The New York Herald Newspaper, July 1, 1872, Page 8

8 RELIGIOUS. Piety and Perspiration—Pulpit Polemics Propounded by Popular Preachers. —_—-—_— Professor Everett and the Old Religion. The Free Religions Conference and the Qu tion of Capital and Labor. FROTHINGHAM’S FAREWELL A Boston Divine at All Souls’ Church Talks to Ambitious Amazons. Henry Hard -Beecher on “Let Us Have Peace.” THE REV. JOHN WALL IN THE BOWERY, Dr. Partridge on Christianity as a Source of Joy. DR. WILD’S FIRST SERMON. | Ordination of Deacons at the Chureh of the Transfiguration. Short Services at the Catholic Churches, OHUROH OF THE MESSIAH. All Religion the Same—All Theology Different—Truc Worshippers Soaring | On High—Theologians In the Mud— Sermon by Professor Everett, of Cam- bridge. | ‘The services at the Church of the Messiah, corner | of Park avenue and Thirty-fourth street, were yes- terday morning unusually interesting, aithough the excessively warm weather prevented a very large | @ttendance. Professor Charles Carroll Everett, of | Cambridge, preached on the subject of “The Old | Religion,” his discourse being based upon Ephe- | sians tv., 13—“Till we all come in the unity of the | faith.” How many religions, he began, are there | ia the worla? In other words, how many re- | Ugious faiths are there? At thia question We should, perhaps, begin to reckon up one religion after another. There is the Mohammedan religion; | the religion of the Bratinins; of the Chinese, that ‘worship idols of wood or stone; and above all there | ‘ia the Christian religion of all the noblest and the best. Perhaps, we might even give the different forms of the Christian religion, the faith of the | ‘Datholic and the Protestant, and all the inuumer- | Bbie sects that i | DIViDR AND BREAK UP CHRISTENDOM. | If it should be stated that there ta but one rell- | gion, each one would respond, “Yes, there ys put one religion, and that ts ours; there | Ys but one faith, and that we hold.” It | As this confidence that there is but one religion and | that this is the religion of the God to which the tn- | ividual who is making the claim chances to belong | that has introduced so much bitterness and narrowness into life. The separation between | one religious faith and another has seemed to cut down deep and make a complete revolution be- | tween life and life. As the Chinese build » wall | a@bout themselves and look upon their country as j the central, fowery and celestial nation, and all | Others aa outside barbarians, so do different bodies | Of religious believers wall themselves, the flowery, celestial kingdom in. The Mahommedan calis the Obristian a dog; the Christian calls the Mahommedan ‘Bn infidel. Christian sects bandy among them- selves the words heretic and infidel. The words | mark achasm as broad as heaven and earth—as Beaven from hell. No wonder that many seeing this bitterness, this self-assertion, this contempt, | Rhis hate, should doubt whether there is any re- | whether all are not alike deluded or de- a should maintain that at last ali religions ike, and that it is no matter which of them a an accepts. One is as good as another. Yor the Present | ALL I8 UNCERTAINTY. In this Babel of voices we cannot tell who is glen and who is wrong. There may be a truth mewhere; meanwhile we must wait. The aker said he believed in a sense different from | ny yet referred to. There is one religion in the orld, and only one—one faith, and only one; but | reach this thought we must first separate in our nds Son eg from theology. There is but one re- sion and but one faith; there are many theologies, ligion is everywhere the same; theology is ‘everywhere diferent. This is best made clear by ‘gomparing the relations of religion to theology by | = of the air to the atmosphere. In common | 2 och we use the words alr and atmosphere as if | ey meant the same thing; or rather, perhaps, we | idom use the word atmosphere at all, but in ite jtead the word air. Thus we say that the air is it or bat that the air of certain districts ts wealthy, of others unhealthy. We speak of the ountain air, of the country air. The air everywhere the same. It = may, in- eed, be denser or rarer, more or | less | ure; but tne air, as such, ts absolutely invariable. | Wt has its fixed chemical combination. On the other ‘hand, the atmosphere ta always coats. In the | ight it is different from the day; different from eu day, different in one region from another. It differs in the city and in the country, on the sea | hore and among the swamps; for the atmosphere | Ys the air, together with whatever exhalations from | he earth are mingled with it. The atmosphere | kes up everything—vapor from the sea, malaria from the swamps, sweetness from flowers and cor- | aes from ig it takes the carbon from com- bustton and from the breath of all animals. The air ay Only form a part of the atmospliere. Sometimes it may be almost excluded; gases, vapors or smoke | rat ke its place, How precisely like this rclation f the alr to the atmosphere ia the r RELATION OF RELIGION TO TILBOLOGY | Like the air, religion is everywhere the same; {t | as tg been the same from the beginuing. | ere is but one religion and one faith. On the | ‘Other hand, theology 1s continually changing. It 1s erent in one region from what it is in another; t is different in one time from what it in another; it differs in different com- mumities, in dimeront circumstances, Theol- ‘ogy is also full of exhalations from the world, It takes up the faults, the prejudices, the perfections, of our lower life. it is made foul by uman passion. It takes up into {teelf the mala- | jous breath of old traditions that have been left | othe peols or swamps after the living waters t brought them have passed aver and they re- | = stagnant and corrupt. us, analyze 9 thoology of a time or # community, and ou will find the ~ traditions, the prejudices mith Rrevatl there mi more or less ‘with religion. But analyze religion and it is every- where the same. Theology, like the atmosphere, | may breed even death; religion, like the alr, can Prine only, life. When I say, the speaker said, that ig but one religion, hat there is ntral religious truth and this finds itself ‘essed with more or leas clearnesa, with more or | ene ways with more or less contradiction in all religous hat are worthy the name. For religion is Datural and sim rust Of the soul in a power good over itand tit, and theology the theories, t items, the conjec- kere that havo gathered about and often ‘obeoued | i, The pa oun, RELAGIONS H vid at goodness od and the confidence man i in thia for life and for death. There ts no | wortby of the namo that does not express more or less consistency or contradiction. truth is the utterance of religious faith. It is | the one faith common to all religious souls. After | & somewhat lengthy