Year: 1874

Sermon by the Rev. Robert COllyer, OF


ChicagO-s.The Church of the Living


Cod"


The Church OF the Messiah crowded yester-
day at the morniug services by fashionable and
intelligent congregation, the great majority OF
whom were strangers, who had been attracted TO
the church by curiosity TO he2r the Rev. Robert
Coyer, OF Chicago, who had been announced to
deliver the sermon. 1t was quite lengthy ana
delivered with all that originality OF thought and
expression characteristic OF The reverend gentle
man. the same sermon was delivered by him in
his own church two weeks ago; so brief outline
OF It's main points Will be sufficient to give an
Idea OF It's argument.


After quoting at length from his text he spoke
OF religion as distinguished from religious systems
He said that systems might rise ana fall, that men
might 1--we and die and each be different IN his way
OF teaching or in what he taught; yet so long as
the basis of the systems was pure morality the
teachings were OF divine origin, and the apparent
difference OF no account when judged IN the 1ight
OF right and justice There was


A POWER OUTSIDE Us


so to speak, which made US perform good works
at times and accomplish great ends we dreamed
not Oh The Hebrew prophets, Tor instance, differed
in many ways, but still the very difference they
manifested they ascribed to God-it was His work
they were dong when the grand result was
looked to alone. 1t was this power that built up
a better life in US and gave an assurance to the
faithful servants or God in this world OF life
eternal. IL was also propagation IL itselL 1t
never died; 1t could never be stamped ous-
doings that taught the apostle that he
had divine authority TO do the work he was doing
that the work was a divine Work. Men might nave
different ways OF following Christ, but If they
worked With the right INTENT with the spirit OF
pure NOR Atty lnWaruness and sel1-sacrnce they
belonged 10 the Church OF the living God; Tor
special systems OF religion have their day. II not
originated by the DIVINE hand they would pass


THE RELIGION OF THE LIVING GOD,
the worship OF the Almighty. Religious thought,
worship Itself, would remain as indestrucuble as
The sprlnglng up OF the green grass And religious
systems not so originated should dle AS hospitals
that would make 1t principle to Xii rather than
to cure, orphan asyums that wouid
destroy instead OF preserving from harm
ought churches that had no longer the divine
lines in them TO go down. That younger sister Of
religion. science, he said, was not an enemy TO
religion itsell, but it mad destroyed many beliefs
once thought indestructible. IL was the special
systems that were struck at and made TO give
way, not religious thought not the religion OF the
living Cod which coulo be destroyed. The Church l
OF God welcomed science She was not simply the |
Churchis handmald, she was the Church's sister
the two having no Jeaousies and WHO sat to- |
gether engaged IN common work OF light. /
Science could not destroy religion, Tor they both
originated from the same divine source, and, con-
sequeRtly, could not be inimicaL


FORMS WORSHIP


were one thing, but religious trust quite another
The forms might pass away, but religious trust /



long held sacred might be altered, modified, even (
abolished; but the religion OF God never. The love /
OF man who was prompted by sellsacrice pure /
morality and lnwardness went up TO God, ana |
Gods love reached down to man; for 1t WAS this !
imperial power OF God that conveyed them. The |
aDtl-slaverY movement, Tor example, he believed I
had been prompted by this power, and the men /
who were engaged in 1t had been pushed onward /
by IT, God simply used them for His pur-
poses. This power was the controlling source OF /
every great reform. 1t was GOD doing HIS own |
unseen. We could not always know 4
what God will do, tt was true yet
could do as we Pleased, and so we
all knew what we could do. systems OF religion,
then, were nothing more than passing things; but
the religion o the living God, working through
that perial power Of tue Almighty wonderful
IN its many results, was all in all. We were in
this life consequently Que great company inter-
ested in the bark OF life. There might be outward
trouble with those who labored IN the right
prompted by the qualities OF lnwardness, SELF
sacrifice ana pure morality; yet there would De
always inward peace; there might be


OUTWARD DARKNESS,
but always inward light. This was no dream, but
a reality. The workers OF unrighteousness even
had Gods pity. The father mentioned In the
Scriptures gave all he had TO the son who mad
made the most OF his opportunities. God was
always ready TO receive rs when We went to hin
ourselves; but what we spent we spent, and what
was lost was lost, II We made ourselves beggars
We were looked upol as beggars; yet always
were welcomed, rich or poor, II We had the rgnt