The New York Herald Newspaper, December 23, 1872, Page 8

GOD’S DAY. Christians Going to Church Through the Cruel Cold of the Wild Weather. RELIGIOUS RARE-BITS. Sermons on All Manner of Subjects from the Lips of the Leading - Metropolitan Ministers. CHURCH OF THE CONFLAGRATION. —r—__——. The Greek Services in the Russian Chapel in Second Avenue. THE COMING OF CHRIST. Brother Beecher’s Words of Sym- pathy After the Burning of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. ‘BLESSING A BELL. Yesterday the weather was colder than it has been before during this season. The wind blus- tered flercely from morning until night. The warm glow ofthe red hearth at home shed through one contented feeling of happiness, heightened by the contrast of its generous warmth with the bitter Buffering out of doors, The streets were covered with glassy ice, and were dangerously slippery. It was very sad, as well as curious, on the previous night, at about twelve o'clock, when the intense coldness began, to watch the inebriated creatures who were wandering about through certain quarters of the town, as is their custom, through the thick gray clouds of snow that were falling, tumbling upon the sidewalk at every other step, and the utter indifference and stolidity with which they would there remain until picked up by some kind-hearted passer-by and sent upon their way. Yesterday morning the wind bad Swept the flagstones rather cleanly, and seemed freighted with keen arrows that pierced every Merve of the body through the heaviest outer clothing and made one shiver distractedly even when walking at « jolly pace. Still, however, the phurches were not by any means cmpty, and people yeemed to brave the congelating mood of tho cle- ments merely for the sake of wildly daring them to the very utmost. Red cheeks and smarting ears, and stif, numb fingers were the consequences, The eyes sparkled with the glow of a freshly Inspired health, and the solemn services in the shadowy sanctuaries were followed with a keener yest of piety than is perhaps ordinarily displayed by calm worshippers who have nothing to disturb “the even tenor of their way.’ There was some friving in the Park and skating on the frozen lakes, where the ice is now thick and smooth; but the cold was too bitter for much outdoor diver- tisement, and people who never go to church but to amuse themselves went yesterday for that pur- pose. ‘The sermons that will be found reported below will be read, undoubtedly, with considerable inter- est, from the mere fact that many of them refer directly to the coming Christmas festival, so near athand. One great incident of interest yesteraay ln religious circles was the presence of the chil- ‘ren in larger numbers than usual in the Sunday Bchools, eagerly studying the lessons appropriate toan approach of the anniversary of the mys- terious birth of the Messiah. In all these little as- Bemblages also preparations have been going for- ward for a week past for the annual ceremony of the Christmas tree, which must never be omitted. {n order net to interfere with family rites of a*far more tender order many of these celebrations will take place to-nigut, Instead of on Christmas Eve {tself, One of them occurs in the Quaker meeting house in Schermerhorn street, Brooklyn, and will ‘be singular and curious, because it is only recently that the societies of this denomination have con- flescended to so far debase their dignity as to copy Any of the traditional customs of the world. The Christmas season at present promises to be dne of unusual joy, satisfaction and good feeling. CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES. ——————— Man’s Obligations to God—Discourse by the Rev. George H. Hepwerth, Notwithstanding the cold weather and piercing wind, and notwithstanding Mr. Hepworth’s de- precation of the smallness of the congregation in his usual exhortation for liberal contributions, there was a very fair attendance at the services yesterday morning at Steinway Hall, where the ghembers of the Church of the Disciples still meet. for Sunday worship. The subject of Mr. Hep- worth’s discourse was, to use a commercial expres- sion, the necessity of taking stock of our spiritual relations, and was based upon Ecclesiastes ii. 11, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought.” These words were spoken bya man marked for his wisdom and insight. He came toa bad conclusion. ALL IS VANITY; vanity of vanities. In the retrospection of their lives he hoped not to take so sad arefrain. Under all circumstances it was good te stop and reflect. He who gocs thoughtfully to work has already won halfthe battle; he who goes blindly to work has Blready lost the battle. Every business man about | this season shuts his doors, examines his books, | takes an inventory of stock and sees how much he has gained or lost during the year. In a word, he sees exactly how he stands. Thus the storm- tossed mariner, the moment there is a riftin the clouds, with chart and meridian ascertains his ex- act position and what currents or winds are to help or impede him. Thus in the old crusades every once in awhile they paused to bury their dead, to erect hospitals for their sick, to forage for | their food and plan for their future, And thus the | good army of humanity rests on this day, The man who knows himself knows more than he thinks; | who knows his own strength and the force of THE WORLD'S ALLUREMENTS | 1s evenly poised, so evenly poised that no tempta- | tion can take hitn unawares and conquer him. And fo they should ask themselves what they are, what they propose to do and with what they are to do it. | that ¢ | haps These questions opened their minds to .beir own strength; but to ask these questions was « very hard thing—the result was #0 unpleasant. To do 60 best provided them for the future, There were already three that knew them, you as you look through French glass. Your children know you better than you know your- selves, The world knows you. If you are known by these three parties it “behooves you to know yourselves, If you struggle on man Tully and uprightly through trials aud teinptations you have ascen towards God; but Ifyou have Beotled at rely dried up and parched, like a withered apple. Oh that men al- Ways remembered the VALUE OF A HUMAN SOUL. What pains men bear to save their physical life, The laws of God are fron. Not one of you could 100K back for the past twenty years and say that iransgression has not been punished with pain. Sin is bondage. Guilt and crime are manacies. ‘We regret aay by day errors of the pi We have BO m SPIRITUAL INDIA RUBBER to rub out the sins of the past. Following out at eloquent length this train of thought he concluded by enforcing God's claims to our love and obedt- efice. Asa father that has pinched himself for the education of his son finds that his son has played truant—has played in the woods instead of study- ing—as this father is grieved so is God grieved whenever his ciilaren play in the woods, §T, PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL Sermon by the Rev. John M. Farrelly on the Great Virtue of Hamility=The Lesson of the Hour Culled from the Saviour’s Nativity=<The Programme for the Christmas Festival. ‘The Cathedral at balf-past ten o'clock mass yes | also for us. God looks through | NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1872.