Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-02-11
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. j.. LEWIS PARKS.
Theme: A Sermon to Churchmen.

Brooklyn. N Y.-The third annual
union service of the Mems Parish
Clubs Of the P. E. Church in Brook
Ign was held Sunday in ST. AIMS
Church. The Rev. J. Lewis Parks,
D. D., of Calvary P. E. Church, Man
haitian, preached the sermon. His
text was the vision of the prophet
Ezekiel and his discourse was an
earnest exhortation to the men Of
the church to stand fast by the faith
as it is in Jesus, and to Scripture
study. 1t received close attention
from the congregation. DR.. Parks
said:
In captivity Ezekiel sees the glori-
u God, the Almighty, in the like
ness Of man, seated upon His throne.
borne upon His chariot. Strange liv-
ing creatures sustain it at each cor
ner. Four faces there are: The face
|. OF a man, the face of a lion. the face
of an eagle and the face of an OK.
element is the one upon which we
should fix our attention. for the SYM.
boil is of the ideal man, with all his
rich variety Of gifts: Courage and
force. like the king of beasts: patient
in toll, like the OK; the eagles eve. to
pierce into the hidden things of ma
ture and scan the mysteries OF God.
This kind of man, with his reason
and his conscience and his heart, this
ideal man, Is the representative Of all
humanity In all his generations: and
his business is to serve the Lord God
Almighty and to show forth His
glory. But. as the beasts in the Rev
citation Of st. John lave their place in
heaven. these have theirs on earth,
and. the chariot hath it's wheels,
wheels in the middle Of wheels, so
that, they go whithersoever they will
without turning, and they go and re-
turn as the flame of lightning. and
} the sword OF the living God is in the
wheels. And all this represents our
humanity as organized. 1t has a vital
organism. 1t has 4 vital mechanism
men bound together for the service
of God. The Spirit moves the wheels
and moves the whole chariot; moves
the entire humanity.
In very truth the. Holy Ghost is
imminent in man. IN very deed the
body of Christ is the temple of the
Spirit Of God in every ase just as the
needs Of the time demand. He
blows, as it we're. the breath Of man
upon h hearts and minds Of men,
q~uickening, reviving. energizing:
throwing them collectively and
unitedly into the work of the day.
1t is one Of the most patent and
one of the most c~onsolatory of h.s-
torical phenomena. and you arc In
the midst OF one such great revival
OF the Spirit now. Not that I forget
the wickedness OF the world. That is
the very reason that Z perceive the
hour Of God; the Holy Ghost fighting
against anti-Christ: and the spiritual
revival shows itself in some very Wis
1ble, unmistakable signs. First,
there is the marvellous revival of the
missionary spirit to carry the Gospel
to the four quarters of the globe.
Then there is the yearnipg for the
unity of C~hristendom. Then there
is the calling of the multitude OF
workers into the field. net clerical,
alas, but lay. Not women only; but
the Spirit Of God has made mar
somewhat see that he must serve and
work for God. And finally, more
. strange still to anyone who has pom.
! dered human nature. there has taken
possession of our time a passionate
, desire to serve mankind, to better
human life, to make happier human
conditions, to plead for Justice a:
, between nan and mar, to teach
: mercy and rejoice against Judgment
!, that the intolerable and individual
. n unseen suffering OF the u.y nigh
| little by little be done away.
> Bat, alas my brethren, strangel,
9 error and disruption balk the. step!
/ OF a Every light has its shadow
e every virtue its corresponding vice
: every movement of the Spirit tempt
men to pervert and misunderstar,
. His works; and l think most of yol
, will bear me out when I say that tn,
+ very spiritual movements of. the da.
In each and all Of the tendencie
which / have pointed out tempt tn
present age to deny the faith an,
! to belittle the body Of Christ. It /
q easy to see how it should be SO. Her