The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-06-23
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. c. E. JEFFERSON.
Subject: Wanted, A New vision of God.

IdstoT, lAS
Rev. Charles Edward jefferson. ID. d..
on Sunday preached the following ser
mon entitled, Wanted: 4 New Vision
of God"
The great word on the lips OF the
coming preacher will be God" The
name which is above every name has
been too much neglected in these re-
cent years, even by the men. anoirted
10 proclaim il.
There have been reasons for this neg
lect. The evolutionary philosophy
awakened new and thrilling interest
in man. Whence he came, how he
started. what have been the processes
OF his climbing, these are the questions
which have bewitched and absorbed us
all. The phenomenal achievements OF
the last half century have worked to-
ward the same result Never has man
been so wonderful as now. never has
he done such mighty deeds. He is a
miracle wOrHer who says each evening,
Il will do greater things tomorrow" !"
His prowess. cunning and mastery are
astounding. and 10 chant his praises
has been our pastime and delight.
The miseries OF man have also con-
spired 10 fix our attention on him. He
has come from tle country 10 the city
and he is in trouble. He has become
the victim Of all sorts OF economic and
social forces. which have left him
lying bleeding and half dead by the
side OF the road along which the
strong have driven furiously TO wealth
and power. To lift the man who is
down and place him on our beast ard
get him into the nearest inn is prob
lem OF vast dimensions, and has taken
q deal OF our thought and time.
We have been caught in the COM
plex OF secondary causes, and have lit
tie inclination 10 consider the Cause
which underlies them all. To many
minds Gods presence has become dim,
His personality vague and doubtful.
His holiness has been by many quite
forgotten. In admiring or plying the
creature we have gotten our eyes of
the Creator. Our first duty is the step
of the prodigal. Il will arise and go
back 10 my father"
The prophet of the coming days is
going 10 say in the words of one of
old, II have yet somewhat to say on
Gods behalf" Mans cause has been
pleaded eloquently and long, and the
of the claims of Co. Beginning nj
the earth always ends in Babel. be-
ginning at the throne Of God eads to
Pentecost
We are coming back 10 the old evan
gelism OF the apostles. Wherever Paul
went his message was, I'VE pray you
in Christ's stec !. be We reconciled 10
God" Simon Peter net the uproar
in the streets of Jerusalem on the Day
Of Pentecost with great Gee araton
Of God-"I will pour out of My spirit
upon all flesh; and from first 10 last
ii was upon what God had done in
Christ that he based his passionate ex-
hortation TO repentance.
All deep-eyed men are seeing with
increasing clearness that it is not by
ecclesiastical might or political power.
but by the "piri: Of Jehovah that the
mountains of iniquity are to be leveled
and the rough places made smooth.
The evangelism OF the coming days
will begin wi h God.
Three doctrines will be counted car
dinal. In the forefront will be placed
the sovereignty Of God. IL the Puri-
tan passion has died out of our blood
it is because the Puritan conception
vf cod has faded out of our hearts.
What we need to see to-day is throne
with God on il. Democracy has made
havoc with our ideas of authority,
and the result is flabbiness OF respon-
sibility and n laXness OF conduct, which
unless countcracted. will lead to our
ruin. The pessimism and hopeless
ness so prevalent to-day. even among
processing Christians are the direct
result of failure to grasp the funda-
mental doctrine of Gods omnipotence
Along with the doctrine OF God 5
sovereignty will go the doctrine OF
His immanence. 1t is an old doctrine
couched in fresh phraseology and with
new light shot through it by modern
science. The doctrine is written large
across the pages Of Scripture. and in
every land and time the saints have
known that God dwells n the hearts
OF men. In Him we live and move
and have our being. as the apostle
long ago declared. And centuries be.
fore Paurs day a Hebrew poet thrilled
by the thought of Gods omnipotence
wrote the both Psalm.
That God is above all and through
all. and in III. and that of Him and
through Him and TO Him are al
things is one Of the commonplaces OF
the Bible; and whether we use the old
phrase, "the indvelling God" or the
phrase now most popular, "the imma
nent God" the thought needs to be
emphasized and wrought into the con
sciousness of the Christians OF our day
that God is in His world and dwell.
in special fulncss in the hearts of those
who love and serve Him.
Nor will the holiness of God be for
gotten. The decadence of the sense
of sin has bccn caused by the blur
ring Of the doctrine of Gods holiness
Holy Father IS the title by which
Jesus knew God. and it is thus thai
we must know Him If IL is TO be wei
with our souls. The forms in which
retribution was often preached in pre-
ceding generations were so grotesquC
and arbitrary that some OF us have
been ashamed 10 say it right out clear
and strong. that God pun shes mer
for heir sins. In the coming day We
are going 10 believe again that whatso
ever n man SOY eth that shall he also
reap. that without holiness no man car
see the Lord, that there is no peace
unto the wicked. that the soul that sin
meth dies IN the act OF its SHINING. and
that God is calling upon men every
where 10 repent.
No man acquainted with the teach
inc OF the latest science need b,
ashamed or afraiC TO preach the mos
rigorous doctrine II retribution. "Yot
preachers DO not tell men often enough
that every sin brings its inevitable
punishment is a sentence spoken {,
me years ago by n physician. Behold
the goodness and severity OF God! Thii