Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-12-24
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE Rev. DR.. C. f. AkED.
Theme: Chesterton's Discovery.

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Theme: Chesterton's Discovery.
New York City.-The Rev. G. F..
Aked, D. D., the pastor Of the Fifth
Avenue Baptist Church. preached in
his pulpit Sunday. His subject was
How Mr.. Chesterton Discovered
England" He took for his text Mat
they 11:28 and 20, 81 will give you
rest. +" Ye shall find rest unto your
souls. Come unto Me all We that
are weary and heavy laden and will
give you rest. Take My yoke upon
you and learn of Me, for I am meek
and lowly in heart, and ye shall find
rest unto your SOULS" and said:
This is Christianity's first invita-
tfon to the world. It applies the test
OF universal religion. For the test Of
universal religion is not in the num-
bers OF those who accept it, but in the
varieties of men and women who ac-
cept 1t, and whose needs it meets and
satisfies. This invitation has been
accepted by every kind and condition
OF men and women throughout the
whole of the human race; and every
type OF character, every circumstance
OF need has responded to this invita-
tlon. The men and women who have
accepted have found the rest for
their souls which Christ promised.
But am not going to preach tonight
upon this text. Millions of gracious
sermons have been preached upon it
| and millions Of souls have been won
to the rest promised I have one
purpose only in repeating the words
at the outset, and that is that you
may use them, not as text to ex-
pound but as motto Of that which is
to follow, for I purpose to speak
| about a conspicuous figure in the
world of letters who has accepted this
Limitation Of Christianity and found
rest for his doubling, wondering, in
| curing mind, rest for his turbulent
spirit; and he has written book tell
ing us how he found his way to Chris
tianity and to the rest that Chris
tianity offers
| The man is Mr.. Chesterton. His
books are freely on sale in this coun-
try and he occupies very conspic-
uous place in English literary life.
The book is called Orthodoxy" It Is
a Observation-Disclosures the way
L Ii w AACA AO AlAScll ID tu0 DC
ceptance of Christianity. The style
is all his own. He is the supreme
i master of paradox among living men
the wide world over. His purpose is
to take any statement about any NOR
tai thing and show that universally
the contrary is true. If, for instance,
say that the doctrine of original sin
is gloomy and depressing his method
is to show that the doctrine Of orig
inal sin is universally the most brac-
ing and most invigorating and ex-
hilarating that the mind of man can
conceive. That is the mans way, and
he has attained to enormous influence
and his books to enormous sale by
working this paradoxical method. II
does not follow because I call your
attention to this book that am com.
mending it unreserved1y, but the
value of the book is that 1t stimulates
thought. It sets you thinking abou,
the deepest and highest things, and
many things deeply suggestive and
helpful to spiritual life. In one sense
it is corrective Of that very curiou.
fngrained temper OF our day which
launches every now and then an en-
tirely new and original gospel that i.
going to supersede all other gospel.
that have ever been preached ant
bring in the millennium by special ex
press with all expenses paid within
Ithe next fortnight We have see1
, too much Of that sort Of thing and /
is corrective of this curious habit
this launching with banners flyin,
and bands playing, a gospel of to
morrow, which, on examination
proves to be merely second-han,
copy Of a sleepy edition OF the gospe
OF yesterday afternoon.
Mr.. Chesterton likens himself to al
English yachtsman, who in the Eng
lish Channel loses his bearings and il
: his imagination thinks he is in tn
Southern Pacific and on approaching
the land believes it is some uninhab
tied or savage island. He goes ashor
prepared to meet wild men and ami
mails, and discovers that he is anon
his own people in the familiar street
: Of Dover or Brighton. Mr. Chester
ton sets out to discover new ethis
q new philosophy Of life, new moral
, ity, and he discovered Christianft,
have not been in this country twer
ty months yet, but / am quite certai
that there have been twenty new gos
: pe1s launched upon an astonishe
public during that time. / remembe
one that was to take possession OF th
! church to win the world to Chris
. inside Of the next twelve month
! The publisher sent me copy of tt
!, book for nay opinion, and l wrote hi
! that did not care two straws abol
s the. sort Of thing, but before the in
in my signature was dry a frieu
called on me and asked him no
4 IN ~, al~~ Il
on. "Oh," he said, he is abo1
through with it.
: said. why. I have only just g