The New York Herald Newspaper, January 29, 1872, Page 4

4 RELIGIOUS Yesterday’s Sermons in Metropolitan Pulpits. the DEFENCE OF THE CONFESSIONAL The Swedenborgian View of Christ’s Transfiguration. THE POWER OF ENTHUSIASM. Unitarian View of the Mission of Christ. OPE FOR THE SINNZ Arrogant Selfishness Worse Than the Sins That Men Puni G00'S += PRESENCE IN| THE CHURCH, Mlscourses by the Rey. Dr. McGlynn, Revs. Henry Ward Beecher, Merrill Rich- ardson, George Hepworth, W. M. Punchon, James Freeman Clark, Chauncey Giles and Father Kane. NEW YORK HMRALD, MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1872.—TRIPLE SHEET. soludion would be withheld by the Atmighty. NEW ENGLAND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, for Lis Success—Enthusiastic Men tae Graud by Rev. Dr. Merrill Hichare ‘Yo the large and intelligent congregation assem- bled yesterday morning at the New England Von. gregational church, corner of Madison avenue and Forty-seveath street, the occasion was one of un- usual interest. This congregation, it appears, have under contemplation a change from their pres- ent quarters, and whe sermon had reference to this matter. Several reasons conspire to necessitate such removal, A primary reason was that their present place Of worship was only temporarily rented. Another strong reason 1s that the church is altogether too small to meet the requirements of | ‘Vue rapully imereasing congregation. Were not these reasons sufficient, there 1s the conclusive one of a too close proximity to the GRAND CENTRAL RAILROAD DEPOT, the incessaut commingled confusion of rolling cars, ringing of belis and shrieks ef steam whisties at times completely drowning the voice of the minis- ter. The sermon was preached by the pastor, Rev. Dr. Merril Richardson, ois text being Nenemiah iv., 6—So built we the wall, for tbe people had a miud to work.” The text reterred to puiiding the walls of Jerusalem, ‘he city was inrutos, It had dered, 18 walls desiroyed and its people made cap- tives, he seventy years’ cuptivily was now ended. Babylon was conquered by Persia, whose king la. vored the return of tne Jews, The remount of that people was impoverisned aad despairing; ouly bore in their hearts love and passionately desired to return and — restore he ancient «glory = of the city ol David, But Bara and Nehemiah took the matter in hand, They organized a baud of earnest men to return to Jerusalem, he band reacied the outer walls of the ancient city. Nekemian vy night surveyed the coudiuon of affairs, then laid lus plans and formed ts men mto small compa- mies—some °o lay the wails, sume with weapous to defena the builders. In fity days tne walis were rebuilt, and the workmen, jubilant of heart, gave glory to God. After furtuer prefaratory renarks he preceeded to show that three things were embraced m the “mind” of the peopie. — First, tne motive— viz., the honor of Goa; second, the determination todo itin spite of every obstacle, and vnird, the W.llingoess Of every one to do his part, ‘hese par- uculars he enforced as essential to ASSOCIATED CHRISTIAN WORK. a few country, Building a New Charch—What is Necessary | Wesley, evecion and Lue! | th ‘ been taken by the King of Babylon, its Temple plua- | the social , , notnall jerwise the ab- | @moediator. Every great soul was a mediator, It bie, iy have such recourse, oth a ates Cotek Al dkcees are | for us to be divine nature. If he said, Christ is God he lost both Has divinity and His humanity, ‘The whole matter then became AN INBXPLICABLE MYSTERY. He could receive all the Christian experience of r, but he would enuobie their experiences into @ iiberal, —all-pervading | Cartstanity, Cartst was not orthodox, He did not | go to the popular church, but out of ir. This was | Unitarianism—a Uorisuanity of universal brother- | hood. What they wauted to do was to find those | outside the churches, As long as there were those without God and witnout hope of immortality there was work tor then todo, As the hand of helptul- ness was extended to the thousands wnose houses were burned tu Cilicazo, 80 must bhey extend heip to those plunged in moral darkness. There was a great amount of suidering an the worid from lack of trust in God, trom no confidence in a coming immortality. Christ Was $0 much divine that He can lift us up to ean is, His prayer Was that they all might be 80 lifted up. Alter the close of the sermon it was announced, and the correspondence on the subject read, that arrangements had been made with Kev. Dr. Fred- | erick A, Fariey, of Brookiyn, to respond to any'calls the members of the church might wish to.make upon him until the engagement of a reguiar pastor. Through printed circulars scattered usrouzhout all the pews the congregation was also made aware of & COURSE OF SERMONS, The foXowing 13 the circular—or letter, rather— and lully exptains itself: — SEOOND CONGREGATIONAL UNITARIAN ChUROM,, Ty THE City ov New Youn, { CHUROH OF THE MEvGLAu, Jan, 35, 1872. To TUR Sootrry:— ‘The ioard of Trustees, racogniziag the desire of the pud- Ho to obtain, fn some authoritative form, a clear statement ive tenets of the Unitarian Chrisilan faith, and aly beltevins a course of sermons by e:tnent clergymen of our deau:uination upoa Christian doctrine, as taugut vy our Saviour and be.d by Unitarians, would be of great benefit to re now making arrangements to have such & course ed from our paipit on the Sabbaths from now untel the mer Yacatloa, The m latinzulahed ministers of our faith ba¥e signified their willingness to join us in carrying out tuis movement, tive sermous on ede succeeding week will be published in the Ly Chron, and aiterwards in paimphiet form tor distribution from this church. The pamphlets wil! be oum- bered and paged consecutively, 80 as to be bound into a vol- ume when the course is completed. ‘The rate of pew rent been reauoed this year neariy One-third below the rates pre- viously paid; and in order, therefore, to provide means to carry Oud success uly the aove plan wad Meet the expenses, the “Board of Trustees comment that # coutribution be taken up in the chureh every Sunday morning. JOHN BABCOUK, President Board ot Trustees, 8 + PATRICKS CATHEDRAL, The Novessity of frayer—Hope for the Sine acr—sermou by the Rev. Father Kane, The eiements, favorable or otherwise, seem to have but litte effect on the attendance at the Cathedral, witch, rain or sunshine, 18 at the Sunday services Invariably crowded to the doors, The to- terior of the edifice ever presents the same solemn 8T. STEPHEN'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, | The nonor oi God was twe one motive for every | and impressive aspect, and once within its portals Confession and the Remission of Sins—Sermon by Rev. Dr. Mei Dr. McGiynn delivered a very able discussion in this church yesterdays, taking bis text from John XX., 21—24.—“Then Jesus said to them: peace be With you; as the Father hath sent me, I aiso send you. And when he bad said (his, he bresined upon them and aaid unto them: Receive ye the Boly Ghost: whose sins you shall forgive they are for- “a them, and whose sins you s0all retain they al ained.’