discussion on the word faitn, ps used above, and which he proved meant confl- the said that when men talk theol- they r; when they talk religion they agree. ee beautiful to notice iat in moments of exaita- considerately placed the divided from the remainder of the spacious room by fifty or sixty small pieces of white pasteboard. suspended by a hempen string, and bearing scrip- The central pasteboard bore the motto “Froely Re- der were inscribed with quotations from tho Bible, Confucius, Madame Roland, George Fox, De Stiel, Spencer, Tennyson, behhesal | take such a view when they had | plaint, the | rate increasing !n proportion to the increase of | | og | frat takea possession of that. That , theologic resting place; but when it sings it leaves its nest; hke the sky’ rt in ecstasy of prayer and stance, in the index of our theolog} eligion they unite—unite in praising Go, from whom all biess- ings fow. So far all re! ous, noms nn me somekner ‘but you must understand him, the ir gal that it la no matter what form ofreligion we accept. AS We noed the purest al™, we need the purest re- ure relig.on of the Jesus to God, of the Sermon on the Mount, what he uttered in parables by the sea, or in familiar talk by the way- side, This is the religion that sustains the mourner in her sorrow, the sufferer in his ia, the strong in his struggles after the highest life; the weak in his helplessness, Each thinks it his own poores theology that helps him. It ts not; it is 1s religion that is common to all. Well for us if we can utter this pure religion from our lips without impure admixture; better if we can feel it in our hearts and live it in our lives. For men's theology they leave behind them in ths churoh ; but their ro- ligion ig nothing if it does not both with them out of the doors, and walk with them on the street and reat with them in their houses, MASONIO HALL, Mr. Frothingham's Aristocratic Sneors at Workingmen Answered from the Standpoint of Christianity. Tho Free Religious Conference, which has held several Sunday sessions on Kighth avenue, changed base yesterday forenoon to Masonic Hall, Thirteenth street, east of Fourth avenue, where, pursuant to announcement, Samuel Leavitt de- livered an address entitled “Mr. Frothingham's Aristocratic Sneers at the Workingmen Answered from the Stanipoint of Christianity.” At the ap- pointed hour, eleven o'clock, a congregation of four women and eight men had taken possession of thirteen chairs and ten settees which had been in the coolest corner of which were encircled, or hall, and tural and other quotations, done in printers’ ink. ligious, Not Freely Irreligious,"’ and the remain- nd Molinos. When the assembled twelve had comfortably dis- poect themselves, Mr. Leavitt entered, and, taking is place beside around table, occupied the atten- tion of the congregation for over an hour, durt which the substance of his remarks was as fol lows :— Rev. O. B, Frothingham, at Lyric Hail, five or six weeks ago, had argued that because the working- men didn't look starved, but had smiling faces, they had no particular cause for com} int. It was not surprising that Frothingham and his clique should RRNOUNCED THR NAMB OF CHRISTIANS. Mr. Frothingham had also sald that capitalists were subjected to the worst kind of tyranny by the workingmen who should accept, without com- peed in which they found themselves {nu the world. Mr. Leavitt, who considered him- self a natural preacher, protested against this as being fonnded upon dogma rather than necessity, and thought that where a square-brained man was found digging in a sewer he should be elevated to a better sphere of labor. The two extremes of Protestantism, he said, were opposed to the move- ment of the workingmen, but the Catholic Charch, with all its mumimeries and nonsense, had the truth Gnder its piles of rubbish, and believed that communism and internationalism were the result | Hoty acannon of the poor by the rich. ‘Tho doo- | rine o| THR BROTHERHOOD OF MAN, which had never been clearly enunciated before the advent of Christ, he considered the true basis | of Christianity and the salvation of tho working- men. He did not believe in the divine right of the upper dog in & fight to chaw off the head of the under dog, and he could not go the doctrine that all men should have equal compensation. All | should have ee rights, but no man should bave | aright to gobble all the property in the world. To prevent such monopoly he would have the syatem of graduated taxation adopted, so that the heaviest | rate would fall upon the rich, who, by 8 | their wealth, should be prevented from making such enormous accumulations. He didn’t believe, with some, that ail were going to tne devil and Tom Scott, but thought that by a series of religious eclecticisms the Church of the future would be de- | veloped, the brotherhood of man established and | the cause of labor uplifted. The speaker quoted extensively from religious and secular papers in support of his address, and was followed by several of the con, Hon, who | spoke upon positivism and other snbjects, which had been alluded to by the main speaker. LYRIC HALL Closing Sermon of the Season by the Rev. O. B. Frothingham—“Life’s Mis- sion: What It Tb and All It Is.” Yesterday morntug’s sermon being the last of the | season by the Rev. O. B. Frothingham at Lyric Hall, opposite Reservoir square, there was, not- | withstanding the very hot day and the advance | already made into summer, an unusually large at- tendance, The subject waa “THE MISSION OF LIFB," and the discourse, as most of his discourses, was | withont the basis of a Scriptural text. Life, he be- gan, was a game, atrick. Everything was a cause; everything was an effect; everything was primary; | What was man made | Some were made for something, some were | everything was secondary. for * made for nothing. One brings Jaw, one science, one art, one nature; one founds newspapers, one rallroads, one governments; one plays billiards, an- other plays cribbage. Every man seemsto have a mission, We see men about us drifting nowhere in general, and going nowhere in particular. Look at the Book of Ecclestasties. It isa book of scepti- cism. Man by itisa beast. There isan end and an aim, and though the substance of It may not be | recorded it will record itself, After indulging at length in these general observations he branched off upon the SUBJECT OF RELIGION, In this connection he urged that the aim of life a8 religious was not wholly for happiness. He illus- trated this, and then drew a contrast between the song of the eminent prima donna on the operatic stage and the bird in its native haunts. This bird was a marvel. There was divine power and init. Then they should sing on. No one may their song. But sing on; the glory of God 1810 it. And thus, too, they should CLING TO