Norwich bulletin., 1909-08-30
FINAL UNION SERVICE
OF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES
Rev. 3. w. Bacon of New Haven
Preached at Broadway Church.


The last of the union summer SER
vices of the Congregational churches
was held Sunday morning at the
Broadway Congregational church with
a good number in attendance. Before
the sermon the preacher, Rev. 3. w:
Bacon, d. D., of New Haven, reminded
the congregation that this was the an
niversary of the birthday of OllVer
Wendell Holmes and one Of the hymns
Lord of All Being.
The sermon was a scholarly EXPOSE
ton upon the theme The Simplicity of
the Gospel, based upon the text, ii
Corinthians, xii. 2, l fear lest by any
means your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ
AS his Introductory thought DR.. Bacon
advanced the statement that in the
first two chapters of Corinthians Paul
was warning against the disposition to
transform the gospel into transcen-
dental philosophy but it is the simpli-
fication of the gospel that is the need
of Christianity. The spirit of brother
hood seems to be in many minds, and
the world is crying for Christianity
and this demand for the simplification
Of the gospel is from both the cultured
and the educated classes as well as the
masses. The preacher cannot expect
the gospel simple as in the days OF
Christ and of Paul. There is no longer
any need to argue the Importance Of
Christianity. 1t is hopeless to sneer
out of existence this greatest dynamic
force of twenty centuries. There must
be a religion OF humanity. But 1t Is
not to be Buddhism with its note OF
despair. 1t will not be Mohammedism,
for this has no chance when opposed to
Christianity. Yet this coming religion
is not to be mere Calvinism or Au-
gustinianism. 1t will be Christianity
for that is the only religion that has
in it the power and potency of the
spirit of God There is no Impotence
today with the kind of religion that
Jesus taught, but with the preachers
who cannot make it plain. But that
kind Of simplifcation that is needed is
no easy matter.
One of the greatest of the church
historians has answered the question
of what Christianity is by reviewing
its work actually done in the world.
This was the Pauline way and he an
swered it as Paul did plus 1900 years
of history One of the philosophers
has answered it as a philosopher would
by extracting the quintessence OF
Jesus teaching. Jesus simplified and
| reduced to it's elements the complicat-
ed system that had grown up under the
synagogues, and these he said were
| love and trust a brotherly disposition
| towards man and a filial attitude tow
| ards God. This was his teaching as
/ to duty.
And what was his teaching as tc
| destiny? This he solved with the same
| magic word with which he had solved
\ the other-father. With Jesus the es-
sence of the coming kingdom was moi
| in the externals, here or hereafter but
| in the disposition of man towards his
| brother here and his father in heaven
| You can sum up the whole message Of
| Jesus as to duty and destiny in three
| llables-our father. So he simplifieC
| it and the people who heard him rec
| ognized his message.
Paul began where the older apostles
| had left off. Paurs gospel was of hi!
personal experience and the doctrine
| of the Lordship and divinity of Chris
| was his message. His definition o.
| Christianity was that it was the power
| of God unto salvation, and it rested
upon his own experience. God en-
dorsed the gospel of Jesus through hi
resurrection. The whole history o
| Christendom tells us whether Jesus i
power unto salvation and We don
need to go to the remote past for con
| firmation. Mems lives have been trans
! formed, and the man who sits besid
you can tell you whether or not Their
is a redeeming Christ, whether h
persisted there on the cross or whethe
there is today living Christ, the pow
| er of God unto salvation.