The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-12-02
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED.
:FREEooM IN CHRIST"
The Rev. Edward Hunting Rudd shows
How Faith Unfoids Iitself in Many
Forms Of Christian Experience-Re-
pentance, Growth and Service.

-
Forms OF Christian Esperienee-Re-
pentance. Growth and service.
BROOKLYN, n. Y.-The Rev. Edward
Hunting Rudd. pastor OF the F,rst Con-
yregational Church. Dedham. Mass,
preached sunday morning IN the gomp-
klns Avenue Congregational Church % a
large audience. His suolect was Free
dom IN Christ and the text was from
John IL: l3 and Ia Bus as maby as
received Hum 20 them gave He the right
90 become children OF God, even 10 them
that believe on HIS name. who were horn
not OF blood nor OF the will OF the flesh
nor OF the wlll OF man, but OF God Mr.
Rudd said;
Can l DO as please or must l viii TO
do as another pleasesg Am ! a free agent
or are limitations placed upon me- Is lib
erty unrestralned freedom. or am | the
more truly free when my actions and
words are controlled by divine laws, i'm
posed willingly upon maa by MS own en-
lghtened self?
To answer these questions inteligently.
clearly and helpfully takes us az once into
that field OF Christian sociology and of the
lnterrelatlon OF man with man and OF man
with his God which SO engages the atten-
tlon OF men everywhere today. The place
and duty of the church j., very clear. Ii
is 20 show men IN the spirit Of Candor, ot
sympathy, Of open minieduess. Of tOier-
ance, tina. the word Of God gives us great
elemental teachings by a master thinker
and ressoner. who was divine and who
claims the right to influence men. The so
called great problems o: Moor and capital
will hnl a permanent solution only by
the arb.trament OF the Man OF Galilee,
But 10 - your duty and mine % remind
ourselves and others that according as we
square ourselves with the requirements %
God IN Christ shall the problems OF HE
be met and be grapped and worth while
results be achieved.
We are here to-day 20 ask entrance into
the light. We are here TO know more
truth. 50 that truth may make us free
Nc'lOng 90 know how 20 bc happily and
clutentcdly free. To have our freedom
so used that everywhere men shall recoy
nize u as the article they wish. and, pos
sessing u with Us, we shall together make
men strong. Bearing one anOtherS bur
deus we shall surely fulfill in part the law
Of Christ. The gospel OF 81. John, sim
pie vet profound, shows Us how to gam
freedom IN Christ. It reminds us what -
so necessary 10 recall IN thls easy gong
non-thnklng age, VIZ, that IN no real and
permanent sense are men children OF God
until Christ has made them such by vital
union with HIM. That we have no right
10 call ourselves children until God HIM.
self transfers that right TO Us by an act OF
will and obedience on our part. 80 reCog-
nized oy Christ, who has an the very pro.
cess OF our obedience done HIS part. To
claim the friendship OF another Is not TO
possess II. To say OF Christ and our rela.
tlons 20 Him, ns we say OF some we'll
known people, ooh, yes, ! know Him well;
He Is a warm personal friend when in
reality little more than a formal lntroduc-
ton has been given, * IN essence 20 know
only about Him, and that IN a formal
sense instead of being di'ineiy commls.,
stoned by the living holy spirit OF God
20 be a child OF God and an heir with
Christ 10 eternal life Manlfestly, then.
this is an important matter to us all
even 90 the careless, thCughtlCss ones who
make up n part OF every audience. Have
we any right TO call ourselves children
of Cod And II we have. what has God,
By His rcEenerltinr spirit, done m u.s.
l. was our New England poet. Lowell,
who said
The thing we long for-the. We arc
For oac transccndent moment.
But even the poet fails 10 be true to
facs unless We have such q definite, genu
inc faith IN Gods poTcr and willingness
10 give Us Himself and 70 make us son,
and daughters OF the living God that we
receive Him and by that act avail OF Him
as our Saviour not only for one transcend
eut moment, but for all the moments for
the rest of time, and IN that act we are
born of Cod and by that sct we arc
given the right 60 become-aye, to be be.
gotten as children OF God
Almost Immediately IN this sublime
scholarly and heart searching gospel OF
John, that great disciple speaking tho
words Of Christ Himself begins by diyid
ing mankind INTO the same two divisions
which are represented IN this audience
and IN every audience. VIZ, those who
have received Him and those who though
hy faf
Him not, by reZeneratlng flIth And
want just now, II possible, 20 avoid alb
strGse, moss covered theological terms and
phraseology. and 20 Clothe these burning
issues IN simple, clear Bible language, but
none the less 90 remind ourselves that
man. Of rs arc longing TO get out into the
open sky. Ia some OF the Odd fashioned
necessary doctrines of the word OF God
We have gotten some Of the choicest lnd
most essential statements Of divine truth
beclOuded, and we are not quite sure
where we are. May Gods spirit enlight-
On and allay doubt and uncertainty on
these truths th.3 day, d align Us all
I'm the comforting strength OF HIS own
sonshlp. And frankly believe. my broth
or man, we cannot be satisfied in the sub.
lime hour by turning ~ the poets, much "a
they VIII uphft and rest u. Even though
YOU turn 10 Emerson. who has been 80 eX'
allied and almost delhcd by some an New
England Jni'8tanism and ask nm about
man, ani IN one place he will tell you.
"a man is The whole encyclopedia Of facts
The creation or a thousand forests is N
one acorn, and Egypt, Greece, Rome
Gaul. Britain, America. lie folded already
IN the FIRST man" Yes. potentaiitv hes
cnfO.ded. but naught else can bring it "a
surface ard % living power save the touch
OF Christ t.a Redofmer ot Manhood. Nor
doe, the slg'eueat OF CARLYLE satisfy me
fyg you recall ~ his essay on "char3ltcr
istiCs." he says Man stands in the cen
ire OF nature; hig fraction OF time crcir.
c.ci by eternity. hs haudbrcadth OF space
caCreled b. Iuhnitudc' / say this cIa.
no. 3tJiy yoU for you long % know how
YOU can best live ana expand, while YOU
arc IA this centre Of nature and where
aGj how you arc o. spend eternity. And
you turn % that beautifully human and
real poet Robert Burns. and remember
with him That mans a man Tor q that.
ing in a circle. and III Burns had only
known more 0t the Man Of Calvary. he
would have been saved many Of the sins
which b.xhted his whole hfs. Or you
may stand with that dear English poet,
Gray. a. from 1idr he bchoids EtOn Col.
lege and cxc.lims, "Ah. tell them they arc
nr&l and those words and this poets
longing. more nearly voice your own sgul 4
wish and you add All. tel them al the
Man who became heFh and dwr't among
". that Re mizhs redeem men for Him.
seif" Il j. % this IDciru8te word ta1t
We must turn u we are 90 b. enlightened
and satisfied And few passages IA Gods
word speak out more hope and immediate
/ blessing than the text "As many as r..
l ceivcd HIM. 20 them gave He tae rgh.
] ia Faaa~ra Children rf Cod 70