THEIR BELIEY, Men may rail, but still Cle to lt. The railer wil pass away, but not the glory of thetruth. Some have rent giits, some slender opportunities, He who improves the latter wisely has as gre Jory as he accomplishing the grandest séjit ntg, The doctrine o: absolute decrees and of an immutavle purpose came in for a review, and then the reactive scepticism of France in the eighteenth century. The old convictions went out. A new philosophy camo in, It was the YY OF HAPPINESS, PHILOSOPE the philosophy of the all he could and enjoy his cup of happiness, be same large or emall, to the fullest extent of his capacity. There was no question of conacience, of the heart, of aspiratio but of simple seldsh happiness, kome songht Ith, some faith*some luxury. Pleasure was the alm of all. Life isadream. It 18 soon over. Let them live for its hes What was the effect of such @ theory? ¢ & man who hag risen above the brute and fs it to be bay that he will decide that the whole aim of life is to HAVE & GOOD TIME? Aman cannot love himeelf entirely and love some one else too. is gone. Take conscience, the discernment of right from the wrong, and the theory breaks down, 8 self-destructive theory. This theory was the re- action of religious despotism. He traced tho eas Of this theory in France and the growing out of It. Where was eloquence? Passed uway. Where was philosophy? Forgotten. Where was ss perme Atanend, Thus at the end of the tenth year of the empire. A few years more and the very soul of the empire was eaten up. We saw how it was in THE GERMAN Wan. ‘The Germans were not an educated people, They pul e io moment they spoke the sovereignty co dissolved, odds and ends, They could not trust one another. ‘Then came THE COMMUNE. The idea at the bottom of thia was every man for himself. The doctrine of religion was that we live for @ purpose purpose, the glory of God. Philosophy teaches that from the begtnnin man has been beh f working his way on. does the heart say? That men should love one another, What does conscionce say’ That we must respect the property and rights of others. Mazzini taught that the mission of life was duty. The old phrascol of Ecclesiastes and of Jesus Christ can be translated into this word. And yet Mazzini was not a Christian, and did not believe in of peril, the of . The common in of religion exprosses | | oe emotions of al hearts, Men may pray, the Christ. He would be pronounced an infidel in any church in New York but possibly theirs, As for himself he was opposed to THR CANT ABOUT LiPR. Many men and women feel that they muat cad # Individual, that he should | Tt ia | The French people were at | What | rth ag hy og rigon, no faithful to human relations. To such tnd. By doing this the auould live that cack on than to-day. TRANSFIGURATION PROTESTANT BPISOOPAL OHUROE. to-morrow may find them Ordtmation of Ten Deacons ond One Priest—Sermon by the Bishop of Mis- sourt, A goodly congregation gathered yesterday morn- tng in the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Trans- figuration, in Twenty-ninth street, near Fifth ave- nne, Rev. Dr. Houghton pastor, This 1s the famous “Little Church Around the Corner.” There were two bishops present, seven priests and one candi- ate for the priesthood and ten candidates for dea- con’s orders, all habited in white and black vest- ments. The newly-made deacons are graduates of the theological seminary in West Twentieth street, this city, and some of them have already received calls to the pastorate in different cities and States. They are for the most part @ likely lot of young men,very pious and priestly in appearance, and no doubt will give a good account of themselves and their ministry by and by, as Bishop Potter hoped and prayed they mightdo. The morning lessons, read from Ezekiel xiii. and John x., related to the work and office of the ministry. The hymns and Psalms sung set forti the importance of the com- mission and calling of the minister and ask for hu- mihty and grace to enable him to be faithful. THE SERMON, preached by the Bishop of Missouri, was based on Nehemiah ill., 23—“From above * * * repaired the priesta, everyone over against his house.” From this the Bishop drew some practical thoughts and suggestions for the young men to remember and act upon. Each one was expected to do the work over against his own house, that is in his own parish and toward his own people. The Jewish priests did this, and those who could do so did much more. But all of them did at least this, The Bishop referred to some of the trials which the candidates might expect to meet with in their ministerial career, and of the im ce of this hour to them in all their future life, In the samo place, years ago, he (the speaker) had rece.ved his ordination to the ministry. le warned them against spreadi themselves over too In- terests and neglecting their own ronan ere. ‘The wall of Jerusalem can be best t, he said, if everyone will build before his own house. But many of the wider duties of the priesthood now fall ‘upon the deacons, who are to be teachers and pat. terns of Christian faith and morals to all men. They are called upon to speak to them of duty and of , but they are algo to build each before his own house and to see that his own parish is in the best possible condition. His own parish must be of the first impo: tance and all absorbing to him. His studies and labors must be all for them. His char- acter must be such that his people will see that he alms at their spiritual and temporal welfare. The relate next warned the ee Inen against mere intellectual studies. It is better to HAVE A THORUUGH KNOWLEDGE OF ONE THING than a smattering of all and none babes They must, however, keep up with the intelligence of the times, and not be at the end of the year where they were at the beginning. There are many causes, he safa, to account for the ministerial changes which we deplore, and for which the ministers them- selves are not to be blamed. He cautioned them Seater grumbling and fault finding; it tends to disheartening, and not to promotion. They should consider that in the work they are doing they are building a permanent wall before their own house. ee must not forget the importance of pastoral visitation, for sometimes the best sermons are preached in the sick room. The deacon must re- member also that the authority of the Church stands behind him; that his ministry is not of yesterday, but has ages at its pack, and that he does not work for himself or at his own charges, for God stands at his back to sustain and bless him and He will see that none of his words fail. The candidates for ordination then stood up and received a few words of spe advice to them- selves. They were encou! a wait patiently for promotion and it would be sure to come. They were to labor diligently, because, though Ken