Year: 1874

Christian Culturc-The Work Of Educa-


tion In the Methodist Church-sermon


by Rev. T.. q. Haven, ID. D., LII. ID.


Yesterday morning Rev. E. 0. Haven, D. d.,
ILL., D.. Secretary OF the Board OF Education OF
the Methodist Episcopal Church, presented the
claims OF the society In the St. Johns Methodist
church. Bedford avenue, Brooklyn. resolution
was adopted at the last General Conference ap-
pointing the second Sunday In June as "Children's
Day. when collections are taken in all the Sab
bath schools OF the denomination to increase the
educational fund, the object OF which is to assist
deserving young men in thorough preparation for
the work OF the ministry. His text was taken
from the Second Epistle OF Peter, l., Sand be
SIDES this. giving all diligence, add to your
faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge" In
his Introductory remarks the preacher said
that the purpose OF the word OF God was to
enable man TO escape all lttleness and all evil
in this and IN future world; that everything
sought its own perfection, and that the Bible pre-
sented o standard OF human life which, II adopted,
would enable mankind to attain unto o noble
specimen OF regenerated humanity. Everything,
whether in the vegetable, animal or human world,
In order to reach anything like perfection, should
be surrounded by influences from which 1t could
draw nourishment. A plant must not only be
well rooted in good soil, but 1t must also have
sunlight. Every animal In order 10 be fully
grown. must have suitable food, and so man must





growth. The Bible taught that man was partly OF
earth and partly OF heaven all the potencies OF the
Wete me IA cnnsaeraton Mas
simply exercising that energy by which human
beings are connected with the upper world; the
sae os sus were The Virtue


OF In the text was not merely the negative OF vice
or the absence Of evil. Purity and innocence were
desirable and excellent but they were not the whole
OF virtue. The soil has lost its virtue when 1t has
been exhausted by improper culture, and man is
a
useless Virtue IS positive character, courage,
earnestness, activity, life; and having ialth the
ated in the image Of God, is called upon to
be voluntarily active, and there were the strongest
and Industrious. In addition to faith and virtue
there should be knowledge to regulate them. DR..
there was no antagonism between scientific and
religious knowledge. Science was simply knowl-
edge OF facts, OF laws, of principles-a knowledge
OF Gods purposes plans and actiOn-and 1t would
be found that never were efforts to improve
knowledge made systematically and earnestly ex-
country had sent out lately a vessel well commits
stoned with instruments that showed the highest
mechanical ingenuity, with skilled men to visit
time they might direct their gaze to the sun and
see the planet Venus as II snail cross the disc Of
second to fraction when the planet seemed
to touch the edge Of the sun from the position
Germany had also sent their corps OF astronomers
and learned men to do the same work. But who
ever ueacu OIL u CORPS OI lutc5Lkallcu going OUT
from heather nationp Science is cultivated only
where Christ is known This was only an indirect
but an inlallibe consequence OF religion; for OF
what value was science to men who did not be.
Heve themselves immortal, and what firm fOInda-
ton had knowledge to rest upon except the faith
that was communicated through the word OF God9
It was arrogance on The part Of one-slded men
who knew nothing but matter to undervalue other
knowledge. Was it not valuable to know what
man has done on this planet and especially TO
detect the providence OF God In the history OF the
race? Was it not valuable to know the nature Of
the human mind, and especially to detect the
image OF God in It? was 1t not desir
able to know the reasons for faith in
immorta taltty and to know what repentance.
the Joy Of pardoned sin and communion with God
were, and to thoroughly investigate and to bring
to the test OF experiment all those principles that
were revealed in the Word Of Gody In order to
bring ABOUT this knowledge God had appointed the
Christian Sabbath and the ministry OF the Gospel,
the benefits OF which were ably portrayed, the
Doctor maintaining that Christian civilization
owed its existence and perpetuatlon to those agen-
cies. In conclusion. Dr. Haven explained the work
which the Educational Society Of the Methodist
Church was accomplishing In aiding worthy young
men In procuring thorough education for the
work OF the ministry, and also in assist
ing young women who intended to enter the
foreign missionary field. The society was now
helping 200 yo1ng men to more efficiently prose-
cute the work to which they intended to devote
their lives, After o brief appeal by DR.. Warren q
COLLECTION was taken for this object.