The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-10-28
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED.
"ClORiFYlkC The FATHER"
Preached by the Rev. Dr. Thomas u. Nc
Leod, of Brooklyn. ~. H.-Ws Can
Make God Resi, We Can Make the
0ospel Sublime.

MS pulpit from ms Nacation, lne hCf ~
Thomas b, Mcleod, pastor of the Clinton
Avenue Congregational Church, preached
an eloquent sermon Sunday morning on
"Glorifying the Father" The text was
chosen from John xv:s: Herein 10 MY
Father glorified that ye bear much fruit,
50 shall ye be My disciples" DE- Mcleod
said.
How vital, dear friends. are all New
Testament representations of religion
Compare the New Testament with the eth.
ical teaching, or religious teaching OF all
other books IN this respect, and YOU are
simply astonished. There Is nothing me
chanical in them, nothing formal, nothing
instItutional-every process ls process oi
life Ii Is no use Tor a man, or Tor men, 10
claim that they have Abraham for their
father. Religion is not matter OF who a
mans ancestors were: II rs matter OF
what a man himself Is. Jesus has gwen US
in one pithy sentence His estimate OF the
worth of the claim that IL based on de-
scent, on heredity, on social prestige, when
He says that God could raise up, or make
children. unto Abraham out OF the very
stones of the roadside. The concern that
interests God, when il comes 10 the matter
of religion, Is whether a man Is living
plant or a dead stick. The hedge, though
il be a hedge of flowers or roses, In which
the stake occurs, does not make the stake
a living thing. The sline of descent in
which a man stands, nor the social posi-
tion he occupies, nor the church OF which
he is an attendant, or member, is moth
ing The man may after all be nothing
better than a dead stake in hedge.
There was a certain fine man, fine man
socially, reigiously, politically-one OF the
best OF men as men went-came 10 Jesus
10 make inquiry on the subject of religion.
He was reverent and devout and respect
ful and courteous and cultured and learned,
a leader and teacher OF the people, lee
turer on ethics. but when II came TO reli
gion, Jesus said to that man, "Ie must be
born again" The vitality of the represen-
tation we find in the New Testament reli-
gion is its life; II have come that We might
have life. and that ye might have 1t more
abundantly."
And so of tests. Not simply of the rep
resentations OF descriptions of religion, but
also of the tests, the New Testament tests
Of religion. How are we TO know that we
are living Christians? How are We TO
know that others are living Christians =
Why, the New Testament pushes US up to
the point of urgent belief, and insists on
it, that the test is fruit, not leaves, not
flowers, but fruit, and that fruitfulness is
the only essential thing that shall triumph
under the test. Jesus may endure barren
ness outside of the church, but He cannot
endure II inside of the church. A bramble
in the woods is bearable, but bramble in
the orchard, that is intolerabe. by their
fruits ye shall know them. Men do not
gather figs of thistles OF grapes OF thorns." ="
"The man OF God Is perfect, fruitful unto
oil good works
How little stress Jesus lays upon those
tests that are so universally adopted and
applied. and admitted 10 be sufficiently ad-
equate; attendance upon religious ordin-
ances, subscription TO creed and statement,
routine observance OF rites and ceremonies;
He makes nothing OF all that, and He
comes TO US, friends, Just as lie came TO
the fruitless, leafy fig tree by the wayside,
searching for fruit, not for leaves, not for
blossoms, not for horescence. not for es-
thetic delight in sacred music. not for fond.
ness >Sf the literary side OF religion not for
a keen appetite for well dgested and pre-
eented truth. but for frut-fruit. and He
comes up closer 10 us, friends, than any.
body else can come-than our dearest and
nearest can come-for, after all. these can
see only outside appearances. He sees real !.
tiles. They see things that pass Tor good
works IN u.s. born. IT may be, of wicked
ambition or OF self-conceit He sees right
down into the centre of the soul. and He is
looking for fruit. What shall He find in
you and me; Fruit or leaves, or just bare
branches?
The test is fruitfulness Now that ought
20 be an easy test TO apply. and It surely,
friends. i5 a safe test to appIy-for you and
me to apply to our own selves. But then,
some one may say. "Well, what constitutes
frultfuness? ] am ready now to lay bare
my soul before God; | am ready now to 90
down on my face before God and apply the
test: | am ready now for heart searching,
and to measure myself by this standard,
but | want 10 know what constitutes
fruitfuness' What are the fruits that
Jesus expects and that ! am to look for
and by which / am to measure myself|'
Why. the Bible is simply full Of that II
has set the whole thing so plain, and so
fully, and so varously that wayfaring
man though a fool need not mistake as to
what fruitfulners IN the Christian life ~
Jesus says. Blessed are the poor in spirit
Come now. we are examining ourselves
about the fruits Blessed are the poor in
spirit blessed are the meek blessed are
the merciful (the good heartedl; blessed
are the pure IN heart; blessed are the
peaccmakers: blessed are they who have
not simply a relish now and then, but a
hunger and a thirst after righteousness
rightness. These are the fruits that the
Christian man Is expected TO grow IN hs
character.
An apostle says, the fruits. or the fruit
cf the spirit, Is love, 10Y. long suffering
patience, meekness. faith. Temperance. The
fruit that the Christian u TO develop. that
will be developed. that Jesus viii expect II
there be lfe-love-the heart OF all good
ness--love TO God and love TO man. WHO
loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how shall he love God-how can he love
God whom he hath not seen" Fruit; love
joy Joy IN fellow ship with God; JOY IN
fellowship with believers; Joy in service
and ministry Love-ioy-peace. Content.
harmony Of conviction, Of thought and af-
fectlon. Long suffering - patient endur-
ance not only IN affection. but patient en-
durance OF wrong and provoCatlon; and
meekncss and temperance and all the rest.
What does fruitfulncss mean; IL means
simply the development or achievement Of
character that will approve itself 10 Cod
But this growth of character docs not ex.
haust the expectation OF Christ concerning
us. IL does not exhaust The fruit which
the Christian has 10 bear There is other
fruit. You read that passage again and you
will see that the tenor OF IL has 10 DO with
owshIp-fe.lowship with Jesus, ielIoy.
ship IN His purpose 20 redeem this world
from sin Jesus IL not thnkin- altogether
OF the good His disciples are 70 get through
fellowship with Him. but Hc is thinking
also OF the good which HIS disciples are 10
Dc through fellowship with Hin. Not alto
gether ofwhat HIS disc Piles arc 20 receive.
but OF what His disc pcs are 10 .chieve
Except the branch ABIDE IN The vine u
bringeth forth no fruit II yc cbide in Ne
and Ny words abide IN y5u, ye shall bring
forth much fruit"
Oh, friends, We limit TIC range of the
Christian iie. and our hca-ts and mi1ds
are 50 set uTo1 getting, getting, getting
enjoying. enjoying, enjoy inc-tha, We arc
deaf to the words Of CHRIST concern rc do
ing. doing, doing. Apart ron tho vinc the
branch can bear NJ fruit. apart from tho
branch the vine cannot bear fruit. And
here, friends, VIC ccme up to sonethilc