might not be consctous oi it, the eye of the Chu 18 upon them and they will not be forgotten. The | service was then continued, ending with the ad- tninistration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, first to the two bishops, then to the priests an then to the deacot nd afterwards to the ple in order, The priestly candidate was ordained Separately and the ten deacons together, When HE SACRAMENTAL ELEMRNTS WERE DISPENSED the new made prie: fered his hands after the | fashion of the ritualists, received the bread ou the | palm of his right hand, and alter eating it, he | crossed his hands on his heart until the wine was | served, after drinking which he devoutly made the | sign of the cross over his breast and clasped his hands in prayer. The venerable chorister went through nearly the same ritualistic form, and he and several others as they ascenaed and lef the altar steps paused and bent the knee before the altar, as is the custom in Catholic chwrches. There was no evidence, either by word or act, of high churchism in Dr. Houghton’s performance of the sacred service, but he evidently had a goodly com- | | | is the | were a disciplined nation. They were a people of | | | Be selected this text because, as he intimated, the fi H that falifrom the forest of trees—singly they ore Love some one else and your theory | | snecess and endurance, ny of ritualists in his chureh and congregation, Pris also evident that all the ritualists in the Epis- copa! Church are not found within St. Alban’s or St. Ignatius’ walls. ALL §0ULS' OHURCH. The Value of Sterling Character and How It May Be Attained—A Hint to Officials | and Would-Be Amazons. j my The effect of the “heated term” was aa painfully apparent in All Souls’ church yesterday morning as the finger marks of a slovenly cook upon a newly painted kttchen door. Dr. Bellows had been wafted away to @ more salubrious clime, and the con- gregation was melted down to the smallest | possible speck in @ field of “Infinitessimal nothingness.” And yet the church was cheery in its embellishments; the music ‘Was such a8 arouses somnolent souls from slumber, and the sermon was as thoughtful, spirited and dignified as if composed under the invigorating tn- fuences of the season for gathering grain. The preacher was Rev. F. E, Hale, of Poston, who, lately escaped from the DISTRACTING JARGON OF THH JARRING JUBILPR, took as his text what he called the ‘desert of Dames,’ commencing with the second verse of the first chapter of Matthew, in which it is recordea that Abrahain begat Isaac, and running down through the genealogical list to the birth of Christ. “desert of names’? was here and there lighted up and given an interest by the names of David, Solomon, Joseph and Christ, and because, read in the light of to-day, it was as well fitted to the ex- isting conditions of our time as to the days of which it spoke. There was then a wilderness of people as now, and, as was eaid of the Pendle lands, only’ tho chiefa haa pames thas Wel known toall, It waecommon to all the genera- tions of men that but few were distinctively known, because few were distinctively good and great in any generation, and some even of those who were and are good and great were not and are not known as such to themselves. There were some who would never say to themselves, “WE ARM THE LEADERS OF MEN IN OUR Day,'’ | and yet these were anch @& pared the impress of | theif characters upon the conditions of thelr times without their being seemingly aware of thetr con- sequence to their fellow men. Their tions, | doings or sayings were such as to cause both their | successes and thelr failures and also thelr mis- | takes to be recorded day by day, and the aggre- gated result of every day hecame the history of the | child and man. The acts of such men were, to the | mnass who surrounded them, Uf the sparks which out from a bed of burning coals or the leaves pincllg noticed, but they all, as it were, fall Into the rock wilch we call character; and which re- tains the thread-lines of all, and maketof them a whole, A CHARACTER, And it was, he said, the worth of this character, | thus formed, upon which was the dependence for | A# an illustration of his | meaning he used as an instance the life of Sir Isaac of being called true mem! lead such a life of virtue in obtain for them life everlasting in the world to come, | ning Luther Newton many years ago in London. While Newton lived there were those around him who filled a larger space tn their own eyes, and also in those of | the masses; and yet, and at that time, even the | Prime Minister of England felt @ sense of personal hye be if Newton even tonched his hat to | iim as he passed, There were around him the more noted actors and actresses of his day; the i PARTISANS, GRERDY FOW PLACE AND POWER, 1 and the authors of favor! ooks of the time. But | now the actors and actresses then prominently | greedy for place and power, and even the authors, are nearly all failen id forgotten, while the work | of Newton stands as potently today as at any | former time ; for Newton in his work brought us ONE STEP NEARER TO GOD, | And this result he claimed, as did Newton him- self, Was not reached through any inherent pbril- Nancy in Newton, but purely through a persever- | ingiy industrious application of the talent and Knowledge which he possessed. And in that con- | nection he (the preacher) deemed It necessary to | say that there WAS NOT A WOODCHOPPRR from Maine to Minnesota who did not understand that more depends mm the force applied to the axe than upon even tts sharpness, And thesesame men knew that our habits had mach to do with the PULPIT, and talkers ¢! ‘ho gave greater conaider- ation to brilliancy in speech than to merit in the thought expressed. Such men falled in the end Were soon forgotten, as were so many of our sim! because they had not mental to leave an enduring impression, men, he sald, were always WORKING AROUND POR RECOMMENDATIONS from othera, simply because they had not eum. ctent iy i steadfastness of character of their own to to command either enduring atten- tion or favor. In conclusion, and while some among his au- dience were | for an application of his ex- hibition of the VALUE OF CHARACTER TO SOME OF THB PRRESI- DENTIAL CANDIDATES, he simply enforced the lesson of the advant: " ot a bencieg & sterling character upon all. Not advised all to await some momentously hitem occa: sion for the exhibition of masterly abilities; not that he would have the WOMEN STOP TENDING BABIES because there had been % not that he would have ing men resi their positions as teachers of Sunday schools ply because at their age William Pitt became Prime Minister of 3 land; but because he rata looked to jaying. WW by little the thread lines of ster! character racter a along a life, that the surer