Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-26
SUNDAY SERMONS
IN CITY CHURCHES.
Bishop SpaIding at ST. Marks
Cathedral on christian
AscetiCism.'
DR.. cHIvER'S DISCOURSE.
Large Audience Heard Him nj First
Baptist Church-Iicy. Eddy on Get.
ting Together IN Religion"

Bishop spaldlng preached yesterday
morning, In ST. Marks Cathedral on
Christian Asceticism," from Cor, viii:
They that use this world, as not abus-
ing 1t, for the fashion of this world
passeth away
The preacher said IN part:
our puritan ancestors. to whom We
owe much that is true aud worthy Of
perpetuation, gave to this nation GER
tain Of their convictions on morals and
religious matters which are not all
good, and which will require many
years to correct on modify. They We're
narrow and one-sided in two respects
at least:
First: they held that the church
was composed only OF the pure and
holy. That, indeed, was the origin
Of the title puritan They had been
revolted by the spectacle OF excessive
luxury and It's accompanying vices
among the nobility OF the country they
had left, and they had come to the
conclusion that the only way to avoid
the abuse of things of the world was
to give UP their use, and to frown upon
that which was pleasant and beautiful
on this earth OF ours.
Second they insisted upon one var
lefty and one only, Of religious exper-
fence as necessary IN all Christians. All
had to go through process of CONVEX
sion. regeneration, change of heart
call II what you wll--but II had TO be
the same for all alike.
Neither Of these positions IL true.
TIL. puritan idea Of the church as
society of the holy exclusively Is
shown to be incorrect by ChrIst's ey-
ample. II is true that I'm His time
there was body OF religionists known
AS the Essences, of whom John the
Baptist WAS one who led the ascentic
life, secluding themselves IN the desert
and the Wilderness but the Divine
Master was not one OF these. lie was
on the contrary, called the friend of
sinners as a mark OF reproach because
he associated himself with all sorts
and conditions Of men, and preached a
kingdom which should include not the
perfect only, but all degrees OF imper-
lection as We'll This Is well illustrated
by his parable Of the wheat and tares
When The seed began to spring up II
was found that tares were growing
freely among the wheat. The farmers
servants gathered around and wanted
TO pull w the tares there and then.
but the Master said Nay, lest while
We ga Their up the tsres We root up also
the wheat with them. Let both grow
together until the hardest
This freedom from stern asceticism
Is proof of the originality of Jesus,
for oriental as He was, lie proved
Himself to be the truly Universal Man.
It was from the East that asceticism
afterwards came into the church
brought there by hermits and recluses
Disguised with the luxury and self
indulgence which they witnessed all
around. Yet In spite OF the freedom
Of Jesus from any such narrow as
celtic view OF life, the effect OF the
puritan theory Is 10 deter many hon
est men from seeking church member
ship
THE church Is not like the army,
where each soldier must be at least
five feet six, nor IL II a temple OF
fame where only those are allowed
who have achieved greatness. 1t IL a
family. comprising old and young,
where the strong are to help the weak.
II Is moral gymnasium, furnished
with all kinds of apparatus, where
the powerful giant can exhibit his
strength, and the sickly weakling try
to build up a physique where there
are forms OF exercise for all degrees
Of moral weakness. II Is a school
containing bright and dull pupils,
where the ignorant arc taught how
they may use the world, and yet not
abuse II.
"A wise angel. looking down upon
this earth Of ours, and beholding the
confusion, the dscords and contradic-
tons, would say that we were sadly
in need of guidance. We do need