The New York Herald Newspaper, January 20, 1873, Page 8

SABBATH SANCTITY. the Great Themes of Religion Were Treated Yesterday in the Houses of God. “THE WAY OUT OF THE WILDERNESS,” The Responsibility of Man and the Con- version of the World. MISSIONS FOR MEXICO. Beecher on Forced and Free Reli- gion---Moral Bondage. + AN ESTIMATE OF HUMANITY BY DR. EDDY. “Han, Though Fallen, Rises God- like in His Ruins.” THE OOSMOPOLITAN OONFERENOE. The slippery sidewalks yesterday were not sufficiently dread-inspiring to prevent church- goers from flocking in goodly numbers to tle sanctuaries to perform their Sabbath worship. Pews and aisles were crowded, and the sermons which were preached, jadging from the sketches } which we give below from the reporters of the HERALD detailed upon religious duty, were varied fm subject and unusually striking and forcible. Steinway Hall contained at the morning services yesterday a very large congregation. Atter the Usual Introdoctory exercises were concluded Mr. Hepworth commenced his sermon, having for his subject “The Only Way Out of the Wilderness,” His text was Exodus xiv., 22—“And the children of Iereel went into the midst o1,the sea upon the ary ground.” One of the pecullaritics of the Beriptures is that they are typical or symbolical. You may take almost any incident, and you will Gnd that in some way it bas some reference to some experience of your own. THE EVENTS OF A THOUSAND YEARS AGO stand this moment a symbol of some state of mind in which you stand. And there is a kind of fogical order in the whole thing. Take, for in- stance, the captivity of the Hebrews. God gave | them laws and made a covenant with them:— Prosper in the land; increase in numbers and power; be happy in private life, on condition of strictly and impiicitiy following my directiona. Hide nothing from me. I that made thee can read thee. The laws which 1 make may ecem at first hard, but they are for your development, to give you wisdom and power. They broke that cove- nant, disobedient as wanton children. They were astabborn people, who obeyed by Fi PITS AND STARTS. They worehipped God devoutly and then lapsed into idolatry uutil another season of true worship, trusting God and then themeelves, But finally they fel! into slavery and drudged for 400 years, At last they prayed to Jehovah again—“in iniquity, as We are, we ask forgiveness lor our sins and for those of our forefathers.” And God determined to re them another trial. And one militon slaves at @ead of night departed from their masters. They travelled all that nignt and the next day, and on the following evening they beheld a crimson cloud. The wind blew, but it etirred not. They cried, “The God of Isaac ia with us.) The next day the hosts of Pharaoh were in sight. No wonder thita Million slaves were panic stricken, for there were BO swords like those of Egypt. But still that cloud sailed serenely on, and they travelied atl that day. They were at last stopped by the sea, Behind them was death; before them was death. THEY WERE IN A TRAP. i} 0, God, why did You lead us out to treat us thus? Asthough to make it worse, a great wind arose. But still there ts the ciou Could they not trust that? And they walked in @ solid phalanx to the water's edge. The waters retreated and piled up | on either hand, aud that multitude walked on dry Yand in the midst of the sea. But Pharaoh's host Was still pursuing. When the last man, the last babe in its mother’s arms was safe across, the | Waves, obedient to their Master’s Will, and with the | thunder of a thousand cannon, rushed over the head of that shining, merciless army. Aud that delivered multitude, stretching from Nill bad to hill top, what did they doy They raised a song vf praise | that echoed high to heaven. Now it scome that the object of the Scriptares is to be symbolical, and the estion is, Is God with Gs as He was fliteen hun- rea years before Christ with the Hebrews? But you say there is no piliar of fire. No. The day of VISIBLB KRCOGNITION is past. The Hebrews were children and we are men. There ts no need of a pillar of fire. When ze fail upon your knees and rige up refreshed you now that the spirit of God has come to you. ‘You say again, but does God make a covenant with wey What clee is the New Yestament? It isacon- tract between you and God, Who of us is not in captivity? Where stands the freeman, good for the present and sure jor the future? You must pat your arms around the foot of the cross and keep them there tigtitly. What is the way out of our captivity?’ Christ says, “laui the way.” Did He Koow what He was saying? Would He oken on such a solemn subject it He did not if you Will obey Me nothing shail touch your svuls in this world or in the world to come. ‘There is but one door, And I am it. After farther enlargement on this part of his discourse the speaker besought the members of the Cuurch to be in more deadly earnest about the saving of other souls. 1 do not | care if you believe acrecd as long as to the moon | and back again. At the bar of heaven those souls | ‘will be demanded of you, and if you say you let them | » you Will ro. “Believe in Christ, raise the | wretched and instruct the ignorant, This is Christianity. Everything else is ALL ROSY, The old Roman conquerors used to chain their eaptives to their chariots and drag them in their triumphal procession. Let us take our captives by the band, tneir chains cast of, and lead them to their Saviour. 