New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-07
HIS FAREWELL SERMON.
Bishop of Ripon breaches to Large
CONGREGATION at st. Georges.

An unusually large congregation filed ST. Georges
Protestant Episcopal Church yesterday TO hear the
farwell sermon III this country of the Right Rev.
William Boyd Carpenter. Bishop of Ripan England.
Persons from nearly every Episcopal parish of the
city were ent and long before the services began
every taken
After announcing the programme of services for
| the week the Rev. DR.. Rainsford introduced the
Bishop of Ripon and expressed his thanks for the
Bishops favor in preaching to his congregation
The lesson of the day. which included the seven
teenth, egh teenth nineteenth twentieth and TWEEN
ty-irst verses of the twenty-second chapter OF
Matthew, read by the Bishop
The text of the sermon was taken from the fol-
lowing eighteenth and nineteenth verses OF the
twenty-third chapter of Matthew
And whosoever shall by the altar, 1t is
nothing; but whatsoever sweareth by the gift that
| is upon it. he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for
whether is greater, the gift or the altar that
sanctiheth the gift?''
Great minds are distinguished from small minds
because great minds look for important principles
and scorn triviaties' said the Bishop. Great
minds detect principles even in small things; and
Christ was great. II find Him dealing with the
smaller matters It is because He looked to the
principle involved.
THE principle involved here lin our text must
be sought The Pharisees made the gift greater
than the altar. The gift before being laid on the
altar. was merely a product of earth. for instance
the -four the sheep. the gold and the incense. But.
after being laid upon the altar. 1t expressed an
idea namely, repentance, sorrow gratitude. The
idea impaired to all gifts; TO the small as well
the great. To make the gift greater than the
altar was make the thing greater than the idea
expressed. 1t loose the spirit Of the action
The reasn therefore, why Christ denounced the
Pharisee's teaching is clear. 1t was wrong de-
maud and injustice to God wrong TO man.
because if the rich gift preferred to the poor
gift the rich man would therefore be better man
than the poor 1t was an injustice 10 GOO
because it represented his caring for the gift more
than for the spirit in which the gilt was given
Christ always looked to the spirit He valued the
woman's gift of precious ointment because or the
love which prompted her TO give it. He valued
the widows mite because of the spirit of her oner-
ing Thus we can readily see what the altar on
which the 1T was laid was than the lift
I'VE find the principle all through our lives
Shakespeare has beautf lilly expressed 1t In the play
Of Hamlet Opheia priced the gifts Of Hamlet be-
cause it his love for her tina gave them value.
Hamlets love was the altar which the gifts were
laid When his love ceased the gifts were valueless
Take these again, she says for to the noble rnno
rich gifts wax poor, when givers prove unknd
I'VE may treasure beautiful hgure in marble
but is it the mere marble that we prize! NO! II Is
only common product OF earth, OUT the genius
of the man who chseled 1t is the thing we treasure
It is the altar on which the gift was laid. The
idea Of the altar being greater than the gift may
be seen IN a thousand instances we may
admire a beautiful dress. but not for the
fabric OF which 1t is made The trimmings the
Z II
draping are the things that make it rich. We may
search through household for the thing
prize most Where will We find 1t? Among
costly bric-a-brac furnishings? No! Down in
nlusty chest 1t is the old. mouldy account book
OF the days gone by.
i is worth nothing intrinsicaly. You could not
sell it for penny, but the recollection of the
struggles of the early days, when you added the
items to its pages. and the memory Of her who
helped you keep the accounts. dearer than all
the things you now possess. The book itself is
nothing but the altar which it laid makes it
dear you.
1.-The principle merely tests action. It is not the
act that is considered BY God, but the motive be-
hind it. Generosity at the back of iberaty makes
the liberal thing good. Munihcence for the sake
of social reputation has value. because no love
Of service is there. When we pull aside the cloak
of such runidCence find only the love of self
Life may always be tested by the principle. When
dies up MS Life in work. He may
have done many good deeds; but the final reckoning
is made from the motives that prompted them"
The Bishop of Ripon will sail for England next
Wednesday.