The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-13

The Rev. James DeWolf Perry. who was elected to the rectorship of St. Paurs P. E. church in the place of Bishop Lines. preached his first sermon at the church yesterday morning. There was a large attendance at the service. and the new pastor was given most hearty welcome.
 Rev. MT. Perry is an eloquent speaker and his discourse was listened to with care and attention. His sermon in part was as follows:
 My first words this morning must be Ia personal one of greeting. wish to ex- press my deep sense of privilege in en- tering the life of this parish. blessed las 1t is by the sacred associations and the heritage of noble works. It is with genuine reluctance that I have under taken the duties which others have so ably and so faithfully performed. have assumed them with no other wish than that of ministry-ready to serve where my helps may be needed.
 Let me ask that no one will regard this time as one of departure from the past, but of continuation in the way that has been followed heretofore. With your former rector, whom learned long ago to respect and love. Imy relations have been too close to allow any points of etiquette to stand between us I shall understand and welcome any desire on your part to turn to him for whatever offices you may wish him to perform.
 We are uniting in a common minis try. Let us consecrate ourselves to it in the spirit of fellowship one with another, and devotion to our Master
 Jesus Christ.
 Matthew vi. sS: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteous lness.
 This was Jesus answer to His own question. When His first disciples John and Andrew found and followed Him
 He met them with the searching words What seek yer" Wherever and by
 whoever asked this question would go deep into mems hearts. It touched the
 thought that lay closest to human ex-
 perience. The world to which Christ came was no idle world of dreamers to
 be satisfied with the vision of a peaceful
 heaven. It was an inquisitive and anx- ious world, hungry for excitement, for lacquisition and for truth. We who are living in this restless age of new dis
 covery and ne wideals can best appre-
 ciate the spirit of that time when a
 new order was struggling for birth and leyery nation bent upon some quest; | the Roman reaching out for power; lt the Greek for an expression of beauty and of truth; the Hebrew for spirit uaI revelation.
 1 John and Andrew leaving their old
 master and following after Christ were simply types of all the rest-two of the
 number who pressed onward to some
 unknown goal.
 Jesus probed their thoughts with the
 words, What seek ye?' It was dis Iturbing inquiry When men hear it and consider it they must, as did these disciples, stop for thought and self-ex- lamination.
 l Imagine some one in the crowded city. street to-day where men and women hurry on in the pursuit of one object or ciAlOt1lCls SOulC OllC WILL tllC fOlIC eilll1 bearing of divine authority, halting and trying us with this searching question,
 What seek ye?'
 l Can we conceive of any form of in
 quiry so penetrating? Would it not force upon us the reconsideration of all
 our aims and aspirations? We are Judged less by what we gain than what i've seek. Even after all the struggle land stress of effort, what we desire
 must condemn or justify us at the last.
 The world knows only what we have or
 what we do. God alone can tell what most we love.
 Such was the judgment owhich lChrist put the world Tn the midst of (the blind race of life He stopped men lwitf this appeal for contemplation and 3self- knowledge, Where are you going?
 For what are you struggling? What lseek yer"
 The question, if carefully and honest fly considered, must call forth on mems Ipart a counter-question Christs dis lciples, then as now, have responded. I''What shall we seek?" What shall I've do?" the multitude asked Jesus as lthey listened to His words in the syna- Igogue Where shall we go?' asked lthe apostles. 'Tell us the true aims of life and we shall follow thenl-the im- Iportant truths and we shall learn"
 Christ gave His answer in the Ser mon on the Mount. He reviewed in turn the several quests men followed, land gave each one it's place.
 l Pious practices under semblance of religion might engage men in the pur- isuit of wealth, the care for food and Idrink and clothing. All bring their re- lward. All have their place in the we'll regulated life. No one of them re- Iceives Christ's condemnation, yet no one is granted the first place in life. lThey are to be subordinated to one chief quest. Seek first the kingdom lof God and His righteousness. Then all these things will be added-then each will take it's rightful place. The change that Jesus made in the presentation of religion was change lof emphasis. The teachings of Chris ltianity had been and may now be Hound in other systems of religious lphilosophy, but the sense of proportion lin spiritual things we learn from Jesus lChrist alone. He only took the eternal Iyerities of life and gave them their true lvalue. He reduced the less important lmatters to their lower place.
 I Men had then an enthusiasm for re- iligion as they have to-day, and spent lit as they so often spend it now on lscrupulous observances of forms and