The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-12-31
The ABIDING CHRIST.
APPRoPRIATE LAST SUNDAY or
THE YEAR SERMON

Preached by the Rev. Charles G. Smith
at Grand Avenue baptist Church
Yesterday.
A sermon appropriate to the closing
SABBATH in the year was preached at
the Grand avenue Baptist church by
the pastor, Rev. Charles G. Smith, yes
terday morning. The topic was 1.-THE
Abiding Christ" and the text, Hebrew
xiii, s: "Let your manner of life be
free from covetousness and be content
with such things as We have, for he
hath said. I will never leave thee nor
forsake thee" The preacher spoke in
part as follows:
"The year of 1906 has come to its
period of dissolution. In a few fleeting
hours 1t will be no more forever. 1t
will be entombed in the vault of his
tory. 1t will be numbered with the
dim past it will be enshrined in the
volume of life's Renaissance. With
the passing of this old year will go
much that has entered into our various
lives, transient joys, happy exper-
fences, hard struggles. They must go,
but like Mary at the tomb, we turn
round and say: sRabbino'- teacher
friend, these must go, but you will
stay. and quicker than angel voices
fluttering down amid the blue, comes
the precious promise: I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee
''This is a great promise, worthy Of
the eternal Christ. 1t is the believers
10y, the travellers hope, the pilgrims
race. Its full import, nor tongue nor
pen can show 1t is the Christ enter
ing our lives; sharing our sorrows, our
Joys, our every circumstance and
fashioning us for, the pile complete
The while universe is arrayed on our
side. The God of our fathers in all
ages, still is ours to-day, and so, one
with God is majority, and failure is
impossible and victory is assured. As
the meaning of this great assurance
enters our soul we realize that apart
from him we are nothing and life
would not be worth living and our
light would sputter out in darkness. In
proportion as we assimilate this truth
mo dread of Ill shall make our soul
afraid and Christ shall be to us as
the shadow Of great rock In a
weary land and our life shall be ra-
dent with hope, every cross shall be
a, crown and grim death shall be but
the golden gateway to the life elysian.
Having, therefore, this great prom
Use. what manner of men and women
ought we to be? The inspired writer
answers: First, "Be without covetous-
ness There is a covetousness that is
commanded and commended. We are
to 'covet earnestly the best gifts
more love, greater power increasing
purity. The covetousness here in
weighed against is the baser sort; in
ordinate lust for pleasure and luxury;
unlawful desire for gain and gold, at
the cost of killing the gentle, generous
spirit life within. Second, BE content
with such things as We have. Our life
is to be not merely swept and garn-
ished of evil, but filled with the beau
Jlrul ana DeIllBH grave VI CoAleHCHleIl'
That is, the restful mind, the cheerful
sould, freed from carking care and
feverlsh worry, moving on and UP with
firm elastic tread, We are not to be
satisfied with ourselves. 1t has been
truly said that If we have reached
that point we should be nailed up in
our collins. Still achieving, still pur-
suing, is the key note of all who truly
live. The true conception is that we
had rather live in cottage with
Christ than reside in a castle without
Him,
sac we living on this high plain of
companionship with the abiding
Christ. Then shall we praise him for
all that is past and trust him for all
that's to come.
LET the sweet thought that thou art
miae.
MY life and death attend;
Thy presence through my journey
shnd
land crown my journeys end"