beneficial result might be certainly reached in the end, ST. PATRIOK’S CATHEDRAL, ‘The Hot Weather Preventing a Long Sermon—A Few Remarks by Father Kean. Although it required no small amount of “vigor of soul,’’ even on the part of the extremely pious People, to go to church yesterday, and, by doing so, run the risk of @ broiling on the way and a thor- ough stewing when the journey was over, the pews in St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday were all filled with their regular occupants. The high mass ser- vices were of the usual impressive character. After the “Gloria” the Rev. Dr. Kean ascended P al t Gospel of the day, which treated of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. He then made a few remarks concerning the Ohuroh and her stability, calling the attention of the congregation to the fact that the Church was on that wit tan Ceasritd the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. He referred briefly to their suffer- ings for the faith, and alluded to the persecution the Church had undergone from time to time since the days of those two great saints. She was, how- ever, to-day, he asserted, stronger than ever, and her millions of children were aa devoted to the Vicar of Christ on earth, the Holy Father, as they ever were. Christ was with the Church and always would be with her, and all the persecutions of evil-minded men could in no wise injure her, He then closed by exhorting his audience to do all that layin their power to show, by their good creme, that spevinere worthy rs of the Church, and to this world as would NEW OABMEL OHAPEL. Sermon by the Rev. Dr. John Hall—The Great Meeting of the Creature and the Creator, ‘rhe new Carmel chapel on the Bowery was very much thronged last evening by an attentive au- dience, who latened for upwards of one hour to the distinguished speaker. The chapel being disagree- ably small and narrow the heat was excessive, and for a time almost insupportable. The lecture of the reverend gentleman, however, made up for all in- conveniences. He chose his text from St. John, viz.:—“Prepare to meet thy God, 0, Israel!’’ on which he expatiated im the following striking manner:—The text, he said, was one he would desire should be implanted in the hearts and memories of all present; and the better to facilitate this he would repeat the text as frequently as possible—“Prepare to meet thy God,0, Israel!” It was # text not made by man, but by God; and, when God spoke, His words were of the greatest import, imbued as the: were with that special meaning which He Wished should be attributed to them br Hence it is that He speaks to usin the solemn words of the text, and addresses us as men {ndividually. What, therefore, la THR MEANING OF MEETING GOD? How do I know there is a God? Some one in the Bowery may probably ask this question. How am Itoanswer him? Ah! img Beene don’t you belleve there is a God? “No,” he would probably reply, “I do not believe there is a (od; I never saw Him, I never heard Him, never touched Him, uever felt Him, and, consequently, T don’t believe in him.” But I would ask, “Young man, did you ever see the pain with which you are afmicted *? No.’ “Did you ever touch it?’ “No.” “Did you ever hear it?’ “No.” “And yet you feel you have a without touching it or Beeing it? “I do.” ell, you also feel there is a God in the same way. In a certain sense God is continually meeting us. He touches our hearts and His spirit Moves upon our souls. He touches our consciences and moves us to repentance for trans- esaing his law. There is always a starting provi- dence to warn us suddenly of our condition. When afriend dies we grow sad and dejected, and we remember then that we must dle. im one sense meeting God. When the com- panion of Luther was struck with light- immediately bethought himself uickly changed his career. It was God who met him; but God meeting us and we meeting Him are two different things. He meets us in the way I have described whether we like it or not; but it very often happens that we are reluctant in meet- ing Him. You must in order to meet God Judt- clously become reconciled to Him and listen to the messages of his really delegated ministers, OUR GREAT MEETING WITH GOD, dear friends, will be after death, for you all know ‘it is appointed for men once to die and then judgment.” (Statutum est hominem semel mort et tunc judicitum). Death is an appointment. You can vote down a motion or a proportion, but you cannot combat death. It will come, and you know not where, nor when, nor how you shall die. If you die ill you cannot recall your error, You cannot come back to begin life anew; your fate 18 In the daylight you joke over these matters; still you know you must die and meet God alone, not in a crowd, but alone, face to ith God. Inacrowd you would naturally be urageous, as in this world, but you must ite lone and stand alone before the Judgment seat of Christ. Your body now is in union with your spirit, but death will aunder both; your body will go into the coffin and the grave, but your spirit into the presence of its Creator. Thus shall your living, im- Waal soul meet the Almighty God who mai and then irrevocable. THR PREPARATIONS FOR MRETING GOD are therefore to be your next consideration. Have faith in “the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanseth us from all sin.’ This should be our first prepa tion; thus Ba will become justifiable and econ able to God. To get the benefit of this cleansing blood you must cling to God as the Ivy clings to the oak, and you will he strengthened by the object to which you cling. Have dependence on God and He will pardon you your sins and give you a new heart; for ‘as many as receive Him to them He gives power to become the sons of God. Go therefore to Christ; run to him asachild to his fond parent, Put your trust in Christ, and believe in Him that whe your naked and disembodied souls shall meet Him face to face He wili announce to yon the gind results of the good preparations you have made to meet the Lord your God. The sermon, which was very practical and bat impres- sive, was listened to with profound attent! jon. 87, STEPHEN'S CHUROH. ~ At St. Stephen's church yesterday morning solemn | high mass was celebrated, the Rev. Dr, McGlynn being celebrant; the Rev. Father McCready, deacon; the Rey. Father Hickey, sub-deacon, and the Rev, Father Lynch, master of ceremonies. Owing to the extraordinary heat and the length of the service there was no sermon. The maga sung by the chotr, under the leadershi, of Mr. Danforth, was Machis; and tn this there was Gres portunity jor the singers to ed Emma How- fon sang the Solus” in the “Gloria” with that rare swestne: nd purity of tone for which she is £0 deservedly admired. Bernhardt, inthe “Et in Unam’’ of the Credo," was in good voice and sang well, and