bassador of the cross is constrained to ask, "Who is sufficient for these things?"-he finds, in the promised presence and efficiency of the Spirit, an answer, ever ready and full and cheering, "My sufficiency, is of God." Is there any thing the mind can contemplate, more truly sublime and beautiful than this alliance of the weakness of humanity with the strength of Divinity, thus constituting the ministry associate laborers with the eternal God in the regeneration of the world! But the Providence of God is also pledged to aid in the same great enterprise. Christ, the author of the Gospel and the founder of the ministry, is "Head over all things to the Church." Not only by him were all things created, but by him also are they sustained and controlled and made subservient to the accomplishment of his purposes of grace. "The government is upon his shoulders," and He so directs the affairs of earth, that every event which affects persons or communities, every revolution in the world of matter or mind, every commotion that agitates Church or State, is an element of power under his control, and moves in his train to give present success and final triumph to the ministry of reconciliation, This direction and tendency of things may not be always obvious to our limited comprehension. We can see but parts of what constitutes the mighty whole, and are often constrained to exclaim, "Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour." We cannot understand how events seemingly the most adverse are made to move the wheels of the chariot of salvation. But so it is. And though darkness frequently enshroud his operations, and his purposes seem to develope through diverse and circuitous channels, yet they at length meet and terminate in the accomplishment of that whereunto they are sent. And though his ways be oftentimes in the great waters, and those waters be frequently agitated by storms, still the Son of God is upon the troubled element, and here and there a billow bending under his footsteps, and here and there a wave ruffled by his movement, reveal to us an Almighty energy that has power to control the tempest, and, when his purposes demand it, to say, "Peace, be still !” Such, then, are the aids secured to the ministry in the work to which it is called. And in view of the divine condescension in thus signalizing the agency of imperfect men by lending to it the resources of his energy, the spirit of the holy apostle, dilated with sentiments too sublime for utterance, could only exclaim in the impotence of overwhelming adoration, confidence, and joy, "I magnify mine office." The same pledges, my brethren, belong to us, and they constitute the basis of our confidence and hope in the work in which we are engaged. Away, then, with despondency! Away with fear! He who has instituted the ministry, who has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty, has made the result to depend on nothing less than his own omnipotence. Then "let the heathen rage, and kings set themselves." His counsels shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure. "LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS," is the standing pledge of the final triumph of the work of the ministry, This is the badge of our office; this the shekinah of our sanctuary; this the "hiding of our power," this the motto upon our banner; and BY THIS WE CONQUER ! SERMON DLXVIII. BY REV. A. L. STONE, PASTOR OF PARK STREET CHURCH, BOSTON, MASS. PRACTICAL ATHEISM. "Without God in the world."- EPHESIANS II. 12. A SOUL without God is like the earth without the sun. Quench in the heavens the orb of day, how dark, dumb, and dead would be the earth below! No flush of morning's rising, no genial heat of high noon, no sunset glory. Darkly would the rivers flow, the brooks complain, and the waves of ocean roll. Hushed all the voices of the groves; shut and scentless the flowers; silenced the sounds of busy labor; chained every foot of man;and poor stricken Nature would lie cold and mute as a corpse, her great, vital heart slowly ceasing to beat. As the sun is the life and light of the natural world, so is God of the spiritual. Where He is not, there is no true life, no real joy, no abiding peace. Without his presence and friendship, the soul is dark and dead, cold and comfortless. It must be visited by an ever-recurring gloom, foreboding of disaster: a sense of want and dread-afraid of God and his judgments. There may be the short-lived intoxications of pleasure; momentary forgetfulness in the heat of some eager race for the world's prizes; the fitful shining of some delusive hope; but, in the pauses of sober thoughtfulness, the shadow comes back, and night resumes its reign. I wish to speak to you of this desolate condition; of what it is; of its guilt and misery; that, having gained your convictions thus far, I may urge upon you more importunately the free and full offer in the gospel of the divine love and favor. What is it to be without God in the world? The question is bassador of the cross is constrained to ask, "Who is sufficient for these things ?"-he finds, in the promised presence and efficiency of the Spirit, an answer, ever ready and full and cheering, "My sufficiency, is of God." Is there any thing the mind can contemplate, more truly sublime and beautiful than this alliance of the weakness of humanity with the strength of Divinity, thus constituting the ministry associate laborers with the eternal God in the regeneration of the world! But the Providence of God is also pledged to aid in the same great enterprise. Christ, the author of the Gospel and the founder of the ministry, is "Head over all things to the Church." Not only by him were all things created, but by him also are they sustained and controlled and made subservient to the accomplishment of his purposes of grace. "The government is upon his shoulders," and He so directs the affairs of earth, that every event which affects persons or communities, every revolution in the world of matter or mind, every commotion that agitates Church or State, is an element of power under his control, and moves in his train to give present success and final triumph to the ministry of reconciliation, This direction and tendency of things may not be always obvious to our limited comprehension. We