Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-09
REV. NJ. J. TWOMEY
WARMLY GREETED
New Pastor Congratulated as
He Takes Up Pulpit of Ped
die Memorial Church.

Rev NJ. Joseph Twomey was
greeted by large audiences at his
first services in the First Baptist
Peddie Memorial Church yesterday.
The congregation was delighted with
the new pastor. Words of congratu-
lation on the good fortune of the con-
gregation in securing Mr. Twomey
were heard on every hand.
The new minister is a powerful
speaker and a man of remarkable
personality He is genial, scholarly,
enthusiastic and spiritual. He be-
came Immediately popular with the
members Of the congregation.
Mr.. Twomey made four speeches
yesterday. Besides sermons at the
morning and evening. services, he
spoke to q meeting under the auspices
of the Baraea young mems class at
noon, and to the Older Boys Crusade
conference at the Y. M. C. A. in the
afternoon.
Rev. Mr. Twomey was recently
called to the pulpit of the local
church from the First Baptist Church
of Portland, Me. He Is a graduate of
Brown University and of Newton
Theological Institution.
His sermon at the morning services
yesterday struck the keynote of the
new minister's work. He spoke on
"Giving Christ the Pre-eminence."
At the evening service his topic was
THE Quest of the Soul" He spoke
on "GiVing Christ the Pre- eminence"
in part as followss
There are two important words In
the topic, Christ and 'pre-eminenee.'
Words fail to explain the former.
He was the supreme example of liy
ing. the peerless orator, who 'spake as
never man spake,' but he was more,
He was the Son of God and died for
men.
Let me illustrate the second word.
II a lover of violins had world of
second class violins. he would sell
them all that he might purchase
Cremona, If a lover of precious stones
knew of a pearl whose lustre, symm-
try and beauty was beyond all which
he had seen, he would sell all that
he had If by this be could become the
owner of that one splendid stone. The
violin lover would give the Cremona
pre- eIninence above all others. The
lover of precious stones would give
that one marvellous stone pre-en3
nence above all others.
ITO give Christ the pre-eminence
means that one accept Him as per-
sonal saviour give His teaching the
chief place and to live the Christ life.
IL means that all hopes, ambitions
and purposes must centre about Him.
1--WE readily see that the commune
ty is changed only as the units in the
community are changed. The indl-
vidual is the key to community life.
Yet Christianity mission is to
change the whole life Of the commn-
nifty SO that the Masters principles
shall govern 1t. This will issue in
new relationships of man to man.
The ultimate of Christianity is a new
environment for every person in the
community.
But how shall we attain this de-
sired end, how give Him the pre-
eminence? BY finding the relation
ship to Him, which those who in the
days He walked among men followed
Him, dwelt upon. The titles by which
they addressed Him, OF wrote of Him
give the index to their thought of
Him. Five names for Him mark the
writings In the gospels The first Is
didaskalos, teacher-teacher of the
great things of life, of the soul, of
God, The second is kathegetes, leader,
the one who has blazed the path,
who knows the way, whom one can
follow without being led astray,
The third is epistates, overseer, the
one to whom 1 am responsible for
the days work. The fourth is kur1os.
master, the one to whom I owe my
allegiance. And the fifth Is despots,
emperor, the one who can order me
to go or to stay where he pleases.
This understanding of their relation
to Him figured largely In the early
disciples giving Him the 'pre-emi-
nence. Let us make their way our
road. Let US think of Him as our
teacher. leader, overseer, master, en-
peror, and we will in all things give
Him pre- eminence.