The San Francisco call., 1913-08-25
SUNDAY Sc RMONS
IN CITY CHURCHES
Able Discourses Delivered
by Prominent Pastors
of San Francisco
Story of Lepers, Miracle of
Main, Topics of Two
Clergynen

The life giving attributes of the holy
spirit and the sympathetic side of the
divine nature were the central thoughts
Of several of yesterdays sermons, ex-
emplihed in incidents from the life of
Jesus.
For the letter killeth, but the spirit
giveth life" was the subject of Rev F.
W Clampetts sermon at Trinity Epis-
capal church yesterday morning. in
which he declared that the weakness of
the days of Jesus and Paul is the
weakness of the day in which we now
live. Rev. Mr.. Clampett said in part:
When the divine Master came to de-
clare his message TO the sons of men
the chief opposition came from the
learned scribe and Pharfsee BY the
multitude he was heard gladly The
most remarkable miracles were per-
formed upon those who knew little of
the law The greatest faith was ex-
pressed by those who sought him out
Of their helplesness. But. on the other
hand, the most severe sayings. the
sharpest rebukes. We're administered to
the men who were masters of the law
and the prophets. What was under
stood by them as the essence of reli-
application o
thea letter and an absolute elimination
Of the spirit They had lost the secret
of the entire system, the jewel of life.
They had lost the capacity to appre-
hend the truth Their acceptance of
the message of Jesus meant the surren-
der of their most cherished convictions
built upon mere mental processes
Their religion might point to infinite
details, but it failed to inspire their
hearts.
Now let US turn from the first to the
twentieth century. We live today
largely under the influence of the gen
erat1ons past; we are a certain part of
that system, and that certainty asserts
itself IN the nature of our imprison-
ment An inheritance is princely
thing, but it is ali important to know
what the precise nature and destiny of
such inheritance may be- Men cling
TO o'certain forms and ceremonies with
tenacity which seems to suggest that
within such forms and ceremonies are
the very elements of life We have
reached place in our religious belief
which viii rightly impair the law of
true proportion before the church ex-
tends and deepens her influence
q The lesson must. be taught in the
very spirit of the teachings of Jesus,
and the truth must be proclaimed as
the very first essential that the su-
preme thing is the divine bond between
the soul and God The very sacraments
OF our church are simply means to an
end, valuable only till the end is at
tanned Within the pronouncement of
dogma, within the garb of form and
ceremony. there must be life.
Winston Churchill in his latest
book, The Inside of the Cup has ad-
vanced this truth with remarkable
force. He depicts with his fascinating
pen the trend of the times in which we
ic 11r- III
expressive of an acknowledged weak
ness. The letter killeth. but the spirit
giveth life Il
a parish, dogmatically assured and
complacent through it's dogmatic yes
try calls a man to the rectorship At
last after realizing that he has been
missing the very essential of the mes
sage, he goes back to the simple gos-
pei of the Master. The new birth that
rejoices his soul is the revelation of
Jesus Christ, and he returns with a
soul on fire
Preaching the essence of religion
that it must be not only personal bur
ethical he told them that all around
were sinners in the folly of their own
sin. 1t is the message of Jesus. strik-
ing at heart and conscience. The rich
man Of the parish is insulted behold
ing in this teaching so much dynamite
placed at the door of his precious and
old established dogmatic beliefs a
dissolute son and wandering daugh-
ter come up in fearful picture before
his inilamed imagination. Conscience
begins TO work, but even conscience is
defied and pride dominates
There is the inevitable severance of
rich man and rector and men and
women follow in his steps. They go
but what of that? The man has been
divinely initiated into the glory of the
precious gospel. He has discovered
the Christ jewel And that which
Churchill has not developed is left to
the common sense and imagination of
the reader. The truth prevalent"