? In this ext we perceive ibe ormzimal ce ission Whereon the tribunal of coniession is erected, and we see also the duty incumbent on men to have recourse to i as the means of purifying the soul when it has had the musformune to pass under the yoke of sin after regeneration in the waters of baptism. It is imstructive and oon- poling tu find that our Lord bas insututed this won- deriui sacrament for us sinners—that He has sent the Holy spirit to abide forever with the members of His mystical body, to comfort them and to do all things necessary to the evolutuon of the divine plan througuioui the ages, Yes, it is sweet to know that ia order to give permanence to this, a8 well as to the other sacraments, HE SENDS HIS APOSTLES by that same authority by which He Himself was sent, and imparts to them His own power. Hence itisthat che perpetuation of that authority has made the life of the Church in __ his- tory «& continued incarnaton of her Founder; for the aposties were commanded to goforth and teach all nations; and as this heavenly mandate has been obeyed by thelr successors in every age, Christ thereby comes as near to us as He Was to (hose among whom He preached; He walks in our midst and places His hands on our little cnil- dren, as Lie did of old; to every beart that addresses Him with ‘Lord, Thou canst, if Thou wit, make me clean,” He exciaims, “I will that thou ve cleansed.” How wonderfully our Lord bequeathed ‘Wuis great power to His Church—to go throughout ali nations with the authority of the Almighty bower, aud with the assurance that His promises to be with them should never fail, tothe end that His Church might last till the end of time. The import- auce of cleansing our souls from the stain of sin has been fully exemplified by Christ in the case of the man sick of the palsy. Fora moment CHRIST SEEMED INDIFFERENT to the physical coadition of the sick man, and fe turns bis atiention nnmediatety to is spiritual con- dition—to the palsy of the soni, Which was an evil infinitely greater than thato! the body, And He cried out, ‘son, be of good cheer; thy sins are for- jiven thee.’ Jt 1s true that Christ came down from eaven to die for all mei—past, present and to come, Butit 18 noi enough tnat He should ale once for all, and here is an exampleortt, Our Saviout gives graces to some, which others are nob destined to receive. The Jews, deeming it pre- sumption in Christ to forgive sins, exclaimed, “How can this man forgive sins’? but Our Lord, Knowing tueir thoughts, said, “In order | that kuow that the Son ot Man ower on earth j j | what mouve ever gave man such power as reil- ; Chrisuan work, Christ's cause and kingdom were the oyject. Unless such mouve lie at the bottom of churches OF missionary enterprises, or any Chris- an work, we canaot ask God to prosper it, The molve makes (ae Wil. it is in God we are strong. Men do greai Unings for themseives. They will work hard, ser much, ana offen risk tueir lives for gain. Ambition for office carmes men far. But gion—the power to do and endure’ One word, en- watch means possessed of ~the Di- expresses une wo tausiasa, vine State mad spurt, De Not one devoied God's work. wild imagination, adung without reason, | bai a steady fire, deep, bucning and brightly giow- ing, kindled and Kept auve by the Spura oi God— ihis is the sori of enthusiasm, Yetnusiasm | Who | ever aid great things wiunont i? ‘The bistory of | region 18 Puli Of The Most sUblME EXAMpIes O01 1s power: men Who could Jorsake all and giory in the Bacio’, Aposles apd mariyrs were ihe workers | ina MAMMON-LOTING WORLD. Por thousands ol years the memory of these nas Deen precious Nothing Could Gaunt them. Well may Sucu men be heid w lasting honor, for the hiygaer and Geeper uterests of Humanity and all tat ois gre and pure and noble de- pend on w Wathou: such euthusiasm no | enurcn md ever succeed. Tt was this | | Sori of euthustasin thal inspired to auch devuk | of noble daring the Crusaders; Peter the Hermit—a | poor monk alone at rst, bat afierwards abetted by | those whom he had imspired wiih the sume eD- ] thusiasm—rallied popes, bisuops, kings, princes and peopie to deliver tae Holy Land = For 2) yeurs the | jurpose Was strong. aliilions of men offered their | ives; iens of thousands of rich wen and women pledged their estate From France, Hnziaad, Germany and Italy went the Kuchands and Jeoferies, the men of might, whose deeds romance and his- tory delight to portray. We may call this a foolish Janaticism, out it ts @ stiking illustration of what deterinination can (lo, He believed God calied them to the work, This was the motive, and neither Weaith, nor beauty, nor ease, nor luxury stood in their way. Amplifying Unis poit still further, he proceeded to suow that RELIGIOUS SENTIMENT 4s the strongest Wien Callea Into exercise, and there 1s nothing that will lead to such persistence and sacrifice, What life-long years of poverty and su(- lering it has made, what pains and penalties en- durea, what heroic deeds done! It nas been sald (hal man never kuows what deep forces are in him until he comes under the power of religious zeal, Life 13 great and good as we come under the domi. ton Of great influences. Continuing this point at some length he made practical application of the text to the proposed erection of anew church, The Qrst Christian church began with a dozen ordinary men, ‘thousands of churches now strong an numbers and means began in the same way. Ali should uaevole tueir respecilve talents in duilding up the Church, Some have business talent, some talent for teaching, exhortiog and praying; and some are adapted for visiting the sick or aking garments for the poor. One spirit the various guts, All should work in harmoay. In concinsion he urged chat if they were to build up any portion of the wail of Zion they must have THE MIND TO WORK. What they were convinced should be done ought to be undertaken with a will ana with enthusiasm. Tne means and metiods were to ve cousiuvered, and each one should be willing to labor ior tae cause. Union is st th, Wich Goa's help they Wil build up @ portion of Zion, which will stand for generations. It must be a work of devotion and love, ‘there were «iflicuities in the way, obstacies to be surmounted. They must count the cost, and not begin unless they were determined to finish, forgive sins (then turpiug to the man sick of the’ Tt aisy He said) Arise; take up thy bed aud walk." Zuerevy He works a miracie thai can pe wrought only by divine power to convince them that the Son of Man (He does not say the Son of God, but the Son of Man) has power on earth to forgive sins. Now, the Jews were right wien they contended that God alone can lorgive sins, But here 18 a case where It is averred by Jesus that the Son of Man has such power. How, then, can these apparentiy contra- dictory stutemenis be reconciicd’ The only recon- cillation between them is that When the Son of Man | Torgives siis He does it as the agent of God, so that | when that Sou of Mau pardons the sins of a creature | the senience of pardon 18 ratified by God, the | Father, and ile, too, pronounces the subdject par- | doned; ov, rather, He uses the mind and heart of | the agent as means and instruments of FORGIVING SINS. It may be onjected tnat Crcist was the Son of God, | and, therelore, could pardon the sick man’s sins by | Virtue Of fis divinity and power as God. But we must bear in mind the Woruiug of the text, which shows that Christ, as man, wrought the miracie, | and that ne expressly tells the Jews that the son of Man possesses the power ol lorgiving sin. Coutirm- atory Of tis solemn declaration 19 the Jews Is the Tact that He subsequently sent forui fis aposties to do (he same Lung tbat he nad dor This text, of | wich we are treating, 1s & most striking passage. | It 18 one of those Important texis ‘that are | at the foundation of the Catholic Churen, and Ly seems plain, enough two dey ail con*radiction or cavil, It resembies that forcible passage concerning the blessed sacrament, and the one Where we behold Carist founding His Church on Peter, the rock of ages, and declaring that the gates ot hell shall not prevail against her. For | there is an exhaustiess source of reflection | @ud consolation in them, Lec us look more ciosely | at the greatness of the autuority which Carist con- erred pou His Chosen iollowers, After He had sa- duced them He reminded them of His imission—"As the Father hath seut me t aisosend you.’ Why this | strange and energetic reminder of tis mission’ Be. cause ile Was avout Lo do somewing WELL WORTHY OF HIS COMING and of His mission to the world. And when He had said this He breached upon them the Holy 8 pirit of | God—the (hird person ol the adorabie Trinity. Weil'! might the fishermen have confessed their utter unWot'niness to become the recipients of such un- speakabie favors. Well might Peter have protested Dis til-itness 10 be the aboue of the Holy One, wheu he rememoered that dismal night on which he not only abandoned his Mascer at tne hour of aitiction, but even cursed and swore that he knew Him not. | the question has been revived, One brancn of CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH. ‘The Mission of Christ irom a Unitarian Point of View-Sermon by Rev. James Freeman Clark, of Boston—Proposed Course of Sere mous by Different Unitarian Clergymen on the Truths of the Unitarian Faita. That heavy piece of ordnance in the Unitarian Church, Rev. James Freeman Clark, of Boston, filled the pulpit yesterday morning of the Church of the Messiah, corner of Park avenue and Thirty-fourth street. The house was very well fliled, and his ser. mon on the “Divinity of Christ,’ a subject coming home to the hearts and bosoms of ail Unitarians, was both eloquent and earnest and listened to with | the most earnest attention. His text was Jolin 1x., 6—“So long as I am in the world I am jike te world.’ The nature and OFFICE OF CHRIST was one of the first questions discussed after the institution of the Chrisuan era. For three hundred years tie question whether Cimst was human or divine was the ali-absorbing one. in later days the question lately revived 1s whether Christ 13 aiwaysto be the ligit of the world—or, in other Words, whether Christianity 18 to be swallowed up In something more aniversal, something deeper, broader, greater, After iucther introductory re- mnarks he proceeded to unfold his own special views. He reterred to a book which he had pubilshed dur- ing the past year, ‘This book mad been freety eriti- ised, but he had seen no answers to his arguments in regard to tae DIVINITY OF CHRIST. He enforced that, tivugh change seems to be the all-controiling element of the Various so-called religions of the World—Monaiumedanism, Buddhism and the ike—that Christianity was destined to be eventually the ail-controiling religion of the world, Next in order he reviewed tue mission of Christ on earth, He was not sunk in God, He did not go | into the wilderness like Johu the Bapust and lead & lie of ascetism. He offered to ait pot only the heiping hand, out tue heart of brotheracod. In Weil might they all have done im like manner. In spite of ali this Jesus selects tiem todeciare His name before the Gentiles, and commissions them to accept at His hands this mnestimabie gift, and to ex- ercise 11 wherever they should find faithianl minds and penitent hearts, Jn obedience to the sublime dictates ot His holy will they hastened to the ut- most lands to erect holy altars for this new Chris - tut Worship, that sacrifice and oblations of thanks- giving migut be Offered to Him for His mercies, ine voice of history proclaims the magnitude of ther heroic lavors and the magnificence of their conquests over — and Jewish inmds; aad when the arms Of paganism and the powers of earta SWEPT THEM FROM ITS FACE they wandered into subterranean caves, Where, despite the terrors ol martyrdom, they gathered together the lost sheep, and hastened to apply the salutary remedy of absolution tw those souls that had fallen into sin after baptisin, nis same gift of applying for pardon Is given to ali of us, It Is not enough for us to know this; we should Know that we are in duty bound to bave recourse to it atleast once a year, Just as tue master inthe parabie sends forth his servants to the highway to upel those that have been invited to come Ia, 80 aiso does our Holy Mother, the Church, compel the reluctant and wayward sinner to come in aud be converted to the ways of God the Father. The rev- eread pastor concluded by showing the harmony be- tween the teacuing of the Cathonc Caurch and that portion of the text which relates to the retaining of sin. Moreover, many persons, he seid, are absolved vy God betore entering the confessional owing to their true repentance and good dispositions; but such AbSO/ULION presupposes a firm determination on the part of the penitent to have recourse to the ‘WiLuaal of coi mb; BLU LE Must, if Bot IMpossl+ turn au the leading incidents of Christ's career were recited, and from that was insisted that such @ life of heavenly perfection lilted | up human nature to an altitude of great | Capacity Of Moral victory. In the picture by Ra- | phael, In the Vatican at Kome, of Carisi, the Jesus is represeated with His disciples about Him, and | | some of the old prophets. in the LIFE TO COME | he believed that gathered about the Christ wonld | be Socrates, Confucius and all the ancient ana | Modern exponents of progress toward a higher and | better lite, The work of Jesus was exhaustive and | universal. He is as much to-day the personal | friend of thousands as fe Was of His disciples. ‘To | those Who have not experienced this feeling tt | | Seems patnfal, sentimenta!, unreal. We have no | such personal feelaug toward Lord Bacon, shak- | speare and Milton, They have given; we bave re- ceive We drink ta the jruits of their culture, We are, so to speak, in their lecture rooms, itis jar trom the feeling we have toward Christ. We lean Ou Ulirist; tere is a reciprocity bewween us. Tne meaning of the Lord’s Supper was centralized io thi deeply matual feeling. We cannot know Chyist aniess we love Him. The great matter-of- fact man, Martin Luther, said he did not care to see Clirist, He bad feit the power of His name in his persecutions, had felt the beatitade of this DIVINE FRIENDSHIP. It waa equally so with tie humolest, They leaned feelings of awe and reverence are inspired. Al- though the weather yesterday was exceedingly un- Propitious for outdoor travel tne congregation was, @s usual, very large. Mas’ commenced at half-past ten o'clock, the Rev. Father McNamee officiating as celebrant, At the conclusion of the first Gospel the Rev. Fatier Kaue preached the sermon, selecting the text, “Many are called, and few are chosen.’ Tae reverend gentleman explained the werds men- tioned, showing that the Master went out early and calied the people in; at midday he Calied those he Saw idung, taea taose at theeleventh hour. This Call might be to the nations a3 an example; first in Adam, then Noah, the second call in Abraham, and the last by tae saviour, who called tae Whole world; or im might be to individuals, called rst im infancy oy bapusim, then in youtu, and then in our maunood, He dilated at some length upon the Imot Uk .1 peopie were idling their time forgetful of the KingGom Gi Leaven and Of the greay biessings in #lure Jor Wwose Who endeavored to carry out the ojeot ol Laer being, Instead ol following 10 THE PATH OF RECTITUDE Muuy Wholly geaf to urgent appeals continued in the 1 ways anti! they were cut of. To some the #eCORd call Had not been made tn vatn, since their youth was devoted to the service of God. There Were others, WhO, having arrived at manhood, pers severed iu loMowing their inclinations, however adverse to the laws Of Christianity, and heeded not the waraing voice that Was sounding tn their ears. But they suould remember that it was not too late even at the eleventh hour to make atone- sneut, God would always listen to the prayer of the penitent sinner, and by Jolowing the laws of God and obeying the com- mandments of the Church eternal bliss would await him, He urged the necessity of prayer to the Al- mighty to airect those seeking the truth and to practise the frequentation of the sacraments, There ‘Was still hope tor the most depraved and abandoned. Nor should despondency or ed be allowed to take possession of those who, having long since STRAYED FROM TLE FOLD, found some aiMculty in gebateding. their evil habits, The Saviour nad said that there was joy in heaven at the conversion of one sinner, and false pride or weakness should not deter tnose who nad oflended God irom returning to the proper course. The reverend gentleman concluded a very forcible sermon by showing the great advantages to be de rived from earnest prayer to God for grace to keep His commandments, ‘The full choir was in attendance, under the direc- tion of Professor Scumitz, the organist, and the selections were rendered with great harmony and precision, ALANSON METHOD:ST CHURCH, God’s Presence tn the Church—Sermon by Rev. W. M. Pansho: ‘The Alanson Methodist Episcopal church tn Nor- folk street was densely crowded yesterday morning, it having been announced that the Rev. W. Moriey Punshon, the celebrated English pulpit orator and lecturer, would preach. When the hour for com- mencing the service arrived there was not standing room inthe church, Upon previous occasions when Mr. Punston visited New York he utterea his elo- quent periods in the Fourth avenue church, the cen- tre of the Methodist anstocracy, but yesterday the democracy of Norfolk street were favored with the ministrations of this eminent preacher. Mr. Punshon has a Join Bull physique, and looks as if the roast beef and plum pudding of Old Eng- laud agreed with him. He has notan atfable phys Ognomical expression, his features in repose being more indicative of harshness than sweetness of disposition; and yet, judging irom the discourse of the morning, he evidently 1s a “workman that needet not to be ashamed.” He would not be considered a profound thinker; but tne word pic- tures which he frequently drew were models of beauty, witle the whole sermon was permeated with practical, evangelical truth. During the de- livery of sume of the impassioned passages a num- ber of mercuriat brethren in all parts of the house gave vent tw their emotions in shouts of “Glory” and “Halleluah,” The orator, however, dampened ineir enthusiasm somewhat when he said wnat aes expressions of joy were not always the deepest. Mr, Punshon took his text from the fourth chap- ter of isaiah:— “iu that day shall the branch o1 the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and tne fruit or the earth shalt be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of israel. And it shail come t> pass, that he that ts leit in Zion and he thai remaineth im Jerasaiem siall be called holy, even every one tat 13 written among the living in Jerusalem: when the Lord shait nave washed awpy the filth of the daughters OL Zion, wnd shall have purged the blood ol Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, aud by the spirit of buruing, And the Lord wilt create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her assemuues a cloud and smoke by day and che shining Of @ flaming fire 0; night; for apon all the glory shail be a defence,'? Alter an appropriate Introduction, m which he pic- tured the conuition of the Israelites previous to the utterance of the promise in the text, he said tue trausiion from the gloomy jusgment to the grandeur of deliverance was aurupt abd striking by the appearance of Him who was called the beautiful and glorious branch of the Lord, Strange and wWonarous was the change which passed upon human fortunes when once te Saviour was revealed. Yoa can imagine, said he— you know, in fact, the change which passes upon hature when from the sunny South have come the warm spring breezes, and December's deain has risen into the le of June. That must be a rare sunrise which they speak of in tern climes, where, without twilight, darkuess nes 10 @ Mu ment into day. You have seen the ruined exaltea suddenly to ‘riches, the hunger-oorn outcast set down as the heir tne banquet and of the flowers, You can imagine, although you nave never seen, the lue pulsing through the veins Of one tat has heen newly raised from the dead, and the most complete changes which navure and experience know are bat falut symvois of the Change that happens to the race of man when Christ, the anoimled and the fellow of the Father, dies, the Just for the anjast, that He may bring us \o God, "Spring trom the dreariest winter, day from the darkest moral might, unsearch- avle riches Instead of beggary, everlasting Ife Jrom a death inborn and universal—these have been made possible ww every man, because thy Saviour and mine took upon Him one vature and died im oar room upon the tree. £ stypose it is hardly necessary to re- mind you, aud yet the truth comes so fitly and so exquisitély out im the passage that one must tring it forth, that without Christ there is no heip ior man; no comforva- bie Word and kind will distil upon the darkened understanding aniess he speak it; no free. dom from remorse and condemmauon will ever come Upon the burdened conscience aniess He bring it; without Him there 18 no joy in the present, witnout Jimi ho hope in the future, uniess the wrath clouds are scattered from the sky and the storenouses of {to pass throuyh the wilderness of trial and bereavement, the promise ef the Saviour would be gloriously fulfiled—“Lo, [ am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ Every believer ts to have a pillar ot cloud aua a pillar of fire round nis own homestead, Over the homely and dingy street in the great city, notat ail to be distinguisned from the houses on either side of it, not to your eye, but to the eye of angels there 18 @ pillar of cloua tnd @ pillar of fire; and they are uot in the next house, because its inhabitant is & child of anbelief. And the dwelling places come Orst. ‘There cannot be a cioud upon ine assembly unless there 1s first @ cloud in the dwelling place, consecrated nomes being couse- erated coagregations; consecrated homes bring the bapusm of fire, When the people gather together tne Lord wili create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her assemblies a cloud and stoke by day aud the shining of a damiug fire by night; for upon all the glory shal! be a defence. Dear brethren, this is yours if you like to nave it, It 1s the si » quiet soul that sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to His voice thai has all this done forthem. Are thay not all ministertug spirits sent tort to minister to them that are heirs of salvation? BEPWORTH’S NEW CHURCH. A Sermon on Scepticism—The Different Kinds of Doudt—A Right Start in Life—The Dan- gers of Temptation and the Possibilitics of Ketorm, An immense audience crowded Steinway Hall last evening, Milling