Through Man to God

THROUGH MAN TO GOD BY GEORGE A. GORDON MINISTER OF THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH, BOSTON BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 0te tie pre, TO THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN TEMPLE MAINE WHERE I BEGAN MY MINISTRY TO THE SECOND CONGRE GATIONAL CHUKCH IN GREENWICH CONNECTICUT WHERE MY MINIS TRY WAS CONTINUED AND TO THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH IN BOSTON WHERE FOR NEARLY THREE AND TWENTY YEARS I HAVE SERVED SUPPORTED BY THE DEVOTION OF A GREAT PARISH I DEDICATE THESE SERMONS IN HONOR AND LOVE PREFACE TOWARD the close of his life ... Read More

THROUGH MAN TO GOD BY GEORGE A. GORDON MINISTER OF THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH, BOSTON BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 0te tie pre, TO THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN TEMPLE MAINE WHERE I BEGAN MY MINISTRY TO THE SECOND CONGRE GATIONAL CHUKCH IN GREENWICH CONNECTICUT WHERE MY MINIS TRY WAS CONTINUED AND TO THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH IN BOSTON WHERE FOR NEARLY THREE AND TWENTY YEARS I HAVE SERVED SUPPORTED BY THE DEVOTION OF A GREAT PARISH I DEDICATE THESE SERMONS IN HONOR AND LOVE PREFACE TOWARD the close of his life Tennyson said to a friend, My chief desire is to have a new vision of God. In this desire the great poet Is the prophet of all serious men. What is final What is sovereign Who is God Up into these questions all other human questions are at length gathered. Mans destiny is in the keeping of mans Maker, whether that Maker be mud or mind, cosmic force orlEtemal Spirit. The ancient qiiestion ran, When shall I come and appear before God To-day we modify that question and ask, u How shall we appear before God Is the character of the Eternal accessible to man And if so, how Along what path may wb approach that char acter Where shall we look for the greater witness There are, finally, but two ways of approach to the character of the Infinite, cosmic nature and man. It is true that these exist together in a kind of sacramental union. It may seem that in any attempt to regard them as opposite, there is a violation of the great law, what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. viil PREFACE Still, they stand to eacli other as higher and lower, and they speak a different word concern ing the Mystery that is within them and behind them. Some years ago John Fiske published anin teresting book under the title Through Nature to God. Many men whom I lion or found light in that book. When I read it, 1 felt that my convictions were fundamentally opposed, not so much to the isolated ideas of the book, as to the plan expressed in its title. The title of my book originated in this fundamental opposition to Mr. Fiskes plan. Through Man to God is the expression that sums up my conception of the heart and soul of Christianity. Chris tianity is the interpretation of the Eternal, not through nature, but through human nature, not through the lower expressions of the creative power, but through man, the highest expression. The creation at its best gives us the Creator at his best the highest man is the supreme revela tion of God. The sermons in this volume have their unity here. They are variations upon this one por sistent theme. The incarnation of God in Jesus the perfect man, in all men as moral beings, in all good men as the life of their life, is the fundamental idea in my philosophy of existence In this volume that idea is presented in the free PREFACE ix dom of discourse and In relation to the human needs wMclx it is fitted to meet. The justification for the publication of a vol ume of sermons is in the ideas that they contain, the vitality with which these ideas are pervaded, and the literary conscience with which they are expressed. If in this sentence I have not vindi cated the appearance of the present volume, I have at least indicated my ideal, and I have fur ther written the law in accordance with which my book may be condemned. GEORGE A, OLD SOUTH PAKBONAGE, BOSTON, MASS. May 6, 1906. CONTENTS PA6B I. GOD AND HOPE 1 II. THE HUMANITY OF GOD ... 23 III. MANTHE APOSTLE OF GOD . . .42 IV, PERSONALITY AND THE TRUTH . 64 V. NATURE AND HUMANITY . ., .88 VI. LIFE AND LOVE AND TIME, . . 108 VII. THE SERVANT OF ABRAHAM . . . 135 VIII. THE UNTROUBLED HEART ... 152 IX, BELIEF AND FEAR 167 X. THE INHERITANCE OF FAITH ., 184 XI. THE GRACE OF KINDNESS . . .199 XII. THE GREAT QUESTION .... 215 XIII. THE ROMANCE AND THE REALITY . . 230 XIV. WISE MEN AND THEIR IDEALS . . 248 XV. THE FINAL THEODICY . . . .271 XVI. THE UPPER BOOM .... 286 XVII. GOD THE COMFORTER .... 305 XVIII. TOWARD EVENING .... 329 XIX... Read Less