-WITH SUPPLEMENT. b Sor grace, for which we pray through Jesus | sterling qualities of religion are in the shade. The Amen. Masses of terday was well Milled by o large and apparently devout congregration. The bitter frosty air of the morning necessitated: the wearing of fura and heavy clothing. The church was comfortaoly heated and the feeble sunshine reflected through tho large stained windows added to its lively aspect exceedingly. Rev. Father McNamce was celebrant of the mass. The ususl number of acolytes were in attendance. THE REY. FATHER FARRELLY, secretary to the Archbishop, preached an eloquent and very impressive sermon after the con- clusion of the Gospel on the great virtue of humility, the chef and most prominent characteristic of the Sgyiour's character. The reverend gentleman chose his text from the epistle of the Sunday, Titus ii, 11-15—“Dearly beloved, the grace of God our Saviour hath ap- peared to all men; instructing us that denying ungodliness and worldly desires we should live so- berly and justly and godly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and might cleanse to Himself a people ac- ceptable, & pursuer of good works, These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” bi In contemplating the importance of so great an event as the birth of the God-man, now well nigh at nand, the first thought apt to starile the.refiect- ing mind was the humble manner in which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the second person .of the blessed Trinity, took upon Himself tne as- sumption of human nature. The incident was a marked illustration of the abhorrence with which the Almighty looked upon THE SIN OP PRIDE. Luctfer had fallen and was punished for his rebel- lious spirit,. He said, “I will raise myself up and place my throne upon the throne of God.” But the right arm of the Eternai smote his ambitious spirit aud designated him forathrone which was no other than a pillar of fre, Pride entered into the heart of Adam, and he fell and was punished, The Old Testament records the punishment of many others for this in. Patriarchs, prophets and kings suffered exceedingly for mere sins of vanity, But Jesus Christ came to preach by his humble birth the one grand lesson of humility which was to be of universal advantage, and to show the proud and haughty of this world that it wasa virtue absolutely necessary to salvation. Here the reverend preacher contrasted vividly the proud with the humble man, showing the faults and foibles of the one—the silent and ultimate success of the other. ‘The proud man was PROUD OF TRANSIENT AND TRIVIAL POSSESSIONS ; the humble man despised them, while his pride was all concentrated in the attainment of heavenly. desires, * Karth was too narrow tor his aspirations, Heaven alone could satisfy his desires. {fo try to be humble was not an attempt to depase human nature, but a heroic struggle lor the supernatural. When the aposties discussed among themselves who of them should be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, the Saviour, knowing their thoughts, re- buked them, and taking up a little child in his arms who stood by, pronounced in tits forcible manner His condemnation of the sia of pride, “Un- less you make yourselves like unto this little child you Shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” The reverend Father next showed THR INSIGNIFICANCE OF MAN asan individual creature portrayed in the great map of creation—a mere speck upon its surface, a bubble upon the ocean of lite. !n the words of St. Paul, ‘What did he possess which he hath not received?” If, therefore, he pv».°ssed nothing which he could call his own, what asa reasonable being had he to be proud of, Father Farrelly then concluded :—You are rich in the treasures of the earth; remember the endowment 1s from God, and forget not Hts poor in the midst o° your luxuries, Remember what you are, where ou came from and whither you are driiting. There was a time when you did not exist. You were born out of nothing, You will dic, and your dearest friends will turn away in horror from your dissoly- ing clay. Young men, you whose spirits are proud through ao sense of honor or self-esteem, when an _ insult is offered to your name or fame in the midst of your daily avocations and associations restrain your anger in silence for the sake of Him who was the very impersonation of humility. By endeavoring thus to imitate the humble Saviour of the world yon vat be working out the great end of your sal tion, THE MUSIC AND CHRISTMAS PROGRAMME in the cathedral will be of more than ordinary in- terest to the congregation. Yesterday the choir, as usual, acquitted itself with great success in the rendering of Mercadante’s Third Mass. The or- ganist, Mr. Schmits, misrea the different parts with admirable spirit, while the solos and duets by the ladies of the choir were rendered in a most pleasing and truly effective manner. On Christ- mas Day there-will bea solemn high mass at five o‘clock A. M.; also masses at six, seven, eight and nine o’clock, and solemn Pontifical high mass at half-past_ten o'clock A. M,, of which the Most Reverend Archbishop McCloskey will be the cele- brant, and will, at the conclusion, give the congre- gation the Papal benediction. The music for the festival has been already arranged by Mr. Gustavus Schmits, and will be of altogether a superior kind, Many pieces the production of eminent authors, composed by Italian artists ‘and recently brought from Rome, will be rendeged. In the evening the vespers will be fully and elegantly rendered, and the choir enlarged for the occasion. Madame Chomé and Madame Unger—the two ladies who have so favor- ably impressed the congregation of the cathedral during the past few years—will sing solos which they have had some time in preparation. ee ae a THE RUSSIAN-GREEK CHAPEL, Services Yesterday—Sermon by Rev. Father Bjerring on Repentance. Rey, Father Bjerring preached a short sermon on repentance yesterday at the small Russian- Greek chapel on Second avenue, taking for his text Luke iii, 3:—And John came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.’ The chapel was comfortably filled, and the reverend gentle- man conducted the liturgy partly in English and partly in the Russian language. Aftera while the whoie service will be conducted in English. The subjoined is the sermon:—As often as the Jews sighed under the pressure of misery their desires became more strong after Him from whom they expected, in accordance with the declarations of their prophets, the ushering in of better times. In the fifteenth year of the reign of THE EMPEROR TIBERIUS appeared among them Jobn, who proclaimed tne advent of Him who should create these better times, but at the same time he also exclaimed, “Repent ye.” This was Jesus of Nazareth, long expected by the ‘nations, who appeared soon atter to establish by His divine teachings the kingdom of truth and of virtue. If we followed this Nght which Jesns kindled upon earth, and strove with all earnestness after that virtue which he taught to men, then we too would feel the rest and the peace of soul which nowhere ig to be found save in Him, the beloved Saviour. But repentance, which John most zealously preached, and to which he exhorted all persons, without distinction—this repentance is necessary What is the meaning of repentance ? This is just the misfortune with so many, that they take for repentance that which is not repentance, Therefore it may perhaps, be not superfuous tf I | show to-day wherein true repentance consists, | What did THE OLD PROPHETS demand from the Jews, who led a wicked life? Was it only that they should put on a robe of re- | pentance and strew ashes upon their heads’ Did they not rather, like Ezekiel, call to them In the name of God, Cast from you all transgressions in | which ye have broken my law, and adorn your- selves With a new spirit and with a new heart. What did John the Baptist require from the Jews me tohim in the wilderness? Did he per- quire them to put on, like himself, a rough | garment and to eat locusts and wild honey’ Did he not rather tell the rich that they should dis- tribute of their abundance to the poor? Did he not tell the publicans that they should not ask be- yond the due charge, and the soldiers that they | Should do violence to no man? What did Christ | and the aposties require ? Perhaps strict, continu. ous fasting, long prayers and self-torture’ Dic they not rather require a spiritual new birth—a | new man, anda turning away from si Repent- ance consists not alone in external acts of re- pentance. Though thou mayest, n as the Ninevites, cover thyself with sackcloth and strew thy head with ashes; though thou mayest shed rivers of tears, and pray and confess, if thou dost not thereby change thy | heart and life, then is that repentance only a shadow—only an appearance, only seli-deceit, It is not the repentance which THE LORD REQUIRES from thee, True repentance consists in the change of the wicked heart and siniui life. ‘the sinner who wishes truly to repent must undergo a total change; he must clare, be born agat ecome @ totally diferent man; he must entirely ange his min life. Out of the heart proceed evil aduiteries, murders, theft, faise witness, siander- ings; but where sin takes its origin ere also must repentance begin. Therefore what the siu- |. ner Jeves the penitent roust hate. The child that was unthankful and Cisobedient toits parents must be grateful and obedient; the father and mother that were careless as to the education of their children must earnestly care for their good educa- tion; the husband that lived in discord must seek peace; he who was @ calfmniator must speak truth, This is the doctrine of the Christian Church. Withont doubt to conquer the evil lusts, to aban- don the way of sin and to walk the path of virtue, is at the coat of many @ fight and victory, But if We only hgve the earnest desire God will help us ist, our Lord, 2, LYBIO HALL Jesus’ LoveeSermon of the Rev. 0. B. The congregation at Lyric Hall yesterday morn. was not 80 large as usual. As is very often the case, Mr. Frothingham took no text from the Bible, but chose for his subject, ‘Jesus’ love.'? Lot us weigh this word, love, he began. In Jesus’ vocabulary it was printed in large capital letters, and did not mean to Him what it does to sentimental minds, All that He dreamed was compressed into that little word of four letters. Among the old Hebrews there was a dream called the year of ju- bilee. Every fifty-cight years, it is written, there was to come a year called the YEAR OF GOD. On that year all slaves were to ne set free, all lands returnea to the origmal owners, all debts cancelled, all men equalized, This was a superb dream, and Jesus believed in it with all His heart, Jesus believed in the entire reconstruction of the world and that the perfect state of manon the planet would come. Men are as far from that state now as they were then. He was completely absorbed in equalizing conditions, that would im- prove all men. Notice the principle upon which He chose His disciples. There was not a cultivated, rich or great man among them. What He wanted was hearts and unprejudiced minds, not PEARLS AND DIAMON! that would not run together. He did not assume superiority, and if he demanded faith in Himself it ‘was because he was a leader. Jesus did not insist upon. ws belief in His divinity or infallibiity. He dig insist upon sympathy. The Pharisee was a pattern Churchman, and kept all the laws with a Strict conscience. He was exoeedingly fastidious, and there the sin lay. Everyone that was not as religious as himself was a heathen and an outcast. He hated everyone who did not believe in his pre- cise ideas, He was a man who loved religion so much that he hated nearly all his fellow creatures, He was a bundle of prejudices, a PIOUS PORCUPINE, that shot out Its quills at every one who did not think as he thought, Jesus said to him, ‘‘The pub- lican and sinner small go into heaven before you shall.’ While Jesus was in the Pharisee’s house a wretched woman was dragged in and thrown upon the floor in front of Him, She had sinned deeply, but she had abused and hated no one. She cast no beseeching glances at the Master nor at those hein- ous men who had brought her there. She said noth- ing, a8 women of to-day would, to palliate her crime. Jesus told her to go and sin no more, What would He have thought and done if He were with us now? Would He have forgiven so easily the perfumed, well-aressed and kidded murderer who shoots the man he says has offended him? He never met a President of the Erie Railway. He would not have covered things up and washed out the stains of ullte Afteran eloquent enlargement on this point fic closed the services with prayer. OHUROH OF THE CONFLAGRATION, Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Campbell to the Adventists of the Cooper Institute Congregation on the. Final Calamity. A small but select congregation sat in the Cooper Union yesterday to listen to Mr. Campbell on the subject of destruction by fire and water. The con- gregation was selected so as to afford every va- riety of color and every degroe of facial angle. They constitute a branch of the Church of the Coming Woe, presided oyer by the venerable Bishop Snow. The preacher spoke as follows:—The facts to which all minds are directed—especially here, and especially here important is the coming of Christ, “Watch,” said Christ, “what hour the Lord do come.”’ He don't say, “IF YOU DON’ KNOW DON'T WATCH. Some classes may say he will not come until next year; but I beg to say I don’t read in that way. (Voices—“‘Am en,” ‘‘S0,”" “Yes,” “Of course,” and, in the rear, “Why not?’) LIask you all, studénts of phophecy, if we are not in the fulfilment of the last «stages? (Voices—“Oh, yes!” and “Amen!’) At this juncture a man who had aneye to occupying one particular seat at the advent entered. le was & young man and looked like a@ tailor's clerk. With eyes fixed straight upon his particular seat he rushed forward ever the knees and tre; ig on the feet of the lis- teners and finally arrived at his destination. A gentleman who had suffered to some extent in his dal extremities cried out, sotto voce, You're in ime; she won’t burst till the sermons-over.” — ~ The sermon, or whatever it may be called, went onin uninterrupted fow, The preacher coming at this point to the word heaven, a numb@r of people of different colors jrho, being inveterate policy players, always attend these meetings to get lucky numbers, bent eagerly forward to iisten to the following :—The prophet says the heavens will shake. The heavens will what’ Shake. Shake what? The heavens. Now the heavens mean diferent thing: Sometimes heaven means the atmospher Sometimes it means the government and sometimes it means God. in other words, it almost always means things. (A sigh trom the policy people.) COMPLIMENT TO PROBABILITIES. “When they started the Weather Bureau I thought,’ said Mr. Campbell, “that it wouldn't | amotint to much, But that man in Washington and the other gentleman who helps him knows a thing or two, They have discovered that storms and the devastations of Providence are caused uy the atmospheric changes, é. ¢., in the heavenly changes.” ‘The speaker here cited the storms in Europe during the past two months, and the great fires in Chicago and Boston as tokens that hour is drawing nigh when the earth will be purged in fame at the second coming of the Lord. A beautiful and touching incident related was that of a young man rushing up to him in the street and crying, “Surely the earth is coming toan end. The Fifth Avenue Hotel has becn on fire in the top story, and twenty-two persons have been burned !” A WOMAN IN THE PULPIT. Interesting Afternoon Services at At- torney Street Methodist Protestant Church=Sermon on “The Christian Martyrs” by Mrs. Alderdice=St. Ste- as the Holy Scriptures de- | phen. ‘The afternoon services yesterday at the Attorney street Methodist Protestant church were of a deci- dedly interesting, though rather usual character, in consequence of the pulpit being occupied by the lady preacher, Mrs, M. A. Alderdice. This lady has° frequently during the past few months preached at this place of worship, and has usually attracted large and interested aud, fences. Yesterday, however, doubtiesa in conse- quence of the inclement weather, the attendance ‘was not so large. Mrs. Alderdice is A LADY OF ABOUT FORTY YEARS OF AGR, of medium stature and of pleasant expression of features. She is a native of Belfast, Ireland, and was reared in Dublin, When about twenty years old she went to Scotland and lived there some eleven years, the combined results of her North of Ireland nativity and of her Scottish rest- dence being that she has a -very pleasing though by no means strongly marked Scotch accent in her speech. Indeed, its effect seems 10 be to give greater rhetorical force and definition to her utterance. She has been engaged in preaching for about twelve years—her first | effort in exhortation from the pulpit having been mace in Dumbarton, Scotlend. Since then she has preached in England, Scotland and | Ireland, and. since June last, the period of her arri- | val in the United States, she has preached princi- pally inthe New York. She is an exceedingly ear-. st and effective speaker and her lectures or | sermons are entirely extemporaneons. Yesterday afternoon at three o'clock she com- | menced a course of Sabbath lectures on “THE CHRISTIAN MARTYRS.’” ‘The services were opened and closed in the usual form, and the preacher was attired in a neat suit of black and wore her bonnet while in the pulpit, She selected as the Scripture lesson to be read por- tions of the sixth and seventh chapters of the Acts | of the Apostles, The audience then sang the hymn, commencing with the Jines His only righteousness T show, His saving truth proclaim; ‘Tis all my Dusiness here below To cry “Behold the Lamb!” In opening her discourse she said she felt a little surprised at the slender attendance, as the subject ‘was one of such special interest, put that she was nevertheless pleased to meet those who were here. Alter all it Was more of a congregation than Jesus had by SAMARIA’S WELL, or on that earnest night with Nicodemus, and it was consoling to know that much real good might result even from so small an auditory, She then announced that her remarks would embrace the pg of the death of the first Christian martyr, ; and would be based upon the verses in | the seventh chapter of the Acts of | the Apostles, describing the stoning to death | ofthe Apostle Stephen. She said that the fact that this was an age in which martyrdom could not be appreciated would, doubtiess, in a manner account for the fact that there were so few present to hear the story of their virtuous lives and patient, heroic deaths. Martyrdom and suffering were Christ's badges of discipleshtp ; but CHRISTIANS OF THE PRESENT DAY Were too loth to “take up the crogs," They were ing, in consequence of the bleakness of the weather, | people were not Christians in their gonee ad scorned the professions made. It was in this respect, for its ace earnestness and devo! even to death, that the history of the infant Church at Jerusalem was so beautifal. It had @ beautiful on that ‘and Pentecost day in that “upper room” where a had prayed without ceasing and in fullness of faith for tem daya. Think of it! ten days of unremitting prayers. Why, Christian zeal in our day usually contented itself with a brief beaker meeting, and to many even this proved tedious. But that little band of 120 were fervent in their zeal for the faith, which ts well illustrated in the fact that 3,000 were converted to Peter's first sermon. And so the good work went on. It was this earnestness and its successful results, this re- markable movement that provoked ‘THE HOSTILITY OF HELL. This Domlite. was extended to the servants a6 ell a8 to the iter, They tried to hide this glo- rious light of poyistianltye, but Christ's aposties were too full of the glad tidings to be stilled, Stephen was one of seven of the faithful chosen ‘administer the affairs of the