The New York Herald Newspaper, September 12, 1870, Page 5

a tm the publio streets and removed from the buitd- ings, and his very insignia taken from the public places; his name forgotten, or, If remembered, re- only asa byword of execration, and he himseif banished from the very recollection Of those people who followed him with multitudinous huz- zahing as he marched out of Paris at the head of Bis troops, Who, at the beginuing of the summer, would have supposed the proud nation of France would be bP broken down; the ao brought low and the low put im high places? Who could have predicted all these events? Who could have the least idea that they were coming? But, after all, this is mot @ pecular crisis. It is the ‘same old history that has been going on for all these thousands of years. God has worked no faster this last three months than he has been working for all the past centuries. Without hawt without rest, he hag carried out the divine will kd wailed OF History never revolve more swiftly at one time than at an- other, Slowly, but unerringly, towards their goal they move on. Weare sturiled, but God is not. ‘These are ordinary events in His eye, however won- derful they may be to ours. but it requires the very t wisdom aud the most devout faith on our bd to believe that all these thiogs were for the best, Was easy for the Hebrews of olden time, when Mey knew ¢he world to bea small place, compara- Uvely, to have faith, But to believe in a divine and fect order of things in France, in Germany, in pain and in America requires a remarkably Clear faith, If we have perfect wisdom and this clear faith we shall know that Nothing walks with aimless feet ; ‘That not one life shall be destroyed, Or cast as rubbish to the wind ~ When God has made the pile complete. In Europe there is @ condition of things that Utterly flouts the Gospel. Where are the beatitudes? Where is the Sermon on the Mount? Where are the gracious words of the Master? See those plains torn by the cannon that should be opened by the Boneh — pains that shoula be sown with grain scat thickly with ruin; the air polluted with THE SMELL OF GUNPOWDER; bared corpses fertilizing God’s soil! What a bute to Christendom’? Where are our peace so- cieties? Where are our preachers? Where are our churches? Where is the great testimony of the Chris- tlan word? What has become of us that a war so vast, 80 devastating, siiould have been sprang on the world causelessly, without any great end or aim in view? it comes from the fact that this conviction has never fad been wrought into the minds of men—this feel- ing of brotherhood; this feeling that men are indeed mutually dependent one on another; that they are id up one with another in the same bundle uf Nife. This has never yet been fairly planted and in- grained into the education of tie world. Ana if ever it is to be it must be by the faithful meditation, thought, care and worship of these Sunday hours, ‘The singing of a nymn concluded the services, CHURCH OF THE STRANGERS. The Glory of Jesus—Sermon ,by the Rev. Br. Deeats. Of all the churches in New York elty there ts none which contained a larger congregauon yesterday morning than the Church of tho Strangers, in University place. fhe large chapel was crowded with @ congregation composed of all classes, sects and professions. Some time before the hour of devotional exercises arrived chairs, stools and benches were brought in and placed in the aisles, and were at once occupied by the immense throng who were constantly arriving. The gal- Jeries, too, were crowded until there whs not room for another person, and those who were #0 unfortunate as to arrive iate had to content themselves with standing up in the door- way. On the first Sunday in October the con- gregation are going to move into their new church in Mercer street, so kindly purchased and given to them by the philanthropic railroad king, Commodore Cornelius Vandervilt, when, it is hoped, they will nave at least sianding room for t.e many huudreds who every Sabbath congregate to hear tie eloqueat and giited pastor, Dr. Deems, ‘The singing at the Church of the Strangers 1s one of its principal features. The choir ts composed, for the most part, of Sabbath school chiidtven connected with the church, ana their singing, followed as it 1s by the whole congregation, 1s something really grand and sublime. Yesterday the Doc!or preached Upon the glory of Christ, ana it is doubtful if there Was ever delivered a more forcible and elo- quent argument in behalf of Christ’s claim in this respect upon both Jew and Gentile than hep presented to his enrapt hearers. His text was taken from Luke it., 32—“A light to lighten the Gen- tiles and the glory of thy people Israel,” The Jews, he said, are God’s peopie. It 1s a philosophic mis- take and a wickedness to rank them with infidels and atheists, 1 will be time enough for Chnstians to despise Jews when we shall have kept the werds of Jesu:uncorrupied ior fuur thousand years, as they have the words ol Moses. Nowhere on earth can such @ proof of the capability of man for reli- gion be found as in the history of the Jews. For no nationality has God done so much, and no _nation- ality has done so much for religion, Whatever Christianity has done for the worid is to be SET To THE CREDIT OF JUDAISM, which was one long preparation for Jesus, who lived and died a Jew. Here the interview of Simeon with the Hely Child was described. Simeon was a holy old Jew and Jesus‘a roaagit gees pays paying bis first visit to the temple of his religion. The wise old saint predicted of the infant that he would come to be the = of the Gentiles ana the glory of the Jews. The prophocy was fulfilled, Jesus came to be the light of the nations, He car ried the truths of religion ameng the aark places of the earth and the bright places. His religion drowned the glory of Greece ana Rome in a surpass- ing splendor as daylight drowns the stars, He has | estore Gothiand and Greenland and dark Caffir- jand with truths that lifted Moses to his loftiness and thrilled Isaiah with his raptures. ‘These truths had been to the Jews as gaslights and fireworks to a city. Jesus made them to be day-dawn to the na- tions. This was shown in particular doctrines, as the oneness of God, the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, the grandeur of uiitversal humanity, the immortal hopes of man. This Jew, Jesus, has enlightened the nations on all the great social questions. For a peaceful ana prosperous com- munity the MOST POWERFUL POLICE REGULATION is an inculcation of his teachings as to the relations of the sexes, the domestic relailons, the relations of individuals. Whatever was unsettled by the plilos- opiers of the Gentiles has been settled by the teac ings of Jesus on these topics. All the most health- minds now recognize Him as the supreme social lator. He shed light on all fandamentai civil principles also. It was so like daylight that men did not see how much they were indebted to it. But take the ideas of civil government existing up tothe time of Jesus, and compare them with men’s opin- jons on these grave subjects now, and in this depart- Ment we see how Jesus has enlightened the nations, Even into art we find this wonderful child carrying a@ superior light. Before Him the productions of art were representations of sensuous life,the external hu- anity, the triumph of the outward over the inward, as in the “Dying Gladiator; but be reversed this and brought art to represent principle triamphing over suffering. But Jesus is also represented as tie glory of the Jews. He 1s more to the Jews than to any other portion of the human race; Jor, first, he is the greatest man they ever produc They had Abra- ham, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel; ‘but Jesus was wiser, better, stronger, more influen- tal than them all. He gave