The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-09-02
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
a STHCSc DISCOURSE ENTiT. so.
AN ADVANCE ORDERED"
The Rev. Dr. John y. Adams Ieiis OF the
Law of frogrcss as Ex~rnplined In the
Waxing strong of the Infant - We
should seine Our Iuhs tnuee

s-p,hO. was Cancelled IN January, lsuS, the
mortgage burned and the church IS now
free from lncumbrance. Sunday morning
Dr.. Adams preached on An Advance Or
dered.N The text was from Exodus Aiy:
l.: Speak unto the Children of Israel,
that they go forward" DIR. Adams said:
When tins advance was ordered the Is
raelites were encamped on the coast of
the Red Sea. Before them was the sea
spread out for niles and leagues, and they
rad neither bridge nor boat, nor pontoOn
by which 10 cross II. Behind them was
the army of Pharaoh. with horses and
chariots, with trained warriors and skilled
commanders, intent on their capture or
destruction. On either side, IT would SEEM
were formidable obstruetions-mountai
or fortresSes, or something that could not
be passed-for the Israeites saw no way
OF escape and cried out for fear. In this
perilous and apparently hopeless situation
the people reproached Moses for the dread
ful extremity to which they had been re
duced; whereupon that holy man appealed
to God for help. and then came, probably
IN tones Of thunder that sounded IN the
ears of all the people full and clear above
the roar ot the sea, this strange order:
wherefore crest thou unto Me! Speak
unto the children OF Israel that they 20
forward
Leaving now the literal narrative, ex-
cept as We may have occasion to recur TO
1t incidentally, let US attend 10 the moral
meanings aud uses OF the text. The case
before Us rs exceptional in nothing but the
physical facts: the moral truths and un.
derlying principles OF this case are always
and everywhere present among the peop.e
OF God. Indeed, the principles here in
eolved are so general and the analogies Of
universal history are so wide and complete
that L think We are justified in regarding
TINS text az the law of the universe APP
Piled to the church. The physical occasion
of this text, IN all of It's essential features,
finds its duplicate in the moral occasion
of this service. We are the children of
Israel ourselves. | can prove ii by st
Paul: IF ye be Christ's. then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to
the promise The Red Sea IL before us
Not tnat Red Sea that washes the sands of
Arabia and floats the commerce Of the
East but the Red Sea of moral hindrance
"a sea that is deeper than the Atlantic
Ocean and wider than the Pacific. Phar-
aoh s army ls pursuing us. Not the an
tlquated Egyptian division, now extinct,
but the internal brigade itself, still IN the
field and strictly up to date in every par
tIcniar-and these enemies from the meth
ermost PIT, inspired with inconceiyable ha-
tired and, IN the words of Milton. armed
with hell flames and fury" and following
us III overwhelming numbers and with un-
ton this very hour, and as we stand to-day
amid these threatening environments. the
captain OF our salvation calls to us from
heaven, Go forward" and in obedience
to this order lies our duty, our safety and
our happiness.
Let us annroach our subject step by
step. God Is the author of the universe.
The universe existed in the Divine Mind
IA an ideal before it existed in itself as
a substance. The ideal was complete and
perfect as well as beautiful and good; but
the first states Of the actual verse did
not realize that perfect ideal OF the Di-
vine Mind. What theny Did God fail?
DID HIS active energy prove UNEQUAL To
His benetcent intentions? by no means.
God gave the universe this imperfect form
at first, not because He could not do other
wise and had to abandon His ideal but be
cause lie saw AZ better TO realize His ideal
gradually through the law of progress than
To realize 1t suddenly by an act Of crea.
tive power deliberately AT d of His own
voltion God made the universe a crude
mass OF unorganzed matter and force;
and then, intr sting His sublime work to
the law of progress operated by respon-
slb.e lntelIigences, lie directed that in due
time all should he reduced to order. har-
mony and beauty. This is lie story of the
universe IN ITS entirety and IN its parts
lhls Is the story of the worlds and of their
productions. This is the story of minerals,
vegetables and animals; of general species
ana individuals; OF angels, women and
men. This II the story of matter IN all it's
combinations, OF life in all its forms, and
OF mind IN all its phenomena. This, in
brlei, so far as We have yet learned, is the
story OF all creation, and of all propaga-
ton.
Let me illustrate what mean by The
oak. Gods ideal for the oak is a majestic
tree, six feet in diameter and ten feet m
height, with mighty roots taking deep
mold OF the rocks and mighty branches
sweeping the Clouds-a very giant that can
wrestle with the storms and play with the
hghtnngs. But In Its beginning as ii
sprouts from the acorn, the oak is a tiny
shoot winch the foot of little child could
ehectually crush God makes it thus and
says to It,. Go forward and then the lit
tie plant, obedient tp the Divine com.
mand. through cloud and sunshine and
changing season, soon goes on and out and
up, until at last, by means of the law of
progress IN the form of growth, IT mas
fuihlled the word of God, and stands be.
lore the eyes OF men In all the imposing
grandeur Of its towering and solid nIatur.
ity.
Take the eagle as another illustration.
Soa ldeal Tor the eagle Is an imperial
bnd OF great size and strength with
amazing keenness of vision and with pin.
ions for majestic fight, the mountain crap
ITS castle, and ITS pleasure ground the sky.
such ~ the Divine ideal for this noble
bird. But the young eaglet emerges from
the shell a feeble little creature. and If
you could see 1T during the first week or
Two ot ITS existence, and could stroke with
your hand ITS soft yelluwish down and
look INTO its pale blush eyes. lite feeble.
ness would probably excite your pity. But
as the little thing feeds and exercises, IL
grows and strengthens, untI at last. an.
der the operation OF this law of progress.
it can soar from the nest, launch into the
AR, gaze directly into the MONDAY sun.
beat down the storm clouds under Its
seven foot spread of wings, and sail from
continent to continent, through the oceans
OF azure above, over the oceans that ro.l
below.
But IN tins discussion We must rise ont
OF lie INTO mind, and then still ascend
from the intellectual to the spiritual We
will, therefore, consider man as an illus
tratlon Of the truth We are pursuing
Gods ideal for man il a most exalted ano
sublime being, with mental and moral en-.
dovments OF tremendous scope. 40 i'm.
measuraby superior an parts and powers
10 ali else We know, that u seems the whole
creation must culminate IN him. God de-
mgned man in Ills own image, intended
him for communion and companionahip
with Himself. determined TO make him His
vice-regent here on the earth, ard pro
posed at last 10 share the government oi
the universe with Him forever. Tie
thought oi such dignity IL All astonishing
and Overwhelming conception, bat nothing
less than this is Gods ideal for man, If
read tho Scriptures Alright
But the distance between inception and
completion ls greater here than elsewhere
not only because man IL destined to ris.
higher than other creatures, bu, aso bc-