Church, and was ‘reputed to be @ man of natural beautiful countenance. He was full of zeal and had wondrous power of miracles, and when they could not repress his works they resorted to brute force, and the spirit of persecution was stirred up to crush out the induence of his doctrines and teachings. But he braved them all, as did that grand old German hero of later days, MARTIN LUTHER. When a friend told Luther, “Luther, the world is inst fae he replied, proudly and bravely, “Then itis Luther against the world.”” The preacher then bsrocenned to describe in glowing and emotio: language and style the cruel stoning to death of Stephen by the populace, and the heroism and for- veness: Siapiaged: by him, when with his latest breat! he pesought his Heaven) Master not to “lay these things to their charge.” His buman nature writhed under the torture doubtless, but His spirit was so buoyant with the influence of the Holy Spirit that all the foods of hell could not drown joy nor extinguish the light of faith in his heart. Satan would not have been 80 aroused against Christians of our day. MODERN CHRISTIANITY does not provoke hell's opposition to the extent that the fervent work of these great souls did. In conclusion, the speaker invoked a greater stirring up among the Lord's workers, and trusted that a grand uprising and outpouring of the spirit would take place: in the hearts of the peopic. At the close of her lecture Rev. Mr. White, pastor of the church, announced that the New York Union Praying Band would occupy the church and con- duct services, morning, afternoon and evening, on next Sabbath, and that onthe following Sunday Sister Alderdice woula resume the continuation of her series of lectures on ‘The Christian Martyrs.”’ ALL SOULS’ CHUROE, Sermon by the Rev. H. W. Bellows— The Coming of the Messiah. Rey. Dr. Bellows preached a sermon last evening in All Souls’ church, taking for his text the passage from Haggai, “‘And the desire of all nations shall come.” He began by showing with what earnest- ness the Messiah was longed for by the world for the centuries immediately preceding his advent. Among the Jews, of course, this feeling was exceptionally strong and fervent, and the inspired prophets spoke out the desire of the chosen peopie with a fire and eloquence that were singularly significant. But between the last of the prophets and the 4 COMING OF CHRIST there was an interval of several hundred years, during which, not only among the Jews, but among all nations, the longing for the Messiah grew even deeper and more earnest. True, it was expressed in words by THE HIGHEST AND BEST MINDS among the anclents—such men as Plato and Soc- rates among the Greeks, and Virgil and Cicero among the Romans—but the masses of mankind were necessarily always behind the noblest devel- opmonts of their age. Dr. Bellows then proceeded to show that the Messiah only came when His want had thus been clearly made manifest to men, and that He would have come before ifmen had really de- sired Him. This wait{ng and anticipation had been the moral education of the wofid for His coming. Even when He did come the world was barely ready for him, and it was only a glorious minority that recognized Him as the hope and the redeemer of the race, for whom they had yearned so eagerly. Had He then appeared sooner His message would not have been heard at all. And had it been heara even now by the majority of mankind? Had Christ been born, indeed, for the sadly larger portion of the human race? His name and His mission were, indeed, known; but FAMILIARITY with them had seemed to proans: its usual conse- quence of jndiference and apathy. Christ would, however, really be »vorn for us, in the beauty and sweetness of His love, tn the power and plenitude of His truth, If we strove to copy His life and make ourselves the living temples o! His holiness, Thus for us the morrow or Wednesday might be made not alone the celebration of Christ's birth, but His birthday, indeed, with ail its blessed associations of peace and good will, of pardon and redemption, PRESBYTERIAN MEMORIAL CHURCH. Ceremonies at the Opening of the New EdificeSermon by the Rev. Charles 8. Robinson—Evening Exercises, The opening exercises of the Presbyterian Me- morial church—a name given in honor of the com- bination between the old and new school Presby- terians—on the corner of Fifty-third street and Madison avenue, took place yesterday. In the morning the pastor, Rey. Charles S, Robinson, preached to an audience which quite filled the large and spacious edifice, on tne subject, “THE GOSPEL NO SHAME."? Taking for his text Romans 1, 15, 16—“So much as in me is, | am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also; for lam not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.” He said:—Looking, as we must, from long education and habit, upon the religion of Jesus Christ as the principal source of human blessing, civil and personal, we can hardly ap- preciate the necessity of so formal an announce. ment as this in the text. The Apostle Paul in inditing a letter and promising a visit to the Imperial capital takes occasion to say he is not ashamed to preach a sermon there upon the plan of salvation as revealed in the Scriptures. And we find ourselves ready to ask why should he be? In answering the question the reverend gentleman drew a vivid picture of THE WICKEDNESS AND INTOLERANCE which prevatled in Rome at the time, and chal- lenged admiration for the show of moral courage made by Paul in declaring he was ready to preach the Gospel of Christ even in the capital .citv of such an abominable em- pire of sin. He next noticed the superior intelligence of Rome. The intellectual advance- ment of that age which Paul would have to meet there, the contempt in which the Jews were held, and above all a Christian Jew, whose religion was more distasteful to the Romans than the old re- ligion based on the law—these wefe portrayed as amon g the things which Paul would have to meet there and which he was ready to ‘face. He then proceeded to consider, “Are there none in these days of ours who get ashamed of the Gospel of Christ?” Feeble were its advocates then; many and strong they are now. Narrow was its reac! then; the world knows all about it now. For more than eighteen centuries this letter to Rome has been read bat Christendom, and now every- body loves it. le spake of the new measures pro- posed for the regeneration of the race, as if the old faith once delivered to the saints were dead, He recounte’ Paul's successes, and called upon the Church of the living God to bid LEARN HERE HER LESSON. The Gospel is still “achieving, still pursuing.’ There Will always be those who shrink away from the constant situation of the invitation which God has sent to our dying races. Some ribald tongue has said evangelical Preachers belong to the “come-poor-sinner-come’ style of oratory. Is there any need of denying this’ Is it best to be quite ashamed of: the Gospel of Christ ? The churches should stand by the preachers in the simplicity of faith, There are Romans everywhere, and equally intolerant, and yet the truth did the work in Rome, Aliter enlarging upon the duty of the Church he said, “I make THE SOLEMN PROCLAMATION to-day inthe earliest sermon. I preach from the pulpit of this church of the purpose with which I enter, and I shall occupy it while it is my privilege to minister. So much as in mes I:am geady to preach the Gospel to you who are in New York aiso, for [am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. He concluded by showing the necessity ofa pure goapel everywhere, and praying that God's spirit wouid acknowledge His own message and accom- pany His own word. THE EVENING EXERCISES. ‘The church was again filled in the evening and the exercises proved of great Le Al herd there being present, representative clergymen of the various evangelical denominations, who addressed the audience. After the usual religious exercises the pastor, Dr. Robinson, stated that no set sermon would be delivered, but the nee bos, be would be favored ‘by addresses from the various ministers present, He then intro- duced the Rev. Dr. T. 8. Hastings, or the West Presbyterian church, who gave an interest- ing sketch of church building and of Presbyterian churches in the city, He was followed by Dr. 0. D. Foss, of the Fourth avenue Methodist Episcopal church, who spoke of the love of God for His Church. This gentleman’s remarks were very not so eartiest in their work as to provoke or ne: sitate versecution. The fact was that the real | eloquently delivered and created a marked effect, Rey, Mr. 4.) Gannze and Mr. Hepworth followed SEVENTH AVENUE M. E. OHUROH. Cheerfainess in Christian Emdeavor— Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Wild. « Dr. Wild, of the Seventh avenue Methodist Episcopal church, preached a sermon yesterday morning upon the subject of “Cheerfulness, Love and Order in Life’s Work. His text was Phi- Uppians it., 14—“Do all things without murmuring and disputing.» ; The duties and tolls of life are numerous and varied, being measured and defined by our indi- vidual ability and opportunity. And he is wise and Safe who labors earnestly and sincerely to keep ability and opportunity equal, for they are depen- dent and inter-related virtues, Talents well and wisely employed soon enlarge and multiply our opportunities, and ifthese are faithfully accepted and improved they will increase the talent powers, and with such added powers consecrated to God and truth humanity can profit much, There are very few persons whose natural dispositions would lead and safely prompt them to select the best forms of duty, pleasure and good. Man is natur- ally inclined to iydifference and disobedience touching labor and willing service. It is agree- able to us in our natural state that THE BURDEN OF LABOR be light. In our spiritual condition we prefer a religion that is ease. One in form and spirit that shall ask but little of our time, money and responsi- bility. Yet if we get what we want in these matters, the purest love and most ardent desires remain undeveloped and ungratified. Mercy comes of suffering, fidelity of trial, and charity of expe- rience. The Saviour was tempted and tried, there- fore He is able to succor those that are tempted. The spirit of our Christianity requires iy to accept our providential lot with meekness, and to assume the burden of life cheerfully, and perform the same in love and order. Much time is wasted in repin- ing, and a rebellious spirit is created by allowing ourselves to murmur against Providence. Paul's contentment comes from a free and faithful accept- ance of the will of heaven. It was not the contentment of indifference or of idleness, but the sublime results of loving, willing and cheer- ful God-service. He had sense enough to give his work when done into the hands of God, and leave the consequences with Him who ts too wise to err and too good to be unkind, Much wil- ful Ririgi | men br! = upon themselves for want of faith in finalities; they seek to control not only the action, but its results; hence they murmur be- cause they cannot invade the realms of Providence and tone and ckanae sequence as they wish. They hear not the word of exhortation saying, ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers.” RELIGIOUS IMPATIENCE is @ striking characteristic of this age. prey, and call upon God much like the prophets of exebel upon Mount Carmel. Their prayers are brisk, their demands are ridiculous; indeed, their whole demeanor indicates @ God afar off, slow to hear and hard to be entreated. And, forsooth, because the Divine does not do their bidding they blame one another, or fall back on themselves and depreciate their own faith. Christianity is de- signed to cul tage to life’s action a loving order. A good cause is often Weakened in its effect and stigmatizea by the manner of its defence and mode of propaga- tion, When the Church seeks to enforce itself by persecution the popular mind soon dis- People cerns its weakness, for they instinctively know that persecution is not good Chris- janity. Many a _ bold intruder has found favor in the eyes of the people, not for the doctrines he taught or set forth, but because men in repute tor goodness began to persecute him. Christianity submits a law to govern us even in opposing and redressing s wrong. The general agitation and alarm produced by Professor Tyn- dall’s prayer gauge has not upon the whole been complimentary to the Church of to-day. The anathemas hurled at his scientific head have been fearful. The pulpit and religious press have ex- hibited a strange weakness in flying into such a wage. Byit he has pained ungought favor and ‘strength, and equally has the Church suffered in this warning. ‘To do and endure nobly is the duty of every one. Let us net be thrown off our guard by any assault, but with the spirit of faith let us ray, doing all things in society, in the Church and in the different relations of liie without murmur- ing and disputing, that we may gain power and fayor in the eyes of the people. CHURCH OF THE PAULIST FATHERS, A Cuarity Lecture by the Rev. J. L. Spaulding, Nephew to the Late Pri- mate—Subject, St. Columba,a Type of the Irish Character—His Birth and Career as One of the Greatest Christian Apostles, ‘ The Rev. J. L. Spaulding, nephew to the late Archbishop Spaulding, lectured last evening at the Church of the Paulist Congregation .to a crowded and intelligent audience, taking for his snoject “St. Columba, a Type of the Irish Character.” In the sanctuary were the Very Rev. J. T. Hecker, Superior of the Religious Community, together with all the priests and students of his order. The reverend lecturer, opened his subject by stating the birthplace of the great