life, vigor and wide- spread power to all they ever suid or aid, He made the little nationality on the west of the Mediterra- *nean the + MOST CONSPICUOUS OF ALL THE NATIONS of the earth. He shot the threads of its laws into the woot of every social and civil fabric on earth, He made tts hymns to be sung to every musical in- strument and in ali the languages of the world, More than that, e' great man in the last thou- sand years has acknowledged that Jesus was the greatest man that any nation ever produced. day the wisest, noblest Englishmen, Frenchmen, Germans, Russians, Italians, Greeks, Americans, acknowledge that England, France, Germany, Rus- sia, Greece, America, the wor as never furnished @ man in all respects the equal of this Jesus. All the loftiest men, since he appeared, have Jooked up to him ag unapproachable in greatness. It is the sentiment of modern civilization that it is blas- birt to make any other inan equal to Jesus. wastiy, the most glorious thing that can be said of the Jews is that Jesus was a Jew. There is notaing in the achievements of Hebrew arms or productions: of Hebrew genius or the results of Hebrew enter- prise equal to Jesus. Put every other possible thing to their discr and then say, “The Jews produced desus,” and you lift them above ALL ROMAN AND ALL GRECIAN FAME, It is not the name of the lawgiver, nor of the poet-king, nor of the tempie-bullder, nor of the Fapt prophet, witich makes the Bible sew illus ous—it is the naine of Jesus—he is the glory of God's ople, Israel! If [had my cnoice of natonalitie woull bea Jew. Disracil can look down on th Ollest bloods in the House of Lords and consider them parreneus, Jesus made ihat olde: blood. He i o Consolation of Israel. as looking for that. He found it in Jesus, 1 wish my Hebrew brethren who hear me to-day would find him so. He is their spiritual chief. The Doctor said he hoped erc long’tu hear the Israelites in the tem- Ple Imanuel singing:— ‘There ts no name fo dear on earth, No name #0 sweet in heaven ; The name before the wondrous birth, ‘To Christ the Saviour given. In this piace and nation have been taken awa. Jesus as Hebraized the Gentiles, and olfered to 1 rael “Jerusalem above, wiich is te mother of us all.” For all personal“and national faliures let them gonsele themselves in that Jesus was an Israelite; and iet us Caristians remember that he who ts the Enlighteoner ofjtue Gentiles is the Glory of ibe Jews, TRE PLYMOUTH BAPTIST CHURCH. tt on Kdveation Natiounl Sermon by Rev. Dr. We: and Religion—Sunday Schools a Affair—Their Odject and EM Quite a fe number of persons assembled at the Plymouth Baptist Church yesterday. ‘The congrega- tion ig not one of the richest in the city, but what they lack in worldly goods they muke up in piety. ‘The church edifice is small, and in its arrangements primitive; but it was built to aid THE GREAT CAUSE OF CHRISTIANITY and ost for allow; therefore it auswers jis purpose. NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1870.-TRIPLE SHEET, ‘Most of the members of the congregation live in the Immediate neighborhood and are strict in their at tendance at worship, All take an interest in the ob- Jects at stake, and do their best to aid the good cause. The church, therejore, is a family, in which no dissensions exist to mar its tranquility. All strive in the same direction under the leadership of their good pastor, the Rev. Dr. Wescott, Yesterday the female portion of the congregaiion wa well represented; and strange to say the majority of those present were young, lovely and charmingly dressed, THE SERMON was preached by the Rev. Dr, Wescott, who took his text from Exodus ii., 9— Tako Unis chiid away and nurse it for ine, and { will give thee thy wages.” ‘the reverend speaker construed the text to mean the religious education which all cllidren should re- ceive, A child tn its first years should be given to the Church, to receive the foundation of that know- ledge which shall be its guide through ie. Tie words of the text treat of the underlying clement of the Sun schools, Which have now become so pop- ular as to be BOTH NATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS. In regard to their national aspect we, as a peop! must sustain free institutions and religion. Educ: tion must be 9 available to the lasses without cost, Men must be governed, and they must be poverne well. If every man was able to govern imself then we might do away with our police and our courts and maby Other institutions that cost the people dear. But as yet they cannot do it, and re- ‘straint is necessary. This object may yet be gained, but to lead the way to it education must be univer- sal and religion must be free. EDUCATION ALONE 13 NOT SUFFIOIENT: it must be tempered.with religion, and this religt- ous education must bo obtained at the Sunday school Every man must possess the elements of religion in his soul. By this it is not mearit that Pe must be a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Presbyterian, however much we may favor a'particular sect. If apy one will examine the doctrines of the evangell- cal denominations it will be found that upon the essential points they all eres. It is Uhis, then, these universal Lie eeg) of which all must have a know- ledge. Knowledge is power, but KNOWLEDGE ALONE IS DANGEROUS. It 1s a power which may be exerted ulike for good or evil. It is like the swift horse—an imineuse power in itself, but it must be guided. Suppose the horse is going at the top of its syeed and the rein should break, what becomes of the rider? The swifter the horse the more sure 18 the rider's “de- struction. Knowledge is like the dam that confines the water and works the mill; but when the dam breaks and restraint 1s removed, what then’ Th! [od power 1s no longer under control, and great lestruction ensues. COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS MUST BE SUSTAINED, but their instruction must be salted with religion, and then they will be what they ought to be. Kdu- cation alone is no safeguard, for the most expert Swindlers are men of education. The speaker con- cluded py urging special efforts to be directed to the Sabbath schools, for in the early years of our life we receive our most lasting Jnppessiony, and they remain with us till we die. He also advised the aduits to form classes, for none of us live 80 long that we know too much. opie, ENGLISH LUTHERAN CHURCH OF ST. JAMES. The Dignity of Man—Intellectuality, Moral- ity, Immortality—Scrmon by A. C. Wedee kina, D. D. Come, said Jesns’ sacred voice, Come'and make my paths your cholee, Twill yuide you to your home— Weary pligrim, hither come, ‘The congregation of the English Lutheran Church of St. James is not composed, as its name would suggest, only of English residents, but also of Amer- ican and other nationalities, Itis situated on Fif- teenth street, between Second and Third avenues, and 1s built of plain granite. Its inside decorations are in keeping with} its outside appearance, being solemn and impressive in their character. The at- tendance yesterday was good, and comprised many well-dressed ladies and gentiemen, the former being, in many cases, very stylishly attired—some in all the rich magnificence of fall costume; a few in the more simpie and certainly the more charming robes of white, which remind one of the departed season that still lingers with us, as if loath to give up, its sway to the changeable autumn, harbinger of the coming winter, The pastor, Rev. A. C. Wedekind, delivered a very able discourse, taking for his text Psalm vill, 4— “What is man that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that Thou visitest him? He said the psalmist David was tull of respect and admira- tion for God; and it was no wonder that he should be, when he looked upon the vast universe and be- held the sun in its transcendent glory and upon