the galleries, plat- form, private boxes and the main portion of the auditorium. Quite early the people began to make their appearance, -coming not only in couples but in troops, and atabout seven o'clock a regular procession was meving irom Fourth avenue and Broadway to the white marble portals of the building, When the services began it was utterly impossible for any new- comer to obtam a seat and the aisies were soon occupied by those who were forced to remain in a stauding posture, If it was the pur- suit of knowledge of heavenly things under diM- culties, there was certainly no one in the vast throng who showed any weariness before the bene- diction was uttered. ‘The young and beautiful of the gentle sex were present In great numbers; but likewise—a natural sequence—were those multitudinous young men who find in Mr. Hepwortn’s eloquent Preaching an attractive indication of tne true way to heaven. The choir were seated on the platform, almost undistinguishabie in the throng of Mr. Hepworth’s church members, who were seated all around him, so that there he inoked sale enough from the attacks of cynics, scouers and bigots. The Singing was conducted by a young 01 mtleman with ng hair, who used the Index finger of his dexter hand in lieu of the professional baton, —stand- tog out in tront of the ing desk with seeming enjoyment of the battery of eyes that was aimed at mm. The hymns were swelled by hun- areds of earnest voices and were really grand in their eitect, althougn the performance of the choir was not more true to the principles of art than that of the congregation. When the last chord of the anthem, in whick the one most familiar line 1s, And oh ! we stand on Jordan's strand, had died away in vibrating pulses upon the ear, Mr. Hepworth arose, advanced to the desk and opened the Bile, first pouring out a glass of water from the pitcher which sat at hand and drink- ing it. His dress appeared rather negligent and he was not very cleanly shaven. Mr. Hepworth’s face 1s very amiable, and bis hair falling slightly over the forehead consummates the harmony of his appearance, which, though by no means slovenly, has the carelessness of aspect proverbial in @& man of genius, But though linen which is not immaculate may not be invariably the accompaniment of such a character, there can, of course, be no doubt that Mr. Hepworth belongs to the ranks of such men as Swift ana Luther, from the Gospel of St, Matthew he read the sixth chapter, After another interlude of song he began nis sermon, the second one upon Faith and Doubt, with the text from the chapter just read. ubirty-sixth verse—‘O, ye of little faith!” He said there are two kinds of doubt—first, that which is simply and only theoretical; second, that which 1s simply and only practical. ‘The two pre- sent remarkable phenomena. A man be theoretically doubtiul and yet life that is pure and noble and unselfish, The most pronounced atheist of modern times was 2 man of remarkably uprignt life. Re Was gentle as a child and good and pure as a womaa, He would sooner have plucked out an eye than have done a wrong; and yet such an in- stance is an exception—a remarkable exception. The brain was wrong, but the heart was right. ‘hon there isa practical scepticism when the theory 18 right, Many @ man believes in the Thirty-nine Articles who does not practice them, Now, it 1s possible that @ theoretical scepticism may be unaccompanied by a practical scepticism; and @ idea 3 often stated in the Scriptures, directly or by implication, that THE LOXD 18 A SUN, thas spiritual neat and light, wich are love and truth, flow from Him, we snall find a meaning which will give us mach comfort and hope. ‘The aoctrines of the New Church, he said, regard every subject and question froma spiritual point of view. If there nad been vo spiritual world there would nave been no material world. if there had been no spirit uai sun there would have been no material sun; there 1s @ spiritual itgat, and that light is truth, The laghs of the material sun has its origi in spiritual light; itis tight because tt per- forms the same office in the material world that spiritual ght does in the spiritual world. The papionan support of this view of the case quoted ‘om the Bible to show that wherever there has been any manifestation of the Lord or of spiritual beings to men it has been accompanied oy unusual light. He instanced tne pillar of cloud, the fire of Mount Sinai, the radiant light that surrounded angels, the light tnat arrested Paul and the light that accompanied CHRIST'S TRANSFIGURATION. ‘Those who witnessed these lignts were in a state of vision; thus spiritual sigant Was open and we have undant evidence that there is spiritual light and iritual fire. After reviewing the subject a3 under- stood by Emanuel Swedenborg, Mr. Giles saia:— “Here ts, @ rough, coarse piece of sandstone. How gross and harsh it is; tow dull im color; how rude and irregular in form! There 18 no beauty in it Ho rent irom adtamond ! Its substance 1s clear; it sparkies and glows as from an inward light. The eye 1s arrested and the mind filled with its beauty.’” THERE ARE DRUNKARDS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD as Well as mm the material world, and they are as mueb brighter and purer than ours as an earthly diamond 13 clearer than a piece of sandstone, Fiowers FE us another example. How beautilal they are! How delicate in texture, how iovely in color { ‘Their forms are the embodiment of graceful e8, WHAT MIRACLES OF TH DIVINE WISDOM and power they are! Inever look upon a flower without wonder that the Lord can make a thiag 80 delicate and beautiful as arose out of the course ‘aupstances of earth, And yet the flowers which SPRING UP IN THE PATHWAY OF THM ANGELS, and fil their gardens and their lanascapes with eee loveliness, surpass all our bowers in brilianey, light, variety, color, texture, delicacy and form as much as our flowers surpass the dead leaves 1n the forest walk. They are the embodiment Of light, of briijiant and lovely colors, of Y DELICATE GRAOKFUL FORMS. The pastor urged that the Lord, 1a His glimpses | Abe of heaven and heavenly light, was showing 3 chitdren taat there isa spiritual world and Spiritual lignt beyond the grave; that there are SPIRITUAL HEAVENS AND S?IRITUAL EARTHS, and all the objects which make up an earth—a Spiritual gun, moon and stars, and, tnerelore, spiritual light and heat, spiritual colors anid Spiritual forms, and that the beings who live there are human beings in human forms, sustaiming human relations, * * * * I want to nave you see that what our doctrines teach concerning the other life grows out of what tne Lord teaches, as flowers aad truit out of the seed. I want to snow You as Tar as possible that they must be true, oF hac all that has been taught us 1s a delusion, and that to our conception aud knowledge there 1s no other life. if the spirttual world 1s tilled with a light, compared with which the light of this worid is dim, how pleasing it is to think of our frienas who have gone tuere, HOW THEIR FACES SHINE! What glory and Leer) surround them! “How pleasant it 18 to think of going out of the darkness of this i1fe tnto the hight of that | DEATH TAKES THE BANDAGE FROM OUR EYES, and if and have really been opened bya knowl- edge of the truth and a life according to tt, our Dataway through eteruity will grow brighter and brighter towards the evernal day. PLYMOUTH CHURCH, BROOKLYN. Arrogant selfishness Worse thau the Sins that Men Punish—Sermon by Rev. Heury Ward