USA > West Virginia > The West Virginia pulpit of the Methodist Episcopal church. Sermons from living ministers. With personal sketches of the authors > Part 21
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" Go, bury thy sorrow, The world has its share."
But where shall we take it if not to our Father in heaven. His ear is not weary nor his heart too full to receive us. Oh, if we would learn the full meaning of Divine sympathy for us and with us, and lay our
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whole life before God in daily prayer we would realize that
"The heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind."
Then instead of burdening the world with our com- plaints :
"Our lives would be all sunshine In the sweetness of our Lord."
The revelation of Divine Fatherhood, as the basis of communion with God, shows the real meaning and power of prayer. Why does God regard what we say to him and how does he answer are questions that perplex many minds, and prove stumbling blocks in the way to the mercy seat. The answer to these in- quiries is not supplied by human reason. Jesus lets the light in on the whole subject when he says, " When ye pray, say 'Our Father.'" If man is but a factor in nature-a part of the great whole of the uni- verse, and of no greater importance than any of the others-if he is but the result of natural law, and of no greater dignity than any other organized or unorgan- ized body,then, indeed, there is no prayer and its phi- losophy is the philosophy of a delusion. If man is not closer to God than a sheep, then there is no reason that man should pray and the sheep not. From any plane lower than that on which man is placed, in the teach- ing of Christ, it may be that prayer is impossible. But if man is God's child, then prayer is not only pos- sible but necessary. Shall not the child commune with the parent? The working out of parental love and care and the response of filial love and trust demand that intercourse between the human and the Divine which we call prayer. If in our thought we debase humanity and obscure Deity, we create difficulties that we cannot. overcome. In the Bible, God and man are brought very close together. Man is wander- ing, but the Father has not withdrawn himself and left him to perish, but is seeking him; man is re- bellious, but the Father's love will win him; man is de- graded and lost, but the Father's attributes unite to save and ennoble him. In view of all these facts prayer solves mysteries instead of making them.
The power of prayer, in the divine economy, pre-
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sents no special difficulty from this stand-point. What wonder is it that the child's cries move the parents' heart ? Would we not wonder if they were unheeded ? The appeal to parental love is the strongest that can be made. Evidence of this is abundant all around us. Birds and beasts forget their fears and brave all dan- gers to answer the cries of their offspring. It is the cry of helpless dependence and stirs the deeps of paren- tal nature. From this we learn what is the divine idea of Fatherhood. And when we take this idea, and divest it of the limitations and weaknesses, with which it is associated in the creature, and link it with the perfection of the Divine nature the power of prayer is only measured by the wants of him who prays. Prayer in this sense is omnipotent. There is nothing incred- ible in this. The wonder is that we " should be called the sons of God," but not that as children we can
"Move the arm that moves the world To bring salvation down."
The sufficient answer to all doubts, fears and scep- tical questionings regarding prayer is, " God is my Fa- ther."
The world of matter and of law is arranged on this basis. The fatherhood of God is not an afterthought that is out of harmony with the constitution of things. The world is built in harmony with this relation of man to God and it is governed in the same way. It is an unfathomable, inexhaustible truth that "All things work together for good to them that love God." "All things are yours," says the inspired Apostle.
Among the forces of the universe, prayer is one of the most powerful : it has helped to form the past, it in- fluences the present, and modifies the future. In its true spirit of filial communion, it is a note to which the whole universe vibrates in responsive chords. The difficulties that seem to surround prayer vanish as we follow this thought of divine Fatherhood which Jesus has given us, and there grows upon us an over- whelming sense of its glorious dignity and power. In the language of Chrysostom, we feel to say : "Oh prayer ! O blessed prayer ! Thou art the unwea-
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ried conqueror of human woes, the firm foundation of human happiness, the source of ever during joy, the mother of philosophy ! The man who can pray truly, though languishing in extreme indigence, is richer than all beside ; whilst the wretch who never bowed the knee, though proudly seated as the monarch of nations, is of all men most destitute."