the starry heavens. And then when he looked upon him- self and saw the PEEBLE FLESH AND FLEETING SPIRIT, @ being that is not master of himself for the smallest popeed of time, it is no wonder that the psalmist should give expression to the words, ‘‘What is man that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that Thou visitest him?” God made man but little lower than the mn igs od invested him with some of His own glory. lence, the preacher said, he would now speak of the dignity of man. Some peonls believed too mach in the orthodox view of uman pature—that it was low and depraved, and Yhat any term was more apropos than tat of dignified. But mafi is a dethroned king, and Louis Napoieon, wheae sceptre is now vroken, is no-more @ deposed monarch than is man, for he was born to power and to authority until divested of it by his own sin. Man, therefore, was not born to shame, but was destined to rule the universe. In speaking of man’s dignity his intellectual qualities first com- mand attention. It 1s man’s intellect that raises him to almost equality with the angels and consti- tates him CREATION’S LORD AND CREATION’S MARVEL. Nature would be @ blank aud the world a chaos without intellectual man. The lily knows not its whiteness; the rose iecls not its delicate pertume; the diamond sees not its sparkling scintillations, but man sees, feels, Knows und admires all these. He bulids houses and temples and bridges, bands the earth with an electric wire and brings tne lightning to his aid. He weighs the planets as in a scale, de- termines nature’s laws, fixes the distance of the heavenly bodies and their relative positions. The field of man's intellect us the universe. Nothing is too great for his conception—nothing too minute for his inspection. To create a world required omnipotence, but to create intellectual man required something more, Mau as a moral being, however, has @ higher claim to dignity. 1tis that sense of morality in us which acknowledges the power of God, which gives us the feeling of being full of Him, of being permeated by Him. 1 is in this ; HUMANITY CULMINATES, and man reveals his true dignity and shows himself litite jess than the angels. Man’s intellect com- inands our admiration; but it is his moral qualities which make him esteemed. His inteilect combined With morality makes him dignified and respected. Without this a philosopler would be a fool, and no religion can be true that recognizes not morality as the only principle of salvation. 1t is man’s immor- tality that makes the intrinsic value of his soul im- measurable, and makes him in that respect the equal of angels. Ifman uses his intellectual and moral qualitiesjin the service of Christ bis immortal soul makes him @ being almost godlike, and is sure to give him a place in heaven litule lower down than that of the angels. THE FRIEND: Opening of the Twentieth Street Meeting House=The Fall Fashions ‘Neglected—A Want of Silks but Blenty of Sileunce—Long ‘Thinking and LI Talkin ‘The fall season of religion was yesterday taugu- raied by all sects, and none were more zealous, in a quiet way, in rendering praise to their Maker for the benefits which they have enjoyed, already enjoy and which they expect to enjoy in the future, than the Society of Friends, The city meeting houses of this religions body number but three. That situated in Twentieth street, near Third avenue, perhaps. the neatest of the three, It is a two story edifice, built of stone, and has immeuse windows, each of which is hidden by drab bunds. The railing in front of the house 1s also painted drab, and the trees in- side of it are the only things about the house that seem to have put on adress of a different color. They are still @ wearin’ 0’ the green. Passing into the meeting house, the beholder is struck with THE EXVERNAL SIMPLICITY of everything around him, At each side of him is a fight of stairs leading to the floor rove, here is located the meeting room oper, On this floor is also situated a smail ‘y for the use of those who worship there. ig into the meeting room the eye rests on sev. eral rows of benches and a gallery, which runs en- tirely around the room. ‘The benches have cushions upon them, and the color of those cushions is drab The floor gradually recedes towards the front side ofthe room, where are located six benches, with high vacks, upon which the elders or ministers locate themselves during the service. The only car- upor the foor ts that which covers the aisles, that veneath tne benches being entirely bare, ‘Lhe wails are very while, giving to the room the ap- pearance of extreine neatnéss, This idea is duly carried out by the floor, which evidently receives the frequent attention of an industrious scourer, with plenty of sand and soap, for it is as white as the driven snow, The room is kept somewhat dark. Nearly ali the blinds remain closed. Even those that are opened let in but little hgut, for it’ is shut out by drawn cartoins, THE CONGREGATION yesterday was notvery large. It was composed ofr tty-four females, forty-eigat males, four boys and tive girls, Of course, the males occupied one wide of the house and the females the other. Of the former the majority were old or middle-aged. Four of them occupied the elders’ benches, fal enter. Ing the room their hats remained upon their heads and were not removed until they had reached their benches. Even then & lapse of some minutes oc- curred before they were tukén of. Twoold gen- Uemen wore their hats during the entire service, | come within One of them wore A NEW SHINING BEAVER, * and evidently a correct specimen of tie fall fashion. The younger male members of the Cr, ation: were very plainly dressed. Butone of the latter wore any tol ike @ fashionable suit, He was, however, evidently a dandy, for his kids were very closely fitting, his cravat fauitiess, his suit of the latest mode and his mustache duly waxed @ la Na- poleon, The ladies were nearly all plainly dressed. Drab was the prevailing eolor, Hats, dresses and chawis were mostly of this color, ‘Tweive of the Jadies present wore the well known Quaker style of bonnets, They were also wrapped io drab shawls and their bands were encased in drab colored gloves, ‘Taree of these ladies occupied the raised benches that facea the congregation, There were but TWO YOUNG LADIES PRESENT. One of these wore a new fall sult. It was a short suit, made of blue silk, trimmed with several nar- Yow flounces of the same material and cut to fit close to the figure. Her hat was of straw, trimmed with flowers and bunches of wheat. Her gloves Were dark brown and @ narrow point lace collar en- circled ber. neck. aye ao 2 an Cope seat one, and, compared with the sombre appearance Of the others that surrounded it, looked. like an oasis in the midst of a desert. The other young lady hadnot yet purchased her falt attire bul was dressed in an ordinary summer costume. On tue whole the fall fashions here were comparatively ne- hie and those of our modistes who visit the werent churches for the unholy purpose of stealiny new ideas would have left this house disgusted hi ‘they possessed the want of foresight to visit 1. THE SERVICES were very simple, Indeed, it may be sald that the services were almoat entirely omitted, By half-paet ven nearly all the con mation Were seated, The utmost silence prevailed. The four men and three women on the elders’ seats appeared to see some- thing intensely interesting on the floor, for they kept their eyes riveted upon it. Occasionally a foot Was moved, or some one would cough, and the sound reverberated throughout the room in such & manner gs to convey the idea that it was afraid of its own echo and was seeking a place through which to escape. Eleven o'clock echoed from a neighbor- Ing tower, yet not a word had been spoken, The Spirit had not yet moved any one w speak. . All seemed