Collett!'s ‘bass solo, “Crucifixus,’ was rendered with power- ful effect, The offertory plece was trom “Judith,” and was wel ven by the contralto, Madame Munier, Inthe "Benedfctus” the soprano, tenor and bass sang superbly. At the vespers in the afternoon the eee was, as nsual, excellent, but neither at the high mass nor at the Vespers was the congregation nearly so jarge as it usually ts, though the wonder ts, considering the extraordinary tem- perature ofthe weather, how so many people ven- Wired out of doors under the barning sun. BROOKLYN CHURCHES. + PLYMOUTH CHUROH. Mr. Beecher Preaches a Seasonable Ser- mon on Cultivating a Peaceful Dispo- sition—Cheerfulness and Charitableness Recommended. Mr. Boecher preached yesterday morning to an audience that was considerably diminished In num- hers as compared even with the previous week. The sire of the seasons and the monarch of the climes, 44 Byron desoribes the sun, poured his re- lentiess rays npon the congregation, and their Iasel- tude and weary aspect, as they sat fanning them" elven into @ degree of coolness, seemed to verify the words of the Pealmist tn his desortption of the ‘This is | | coming to him | while they were lu) the IMteresis Oi their souls, and some oO tiem were absolutely dead, Tha world b right to see Christians earnes$ in bil | a whl YORK HERALD, MONDAY, JULY |, 187Z7—WITH SUPPLEMENT. going forth of the solar luminary, “that there ts | make the other radiant with @he tight of GoeW nothing hid from the heat thereof!’ Mr. Beecher’s subject was in harmony with the weather—namely, “on living peaceabiy"— and the text was selected from Romans, xil., 18:—“If ts be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” The duty of living peaceably and the necessity of culti- vating @ meek and quiet disposition were ex- pounded in a few axiomatic sentences at the outset of the discourse, and then the notable, world ola exceptions, in which men could not live peaceably, among which were instanced Moses and Jesus, The text had evidently in view the national and social diMculties of so living, and therefore the command to live peaceably Was qualified by the “it it be possible’ and the “as much as lieth in ou.” It was, however, in its narrower sense of ristain living that the preacher desired to im- Ee the truth of the text. For that purpose he leaired to notice frat some of the causes that led to an unpeaceful living. GELF-GEEKING in little things, @ growing selfishness in a minor form, it was incumbent upon us to avold if we would live peaceably. This was the religion of our lives, in which etiquette 1s 2 moral duty, a moral law of kindness in human t The preacher here sketched a vain man. Vanity had its amusing side, and was as profacttve of mirth as the bells on the head and the stripes on the dress of the clown. We liked to see our friends carry their heads high in the air, but we like to have their feet on the ground, go that hey might walk on the same common earth as we did. There was no cure for vanity. Men might be cured of all the other frailties of humanity, but for vanity there was but one cure, and that was the common medicine that cured all our discasea, and that was death, Then there was pride. The manifestations of pride on Our part areventod, men living peaceably with us. It raised their combativeness; they met our show of pride by AnsAROnlecs, and thus was fulfilicd the wisdom of the proverb, “Let your dog bark; mine wit answer |t.” Then there was a tendency to see things in others that we ought not to see; that we made a cause for discord in life. Well, there were many thinga done, that, if we saw them, we should be as though we saw them not. .improprieties, departures from good behavior, little faults should be for- gotten as as seen, and not made elements of scandal. If our friend we should not remind him of the alippin, should go backward with the mantle over’ shoulder and cover the nakedness of our brother. Of the agence that were promouré of peacefulness cheerfulness and g nature were prominent. Cheerfulness belonged mostly to 4 COURAGEOUS NATURE, and it was one of the good things of life. It was said by the friends of some young men, after the; had joined the Church, that before they were goon for something, but now they were for nothing. It was easy to see how that was. Cheerfulness was erroneously deemed by them to be out of character with thelr new life, whereas it was all the more needed. Ifyou were converted to-day you ought to laugh twice where you only laughed once the revious day. Another aid to @ peaceful life was he cultivation of a human syny . Condescend to men of low estate, but don’t let men see how come down. Mr. Beecher here gave several ractical illustrations of the power of sympathy and the mode in which that = devs should be Manifested, instancing the wondrousness of the sympathy of God with man. Another fruitful source of peacefulness in life was the keeping the mouth shut and holding it shut, ere Were more quarrels smothered by this than by, all the wisdom of the world, The old Greek said that man two had ears and one mouth, in order that he might hear twice and speak once. There was a good deal of sense in this. There were some men who de- lighted in slander. Such men seemed to be en- ed all their life in the devil's post office, and to Made his common carriers. If youknew or heard anything wrong abcut anybody don’t circulate it, Keep it to yourself until necessity compels you to Say What you know. The sermon was closed vy an answer to the objector, who might quote a passage from the Epistle of James, which sald, ‘first pure and then peaceable,” and which Mr. Beecher showed was aon accidental order and not a philo- sophical one. - CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, Christianity a Souree of Joy—Sermon by Rev. Dr. Partridge. There was a pretty good attendance at the Pro- testant Episcopal church, Bedford avenue, yester- day morning, notwithstanding the oppressive weather. After the customary services had been performed by the rector and his assistant, Rev. Mr. Babcock, Dr. Partridge delivered a practical dis- course, taking for his text the thirty-first verse of the second chapter of Jeremlah—“Have I been @ wilderness unto Israel? @ land of darkness?” In his introductory remarks the reverend gentleman sald that those words were addressed by Jehovah to His own people, whom he had brought up out of the land of Egypt and given them the happy land of Canaan. By looking back upon their history and considering all that he had done for them we could see that there was not only trony, but intense meaning in the texs? for the outward conduct of Israel towards God wassuch that he had great reason to ask this question of the text in de- rision in order to bring his children to serlous re- flection. And here he (the preacher) asked