Irish saint as Donegal, and the date of his nativity as the middle of the filth century. In a brief condensation of the reverend lecturer's discourse, it would be almost impossible to do justice to the great talents in oratory and power of thought and research which he evinced throughout, showing at least a complete knowl- edge of his subject, and meriting in his effort a comparison with the manifold and brilliant essays of his truly gifted uncle. In bis early manhood St. Columba gave his mind to study. He employed himselt also copying manu- scripts. Having claimed one of these manuscripts as bis own production, he was reprimanded b; the abbot of his monastery, sent afterwards to To in Scotland, where he founded 300 monasteries. In the love whicn he always cherished for his native land and the Wai | zeal which he exercised in the propagation of the faith, St. Columba truly repre- sented the Irish character. Through the exertions of him and his followers England and Scotland may be said to have been reduced to Christianity—nay, almost all the nations of Europe. With those sen- timents of religion he cherished, in the depth of his soul, a most ardent love for Ireland, and not un- Baa 4 prayed for her prosperity and attach- ment to the faith. By his influence this love of re- higion and country was implanted, as it were, in the Irish heart, until the whole people became, as it were, & missionary people, and have shown at all times such characteristics as St. Columba was known to possess. The reverend gentleman then defended the chi acter of the monks of the Middle Ages, They crushed P ects and introduced Christianity. They kept alive the spirit of the aposties when a persecuting world would fain destroy it. The reverend gentieman closed his lecture by referring to the Church in America, and kept his audience spell-bound throughout. THE CITY OF CHURCHES. ee ae ; Brother Beecher’s Sympathy for the Houseless Congregation of Brother Talmage— . Christmas Sermon by Dr. Porter. BROOKLYN CHURCHES. PLYMOUTH OHUROH, Beecher on the Destruction of the Talmage TabernaclemA Generous Offer— Dr. Talmage’s AcceptancemA Sermon on Morality and What It Is=A Defint- tion of It is Only Noble to Be Good. At the opening of the service at Plymouth church yesterday morning the attendance was compara- tively small and somewhat scattered, a circum-. stance traceable, doubtless, to the’ erity of the weather and the arrival of the Arctic wave. Later on there was the usnal crowd. Many of the regu- lar attendants on Dr. Talmage’s ministry had learned on their way to church of the destruction by fire of the Talmage Tabernacle, and retraced their steps, directing them in the way of Plymouth church. The majority of them arrived early enough to hear Mr. Beecher’s touching reference to their great sorrow in the prayer. In the announce- ment that preceded the singing of the second hymn Mr. Beecher asked the trustees to remain for a short time after the service, and then announced to the congregation that the Tabernacle in which Dr. Talmage’s congregation had worshipped was that morning, he was afraid, utterly destroyed by fire. When he heard of it he had ventured, without consultation with the trustees, to send a messen- ger to Dr. Talmage, offering the free use of Ply- mouth church, either on Sunday afternoons or even- ings, or both if they wisned, qs long as they might require it. It was that action that he wished en- dorsed by the trustees; remembering that many years ago Plymouth church, when in its youth, had suffered from a similar disaster, and that they were then offered the hospitality of many churches, he thought that it was only what was due to the Tabernacle congregation, in the hour af their areat disaster, that Plymouth Tr than! bim for his kin< for that evening, at aren, would ara itself of the offer, Mr, cher said that in . case the jouth chara would, he |, a8 le, from attending, so it the rnacie the “0 wae SR he ey place ; inte street.’ wr. Beecher preached ence es follow- necessary more than morality selected was the twentieth verse ofthe fifth ter of the Gospel of St. thew—'‘For I say un! {ous that except your righteousness shall exceed he righteousness of the ribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The introduction to the discourse was ef representation of the exactments of .the Je’ law, the character of the .ceremonials under the Jewish ritual, and the externalism of the rule of conduct opserved by that sect of Jews that re- ded the rigid observance of the requirements of law as meritorious and salvatory. Then fol- lowed somewhat at length a definition of morality. Morality meant in a general sense the form of laws, or rules laid down by society, or that form of it that we call pubito Scutiment. Public sentiment Was equivalent to law; 1t was more searching and more comprehensive. All that, wide as it was, had little to do with anything else than man as &@ creature of society. As 4 Gu q 8 @ working ont ole ton of the individual, it was z aa an arr deficient; i6 showed itself not to be framed for that. It was deficient {a mot d in inspiration power. I¢ Was quite possible man to have a system of rectithde that was not at all dependent upon the good of right living. Noman could develop a true Manhood that was not developed by things that he loved. For example, aman Sing Sing be very complacent wi der the thought that he not been a thief o1 burglar, and that he had observed all the rules of the prison during his tem confinement there, but he was thus because he could not be otherwise. to steal were a virtue, were more virtuous than men, for stones stole less than the mould, A man might keep all the laws of soviety and yet be Sapromals: selfish. bt: therefore, did not create man- hood, for it mig! ~ be under the dominion of the worst passions. There was a sense in which i¢ was true that bad men might be better than good men. Our Lord showed that when he rebuke Scribes and the Pharisees, and said thas che publl- can, the tax-gatherer, would enter heaven before the former. ere Was in the publican or in some bad men a resistant force to het as: a streak of qocanees in the evil that he did, that the formal- ist knew nothing of. That was the declaration of One who did not need any one to tell Him what was in man. Morality had in it no element of spirituality; no sense of a future it appealed only to the sensuous or the lower life. It was what Christ said of 4; it ‘was not enough. What then wasit, or what was the more that was required? That the secular laws should be obeyed in the spirit of truth and justice; not stripped of their beneficent relatio! Ship. When men yer their debts they did not pay them in a spirit of love and justice; men did not pay their taxes in a mone of patriotism. The true man was the man who did right, because it was easier to do that than to do wrong, and he can do right easily. No