to be saying to themselves— Come, Hoty Spirit, Heavenly Dove, With all Thy quickening power Come, shed abroad Thy saving love In these cold hearts of ours. At three minutes past eleven, however, one of the eldegs on the front bench knelt in prayer, and imme> diately the congregation arose and remained siand- ing until he had concluded. A silence of ten min- utes again ensued. At the expiration of that time one of the old ladies calmly untied the strings of her bonnet, and quietly arose to speak, Her address was an exceedingly beautiful one. She referred in Teeling terms to those who had departed from their midst since they last met, aud spoke of the gratitude which all present should fee! to Him who had allowed them to meet again in their beloved place of worship, As the last echo of her voice died awa} silence again settled upon the congregation. Medi- tation, deep and fervent, was indulged in. It was indeed an excellent place for such thoughts, and those who love a quiet spot, where, undisturbed by the noise of wordly strife ana the babbie of many tongues, his scattered thouhts can be collected, the meeting house of the Friends 1s highly recom- mended. ‘The sileace that filled the congregation remaimed unbroken until twenty minutes before twelve o’clock, when, at a signal from one of the elders, the congregation arose and took their leave. ‘The meeting had lasted for one hour and ten min- ue and the one hour hid been passed in solemn silence, SERVICES IN BROOKLYN. PLYMOUTH CHURCH. Return of the Members of the Church from the Country—Rettrn of Fashions Also— Music -and Its Attractions and Influence Sermon by Rev. James Beecher on Perfec- tion—Dyspepsia as a Comparison. Plymouth church has never, perhaps, presented a more charming and truly picturesque appearance than that of yesterday morning, when the church ‘was literally crowded for the first time since Brother Wara Beecher went away on his vacation. The seats, which are arranged in a somewhat theatrical though symmetrical form, were filled in every pars by persons mostly belonging to the congregation, but who, it was evident from their sunburnt features, had been away praising nature’s God for many weeks past and had now returned in a state of spiritual hunger to their nead and shepherd. It would certainly seem that they nad not mis- spent the time allotted them for temporal rusticat- ing, for to judge from the healthy and happy ap- pearance which hundréds of them presented they had returned prepared to meet the exigencies of another season, however severe and inclement, and to sit again at the feet of their pastor for spiritual instruction for another year. As the weather was yesterday exceedingiy cool and pleasant, so different from what was the case when many of this congre-“ gation left town, A GREAT VARIETY OF COSTUME met the eye at every turn, ana tended, by its appa- rently even dispersion throughout the build- ing, to render the whole scene one of _ at- traction and delight; and, what is seldom within our province to record, the sexes were present in almost equal numbers, which would infer that a better influence is being in some quarters brought to bear upon the “lords of creation” so as to induce them to take greater interest in that “better part which cannot be taken away.” The dresses of the ladies were as various in form as in color. Some stil, wore the light summer skirt and cover with light silk sash and panier, while on the head was perched, in many instances, asmail hat of an Italian shape, highly decorated with flowers of as many different shades of color as one might conclude was the case with the ill-fated coat of the ancient patriarch son, while others, clinging nearer to the fashions generally accorde for winter ature, wore the more agrecable and respectable BLACK SILK DRESS, trimmed In a few cases with magenta velvet or rib- bon, and the black lace shawl to match, with hats of dark straw, trimmed with black silk and orna- mented with a flower or flowers of @ uniform color. There were also a few, who, having received an in- sight into Dame Nature’s millinery establishment during the vacation, appeared determined to tmi- tate her at least for a me, being DRESSED JN GREEN SATIN and white lace from head to foot, not excluding the trimming of the bonnets, which was of the same material and tone, Others there were who were attired tastefully in the garbs of early winter, with their over-shawis of rich Scotch tarlatan or plaid flung loosely and carelessly across their shoulders, which gave @ certain pecullarity to the a and when added to this the nat of the latest fashion, hav- ing somewhat the appearance of @ Chinese pagoda, dressed with ribbons of various colors, some green, some red, some blue and soma yellow, the whole may be sald to be extremely varied but complete. ‘There could not be a more pleasing spectacle for those who have a taste for fashions than was here exhibited, and James Beecher must have felt that he had indeed to preach to @ congregation as “full of fashion’’ag any he had ever addressed. THE CHOIR, twenty-eight in number, assembled punctually at half-past ten, and in obedience to an introductory voluntary from the powerful organ, commenced a quartet taken from Bombach’s collection, and rendered it in & manner which would excite the envy of many a singer connected with our best opera houses; it may even be fairly questioned if the half of those who put themselves forward as operatic eriormers Would or could have rendered it go well. Brother Beecher evidently understands the sooth- ing and pleasing effect of music upon mortai minds, or he certainly would never have taken the trouble tu train a choir 80 well to SING PORTIONS OF OPERAS in his church before the commencement of his ser- vices. He realizes, possibly, in his own person that delightful thrill and the emotions which are then calicd into existence. No one, however, can object to mus this kind, a1 e is really no reason why a great deai of the old orthodoxchants, &c., should not give place to this, which is at the same time more instructive and more elevating. Rev. James Beecher, who isa brother of the pas- tor, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, preached an instruc- live and interesting sermon from Matthew y., 48—"Be ye therelore perfect, even as your Father which is heaven is perfect.” He said there had been and still Was a great deal of teaching upon this subject which was thoroughly unpracti inasmuch as many attempted to preach perfection before they knew how imperfect the humana heart was; but tt was apparent to all how futile such @ course must be. It was true, nothing could be absolutely per- fect. A locomotive was tne most perfect machine which man bad been able to invent for the good of lis fellows; it would crag tmmense loads both for the PEASANT AND THE MERCHANT é + so long as it was kept upon the sinooth Iron or steel rails, but take it into a rich arable field or a mea- dow and it became at ounce a useless obstruction. It might as well be expected that an engine of that class could work the plough, or that a newly born child should become at once the developed and in- tellectual man, as to expect that a man can be per- fect before he understands his own imperfection, Again, tt was agreat mistake to go to God to ask Him as @ matter of MECHANICAL HABIT to forgive our sins. Noman knew how deteriorat- ing this was for his happiness of mind, Supposing, While in a state of this mechanical meditation, God Was to interrnpt the supplicant and ask him what he wanted; why, le could not state his wants, as he would have been praying in the leiter, but the spirit would have been elsewhere. DON'T HAVE MECHANICAL CONFESSIONS nor acknowledge constantly our cMminality before Him who already knows better than we what we are. Many people seek forgiveness, but for wrat? They doa’t know how