why was not the gospel embraced by the intelligent and tie refined and enjoyed as one of the richest blessings God has given to man’ Why was it that our very best people, looking at them as citizens, should keep entirely aloof from the ordinances of the Churoh of Christ? Independent of revelation the aystem which Jesus Christ has given to the world ts {ape eabahy Intended to elevate man, to exalt the standard of social life and to fill the minds of men witha deep and abiding sense of whatsoever things were true, honest, lovely and of good report and, reasoning a priort, one would think that the cultivated and intehigent ciasses would be the earllest disciples and the first advocates of a philosophy which inculcated these things. Upright- ness between man and man, truth and honesty, fair meen and honorable intercourse one with another, high-toned morality ranning through all orders of men and pervading all grades of pont love to our neighbors, peace on earth and good will towards men—these were the things that the Church of God taught men to observe and do as they valued happiness in the present life, Why, be asked again, did not these men enter the front ranks and lead the way in this moral reform which was so much needed in this City of Churches, and put an end to the ungodliness and vanity which was so rife in our midst? But the gran dimculty Isy in the fact that over an above the moral and social — blessin so desirable in this present life, which the gospe brought to the world, revelation contained a doc- trine of spiritual life which demanded the regulation of the inner a8 well as the outer man, and making the believer bay aay with spiritual influences hrough the three persons of the Godhcad—a reat intu which the devotee of the re- ligion of nature and reason did not enter. And when we turned to spiritual ping, 0 the sublime topies which alone render Christianity of any etor- nal value, the learned and tho noble asked with | Nicodemns, ‘How can these things be ?”" reckoning them as foolishness. Such persons loved morality, respected religion, and knew well what a mighty instrument even superstition is when it ta wielded by soclety, and belleving in God as their Creator and moral Governor, they desire an interest in Him, provided they can attain it by any rational process. Why not re- celve It as coming from God in the Bible? As to the grand doctrines of atonement, regeneration and spiritual Influences connected with the Father, Son and he Ghost, the individnais of whom he spoke were wiliiag to acknowledge them in some sort of an ecclesiastical way. They used the services of he sanctuary every Sunday which affirmed and ght them, but they were lot willing to take the ras step which would place themselves in @ S09 spiritual connection with them. Another hindrance in the w2y of Irrellgtous people embru ‘tho Inconsztencles of professed of such had @ Name! ing the Gospel was Cnistians, P Too man, Reet lukewarm and indifferent that concerned the advancement of the king® Christ, and to find that religion gave them co! in AMiction, contentment in adverse circumstances, mee in the midst of perti, and hope when f jarkness covered the people. The foople of world looked on in amazement when they saw Christians evidently considering their profession # yoke of bondage too het ‘i to be borue, Men of the world could not N, themselves that the Bible was # lie, that Christians are all hypocrites and imposters, and that the spiritual doctrines of religion were falze, though they had nover expe- rienced them; atill they admitted that Christianity aimed at tho heart, that it gave hk ace in the midst of strife and joy and comfort in the Holy Ghost, and to the undying soul immortal life, What dishonor Christians cast upon their Master and His cause by not living up to their profession! God might well aek his people in this age the ques- tion (ok adedipstd in Jeremiah’s time, “Have I been lerness unto Israel—a land of darkness * Have my redeemed people found no ad in me, no light in my presence, and no comfort in my word? Havo there been no flowers along the path by which I have led them, no green pastures and no still waters’ Has my service been irksome and with- out any reward’ During the toil and weariness of haa there been no bright sunshine npon the landscape, nO sound of music by the way? pi Parte! flee continued in an eloquent strain to how that the Christian iifo was one of joy and gladness; that the yoke of Christ waa cas, that his ware Were paths of pleaxantness, and th jt those who followed Jesu: he light of the world, would not walk In darkness, ont their path would shine brighter and brighter unto the day. It would be an absurd and utter contradiction of all URePe tes ie esate a Sat Ntutla ts Chureh, and o! @: ce Of Bl "9 Anin' that God in Ourist Jesus is a wilderness anda Ohrist's followers do with the ness and the make the one hud nad blossom Ee cent e SEVENTH AVENUB METHODIST HPIB00PAR OHUROH, BROOKLYE. Rev. Joseph Wild, D. D. inte Professor of Hebrew and Ethics in Albert University, Uanada, whe omy ceeds Bishop Andrews, preached his first sermem Sabbath morning at the Seventh avenue Methedia® Episcopal church. He selected the following for his text:—£phesians iv., 16—‘‘But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things which ia the head Christ.” Man by nature and com dition is @ tly designed to be a progressivg creature to this end and for this very Providence hes kindly endowed him with po! greatness. The Gospel, with its rich and ample pre visions, invites man on toa sublime and glorioug future, ever kindly soliciting the exercise of the talent endowment of Heaven, for in spirit aad intent the Gospel is well suited to develo the latent forces of the soul and strengthen thg faculties of the mind. It speaks not to us of the fanciful and fashionable, but of the real, the good, the true and the lasting. It opens not alone thé door of time and short and fleeting years of tha present life to the ambition, aspiration and activi- tle.f man, but sublimely introduces us to @ nobler life and an eternal day, in which the soul mag ~a A contane to beret! ite pavers e ‘on from system to 8; from eycie to. cyclo, in the noontide splendos. of never- failing day. ‘ho us can believe the Scripture destiny of man, the immortality « his own being, and not be moved to careful thought? Who among us can beddeve in @ perpetual growth and development of the mind an@ eo in good or evil, and not it worth while to make a deter effort to eschew the evil and cleave in with goad. The mind will exercise itself touching ture, trying ever to solve the problem destiny its own being, Det ed for an immortal growta we tustinctively ask with the poet— O, rere shall rest be found, 3 10 Weary $01 * Tw sound Or pierce welther poise” Abs ‘There 1s something charming