O, that each of us may be thus enriched by enjoying the privileges and blessings of the " child of a king." The words of the Lord's Prayer have long been famil- iar to us. Have we the spirit ? What is the real mean- ing of the words " our Father" to us ? Do we go to God in the spirit of them and commune with him as his children ? We need the Father's sympathy and help. We need the ennobling truth in our lives, that we are allied to the divine that by its influence we may seek to be " holy as God is holy." What grand possibili- ties, what dignity, what greatness are opened before us. The noblest there is in us is developed and all littleness of feeling rebuked by the thought that God is our father. He who fully understands our needs in- structs us thus to commune with him. The way is open for all. Jesus says, " I am the way, no man cometh unto the father but by me." Let us remember that our enjoyments of the blessings which flow from Divine Fatherhood depend largely upon our possession of the responsive spirit of sonship. The filial spirit is the Christly spirit. Those who are in Christ are lifted from a position of alienation and estrangement from God to the plane of filial love and communion. And spiritual strength and progress depend upon the meas- ure of the spirit and nature of him, who in all his life of varied experiences of joy, sorrows, temptations and labors, could look into the face of God in undis- turbed calmness of soul and say, " I am not alone for the Father is with me." The love of God is drawing all to the divine salvation and fellowship. Those who are in sin and far away from him may resolve and say, "I will arise and go to my father," feeling sure that he will welcome them. He will rejoice over them, saying, " This, my child, was dead, and is alive again ; and was lost and is found." Those who have
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realized the peace of forgiven sin, may press closer to the Father's bosom. It remains for eternity to un- fold the fulness and inconceivable richness of the des- tiny of the child of God. But Jesus has taught us to say, "Our Father." There are glorious rights and priveleges to be enjoyed in this life. "Beloved, now are we the children of God." What can we ever be that is nearer to God than children ? Whatever the future may disclose, we cannot conceive that our union with God will be closer than it is now. When we shall see him face to face. when the infirmities and limitations of this mortal flesh shall be removed, in the highest exaltations our natures may receive, we cannot conceive of our getting farther than the rela- tion expressed in the words "Our Father." It may mean more to us, as we explore its heights and depths, but will never contain more than it does now. Let us go on, day by day, to find out its riches. This is what Jesus meant in giving us the words to use in prayer. Prayer is to be our daily spiritual exercise, and its meaning and value are to be the daily unfold- ing in our lives and hearts of the inexhaustible bless- ings contained in the Fatherhood of God. There is nothing he desires for us so much as that every barrier may be removed and that the love of his fatherly heart may flow to us, with unchecked and unbroken stream. He says to each one :
" Child of my love, lean hard ! Nor fear to weary him who made, upholds, And guides the universe. Yet cioser come, Thou art not near enough. Thy care, thyself, Lay both on me, that I may feel my child Reposing on my heart. Thou lovest me ? I doubt it not; then loving me, lean hard."
PERSONAL SKETCH.
ONE of the rising preachers of the West Virginia Conference -indeed, one of the foremost men of that body at this time, is the Rev. L. L. Stewart. He was born in Allegheny county, Pa., in 1845. When he was about fourteen years of age his parents moved to Wood county, West Virginia, and engaged in farming. Here the subject of this sketch remained, working upon the farm, and attending school, at various places, until 1870, when he was received into the West Virginia Conference on proba- tion. At this particular point in his life, with the good Jeremy Taylor he could truly say :
"They gave to thee Myrrh, frankincense, and gold ; But, Lord, with what shall I Present myself before thy majesty, Whom thou redeemest when I was sold ? I've nothing but myself, and scarce that neither ; Vile dirt and clay ; Yet it is soft and may Impression take. Accept it Lord, and say, this thou hadst rather ; Stamp it, and on this sordid metal make Thy holy image, and it shall outshine The beauty of the golden mine."
Brother Stewart's first Circuit was in Marshall county, called Marshall Circuit. It was upon the broad fields of that delightful county that he first proclaimed the unsearchable richesof Christ. The spirit of revival prevailed less or more, at all of his appoint- ments, and the year closed grandly. This, in fact, could be said of all Brother Stewart's appointments. A man of ability, earn- estness, energy, and reliability always succeeds.