Beec ver. Mr. Beecher preached yesterday morning from Gallatians vi, 2—“‘Bear ye one another's burdens and so fuifll the law of Christ.” To bear one an- other’s burdens, said he, does not mean to take the burden off trom our ueighbor’s shoulders, but to help bear tt. Thisdoes not excinde the bearing of burdens of a physical character; but it 18 not con- fined to these. Whatever isa burden toa man we are to help bear,’ and there is no place where a Man so needs help as inside. Our passions are the chariot horses of the sun, and we are the charioteers, taking the reins with untricd hands, We are to bear these burdens for each other, and so fulfil the law of Christ, No one can adapt himself to those he would help except by love. it 13 the most complex, the Qnest, tne most artistic work. If a man fall, nelp him; if he fail, restore him, remembering that you are liable to the same fali; and do this .in the spirit of love. Christ-like plety may then be known, not practical scepticism by a theoretical scepticism. But generally these go together, A man’s life and thought are bound together. Life takes its color from thought, It is exceedingly import- ant that you shoula start in life with tree ideas, be- cause the Chances are that your life will take its color from what you belteve or disbelieve. If you do not see in the World the Creative Presence, if you have no God to worship, then that element in your nature will dry up, and, a3 in the veg a diseased part weakens the action of the whole. If you do not tind any providential care in your lite, and do not feei that you are guarded and guided by unseen beings and iniuences, then your moral perception is dulied and life 1s chilled, and you are robbed of one ele- ment of strengih. When, therefore, 1 look at the world and try to find the reason why men are so weak, 80 vicious, so purposeless, the answer comes at once—until men have a larger and a more pene- traung faith there 1s no hope for them. Look at ‘What 1s caliea the dangerous class in this city, They congregate in hovels aud dens, They hide from the light of day ang come out of thetr covert only waen darkness falls, They are practically atheists, every one of them. There is no God tothem. ‘hey may possivly assent to the fact of His existeuce, but there 13 no kind of sppreciasion of His providence in their hearts, They do not believe in any one’s honesty. Al men will cheat and sveal, only some do it more cunningly than.others. ‘they are not so much worse than others, they think, only they happen to be unsuccessful in their villany—that is ail, Suppose | could flash a revelation into such an one’s mind, @ revelation of God’s love and of Chrisv’s willingness to forgive, should 1 not make nis life appear absolutely loathsome to him? It would be as though I should put my arm down through a trap door into the darkness in whicn he was living and draw him up into the blessed ight of the day. it I could give him # quickening fatty 1 should tura the whole current of his actions. Well, there are thou- sands in this city who have not fallen, but who are failing. They have nottouched the miry bottom yet, but they are sliding, and sliding pretty rapidly, too. What is the troubie with them, and how are they to be redeemed? They go about in search of pleasure andt excitemen, See that wayly decorated saloon that opens out of Broadway; hear the clash of giass against glass; listen to the merry sounds of laughter as boon companions meet each other. Dv those young men know that this course units them for business—that 16 unhinges the moral nature—that it stands in the way of. ultl- mate sucvess? If you speak to them. ‘They will say, “On, we don't care. We might as well have a good ume while we can, There’s no particular harm in being gay While you are young.’’ Some of you have said this, Well, suppose I had the power to draw the curtain aside and show you your future? Suppose I could point out the road Which you are travelling as it winds always down. wards, and as it ends tn Potter’s Field, at an obscure and unknown grave? Would you not start back with a shudder, almost with @ leeling that you had been insuited, and say, “Impossioley’ And yet that very road a great many young men are travel- ling, and tn that lonely grave they Will end their ca- reer. What you all want 13 a larger and a truer faith .n the great verities of Christ. Get rid of the scep- Ucism which 18 duliing all your finer religious sen- ea, have a firm faith in God a3 your Heavenly , oe Who is always ready to help and serve you, and in Jesus Christ, who ts closer to you than you think, and who 1s always willing to help you bear your burdens, and in the Holy ed the com- forier who will give you the peace that passeta all Diessing wre Uulocked and opened by Hun. Without Christ we are Lopeless and lost, aie us Christ, on Jesusas afriend. They had more courage for their work. They could do more, endure more. ‘There is nothing that gives such an assured idea of tnmortallty #8 this communion with Christ. Jesus gays, | live, and ye siail live also, Some may think this shows Christ to ve divine. Not so, It only luts up to the diyime platiorm. His great soul was We are heirs to ail the fuliness oj . The ex periences of the ssraelites during thew tortye yeare pilgrimage iu the wilderness ana the presence of the piilar o1 fire Were descanied upon in eloquent terms, and the speaker said that the followers of Jesus in these times were also disciplined in order © purify them, afd thouzn called uvon understanding. Then no harm can come to you. SWEDENBORGIAN CHURCH. The Heavenly Light Beyond the Grave—A Spiritual Heaven d Karth—1r Glimpse of Heaven that the Lord Gives His Chil- dren—Discourse by Rev. C! cey Gi Rey. Chauncey Giles, pastor of the Swedenborgian church in Thirty-fifth street, yesterday preached from Isatah Ix., 20—‘‘Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the Gays of thy mourning shall be ended.’ The pastor, speaking of the text, sald:—It 18 nota figure; It is notan Orientalism; 1; 18 not an extravagant way of saying that those who obey the Lord will come inio A CLEAR KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH. It is & statement of the things to which it relates, as they are in the spiritual world, It gives us a glimpse of one most important fact, as we shall see it when the Lord in His mercy permits us to enter that world, It tells us there is asun and moon there, that the Lord 1s that sun, and that its shining wil never be interrupted; THE SUN WILL NEVER GO DOWN. ‘There is ligut in the spiriival world, then. It 1s a clear and steady light. What we call death is not going down into darkness; it is rising into new and clearer light. Our children and loved ones are not 1m the cold and darkness and DAMPNESS OF THE SEPULCHRE; they are in the warmth and the brightness of a piritual and divine sun, Whose clear and steady shining filis the world in which they live with light. How comforting and beautiful the thought! It we set out With the idea shat tne material sun ts the only one, We shall regard rything that is said about the Lord as a sun, and about the light of truth a8 @ mere figure of svecch; and if we take the only by its purity, but by its heiprulness to all, The temper of divine love is to be nourishing and nealing. There is a duty sometimes of emphasizing the guilt, sin, There must be moral shocks over against wrongdoing. Pain is olten the best way to produce moral repug- nance toevil. But society mismeasures and laws are coarse. Oriminals are