The morning journal-courier., 1907-12-30
WAS FIRST SERMON
Rev. Herbert J. Wyckoff Breaches to Congregation
 of United Church.
TALKS ON MASTER KEY
New Assistant to Rev. Mir Haynes Delivers Forccful Message in
 His New Field.

Taking as his text, "The Master Key of the House of Lifo,' and build ing on the thought from the twenty third chapter of Psalms, He Leadeth Me-" the Rev Herbert J Wyckoff preached a forceful message to the congregation in the United church Sunday
 This is Rev MT Wyckoff's first ser mon as associate pastor of the church:
 The security of a lock depends less upon the strength of it's bolt than upon the character of him who has possess sion of the key that controls it. The locksmith secures safety for treasure by a diversity of locks. each key throwing its own particular bolt which bafIles all other keys, But the cum ming of the locksmith has gone further and after making a hundred locks so dissimilar that by no possibility will the key of one open any other, has fashioned a single key that will open all, With this, instead of rattling bunch of five score bits of metal, one may enter at will any room of the great office building. every lock turn ing at the touch of this magic bit of metal, every door yielding to the gen. tie bidding of the master key.
 Life is a house with many rooms: we are the tenants, in possession of one key to the office wherein we transact our business and earn our daily bread; and of another which can unlock the door that leads to pleasure; perhaps of one or two more to the deeper joys of life. But this house of life is far from being an open house to LIS, for our few keys will not fit it's many doors and enter into the grelt and noble halls that lie beyond; we try our little bunch of keys without avail; and then we turn away through the long cor- riders, impatient, weary distracted, sorrowful, because we may not enter the chambers of content, and rest and peace, and comfort and opportunity. And all the while One stands holding out to us the master key which can open every door in Life's house. Just 
 contained within them He leldeth me" A tiny thing to look upon; per haps that is why some never know of it's existence; its apparent insignif- canoe is doubtless the reason that 1t so often, like many another key, he- comes separated from it's lock and laid or hung away and forgotten; and for the same reason some scorn 1t as weakly fmpotent before the massy bar rier of oak and iron. But those who in faith take this master key of the Divine guidance, find that no lock ol door in Life's house refuses to obey | it's orders, Doubt, whose essence is uncertainty as to the next move, mus; give way when He who planned the beginning is leading; so must fear ant anxiety, since those things that terrifS mortal existence cannot oltrun the control of him who makes the winds his messengers and holds the seas ir the hollow of His hands. If there is such door as Restraint, 1t swings l wide at the touch of the master key
 
 soul must strain every effort to keer up with the rusl of the Divine Spiri toward the goal And the Door-at-the end-of -the- Road, which men miscal i death, is not able to withstand tn master key; for when the Good Shep herd leadeth His sheep thithet the DOT I tai will assuredly. open right quickly Those who walk alone in their ignor anoe or forgetfulness or conceit even
 tually reach this door and draw nea 1 to 1t because they must, with grea | fear and distressful doubt Not so the
 whom God leadeth. for as they follo1
 Him through shine and shadow l through glint and gloom, content sine
 He leadeth; not counting the miles
 and not noting the way marks for jo
 of his presence, some glad evening re
 veals the lend of the long way, an
 they find themselves, without knowin
 how, within the Blessed Fold.