His next appointment was at Moundsville; next, Benwood ; next, Point Pleasant; next, Clifton ; next, Fairmont. All these, but one, were Stations ; and Brother Stewart remained at most of them the full term allowed by the laws of the Church. He is at present Presiding Elder of the Clarksburg District, which broad field affords an excellent opportunity for the display of his talents as a Gospel minister.
Brother Stewart is a preacher of great originality. He does his own thinking, and always expresses himself with freedom and force. He can creditably fill any appointment in the Church.
SERMON XXI.
BY
REV. L. L. STEWART, P. E.
THEME :- GOD SEEN IN HIS WORKS.
TEXT :- " All thy works shall praise thee. O, Lord, and thy saints shall bless thee."-Psalm cxlv : 10.
Among the thirty-five or forty writers of the Bible, no one referred to the works of God, so frequently and eloquently, as did the Psalmist. In them he saw his goodness, wisdom and power. His early pastoral life among the hills and valleys of Judea, doubtless had much to do in exciting his love for the pure and beau- tiful, as seen in nature. To qualify him to become the expositor of the heart's most deep, sacred and glowing emotions, God seemed to place him under a variety of circumstances. He spoke for universal hu- manity. When standing beneath the midnight sky, blazing with constellations, he but echoed the senti- ment which has been common to all devout thinking men, when he exclaimed, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handi- work. On another occasion we hear him say : "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."
Next to the study of God's word, nothing is more instructive, interesting and elevating, than the study of his works. Paul declared "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
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being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and God-head." Not that nature is a sufficient revelation of God. Some knowledge of both nature and revelation, is essential to a proper conception of his character and attributes. God re- veals himself to men in three ways. Through his Word, his works, and by an immediate manifestation of himself through the agency of the Holy Ghost. These three, instead of conflicting, or in any way con- tradicting each other, illustrate and confirm each oth- ers testimony, just as the sense of seeing confirms the 'testimony of hearing, and as the sense of feeling per- fects the perception of external realities. Paley, who adduced his strongest argument for the existence of God, from design, as everywhere manifested in his works, has said, " If one train of thought be more de- sirable than another, it is that which regards the phe- nomena of nature with a constant reference to a su- preme intelligent author." This he considered as the foundation of all that is religious.
God is seen, not only in his Word, but also in his works. From the tiny dew-drops-jewelry of the morning, up to the Pleiades with its sweet influence. From the incipient rill as it bursts from the moun- tain's brow, to the broad Pacific. From the mighty mountains, as they stand out like silent sentinels against the sky, to the smiling valleys, "stretching in pensive quietness between." From the humble hyssop upon the wall, to the cedar of Lebanon, rocked by the storms of centuries. From all these come a chorus of praise, and revelations of him, who has created and sustains all these by the word of his power. Now in tuneful numbers, now in eloquent voices, nature bears witness of her Creator's praise.
To those who believe in God, and try to see him in his works, nothing can be without significance. From the minutest to the mightiest, there are manifesta- tions of his wisdom, power and love. The great vol- ume is ever unrolled before us, so that he who runs may read. For the old and young, the rich and poor, the wise and the foolish, there are lessons, and he must be a dull scholar indeed who cannot learn something,
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and appreciate the sentiment expressed in the lines : "There are tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything."
Who ever stood by Niagara, and looked upon its plunging, whirling, seething waters, and listened to the thundering cataract as it lifted up its eternal an- them to God, and was not impressed with the might and majesty of him who pours out the rivers from their fountains ? Or who ever stood upon the ocean's shore, and gazed out upon the broad expanse of water, with- out thinking of the infinitude of God, and the power of him who holds the ocean in the hollow of his hand? Or who ever from some lofty peak amid alpine scenes viewed the mountains as they lifted themselves above the clouds, covered with eternal snows, and was not over-awed with the majesty and magnitude of God's works, and the power and care of him who has weigh- ed the mountains in his balances? Now, the thought of God, as seen in his works, is inspiring and eleva- ting.