much they condemn them- selves in the sight of Heaven when they go as mere formalists to God’s throne. DYSPEPSIA AS A COMPARISON. It reminded him of a certain disease that doctors always fall back upon when in any doubt astoa particular patient whose case docs not Wappea to their nomenclature, That disease is dyspepsia. It is @ disease that is found everywhere, im every city and town; its subjects are ever com- Dlaining, yet never better or worse. They are ever dying, but they won't die, luckily for the insurance oices. ‘They are the most unfortunate people in the world, yet never ose anything. We must not go to God as though we expected Him to give everything we want; we must not go and ask Aim to suppress our pas- sions and affections, for they are the marks and limits by which we are bounded; and so long as we keep them as servants, weil; but if we allow them to become masters then we are responsible for this, but we must not expect God to suppress them, ‘That would oe like the botlermaker who was too lazy to put in the proper strengthening ribs in the boiler aud afterward prayed that God might make the steain weak, No; we must leave all our faults with God, skin, bone and flesh, amd not attempt to hold, as the American sea captain did, the half dollar bill until he MADE THE EAGLE SQUBAK that was on it. Finally he recommended his hearers to live well in the sight of God, and then there would be no need for either mechanical or undue confessions, and trust to Christ, who 18 all and tn all and who alone can make us perfect, being himself periect in all things, BRIDGE STREET AFRICAN CHURCH. A Fashieunble Colored Congregation at Wor- ship- The Fall Fasbious of a Negro Church Sermon on “Angel Equality”—How to Raise Sixty or Seventy Dollars. Bridge street African Methodist Episcopal church is located on the skirts of the fashionable dwellings of Brooklyn, It stands aside, as it were, from pa- latial re@idences and brown stone fronts, but suiil- ciently near to be considered as within the zone of fashionable and well-to-do neighborhoods. Ecclest- astically, too, this church has a good position; it is the first and foremost of the colored Methodist bro- therhood, the cathedral church of colored saints, and the Zion of religious and respectable black society, Yesterday morning the pastor (colored of eourse), the Rev, W. W. H. Winder, preached for the first time since his vacation, This circumstance, together with that of its being one of the balmiest, breeziest mornings of the fall season, brought together the élite of the church and congregation, The assem- bly, however, was not numerous, For reasons con- nected with the social Iile of the colored Methodists the afternoon ts the more favored time for religious service, and then this Bridge street temple 1s crowded, Those who were present in the morning were a fair representation of those who most ao congregate within the sacred walls, THE FALL FASHIONS were also represented, The leading members of the congregation arrived sufficiently late to turn aside the worshippers from their devotions to the rustle of silks and the gliding away of gorgeous attire, preceded by @ black gentleman tn black, along the matted aisles, The young sports of the New York Fifth avenue type trod with stately step about this time their way along to their respective pews, and with slender cane in one hand and the brim of thetr hat in the other, pressed it nearto their lips, stood for & moment or two, and appeared to hold a confi- dential conversation with somebody or something that was between their lips and the corner of their hats. They then occupied @ seat in the pew and twok a general survey of the congregation after the manner and in accordance with the etiquette of the best society, The colors most favored by the ladtes this season, at present, at tals church, were dove tunis, light blue, and white, which it is needless to say corresponded inharmoniously with the sableness of their complexions, One lady had hit this harmony of color so well as to be fortunate enough to have selected from her wardrobe for her adornment grass-green gloves and a light blue bounet. Another jady, atvended by her husband, who is evidently a pillar im the church and @ prominent man tn col- ored circles, wore & bonnet with pink decorations, @ Paisiey shawl and @ pale green silk dress, THE YOUNG MAIDENS of the congregation, wives expectant, were nearly all attired in white robes of fashionable build, and as their forms were not quite 80 attenuated or their faces polished with so biack & hue as the more richly clothed of their sisterhood, their appearance Was Captivaiing and charming. As an evidence of how fashion and the — “what-shall-I-put-on’” worry will find its cankering way into the most devoted heart, it may be mentioned that a lady, who was not very pretty, and not very young, and aiso the reverse of fair, but who scemed to be the leading Mary of the church, proclaimed her weakness by the wearing of a black overskirt, in accordance with the pomps and vani- tues of this wicked world. it was true that she com- romised with this little ylelding to vanity by wear- Ing algo a bonnet of thé color and make worn 60 Loire by the lady members of the Society of ‘lends. From the prayerful attitude and lively, earn- est attention patd to all parts of the service, united with the recognitions of the leading members of the chureb, there is no doubt tl te wearer of the overskirt and the Quaker bonnet 1s, in spite of the former, & burning and @ shining light. Punctually at the hour appointed for the service Mr. Winder rose from the couch on platform and read the well known hymn commencing There is a land of pure delight, which was not then sung, but the reading of which was followed by the reading of selections from the Scriptures, After this the organ played ove! in a pathetic minor, and the caoir sang thr hymn the minister had previously read. Following the custom of the fashtonable churches, the congre- gation stood up, with bymn-books in their hands, but left the choir to do ail the singing and playing. Mr. Winder was assisted in the service by a lay bro- ther, who led the congrégation in prayer and whose responses were as frequent as in the litany of the Espicopal Church, and much more lively and ear- nest.” The singing of the anthem by the choir also followed this prayer, the congregation re; ig in their seats as the strains of music, walted along in beautiful disdain, prepared their minds and hearts for the sermon. Neither the words nor the music were by any one of the great sacred masters; it was robably the composition of @ colored brother with a lent for putting “negro” melodies to sacred words. Mr. Winder selected his text from the first clause of the thirty-sixta verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke—‘‘Neither can they die any more, for they are equal unto the angels.” The leading thought ef the discourse was‘the consola- tion that there was in the Joyous expectation that in the fature life we were to be equal unto the angels, ‘The discourse was delivered with all the religious fervor that colored preachers are distinguished for, and fewer of the pecullaritics of apeecn for which they are also distinguished, There was much tnat was made up of truisms in religious thought, but there were aiso here and there PICTURESQUE EXPRESSIONS and original statements. For example, when Mr. Winder informed bis congregation that an angel was 216 feet high, and argued from that what a joy it would be for insignificant mortals here be- low to attain,.hercafter, to that altitude, he was saying that which the bulk of his congregation, we suppose, Lad had no idea of before, There was to bea good time generally when we had crossed the river of Death; but that which gave the preacher the greatest satisfaction seemed to be that we shoild then, lo us@ a strong but elective expression, have “cornered” the angels. Minor matters in which we suffered care and trouble here below, but which we should know nothing about hereafter, were elo- quently descril Among these was the singing power we should obiain there. “Here,”’ said Mr. Winder, we sometimes siugso loudly that we TROUBLE THE TERRITORY OF THE DAMNED; but what shall it be when we sing with the angels? The angels can only sing ‘Worthy the Lamb,’ but we can sing, my Urothers and sisters, ‘Worthy 1s the Lamb that was slain’—but we can sing the new song, ‘And hast redeemed us unto God by Thy blood, out of every Kindred and tongue and people and hetion.’ And ten God will take nis beautiful, soft, white nand and wipe away all tears from our eyes. We can’t be judges here, my friends, but we shall judge ali the nations there, I lave looked in the Bibie afd I don’t see th 42 angel is to sit down with God on the judgment seat to judge the nations, but only the saints; so let us try to be saints, METHOD! iT friends. pats of “Glory,” “Amen,” long drawn out “Ah, ah’s’’ and half-articulatea groaus came in bere and there from the audience, like a Greek chorus, and seemed to give case to the pent up spirits of the excited auditor, When the minister threw himself on to tne couch at the conclusion of the sermon three or four col- ored gentlemen, In suits of bisek cloth, rose from their respective pews and proceeded to put baskets under the noses of the congregation. Stamps and pennies found their way within, and when the bas- kets had been deposited on @ side-tabie, guarded by a colored brother, Mr. Winder rose and said thathe was under obligations to his congregation for their kindness tn giving him a vacation; he had been away four weeks anu had had a good tim He had not yet seen the trustees, but he believed everything had gone on all mght since he had been away; whether it had or not he wus quite sure it had been all right with him. ‘They knew the churct wanted money, and he should like to have to-day sixty or seventy dollars. That was What was wanted and that must be had. He wanted ten dol- lars of that seventy dollars right away, and while they “sung something” let the brethren or sisters brig their dollars and cents up to the table. “Let us sing something while this is done,” said Mr. Win- der. There was a ready response right away, and the choir struck up somethmg Uiat closely Tesem- bled the Dooden, dooden, dooden, dooden, dooden dey of the refrain of a negro melody sung by colored minstrels. Mr. Win with lis white Ivory teeth very visible, jeaned overthe pulpit, watching the stamps and cents, and, with all the elocution and vim of an auctioneer, went for the baiance of the ten dollars. ‘Keep singing, friends.” said Mr. Win- der, “and we shall soon have the balance,” and to the Inspiring strain of the Dooden, dooden, dooden, dooden, dooden dey, the ten doitars, with fifty cents over, was gathered on the table. Mr. Winder announced a class meet- ing aiter that service, a service in the afternoon, another inthe evening, and thep pronounced the dismissal diessing. SERVICES AT LONG BRANCH. Sermons at the Various rehex=Last Sere mon of the Sensonu at the Sea Side Chapel The Closing Funeral over the Victims of the ‘Tom’s River Disaster. LONG BRANCH, Sept. 11, 1870, Unusual solemnity has characterized all the reli- gious services here to-day—a solemnity engendered by the deeply affiictive calamity at Tom’s River, to which allusion was made in all the morning ser- mons. At the Sea Side chapel was preached the concluding sermon of the season, the preacher be- ing Rev. J. B, Wilson, At the Episcopal church Rev. R. A. Poole oconpied the pulpit and at the Methodist Centenary church the pastor, Rev. J. B. Grau, con- ducted the exercises, preaching an effective and eloquent discourse from the text Second Timothy 1, 12; “For the which cause I also euffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom [| have believed and am persuaded that he 13 able vo keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” The burden orthe sermon was unfolding the comfort and conso- lation to be derived from the late disaster snatching suddenly from life eight who a week ago were full of health. The abdsorbingly interesting sacred ser+ vices of the day, however, were the closing obsequies: upon the still unburied victims of the mS TOM’S RIVER BRIDGE DISASTER, Peter W. Howland and Mary E. Styles, whose fune- ral and intérment were postponed till to-day. It will be remembered that these two, who were aflanced lovers and were shortly to have been mar- ried, were drowned together, he having lost his life in his attempt to save her. The funeral took place at Nalfepast three o’clocx Unis afternoon, at the Meth- odist Centenary church, There was @ very large a tendance, the church bemg filled to its utmo: capacity, and many were unable to get in- side. The Odd Fellows, to which young Howlaad belonged, attended tn full regalia, as also the Grand Templars, to Whom special seats were assigned, as likewise to the church Sabbath school, in which both of the deceased were late teachers, After the preliminary exercises of prayer, singing and reading the Scriptures Rev. J. B. Grau preached the FUNERAL SERMON, and @ most deeply touching sermon it was, affecting to tears nearly everybody inte churel, His text was Revelations xxi., 4—‘'And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be ho more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things ure passed away.” This life, ne began, was a vale of tears, Our pilgrimage here was one of pain, Earth was full of sorrow, Tears, pain and death awaited ali during their sojourn here below. All these are the fruits of Adam’s transgres- sion, He brought sin into the world, and through ne aap oe ee fashionable life, that have been surronaded by the embellishments of society and RUN THE GIDDY ROUND OF FOLLY, what else can you confeas but that you have beer miserable? Or you, men of the World, whose thoughts, day and night, are tempered with the love of gain, what has your wealth brought you or your snceess given you but increasing auxiety and never- ending solicitude? Have honors rewarded your am} bition; have you succeeded iu ascending the plana- cle of fame?” What have you to boast of, or what is there within to satisly the UWirst of your na- ture? Professors of religion, indifferent to the cause of Jesus, if you have refused to tread any path of mani- fest duty, how much better 18 your condition than Uthat of the prodigal sou? The poignancy of his woe was that he was away (rom home, tnat he was ab- Sent from his father’s house and had rejected his fel- lowship. It was this thought that made him misera- bie, Tow many are there whose situation is the same, but who fail to real\ze their distance from the fellowship of God? In the case of the prodigal som At brought penitence. ‘The secret of the tuspiration was that it taught him thé fallacy of a life of ples- sure. The wealth of the world was not sufficient to satisfy the destre of that ont heart. Remembering ils forlorn condition, we look with pity on his ema- clated form, on the tattered garments of the who throws himself at he father’s fee could we discern the ‘spiritual degrada- tion of many and many a so in the sight of God, how \awtul, how ter- rible would be the gaze! We\would realize that such & sapere from our heavénly Father was the first, the last, the supremest evil ® all misery. For the essence of the gullt of the pradigal son we are not to look in his riotous living. Was not @ sin- ner alone because of the reckless\expenditare of what he had received, nor were all\of his sing as grievous a5 human nature might judge, His great- est offence was that HE LEFT HIS FATHER’S HOUR and wandered away, forgetful of bis filial obligation. ‘There are many who put a high estimats upon their