sentenced without any conception of desert as measured by moiive. In the household we have the only adequate cone>p- tion of punisoing through love of the sinner. The older [ grow the more certain am I of the sintul- ness of men, and the more charitable am 1; for I believe that mea are almost uaiversaily weak. I don’t expect men to carry heavy burdens. All men are temptabie in some directions, One man may not be tempted by his lower passions, and be tempted by his gentle, yielding nature. All metais may be fused, but eaca inecal at a diferent degree of heat The grace of God CAN SAVE A MAN} but, considered asa man, there Is a penetrable place somewhere in every Ian. Sympathy is essentially curative. In our great conflict, when the rebel in the hospital was gently nursed by tae Northern wo- man, he was better cured of disloyalty than by the sword. The naughty boy is punished to more pur- pose ne mother’s sorrow than by the father’s rod. Botn hardness and gentieness are necessary and operative in their turn. Punishment 1s some- lumes benevolent, and love 1s sometimes the hardest punishment, This curative quality, so plain in the ousehoid, is hard, nay, impossibie to reduce to terms in theology. Can you deacribe a heroic love that beats in @ man’s blood and reduces his whole nature to sweetness and harmony and purity? No man has aright to use piety to make himself ex- quisitely selfisn, We are emigrants going over the plains together, We have no right to separate our- selves. Wecan’t do without the poor. All Kinds must live together. The top of the tree would soon wither without the root, It is the duty of the strong to take care of the weak; it is the duty of py to take care of impurity; it 1s the auty of the onest to take care of dishonesty. We must PLUNGE INTO THE BATTLE and help men, and not surround ourselves with our virtues as we would by singing birds, and sit and enjoy ourselves, We must not rejoice in iniquity, Ifa man honts for the criminal columos in the newspapers he likes iniquity in this sense, I would soon set up my house tn the central sewer of w York as to let these impure steeams flow from the newspapers into my life, Inthe household the parents are bouud to bear up the child in its weak- est parrs. Nineteen out of twenty children are taught to he by their parents. A lie is often the shield which fear involuntarily Talses, Let arents be careful that they do not make their children lie by harsnness. Men with power,of any Kind should help the weak and heipless. Here is a woman that is orderly; every drawer is foreordained to certain articles. To this person comes @ child with not a particle of order. The standing question is, “Where did that child get these traits’? and the standing answer is, ‘Not from me, my dear,” and ‘Not from me, my dear.’’ A man that is dry 18 immensely shocked at the man that is juicy. A man that is courageous is out of patience with the coward. Aman is hard and you are geutie, You avoid him; you should run over to him and cover his bluntness witn your vines. There are many men coef to-day in open wick- eduess whom the Lord Jesus Christ DOES NOT BLAME as much as He does you in your unsullted purity. There are women 1n New York whom you would not walk a square with tu save them, whom Christ would speak of as He once spoke. Our blessings should not make us Pharisees, the of God ye are what ye are. You are not to take the good- ness that God has nurtured in you to play the tyrant with, There is one thought that helps me— What has Christ done for me? Is there any man with so great @ discrepancy between him and me as between me and Christ? It ts cross bearing in Jove that makes you the disciples of Christ, not the form of your beltef. §T, PETER’3 CHURCH, JERSEY CITY. The Jesuit Fathers Opening a Mission Sermon by the Kev. Father Damen—A Touching Appeal to Sinners to Return to ‘The Mission was opened in St. Peter's church, Jersey City, yesterday, by the Rev. Father Damen, of Chicago, assisted by three other fathers, The Mission will continue till the 16th of February, At half-past ten o'clock solemn mass was celebrated by the pastor, Rev. Father Beaudevin, and after the first Gospel Father Damen ascended the pulpit and de- livered the opening sermon of the Mission. He commenced by pointing out examples of Christ’s mercy from the Scriptures. When Mary Magdalen came to the fect of the Saviour and threw herself down before Him He did not say, “Begone, thou disgrace to thy sex! away, thou scandal to rell- gion ! get out of my sight, thou prostiture 1” No; the sweet Saviour, casting a look of compassion on her, saya, “MANY SINS ARE FORGIVEN thee, because thou hast loved much.” Even to the unrepenting sinner He shows ms mercy. We find Him appealing to His Father for the hard-bearted Jews, “Father, tormive them. for ther SE a ae Sie SR se En GS ER a ne EN a ee a Fe I Eats ts A AES th ct Eat ac ee ee ES I EE ee Sh SE ee i they do.” And we find in another Writ that when the siephprd lost sheep he went in search of tue lost one, had found 1¢ he oalied his neinbors “Rejoice with me, tor (hat wich iow we come to the quesvion, WHAT IS A M'ssIOM? It 13 one of those powerful graces that move even the obdurate heart. it 1s one of those extra Ordinary graces which move the stuner waen all fener ace, have been resisted. What is the moan- ing of it? Sending, and sending wnat? The priest; aud by whom is he sent? By God. and for your sal- raped who avo boen atte Reames n AW: the Church for the "ea, tht peg Cy Past ten, thirty or forty years. Each of you can say himseit, ae x nuthin “Toas and sent for me” “fo you whe. ha who t back upon God and your Feligion T fa gae ee back, my child; come back to the house of your eat, yal the — J falvarion, | to the paths oc ruth, ‘of virtue and o! ness,’ desert. we are told God took up isract 2 ine ito and He fed them and He watched over the: He carried prone. And the very same love and tender; will show you pow, May atime you hada sire to return to God, but you were dishearte: you said within yourself, “I with BURST THE CHAINS that bind me;” but you saw insurmountable dim culties. You said, “My passions are too strong; my temptations are too numerous.” You who havé been the slaves of intoxication may have often made good resolutions; you have promised your wives that, for the sake of them and for your children’s sake, you will reform, ‘Another drop of that pol- sonous liquor shall never enter my lips.” But your temptations were renewed audyou fell again, What are you going to do? Give up tn despair? No, my children; come to the Mission; attend to the instruc- tions that will be given every day from this altar, anc I promise you the day of your deliverance from THE DOMINION OF SATAN is at hand, Fernage one temptation may come to you in this way. Some of your’neiibors may say, “Are you going to attend the Mission? you are te silly. Do you intead to be a Reese jatholic? Ittsallnouse, You willbe back in a iew months. You will put on @ loug face, and you will ve so pious for a time, but time will show the foolishness of your notions.’