The contemplation of great objects tends to quietness of soul. The sense of the vastness of the sea, the grand- eur of a towering mountain, the measureless concave of the midnight sky blazing with constellations, each of these soothes and settles the agitated mind, and fills the soul with sublime musings of him who notes the fall of a sparrow, as well as superintends the destiny of worlds. The devout Christian is ever ready to ex- claim, the maker of all these "is my Father and my God;" and yet there are persons, who go through this world without seeing any beauty, or hearing any har- mony. In speaking of the world, they call it, "This howling wilderness," "low grounds of sin and folly," " vale of tears," &c. It is a familiar utterance, that this world is full of sin. We should not forget the distinction, that sin is not so much in the world, as in us. When we are as pure as the snow, and as inno- cent as the laughing waters, the world becomes a scene of beauty and joy; we then realize the words of the prophet, " The mountains and hills break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field clap their hands." And yet we are gravely informed-even by divines,
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that to take any other than a sober view of this world, and life-is unwise and superficial. Be it so, I would rather be considered superficial than ungrateful ; and surely nothing can be more ungrateful, than to pass by the wondrous works of God, without consider- ation ; to be surrounded with comfort and beauty, and yet, have no appreciation of them. Suppose a father, at great expense and care, should build a splendid pal- ace, and fill it with every luxury and comfort, should carefully and wisely lay out the grounds, filling them with rare trees and flowers, and after everything is 'nicely arranged should take his children to this home, and say : "Now children all this is yours, yours to en- joy, yours to preserve, yours to possess;" and after ex- amining the well furnished departments, they should begin to complain, and say: "O, this howling wilder- ness," " What a miserable place to live in," " What a hard lot is ours." Would that show a feeling of ap- preciation and gratitude ?
This world is a palace which our Father has reared and furnished for the comfort and delight of his chil- dren. All his works shall praise him, and his saints are called upon to bless him. Look at the great masters of art, Raphael and Angelo, who almost made the can- vas, on which they painted, throb with life. These men have never had superiors in art. Though cen- turies have passed away, their works have lost none of their charms or beauty. Age only adds to the in- terest, with which they are studied. There is an in- tellectual and moral grandeur that centers in these triumphs of human genius, indicating the greatness of the mind that conceived and executed them. But behind the picture was the man; the picture was but an expression of his thoughts. So, as we look out up- on this world filled with beauty and harmony, we see an expression of our Father's thoughts. In the soft zephyrs that come to us, fraught with the fragrance of unfolding flowers ; in the genial sunshine and gentle dew, we have an expression of God's gracious, loving thoughts. In the deep-toned thunder ; in the heaving earthquake ; in the burning volcano, and in the terri- ble cyclone sweeping across our western country, lay-
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ing homes and cities in desolation-in all these we have an expression of God's terrible thoughts. In the waving harvests, the luscious fruit upon the trees, the rich, ripe clusters upon the vines, and the golden corn in the shock, we have an expression of God's bounte- ous, prudential thoughts. God could have made this world without a singing bird, or a gorgeous flower ; but instead of withholding any beauty, or in any way stinting his works, he has scattered around us, and for every sense, a profusion of beauty and sweetness. For, be it known, that "many a flower blushes unseen, and wastes its fragrance on the desert air."
The more we study the works of God, the more in- tense and intelligent will be our love for him. Did not Christ direct the attention of his hearers to the world of nature around them? From the blushing rose, to the silken lily, that nightly drink their cup of nectar from the hand of God, we see more beautiful garments than Solomon ever wore, procured without sowing or reaping, or spinning. Thus he who spoke as never man spake, the great teacher sent from God, seized upon passing events, to illustrate and enforce his spiritual lessons. The sparrow, the lily, the grass, and vine, all furnished themes for his discourses. If it were not beneath the dignity of Christ to speak of the grass, the birds, and flowers, in his sermons, who are we modern preachers, that we can improve upon the style of our Divine Master ?
