Year: 1879




An Earnest, Instructive and Eloquent Dis


course to His Former Parishioners al
House Of Hope Church.


The Rev. F. A. Noble, of Chicago, for
mer pastor of the House of Hope, preached
to large congregation at the House of Hope,
Presbyterian church, yesterday morning,
basing his remarks on Thessalonians !, IL
XII: That ye would walk worthy of God,
who hath called you unto His kingdom and
glory. Following is an abstract of the SER
mon:


In alluding to the lines of the text the
reverend speaker called attention to the pro-
found wisdom and matchless beauty revealed
in many scriptural passages. The wisdom
and amazing significance of many passages
could not be thoroughly appreciated or un-
derstood unless considered with reference
to what relates to their previous
history and what is to follow.
The philosophic deductions made by
scientists regarding the theory of evolution
were referred to, and the speaker said that
while they should be given due weight in
considering the subject of mans origin and
growth, the theory of direct and distin-
guishable creation was not compromised,
which, after all, was the dearest hope to the
heart of humanity.


The divine attributes associated with the
God-head we're spoken of, and the congrega-
tion were exhorted to struggle for the repro
duction of moral good that found its high
est excellence in magnifying the glory OF
deity.


Men must ever keep foremost in their
minds the sublime truth, that Gods image
was stamped on their souls. 1t was the ma
ture of sin to bear and deface the divine i'm
age, but it was the work of Christ to restore
the ineffable likeness, aud when this truth
was fully understood men would again real
ize the divine love of the father. In order
that the image of Christ should be repro
duced on the heart of man, all things that
degrade or belittle the faculties must be put
under foot, and the truths that restore Gods
likeness should be carefully needed.


All that is great ana good and true, must
be zealously cultivated, in order that
His image may shine the brighter in the
heart of man. By Christ's love men are called
into the Kingdom of God, and as many as
are led by the spirit are the sons of God
Paul had compared the pursuit of righteous
ness TO the career of q racer, looking neither
before nor behind, but pressing forward tt
the high mark and calling through Chris
Jesus. The call into his kingdom mean
more than the mere coming into his pres
ence. It meant participation, communion
and direct fellowship. Poets have sung i'm
mortal songs, statesmen have Illuminated
great and good laws, thinkers have searched
for the truth, but there was something fal
deeper than the magnificent splendors to tht
material world.


Man was heir to something higher ant
better than the heritage handed down from
the ages. If God ls our father, and men arr
heirs to his kingdom, then the infinite
Father should be the first orator in all tht
affairs of life. There should be an unceas
ing fealty of sons to the father. Man can
not be true to his fellow in the best anc
highest sense without being first true to hi
Heavenly Father.


Daniels fealty to the cause of Chr IL
Drawing the lions den, was alluded to, auc
the speaker drew an eloquent picture Of
those who had maintained their loyalty ir
the face of myrterdom. In worldly affairs
men brought their faith to many tests anl
edicts. There were social, home, trade
manufacturing, and political ethics, an6
many were ever ready to cleave to secular
codes, while the immortal truths that lay
in the divine code of the Father were OTTER
disregarded.


The indispensable condition of holiness te
the true Christians life was feelingly ad
verted to, and a picture was drawn of the
beauty of holiness. Men must come to sucI
realizing scenes of evil that all shams anc
duplicity mast be hated for their badness.


The crowning jewel of all truth
was, that God is love. He is the es
sence of love. The vast tides of his nature
set in love. The magnifcence of his uni
verse all point to the glory and power of hi
infinite aud unfailing love.


Love is the fairest blossom, the mos
blessed fruitage that a human life can be
made to yield. The man who loved largely
intelligibly snd sacredly had entered into
the secret of the most dominant truth IN the
universe. Love is the true measure of this
worlds life. All the magnifcence of the in
vcntlve genius could not equal the simple
power and beauty of love. It was the power
that bound the human to- the divine.


Love is the sublimest power that the hear
of man paid homage to. It was the refined
acquisition to know how to yield to love
Love lighting up the face, warming the hani
and enshrined in tbs heart of man was the
acme of beauty and greatness in the uni
verse. The speaker closed with ferven
exhortation for humility of spirit and sincere
love in all the walks and transactions of life