man had learned to walk who nad to think about the taking of his steps. A mi inner development should be wrought out im such a supreme spirit that all THE LOWER INSTINCTS should induce that spirit, which brought him inte the spirit of Christ, who {s our great exemplar. The man whose character is only as high as society re- quires can never be noble. Coulda man be more than just? Yes, he could be-more than that. Largeness of gilts and love of giving can make & man’s gilts fragrant of his manhood. We should live upon a plane of manhood that all wrong doing strikes a discord, as a harsh string or @ dis- cordant note hurts a musician. Then, somet! more is required than merely living to take care ol this world and your own character in this world, There is a present, and there is the whole distance ofthe fature. He only lives who lives with a pre- vision. A man lives where his thoughts are, and ifhe will gixe them wings they will out of the region of discord and reach up to the altitude of God. In view of these remarks, he (Mr. Beeche would not be understood as undervaluing mori ity. He would be far from saying that there is no use in being dd. Be good rather than be noth- ing. He would say to ‘ A PRAYING MAN, Be honest, be fearless, be equitable ;but then that was not enough. Noman could be safe, or eter- nally safe, who had not known a quickening of the Divine Spirit. When we arrive at spiritual life we find that itis dependent for its support upon subtle influences; and thus we come to that we can only truly live by faith in God, an@ thus we see what is meafft when It 1s said that we must be born again. It means this—that if we are to live in the presence of holy beings, of the angels of God, that we need the spirit of God to fit us for that. No man can come unto God unless the Spirit draws him. But then, had man not those Cree What were the servVices of the sanc- tuary, the influences of love around you, the dis- pensations of Providence, the quickening of ti soul by the word of God, the thousand and on helps towards ba ttemnens of life, were all these but the drawings the Spirit and by the influence of which you were made either better or worse. These were to fit you to become an inhabitant of the New Jerusalem. Remember that there was‘a heavenly Father that you will have to meet, a spirit life that you have to meet, Where was the fitness for that life when the facal- tles for pleasure were all gone? In your strivings after this fitness remember the sitent grave and the spirit realm that was beyond it. Have you formed any habits of character that shall ft you for the society of the just? Beware, then, of being good as the worldly man is good. Add to your virtue, faith, and repentance for evil. Take hold of the God above; oh, take hold of the hidden Spirit! Lay hold of it until you are fitted for that rest that remaineth for the people of God. Puan BEDFORD AVENUE REFORMED OHUROH. Christmas Sermon by Rev. Dr. Porter. Yesterday morning Rev. E. S. Porter, D. D., pas- tor of the Bedford Avenue Reformed church, preached an appropriate discourse anticipatory of the approaching anniversary of the advent of the on, | Saviour of mankind, taking for his text the fif teenth verse of the ninth chapter of Second Co- rinthians—"Thanks be unto God for his unspeak- able gift.” He said that at this period of the year Christian- ized people devoted themselves exclusively to the business of making each other happy. By words of cheerful hope and deeds of generous love the world revived the memories of Bethlehem in the Christmas joys which it sought to confer. It was the week of the advent of Jesus, who came to our poor suffering and sorrowing world to make it glad. The Christmas glow might not warm the Winter’s noontide, nor melt the white frost on the window pane, nor stop the uproar of the rustling winds, but it did put Summer into human hearts, It did bring the affections of the OLD AND YOUNG,” of the rich and the poor, into such close relation- ship that the Advent week was, indeed, a partial paradise on earth, as if to show men that heavem is love, and only loving hearts can ever find there @ congenial home. There the love of God, and that only, would be the fountain of pleasures ever- more, and the “unspeakable gift’? would become an everlasting portion. There were many to whom Christmas was but a day of festive pastime— only given over to frolic and dissipation. All who spent it thus turned the ice of God into licen- tiousness and transformed an intended blessing into a positive injury. They used the day to in- dulge tife mere animalisin of their lower natures, and found their pleasures as they degraded them- selves, Others hailed the day chiefly as one of the religious festivals on the calendar, and the day to them fulfilled its mission by the per- formance of wearisome rites. There were: others who hailed the return of Christmas as the signal for the performance of generous deeds, thé cultl- vation of friendly feelings, and the ed, of the home circle by cheerful merry-making, e} poured out of their hearts what of goodness, kind- ness and sympathy there m'ght beinthem, They bestowed gifts, costly or otherwise, which were SYMUOLS OF FRIENDSHIP, and in this they were faintly copying the example of Jesus Christ, who, though He was rich, became poor, that we through His poverty might be made ard time for grumblers rich, Christmas is a very and churis. To go through any day without @ word of kindness or a smile of encouragement must be a trial to a full-grown, rightly ave tee man or woman; but to get through a week tl was ringing with angel melodies, when the ve air was redolent as with sweetness from the par: dise of God, in narrow, cold, selfish exciusivenesy must be hard for any one wishing to be self- respectful or to participate in the joys of our common humanity. Christmas week, ho doub' brought tears from eyes unused to weep an poured a stray sunbeam into natures that lived in the dark. It was the giory of our Christianity that it commended itself to our acceptance mainly glad tidings for poor the and needy. It is a life power. Dr. Porter went on to make some judicious observations relative to the distinction between science and life force, One might know next to nothing of the SCIRNCE OF CHEMISTRY, and yet the food which he takes contributes by ite properly constituted -elements to support his ant- mal life, He lives on the life force, which is more than science. The evidences of Christianity were to be seen in every institution intended for the re lief of suffering, misery and degradation. The vidences were not in books which wise men that had ht by the spirit of Christ as that spirit had trodden throngh the centuries’ ‘The results of the beneiicent influences of the life force of the gospel in alleviating sorrow and in reconstructing human beings into the likeness of 7 CONTINUED ON NINTH PAGE. ' \