of your being? Amiel in his
journal records, Life is a mass of begin
nings- md endinss.@ We have all iexpe-
rienced his meaning. We have begun TO
build, bpt did net finish. We have laid our
plans and fonnd them broken in upon and
destroyed; we bays skimmed over ae sur
den meaning. And If we ask the reason it
is eeideht, . we have failed because no
presiding purpose has woven the tangled
skein INTO harmony and beauty. We have
been dallying with purpose, we have been
half sllhngpwe have been hanging forever
IN the bs laBee, and so We have been losing
our grip on HE. = irsg,.l..gi s.ilrsi.s +
As a mar. ,Purposeth in his heart so is
he Tile difference between aimlessness
and decision is the difference between the
stagnant pool Wing motionless, thick and
slime, breathing malaria and breeding
venomy and tfiescltaraets which rishes on
ward, living, moving, piunging thing,
something destructive IN its energy, but a
thingtoH b<asty beosrc athing OF hfe.
.Bet-er IN rvfioe.r purpose' says Or.
Person, than none at ALL Better to be
a Saul OF Tarsus, breathing out threaten.
such a man as Robert Dale owen. Who con.
fesses: Il committed one fatal error in my
youth, and dearly have i bewailed It: ]
started IN HE without an object even