Some men's highest ideal of a "Gospel sermon," is one that deals with the first transgression in Eden, or that condemns the sins of the antediluvians, or hurls anathemas at the Jews. Is it any wonder, that the modern pulpit, in the estimation of some, is dry and stale? If preachers would apply the Gospel to the giant evils of the present age, and seize upon the current events of the day, to enforce the truths of the Gospel, is it not possible, there would be more inter- ested hearers ? "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, and thy saints shall bless thee."
At this point, we institute the inquiry, How do the works of God praise him ? The works of God praise him in their obedience to the laws he has imposed
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upon them, and by answering the great ends for which they were created. Every useful piece of ma- chinery, every production of art, every good book, magnify and praise their author. The engine upon the railroad, that draws burdens across the continent ; the ship upon the seas, which bears the commerce of cities and states; the proud temples of antiquity- all human works in their beauty, permanence and utility, praise their makers.
There seems to be a difference between "praise" and " bless," as expressed by the Psalmist. His works are to " praise " him, and his saints are to " bless" him. Turning to your dictionary, you will find the terms are used interchangably. Yet David recog- nized a distinction between the terms. The word " bless " is used perhaps in the sense of thanksgiving, a spirit of appreciation to be cherished and mani- fested by his people, of which inanimate creation is incapable. Every good man is a benediction in the world; still he not only blesses God in his holy life, but his gratitude finds expression in hymns of praise and prayers of thanksgiving. Right here, we find an argument for public worship. His people meet in the house of the Lord, to publicly bless his name, and how often they adopt the language of his servant, and say, " Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, ( my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies." Thus we should call upon all that is within us to "bless" his holy name. The distinction between " praise " and " bless," as we perceive it, is, that while every created thing glorifies God in its place, by obe- dience to his will, and the purpose of its being. Man rises higher, and pronounces for all a general bene- diction. Misconceptions of God, have resolved them- selves into three historic forms: The Atheistic, Pan- theistic, and Theistic. In every age some fragment of these creeds have been found.
First, there is the Atheistic conception of God. The Atheist looks out upon the world, with all its
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beauty and harmony, and finds no place for God, sees no evidence of a Supreme overruling Deity. This material universe is but the result of laws that are eternal and inexorable. You ask the Atheist, how came all this order ? He replies, "All these things came into existence through the potency of law." There was a time when the atoms now composing this planet, were floating through space; they were attracted by the law of affinity, and are now held to each other by the law of gravitation. Thus the athe- ist looks upon this world as being governed by blind fate, and man as the helpless victim of law, supreme and immutable, with no explanation to life, and no quiet haven into which he may at last guide his barque.
At the opposite pole of error (for a reaction from one theory generally carries men to the opposite ex- treme), is the Pantheistic idea of God. As the Athe- ist cannot see any evidence of God, the Pantheist sees him in all things. To him nature is God, and God is nature. The trouble with the Pantheist is, he confounds God with his works, God and matter is identical. Let one of its modern, American, disciples testify. The late Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I cannot wander into the forest without seeing the presence of God flaming from every bush, nor cross the common without the thrill of rapture, which marks the incoming Deity; nor get out into the open fields, without being an inlet for the inrushing tides of infinite life." An eloquent passage, but not in harmony with revelation. Whenever we accept Pan- theism and identify God with his works, we destroy his personality, and hence contradict his own word.
Passing by these extremes, we come, in the next place, to the Theistic conception of God, which is, that a per- sonal God, by a definite act created this world, and upholds and governs all things ; that he never has for a moment withdrawn his presence and care from a single atom. The Bible reveals to us a personal God who is above law, and while he is to be seen in his works, he is still above them. Upon the one hand, we are not the helpless victims of law. This world is
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not an orphan asylum, where there is no father to hear nor save; and upon the other hand, nature is not our God, but above the tangible objects we see and feel here, there is an infinite Father in whose pres- ence there is fullness of joy.
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