Year: 1873

The Great Mistake OF Substituting


Esthettes for Picty-Chrfst q Living


Reality-True Religion Must he Dch-


nite-SermOn by Rev. j. M. Freeman.


The pulpit OF st. Johns Methodist church was oc-
cuped yesterday by Rev. J. M. Freeman, one of the
Secretaries OF the Sunday School Union OF the
Methodist Episcopal Church. He preached an In
teresting discourse, taxing his text from four
verses Of the first chapter OF the Gospel by st.
John-"Again the next day after John stood ana
two of his disciples, and looking upon Jesus a. he
walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb OF God
And the two disciples heard him speak,
and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and
saw then following, and saith unto them What
seek yer They said unto him, Rabbi (Which Is to
say being interpreted, MASTERY, where dwellest
thouS He saith unto them Come and see. They
came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him
that day, for 1t was about the tenth hour"


The preacher said that in this gospel we had the
"reminiscences of an old man who wrote animated
with genuine love of his theme. 1t was not de-
signed that this gospel commenced in the manner
In which it did. The writer seemed to give to the
world an account OF the


HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE,


the Old Testament and the first chapter Of the
Gospel OF John was not accidental. While Moses
intended to give US the genesis OF creation, John
meant to give us the genesis of redemption. As
the earta was without form and void and darkness
upon the face OF the deep, so the heart OF the
natural man a was IN & state OF moral RAJ chaos, chaos,
death-pall which Overhung the land OF Egypt, and
the same majestic voice which in creation said,
'Let there be light, and there was ght,n spoke to
the trembling, contrite sinner and


DARKNESS FLEW AWAY


before the coming OF the glorious Son OF Righteous
ness. John was walking along with his disciples
and said to them 'BehOld the Lamb OF Cod"
They left him and followed Jesus Had John the
Baptist been man whose soul had no vision be-
y0nd the narrow boundary OF his own immediate
sphere he never would have brought those men
to Jesus.


God never chooses narrow men to be great
reformers. He (the speaker) believed that the
great business OF the ministry and OF the Christian
make them Methodsts, Calvanists, Baptists or
Congregatlonallsts, but to make them Christians
and not to swell the numbers OF our


LITTLE, NARROW SECTS,


for il man was not first converted he would make
a very poor member of any Christian denomlna-
tion. There were many wh0 when they wished to
form estimate OF Christianity, were very sure to
select the very worst specimen they could find. Ii
there was a poor lame sheep that went hobbling
along they took him as specimen OF the flock.
But ltwould be well to look at Christ's pattern
and an At the M e. Sns spa E
yss msy o1a md n liz a sS sn so@s sss
aS y ss soGs ny S tps Hssd
sought the infant Jesus in order that he miGht slay
Him. And there were those in this day who were
actuated by the same motive. The men who were
studying the scriptures for the simple purpose Of
finding laut with them and


PICKING FLAWS


in them were seeking Jesus only to put Him to
death 1t was possible TO seek Jesus because it
was fashionable and considered a correct thing in
society to be a church member and contributor
TO benevolent enterprises. No man could under
stand what Jesus was able to do for him until he
sought Him with full purpose of heart Another
TACT suggested by the passage under consideration
was that true religious experience was living and
real. With many people


RELIGION WAS SIMPLY AN IDEALITY,
for they looked at everything with poetic gaze,
while others were so practical that they
could not look at picture with enjoy.
ment unless they could understand precisely
who made it and what it worth.
Such persons were like the lady who looked
at q landscape painted by an eminent artist
and said, al never saw nature look like tnat y and
was met with the caustic reply :-"Don't you wish
you could, madam2' Some people were intensely
'piousn when they could worship in elegant
edliice, and have choice music, and listen to an
eloquent orator, but such persons made a great
mistake Ia substituting aesthetics for pety. Christ
was present to the true worshipper, however,
whether in the lofty cathedral or in the log hut.
The preacher dwelt with elOquence and fervor upon
the fact that true religious experience definite
and that Jesus was living reality to those who
followed Him closely and continuously. In conclu-
sion Mr. Freeman said that the great life work of
the Christian should be to bring men to Jesus, and
urged the congregation TO follow the example of
the Master who went about doing good.