character who think they carry themsel\es ctreum- spectly before God and man, yet who, in\the sight of Heaven, are more culpaoie than the prodigal son. ‘The chief of sinners {8 not always to béfound in the person of the criminal accused of the greatest crime against the law. There may \be sins more heinous than that of murde, We are not al circumstanced alike, and) it is certain, therefore, that lesser sins against greater light are more formally sinfub than greater sing against lesser light. A moral man ts not necessarily a good man in the estimation of Heaven. Oné may be possessed of all the refinements known to modera, society, may be polished in manner, amiable in dis- position, kind-hearted, even benevolent, and yet be corrupt in heart; for tl 1s that alone that God judges. ‘There are those Who are indifferent to religion, Who break the commandments and DISREGARD THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS, yet who would have us believe that they are avow- edly His disciples, ‘Thus reise and delusion hide from them their true condition, and they may be with the prodigal son in the far country. ‘To be at home 18 to be with God, to live under his watehful eye, to be ready ever to obey manifestations of His will, Are we thus at home, or has spiritual blindness =permitied us to wander away from His everlasting’ love? lt if the sin sorrow, tears and death, Ue pictured at length the pains and penalties consequent upon the intro- duction of sin Into the world, and then described ta singularly graphic language the HEAVENLY FELICITY, where there were no tears, no sorrow, no pain, no doubt. In this future iife all the former things of earth are passed away, In the heavenly mansions repared for the just there was perpetual joy and happiness, perpetual singing of psalms and praises to the Lamb, a perpetual glorious immortality, shared with God@ and Jesus Christ His Son and the Holy Ghost and the angels and the blessed hosts of the redeemed, In conclusion he showed the applicability of the text to the mourn- ful occasion which had brought them te- gether. Eight persons had suddenly been called from thetr midst in the full enjoyment of life and health. He described the joy and hopefulness of all. as they set out on their late annual Sunday school celebration, how sudden was the disaster be- falling them, how terrible the revulsion of feeling when the extent of the disaster became known, how sadly they came home bringing back the bodies of the dead with them, The last sad funeral rites had been periormed on the remains of #ix of these, and they were now In their graves sleeping that sleep that knoweth no waking. To-day they were to bury two more. Peculiarly distressing circumstances at- tended the death of these two: they were soon to have been merried, but death tuterposed to prevent it, bat death did not separate them. They died together and together the TWO IN ONE GRAVE were to be buried, and in the clothes that’ had been prepared jor their wedding. They were now, as they all confidently believed, united in the other world, for which, happily, they were prepared. His closing remarks were very affecting. He was followed in a brief aud also most touching address: by Key. F. A. Morrell, and at the conclusion of the latter’s remarks the Sabbath school children sang the hymn of which the following are the opening verses:— 0 weetly solemn thonght mes to me o'er and oer; nearer my home to-dat ‘Than 1 have been befure. Nearer my Father's home, Where many mansions bé; I'm nearer the great white throna— ‘Nearer the jasper sea. Succeeding the singing of the hymn were ex- posed the remains, which had been placed in very neat but pian coftins, and which were sald to look very natural. Ona silver plate on each were in- ascribed their names and the date of their respective births and deaths. Offerings of flowers were also strewn on the coffins, As the congregation fied by scarcely a dry eye was to be seen. The fnai closing ceremonies were THE BURIAL, which took place in the graveyard attached to the Methodisigchurch In Mechanicsville. A large num- ber follo' the remains to their final resting place, As stated above they were placed in the same grave and robed in the garments in which they were to’ have been married. The ceremonies here were the~ usual ones, but though brief were sadly impressive. SERVICES IN WASHINGTON. TRINITY CHURIH. Admirablo Discourse on the Parable of the Prodigal Son—Deceptive Pleasures of Life— The Heinousness of Sin—Spiritual Welfarc of the Self-Righteous. WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 1870, The congregation at Trinity Episcopal church MsteneJ to an admirable discourse from the rector, Rev. Dr. Addison, this morning, on the parable of the prodigal son, The reverend speaker said that the prodigal son, after he left his father’s house, was enchanted with the scenes which surrounded him. Young, gay and thoughtless, desirous only of consultmg his own pleasure, the waywardness of his situation seemed to him infinitely preferabie than to be under the parental restraint of his father's house, ‘The impulses of his nature directed him in the way of gayety. Self-denial or self-control were unknown tohim, His was to be a career of pleasure, and everything was to be forgotten that conficted with his idea of happiness. THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE was hushed. Tis father’s love was effaced from his memory, and whatever enjoyments his patrimony could procure hi was determined to obtain. His whole being scemed to be possessed with the love of pleasure, The ontlook of the coming years was to him a promise of uninterrupted contentment. ‘There was not 50 much as asbadow to darken the prospect, nor did he reckon upon the possibility of being checked by the hand of God, But it was the vision of an Msane mind, and in time God dispelled the ideal his fancy had formed, and, in the words of Jesus Christ, “le came to himself.” The swine be- fore him ling on the husks were fit emblems of his ill-spent life. fe had rioted in the luxuries of the land, Fascinated by the allurements of carnal plea- sures he had expelled all that there was pure tn his nature, and the consciousness of the situation in which his conduct had placed him made bliin the keener realize his degradation. He fell that he must forever remain @ fallen man, and that bis humiliation was deservedty the result of the manner in which he had wasted i ather’s substance, Alt around him mil¢ with peace and joy, and the con etween his condition thea aud earlier in life only made the comparison more pain- ful. We understand the application of the parable, and it is not neccessary to confine Ourselves striculy vo the words in which tt is presented to make that application personal. DISSIPATION AND PAS 10N are not the only deceptive pleasures of life. Our Lord Jesus employs Uiis beaniifal imagery to convey to the minds of all cls the ¢ of those who wander from his Fatner’s lov far coun- would lead us to suppose. moralist, the strict religionist, destitute of We love of God, are examples of the condition of the prodigal son. Tho: yho con. sole themselves with the thought of self- righteousness: or live in self-complacency are in tue far country feeding on the husks of the swine. ‘The spiritual welfare of such ta perilous because of the biind- ness of thetr hearts, and to all who are living in Unls manner he could say that they, too, were but imitating the reckless carcer of the bat od ‘They might esteem themselves shappy, but happiness conid alone be found in God. A fearful void re- mained in their hearts. No cry of distress comes to arouse them, and the mind and heart fillea with the love of the world lei the admonitions of religion unheeded. Such people live only on the surface of THE GREAT BOSOM OF ETERNITY, and God alone can deepen their aspirations, for