Sermon Preached in Holy Trinity Cathedral By Dean Trivett at Evensong on May 15 that I do ti St. John 13, hou k but thou shalt ISSITING ın Hospital some time ago, I had a long chat wi. h one who found it difficult to see o understand the w. and the wherefor riy pur po: or j justice in trow and suffering. Why. for ins! infant come into the world, twine its little arm: of its parents, and then develop s me malady, and after weeks and months of suffering, die?
Why a re men mitten with incurable diseases, doomed to suffer cruel pains from whi ch drugs can only give partial relief, gradually wasting awa until death is a thing to be prayed for?
"These and kindred problems have srcised the minds of men in every age and condition, It exercises the mind of the author of the hymn we sang together a few minutes ago,—'*God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform."
And indeed the hymn is his answer to Jit. Let: see if it sugges an answer for us als The text I have chosen this evening is that placed by the compilers of cur hymns neient and Mode key text to the hymn the words have refe n. Pri ence to our Lord's action of action of his si the moment. Ti hat difficult for the Dis-
Just before he died, the two doctors who were attending him a smile, so marvellous in its blend of astonishment, delight an: d thai fulness, come over his face. that they said one to another,—"He is t us as plainly as if could ples to understand when their Lord it, 'I am getting into heaven after and Master girded himself to do He was buried by the side of menial work of washing his- Disciples' his friends, in St, Edmund's Chapel, feet.
But the words are capable East Dereham Church far wider and deeper meaning, and 1 would premise that they sugge what should be the Chistians a tude toward many things which Cowper's. Works Und pip: cannot now "understand.
We must ged d ork and wrote be prepared to see and experience the 68 hymns which Newton pubbs many things, the purpose and wis-|€d in the Olney collection.
Cowper's dom of which we cannot at present hymns and poems show no trace c understand or explain, and we ruk; he depression which at times so learn to trust the promise of Cot Worried him. They are full of healthy that one day all will be made clear, Piety. and particularly adapted to the hat 1 do, thou knowest not row, 16005 of young people, for nowhere but thou shalt know hereafter,"|¢lse will they find Sometime. somewhere, we shall know "s gels Sonde 4 understand the full purpose, the|Feligion so charmingly commended why and the wherefore, and the|OUr book contains only seven of b needs be, of what now seems so jn.|Ymns, hi comprehensible,—sickness, sorrow, dis- they are and used. One appointment, bereavement,—these ex-for instance, periences which come to all men at wherever thy people meet some time or other.
We, one and Hark my soul it is the Lord. all, like our Lord and Master, There is a founda d with blood come at some time and the hymn we few moments journey to our Gethsemane. lesser 304 move mysterious cox puts it Newton tells us that the All those who journey Real i of this hymn was almost Must hheer'alone in darkness there. And battle with some fierce despair, Not mine but thine.' who only pray Let this cup pass. and cannot see The purpose in Gethsemane yin Cowper's life.
During lof melancholia, the poet h [Possessed with the idea that it wil) of God that he should, the example of Abraham, perform w I ask you to consider Cow-lan expensive act of obedience, and pers hymn, because, while it recog-cer, not a son, but himself.
He s sizes the reality of the mystery: n|out for the place of his vision, which every life is more or lo driver missed the way, and involved, that "God moves in a|Cowper mysterious way," it recognizes ell, and teaches clearly, the fact that the Divine Providence govern ull the affairs of life; that God has walked home through ie cloud lifted from his mi spirit of gratitude, he w The hymn first apy From the first it was great purpose working through all popular, and today it is probably cne sireumstanee.
As Bishop Roots re-lof the most widely known and tre minded us last Sunday. "God quently used hymns in English speak-plan."
in unfathomable mines ayer. w SEM And works Me sovers!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.