The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-09-11
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON az
REV. DR.. NEWELL DWIGHT HILLS.
Theme: The Enrichment of Life.

Brooklyn, -. Y.-For the last time
until the fall the Rev. DR.. Newell
Dwight Hills. pastor OF Plymouth
Church. preached Sunday morning.
His subject was The Enrichment OF
Life" The text was from John 9:
Is: II have come that you may have
life. and that you may have il more
| abundantly."
The time was when scientists be-
iieved that life was spontaneous. II
! is forty years since Huxley published
| his article on the Bathybius. The
| scientist held that there was gela-
tinous substance in the bottom OF
deep sea along the heat line OF the
| equator. This sheet of living matter
enveloping the earth held the prote-
plasm that was the germ OF all living
things that creep or walk or fly. The
union Of the earth and the deep sea
water and the tropic heat brought
forth the substance that mothered all
life. The theory was so novel that
the Challenger was fitted out for deep
sea dredging. But the expedition
brought the keenest disappointment
to the scientist. The investigators
found white sand at the bottom Of
the tropic seas, and the Bathybius be-
: came as mythical as the Trojan horse.
Then scientists set themselves about
the task OF producing life by chemical
means. To make sure there were no
pre-existing germs they boiled the
water, roasted the earth, and cleaned
the air and then sealed all three up
In jars, which they kept at blood
heat. In the hope of developiG spon-
taneously living germs Of an order no
matter how low. For twenty years
the experiments were continued, with
the result that all scientists agree
that life comes only from pre-exist-
ing life. II you want the living shock
OF corn, you must begin with the liv-
ing seed thrust into the ground. II
you want the fig or the grape. you
must find the root or cutting. The
babes life comes from the mother
who lives before il. Even character
comes from contact. Goodness is an
importation and salvation an exotic.
No man can will himself into gentle
ness. A profane man in his child's
presence can set watch upon his
tongue, but planting lid on Vesu-
vius does not put out the subterra-
mean fires. The man may restrain
his hatred OF the enemy. but he can
not will himself into loving the false
friend who stabbed him in the back.
The selfish man compels himself TO
give, but God alone can stir the gen.
erosity that makes giving a supreme
Joy. Jairus' daughter cannot bid
herself to live; Christ standing above
her gives life for death. If you have
the living plant. the vital spark in
the root will take up the dead soil
and lend it life. And il you have the
VII rfot In hn
that Is dead in selfishness or dishonor
or falsehood can live unto sympathy,
justice and love. Christ came to give
life. There is no spontaneous good
ness. We lift our eyes unto the life
giver, the JOY producer-unto the
Saviour of the soul
Now, what all the worlds a seek
ing is life-more life. Growth? It
is a question Of vital force. Health?
1t Is the overfowing, outbreaking vi
tality of the body. Death? 1t ap-
proaches when there is not life
enough to take up the bread and
meat and turn it into rich red blood.
A little life means little work can be
done. A little mind means that a
few books will suffice small ma
ture means that 1t needs only two or
three friends. A great, royal, divine,
universal soul, pulsating, glowing
and throbbing with life. means a vi
talized intellect. This is an intellec-
tual law. We speak of some young
people as having hungry minds. The
young scholar devours facts, conver-
sation, the statements of books, and
friends. He vitaliZes everything he
touches. The events go into his in
tellect in the morning as raw mate
rial. rags and wood pulp. The
knowledge comes out OF his intellect
at night In the form of literature. He
has vitalized mind. He possesses
life, creative. If he Is a poet, give
him the great authors, the great sing
ers, and he will extract their mes
sages. Witness the way Schiller di-
gested the books of Goethe Witness
Millet's mastery of the old teachers.
Witness Mozart's swift progress in
music. No imitators these men.
Every page Is stamped with individ-
uality. What is the secret of their
success? Plainly, fulness OF life.
Without this abundant life all strug-
gle is failure. This one youth has no
gift with the brush; he may break
his heart, but he will die a paint
grinder. Another tolls over his
rhymes, but the inspiration will not
come. The advocate stumbles on,
seeking after the necessary word, IL
haply he may find the idea. And
each In turn ends the struggle In de-
spair. What does he need? Life.
More life for the intellect. as writer;
more life for the imagination as art
ist; more life and passion as reform
er and orator, more life as a saint. |
Men need moral talent for prayer,
spiritual genius for purity and peace. |
For all talent is a gift and unique
supremacy is an endowment from |
God. The unseen Father ofdains the |
parents to hand forward their gifts |
up TO the children. Remember that |
Christ has come 20 give life and 10 |
give II abundantly.
In these college commencement !
days our illustrations should come |
from the realm of education. Here |
and now We recall Matthew Arnold's /
definition OF culture - familiarity /
with the hest that has bppu done or