in the and equitable development of the woul fa goede The doctrine of the text is Christian gro [ry Christ, Man was not created to be stationary, to unfold and enlarge in the domain of mind = experience, for “the path of the just is shinin; light, thi Rn : to tae steady and gradual unfolding, becom! more perfect, and thus more and more Gro 4a eer behold in all things of lawfal design and truthful and benevolent alm, How peaeens to behold the opening spring, when na ‘ure smiles in renewed beauty and decks herself mn. And on andon Wage tilled ike Christ, in ving admire till tn autumn we behold her tenty. So the Christian should go on unto perfeo- lon &@ babe in Christ till he wetain ¢0 tue fae stature of man in Christ Jesus. By Ohristian growth we understand a develop- ment, and this implies.a formative work going be- fore. The formative has to do with the plant of the seeds of truth and instilling into the mind true germ principles of life. r illustration, we find the formative work in an egg and in a and these are developed—brought forth into by the applied conditions of nature. 60 in the Christian the seeds of eternal life grow to an in- viting fullness by the supply of epi grace and divine favor, Tne imperfection of the formative pria- ciple with some makes it impossible to progress the divine life. To perfect holiness in the fear the Lord we must have the principles of the doo- trines of Qhrist mph on unto perfection, The text implies individ wth, A man needs to be in unison with himself to have his conscience, judgment and heart agreeing; then he is strong. ‘ne Christian must grow collectively—that is, he must Rioy. up to harmonize with the Church an@ God's Ho the Church. As the single note of the organ Is tuned til] it is in unison with itself, 66 each Christian must find the unison of the unit taking the keynote from Christ. The wait be! fect ony can be evolved from variety, as music. If we are all tuned of Christ, may all be dis versely gifted, yet all harmonize in the Church and its work and jon. We must grow up into Him as the child grows in the affection of the parent. As a Sian soit 0 at first we dislike, yet by his good conduct he meets the demands of our reason and grace gains our affections till wo admire and love him. So should the Christian grow up inte Christ. We should speak the truth in love if we wish truth to be powerful. We often fail in doing others , because truth is not spoken in atfec- tion, minister needs to correct, instruct and teach in the spirit of love, and the members need to speak to him and of him in love. The orator ts peer in moving and pereanng, his audience, cause he feels sincerely the truth of what he utters. So Christians need to be tf ie suaded of the truthy they believe. Believing pastor and people of this Church grow up inte z tising the same will give the power for iy Christ in all things that makes holy and adorns the doctrines of Christ. THE PULPIT AT RONDOUT. ABEEL STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Stewardship—Discourse by the Rev. B. D. Ledyard. Ronpovrt, N, Y., June 30, 1872, Rev. E. D, Ledyard, the young, popular and elo- quent pastor of the Abcel street Presbyterian church, preached @ most excellent sermon this morning before & large congregation. He sclected his text from Luke xv1., 2—“ Give an account of thy stewardship,” The speaker began his discourse by saying ‘‘ That if man were in & large assembly when a tele- graphic dispatch should be brought in, he would pay little attention to the fact until he should learn that it was addressed to him. Then the matter would have an Interest and an importance for him which it did not have before. So we have often passed lightly by the test as addressed to some one else. To- day let us regard it as a communication to our- selves, The proper conception of the position which men occupy tu this world is that they are GOD'S STEWARDS. ‘They have certain possessions and certain powers} but they are not thelrown. They are entrnsted them for a time and fora purpose. In what ray can Man obtain ie Tight of absolute and indepen ent ownership snything which he possesses? What is there, amid all the objects within his ower, Which did not come from God? There {s His ody, which many a man thinks 1s his own, to or abuse, as he pleases, Did He give it to himself Did He create it? There is His mind. Did maw fashion THAT WONDROUS ENGINE of thought by his own power and from nothing, 80 in it he is utterly independent of God? There the time which comes to man in ceaseless flow. this his own? DOPS HE CREATE DAYS? So with man's intellectual te toh) 80 With riches, He is indebted to God for them all. Nor does God relinquish His right to them. He confides them to man as a trust and will require a strict account of their use. This is proven also by the fact that God takes our possessions from us at His leasare. He acts as the supreme owner of all. e fact of man's stewardship is further taught by the parables of tho talents and of the ten pounds, ‘This {8 no merely specniative matter. It is INTENSELY PRACTICAL. It touches our daily lives at every point, and virtually affects the whole course of our thought and action. boginnin, that is is ‘The Met vary of men In general at of each new day is, “What can we do fot ") That of tho man who realizes bis ip ta, WITAT CAN 1 DO FOR MY MAgTRR?? A steward shou! A at of all be honest. There is have us em; wardship is not te © servant, but to accomplish the will of the “as T DILIGENT, that Wo ay n2f Pervert our we ir to employ it as nome = i for we La pal _ iboace, Why aE 8 e assure: el our stewardship. On i . boa GOD'S GREAT } trast; BOOK shall appear the record of all the di . that have come to us, and we must’ tell how we have used them. Thore, too, will be the record our health and strength, of oar Mental gifts, eee ae WEE saat and for all these mi » And you may be sure that tm that last God will not forget stewatde HY intrasted éarthiy Hehee, yn ee LUA SHALL BB MARI and for every dollar He wilt require a etrigt poene a Ade) the ae makes inquisition for ‘ou pul tay! can yoe show pi money what will you GOD'S OWN DRAWTS Upon you for it, or must you confess that, ignor God’s own demands npon his own, you ated It ee eres, spending it in ‘dam gance and diapiay, conquming it in sett indut- | rd and pleasure, or heaping it higher and higher MISERLY NOARDS? If you have belies record than this I tremble for you when you | be called to give an account of your stewardship, OHUROH QUARBELS IN THE SOUTH. j To Tee Eprron oy THe Heratv:— The following article appearet in ths Christian Advocate of June 16, and is creating considerable excitomont snd comment in this neighborhood. Aware that charch quarrels are one of the most fraitfal sources of hard feeling and Witterncss SMODA DeODIE Of All Ages and ollmes, T conr it for