life demands the satisfaetion of thelr carnal nature, which tends only to the iusts of the eye and the flesh. To those imbued with such a spirit of what magnitude is the love of immortality’ The most important part of onr wants are left unnoticed; there is desolation within, for it is there we behold the comeliness of the king's daughter, Look back, you who have led lives burren of the love of God, aud in all sincerity answer, have you been happy? tas not the world been to you wilderness of woe? What have you that is substantial to show for your cark- dug cares? You. who have lived in the whul of case with very many agp? guilty sinnera, and let no one say it 1s not. ye may be rich with the goods of this world, and yet our poverty may be more squalid than that presented in the picture of the prodigal son. We may be more despicable in the sight of the angels than the meanest of beggars onearth. Happy will such be if, having imitated the prodigal son in his sin, they also follow the ex- ample of his penitence, and, like him, return te their father’s house. FIRST CONGRE RATIONALIST CHURCH. “God's Uniformity in Answering Prayer? — Necessity of Diligence atid Lmportanity in Prayer—Christ’s» Mercies Determined by Human Requests. WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 1870. Rev. Dr. 1. E. Rankin, pastor of the First Congre- gational church, delivered this morning a discourse onthe subject of “God's Uniformity in Answering Prayer,” from the text: “Ask and It shall be given you.”"—Matthew viL, 7, 8 In the physical world the operations of the Almighty are characterized by re- markable uniformity, aud even human life, the most uncertain of all uncertainties, continucs and terminates in accordance with certain fxed principles already well developed, classified ana acted upon by man. This confidence in the unt- formity of God’s works lies at the foundation of human peace and progress, and 1s thoroughly estab- lished in God’s natural government, and the same principle of uniformity the Holy Spirit has intro- duced into the text, encouraging us to pray, because God untformly hears and answers prayer. The text contains repeated and intensified exhortations to prayer, enforced by assurances that PRAYER WILL BE ANSWERED, and is designed to teach that we have a strong aver- sion to the duty of prayer and that God will have faith, diligence, perseverance and importunity in prayer, It founds its exhortations and encourage- ments upon God's uniform faithfulness, “Every one that asketh receiveth; he that seeketh findeth, and to nim that Knocketh it shall be opened.” If Unis statement were made upon any other subject there would be no hesitation or diMcyity if interpreting it. God says, ‘There shall be seed time harvest, and ne that planteth pianteth in hope, looking for his return as insured him by the sure word and covenant of Jehovah.” ‘The state- ment that God untformly hears and answers prayer is literally true in the largest and fullest sense. Humble, contrite prayer, to which the Saviour ex horts and encourages usin the text, “does prevail With God." Christ intends to teach that the power of prayer ts left with him that offers it. Failure or success rests with the Christian. Remarkable faith- fulness in answer to alta always accompanies re- markable faithininess In prayer, and successful prayer is only falling in with God’s method of FULFILLING TIS OWN ETERNAL COUNSELS. ‘The kind of prayer referred to tn the text 1s speci- fic prayer. There ts no such thing as {prayer with- out a sense ol need. If @ man should come to us with petitions worded as we sometimes word our prayers, should we not be competied to say, “Well, after all, what did he wantr’ Specific prayer ts tne kind encouraged inthe text. It ts not improper to believe that God never answers in an other way, for that is a virtnal denial. It does not meet the promise, “Ask and ye shall receive.” We receive anoter thing and not that for which we ask; another door and not that against which we knock is opened. But, you say, “perhaps our request is not according to the will of God." Then 1 1s not the kind of prayer of which the Saviour speaks. kind of prayer is such in its object and manner that it pleases God, and hence it pleases Him to answer it just as it is offered. Historical evidence that God uniformly answers prayer 18 abundant. Abraham rays for the salvation of Sodom and of Lot out of iom. God promises the first upon a condition which Abraham makes but which the city cannot meet. He grants the last. The prayer of the same patriarch removes the curse of the Almighty from Abimelech and his household, Eliezer, Abraham's servant, when commissioned to select a wife for Isaac, prays that God will direct him by asign, and even before he has done praying Rebecea comes out of the city with a pitcher on her shoulder. Tae prayer of Moses QUENCHES THE FIRE OF THE LORD, whieh burned among the Israclites in Taberah. When Joshua prays, the sun and moon stand still jod’s people avenge themselves upon their er to the prophet Samuel, thunder and rain appear tn the hot months of the wheat harvest. At the supplication ot bis servant, Jehova heals the withered hand of Jereboam. Whe: Elis agonizes in his behaif he brings to life the cid of the Shunamite, and while the prophet Dantel Is yet speaking God sends an angel to axe In the him that his prayer is granted, ySof Christ this uniformity was no less remarkable, His whole ministry to the aMictea and siuful Was in answer to prayer. If He went about doing good the direction of His offices of mercy Was determined by haman requests. There may ti some exceptions to this law, but they are oniy apparent, Prayer 1s not de- signed by 1 simply as a channel through which He may bestow such blessings as men think they need, and many of the requests made by God's servants and denied are really contrary to His will. But the prayer of faith, “the efecmal fervent of the righteous,” God uniformly hears and We doupt not Gou's covenant in and yet He has never sealed this in’ the blood of His Son. We — are not skeptical here; why should we doubt God's covenant in grace? Shall we not hereafter hot with the thought that Goa sometimes yor, but that He always does’ Let our spirit of the text, and our experi- it vovery one that asketh receivett h findeth, aud to hin thal Knocketi 1 shall be opened,” MILITARY CHIT-CHAT, ‘There isramor in military circles that durmg the coming season there will be a drili match between u crack company of the Twelfth regiment and one or the compantes of tue Twenty-second. It is said that a prominent officer of the regular army Is to act as jadge, and that tie triumphant company will be went to the seat of war Instanter, If this should be true It 1s quite likely that neither company will be very anxious to win. Now that every Kind of association ts patting lis finger into the political pie to serve its own ends, an effort 18 being made among several of the regi- menis of the First and Second divisions to make the question of supplying the militia with regular army muskets a question of the coming campaign as far as the National Guard voters are concerned, Those who are agitating the matter claim that they have for years been pro- mused the “Jatest iraprovements,” but every pro- mise has been broken, and that the men ought to support only those politicians who will pledge them- selves to getting rid of the present muskets and re- placing them with the improved Springfleld. It is quite donptful if the movement witt succeed. The militia, as such, should keep out of polttics, Great preparations are being made for the de- ature of the Ninth regiment to Boston. Colonel ‘isk has determined to give the Hubbites a sight at his men, and show them what can be éx- pected of the “rivals of the Seventh.” It is expected that the Ninth will make a very large turnout.