? Some of my young triende may say, “On, Father | Lam too young; you don’t want me to settle down in a life of glooi to be debarred from all happiness!” Why, not all, In @ life of virtue and of religion, 10 tne enjoy- ment of @ quiet conscience, ts there not THE GRRATEST HAPPINESS one can enjoy on earth? ‘Try again, therefore; jolm this Mission; give ircnmels eae to God. You ought to remember that God sinzies you out and gives you the Mission which has been refused to people mm many large cities and towns where the people would lke to have it. God has preferred ‘ou to others because He desires you to saved; because there are many good prayers going up before the throne of Gou for your salvation, DO you remember the day when you parted from your family and friends and leftine old country to go to America—how your mother threw her arms around your neck and kissed y and, while she was choking wita emotion and fil! with excitement, exclaimed, ‘Farewell, my son; you are going to @ place where you may be tar « away from Church and priest; promise me, my son,. that you will NEVER FORGET YOUR CHURCH, never forget the teachings.of your religion ® And ‘ou came here and you wandéred from state te tate, and your pool, anxious mother 1s still think- ing about vou thousands of miles away, and she praying, “Uh, Goa! protect my child; save nim from all dangers; spare lim till i see nim again; and tt he has had the misfortune to forget bis Church, oh! my Goa, be merctful to him; give um grace thas he may return to you and that he may uot die tn nis sins.” We have come to you, my dear children, to labor by day anu by night for your salvation, The preacher concluded by raising a large cru- ciix in his left hand and calling on the congre za- ton to promise Jesus that they would be faithful to the instructions of the Fathers and constant in their attendance at the exercises of the Mission. He announced that spiritual imstruction woula be given tout times each day and CONTROVERSIAL SERMONS would be preached twice a week. Tne first will be delivered this evening, on ‘Vonfession,’’ proved Irom the Bible, from reason aud from the testl- mony of those Fathers who record the acts of the primitive Christians. The second will be preached on Thursday evening next, the subject being “fae Catholic Church the Only ‘true Church of God.” HELP THE POOR GIRL. AD bie and Much Needed AssociationWhat the Christian Young Ladies of Our City Are Doing ‘or Poor Girls—Meeting in Dr. Rogers’ Church Last Evening. The Young Ladies’ Christian Association of this city 1s striving hard and earnestly to accomplian good, and although it is as yetinils swadditag clothes, as tt were, has been eminently successful. The present headquarters of the assocta- tion are at No. 6a Irving place, corner of Eighteenth street—certainly a well chosen and ceatral location—the house being ad- vantageously leased for two years, It is well fur- mished and 1s placed in charge of a lady superin- tendent, whose hearty co-operation with the association from its inception proves the value ef her services, In connection with the building 1s a com- fortable reception room, which is kept open daily from eignt A. M. till nine P, M., and young girls are given kindly welcome when out of employment, Free to those who care to avail themselves of tts bene fits if they are first PROVIDED WITH A VOUCHER, signed by any member of the association, 13 a read- ing table, always well supplied with magazines and daily papers, and a well-selected library of 700 volumes. A principal feature of the instivu- tion is an employment bureau, having for its design the procuring of situations for deserving young Women, When in possession of satisfactory reiereaces governesses, teachers, housekeepers, seamstresse3 and saleswomen are, so far as practicable, provided with situations, Good homes in boarding ouses are secured for those who may desire them ; sewing machines are provided on which girls may practise machine sewing in its various branches under the eye of AN EXPERIENCED INSTRUOTUR; dressmaking is taught,and a fine needlework depart- ment 1s organized, With the ovject of receiving re- munerative employment for many deserving sewing women of the city. As stated above the association 1s very young as Yet, 1t having been organized in January, 1870. Commenvea as a little private circle, it has rapidly grown to its present proportion, and has in its brief lite accomplished a great amount of good. ‘Tne class of persons Witcf it is desired principally to reach 13 not domestics, but young persons of ed- Ucation—those especially Who nave been reduced trom comfort to a struggle for daily bread amid the sharp competition of New York life. Lonely and friendiess giris—coming from the country mayhap, TO SUPPORT AGED PARENTS or younger brotners and sisters—are most earnestly sougut after, counselled, guided and alded. The association is wholly nonsectarian, Catholics and Protestants alike veing assisted, and already one- ny Of those applying to it have beeu placed in ood positions, . Last evening a service was held in Dr. Rogers’ church, corner of Twenty-first street and Fiith avenue, in venailf of this nople charity. 1t was well attended, every scat in the entire house being occu- pied, notwithstanding the peculiar inclemency of the weather, and the congregation seemed, one and ail, to be greatly prepossesaed with what was told them in behalf of the association by Rev. Dr. Jobn Votton Smith, Dr, Rogers and Dr. John Haiti, each of whom delivered a most interesting address, Dr. Rogers was THE FIRST TO SPEAK. He reviewed the history of the association from its organization down to the present ume, and called upon ali Christian people to assist In the noble work. Dr. Smith followed Dr. Rogers in a long and eloquent appeat in behalf of the poor and friendivss girls of our city. He said there are 12,000 more women than men in our miast, and very many of these have to support hus- ant \d large families by hard aud constant toil. ‘These women must be assisted, and the well to do Christian ple must come forward and Dr. Jona Hall succeedea Dr.; Smith in afew re- marks, after which the congregation dispersed. Un the 5th of Febraary next a concert will te given at Steinway Hall in ald of the association, at which Miss Keliogg, Miss Nettie Sterling and Messrs, Leggatt and Kemimertz will sing. BURGLARS CAPTURED. Edward Graham, eighteen years of age, residing at'262 West Twenty-cighth street, was arrested at an early hour yesterday morning by an officer of the Ninth precinct, upon complaint of Jonn Gaines, of 18 Horatio street, who charges he was awakened by hearing a noise on his basement floor and getting up saw the prisoner leaving the area way. Upon examining the premises he found the front basement window had been forced open with a jimmy, and a quantity of clothing, valued at $100, packed up in the middle of the room ready for re- moval. He gave the alarm, and Gaines was arrested as he was in the act of emerging round the corner into Hudson street, He pleaded not guilty to tne charge. ON EIGHTH AVENUE. On Saturday night, as UMicer McPherson, of the Sixteenth prectuct, was patrolling his post on Eighth avenue, he saw a young man passing alon; having tn iis possession nine pairs of boots ane five pairs of shoes, and surmising he had not come by them honestly caused his arrest, and conveyed nim to the station house in Tweatieth street, where he gave his name as Patrick Frawley. He refused to state anytoing in reference as to how they came in his possession, Upon making forther inquiries it was ascertained tne shoe store of Henry Beer, in the basement of 132 Eighth avenue, had been entered by means of breaking the door of the back basement, and tne property, valued at $40, taken therefrom. Both parties, upon being arraigned belore Justice Led- with, at Jeflersou Market yesterday morning, pleaded not guilty to tne charges 2 Gg against them, a were held for trial ta default of $1,400 eacl