can see but parts of what constitutes the mighty whole, and are often constrained to exclaim, "Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour." We cannot understand how events seemingly the most adverse are made to move the wheels of the chariot of salvation. But so it is. And though darkness frequently enshroud his operations, and his purposes seem to develope through diverse and circuitous channels, yet they at length meet and terminate in the accomplishment of that whereunto they are sent. And though his ways be oftentimes in the great waters, and those waters be frequently agitated by storms, still the Son of God is upon the troubled element, and here and there a billow bending under his footsteps, and here and there a wave ruffled by his movement, reveal to us an Almighty energy that has power to control the tempest, and, when his purposes demand it, to say, "Peace, be still!” Such, then, are the aids secured to the ministry in the work to which it is called. And in view of the divine condescension in thus signalizing the agency of imperfect men by lending to it the resources of his energy, the spirit of the holy apostle, dilated with sentiments too sublime for utterance, could only exclaim in the impotence of overwhelming adoration, confidence, and joy, "I magnify mine office." The same pledges, my brethren, belong to us, and they constitute the basis of our confidence and hope in the work in which we are engaged. Away, then, with despondency! Away with fear! He who has instituted the ministry, who has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty, has made the result to depend on nothing less than his own omnipotence. Then "let the heathen rage, and kings set themselves." His counsels shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure. "Lo, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS," is the standing pledge of the final triumph of the work of the ministry, This is the badge of our office; this the shekinah of our sanctuary; this the "hiding of our power," this the motto upon our banner; and BY THIS WE CONQUER ! SERMON DLXVIII. BY REV. A. L. STONE, PASTOR OF PARK STREET CHURCH, BOSTON, MASS. PRACTICAL ATHEISM. "Without God in the world."- EPHESIANS II. 12. A SOUL without God is like the earth without the sun. Quench in the heavens the orb of day, how dark, dumb, and dead would be the earth below! No flush of morning's rising, no genial heat of high noon, no sunset glory. Darkly would the rivers flow, the brooks complain, and the waves of ocean roll. Hushed all the voices of the groves; shut and scentless the flowers; silenced the sounds of busy labor; chained every foot of man;and poor stricken Nature would lie cold and mute as a corpse, her great, vital heart slowly ceasing to beat. As the sun is the life and light of the natural world, so is God of the spiritual. Where He is not, there is no true life, no real joy, no abiding peace. Without his presence and friendship, the soul is dark and dead, cold and comfortless. It must be visited by an ever-recurring gloom, foreboding of disaster: a sense of want and dread—afraid of God and his judgments. There may be the short-lived intoxications of pleasure; momentary forgetfulness in the heat of some eager race for the world's prizes; the fitful shining of some delusive hcpe; but, in the pauses of sober thoughtfulness, the shadow comes back, and night resumes its reign. I wish to speak to you of this desolate condition; of what it is; of its guilt and misery; that, having gained your convictions thus far, I may urge upon you more importunately the free and full offer in the gospel of the divine love and favor. What is it to be without God in the world? The question is asked, not of the dwellers in heathen isles, but here, under the blaze of Christian institutions, the light of a Divine revelation shining through all our homes. What is it for one of you, roofed over and walled in by sanctuary privileges this day, to be" without God?" We answer, I. NEGATIVELY 1. It is not to be without the knowledge of God. That sacred name was called over you in solemn ritual, at the font of baptism; you were taught to lisp it when first you clasped your infant palms in prayer. Looking out with wondering eyes upon earth, its streams and flowers and fruits, and up to the sun, shining in his strength, and the moon and stars, you were told that God made them all. With your carliest schooling, one book was put into your hands with signs of reverence, which you took reverently, as the giver said, "This is God's Book." As your days of young mirth circled round, there came always one day when the tumult of your pastimes was softly hushed, and you set down to learn the nursery rhyme "I must not work, I must not play, Upon God's holy Sabbath-day." And then, with burnished face and fresh attire, you were led slowly, checked in the frolic impulses that would make you leap and shont, to the house of God. This has been your education from the cradle. And now the name of God is familiar to you as household words. His greatness, glory, and majesty; his holiness, justice and truth; his eternity and omnipotence; his revealed will given in the old historic record, and in the code of Sinai-nothing of all this is strange to you now. You have looked upon the symbols of the sacramental board, and know their volumed meaning; and have heard many a time over the feast the chant of this thrilling strain: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." And in the ordinances of his Word this God has spoken to you, and you have heard and known his voice; and he has called after you by the accents of his providence and his Spirit, and you could not mistake his utterance; and all this for years, for your lifetime past, so that none of you are ignorant of God; and whatever it may be for one of you, in the sense I mean, to be without God, it cannot be that you are without the knowledge of God. 2. It is not to be without the favors of God. These fall upon you thick and cast as the snow of orchard blossoms in spring. You cannot help your indebtedness to God for life and all its blessings. Whether you acknowledge him, love him, serve him, or not, it must still and ever be true that he made you, that he preserves you, that he bestows all your good things |