8T, PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL, Discourse by Rev. Father McNamee—The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. The Rey. Father McNamee, at St. Patrick’ the- | @ral, yesterday, preached an carnest and impres- kive discourse, taking for his text the words—Be- hoid, thou shalt conceive and bring fortn a child, | and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people irom their sins.” The reverend father, on opening his remarks, referred to the cir- cumstances of Christ's birth in Bethichem, and Stated that the Church made this @ special day for her children to commemorate the name of Jesus, which he had received from the Father, who alone had authority to conferdt upon Him. This is a day when the holy Mother Church expects all HER CHILDREN TO BOW IN REVERENCE, and to have their hearts awakened by holy re- Collections of the divine love and goodness of the child who was born ina manger. This name Jesus was, he said, the name proper of the Son of God. Other names Le had, such as the Pastor of Sheep, the Lamb of God, the Messian, the Saviour, but these were simply metaphorical. The name of Jesus signifies DIVINE IN THE HUMAN; Christ is God, whether in the manger or lying in the tomb, aud everywhere He gives proof of His divinity. He is everywhere poweriul, whether hing the word of the Father or dying for re’ redemption. We is calied the Father of future ages, because in His nativity He nas | With the same Foligion and speaking the same opened up @ new je Of regenezation, tongue, they are welded together and cannot be and the place of réfeneration was tne | separated. They have strength, and financially wound in the side of Jesus. How truly | and religiously are greater than all the other fa He called the father of a future age. Aji these | nations. The act must be confronted that if the me i ence when that holy Forty-second street and Sixth avenue, was un- Usually well attended, After the usual preliminary exercises of singing and prayer the Rev. 0. B, Frothingbam commenced hls sermon. Speaking of the spiritual man, he began, Paul in hia second epiatie says:—“We know that if our earthly home of this tabernacle were dissolved we haves building of God.” We all earnestly desire to be clothed. By that phrase, ‘a naked truth,” is meant the simple fine and delicate that they can only be discovered by the most powerful lense, then by fibres thicker aud longer, and not satisfied with this advance it CHUROH OF THE DISCIPLES, ‘| clothes the rock with a vesture of perfect shrub- Universal Bondage to Sin—Christ the poied Would you get at the naked truth of this stone yeu must strip off this covering. A Delivercr—Trae Christianity—Sermon | fy ition writer was stand! ig ina foreign guiier; by the Rev. George H. Hepworth, of art, aduiring an antique Greek statue, and, NEW YORK HEKALY, MUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 1873~—WITH SUPPLEMENT. ame els who singin heaven, “Holy, holy, Lord Ged whois to come.” “My frigndn think Wheat wor! i, who is, ant think of that coming. then, shall be the future of so many in th’ who newer make use of that name except to it, to dishonor it? Let us bow in rever- NAME OF JESUS 18 UTTERED; Jet us remember our duty of love to God, and at Jast we will be able t@ join our voices in that son, of endless praise im heaven which St, Joon heard, “Holy, boty, Lord God Almighty, who was, who is ana who is to come.” LYRIO BALL The Difference Betweem the Naked and Clothead Truth—Sermon by the Rev. O. B. Frothingham. Yesterday morning’s discourse at Lyrie Hall, truth with all pretence strippe@ off. A naturalist wishing to get at the truth tears an acorn to pieces, and = @ horticuituriat for similar reasons feels down into the ground for roots. We speak of the naked eye, by which we mean the eye un- assisted by any artificial lenses. Is the eye richer or poorer by this? Are not all the appliances of art ‘supplementary to its power? Suppose there were no telescopes, theré would be no astronomy, no knowledge of the woRderiul universe, only an acquaintance with the small world below. Nature abhors the naked truth and is always covering it up. You never see truth in nature unadorned. We wake ip the morning to see the twigs GLITTERING WITH DIAMONDS. Go where nature has the Icast chance and it covers the roughest rocks, weaves with fibres so turning, beheld a modern sculptured figure. They were both naked, Everywhere nan is clothed; we see no nude forms. Dress isa part ol a man, and shows how piuch taste he has. Artists of to-day like to paintsilk and gold, feeling that when they put in these accessories the man Is complete, Dar- win tells us, in his “Origin of Species,” that man 4s descended from An ape; that when we get at the bottom of the matter we find nothing but & PRRFECTED MONKKY. How does he get at his naked truth? By burrow- ing down, and at the bottem of the crucible he finds an aninia’ fot at tm the ground for tooa, Several thousand years have elapsed since that time. The sy Mont is 60 Covered up that you cannot see him. this ape stands on two fest. The spinal cord is become a column, Instead of crouching down to the earth he stands ae He has the use of his hands and can jee! objects. His head 1s balanced now and turns freely on the spnai celumn, The eye searches the heavens and the stars are revealed. The very cuticle 1s changed. The rough skin of the baboon has altered and become marvellously delicate. We have nothing to do with the naked man. Suppose you take the human bram and separate all its parts and pet it into a basin, is it still a brain? Can it think or write? The grandest work pro- duced by a human gentus is the brain. Is the jact extravagant where he calis'it the dome of the in- teliigence and the seat of the soul? Analysisisa very finc thing. To resolve endless rocks into gas and to reduce things which seem most eternal isa grand achievement. A chemist takes a diamond | and reduces it tocarbon, bat we sheuld learn more | a by reduce the carbon back to the diamond; ut only THE ALMIGHTY CHEMIST could do that. How wonderful it is to think of the cheapness of materia! out of which such extraordi- nary things avemade ! A man once lived in Paris who seetwned of the lowest order. His habitation was a hovel, his food coarse, his friends few. He never spent ate for his own pleasure or im- provement. He died, and bequeatued a fortune which he had saved to the founding of an orphan asylum. The naked truth was that he was poor, unkind, cracked; the clothed truth, that he was wrapped about with human sympathy, Mr. Bergh has wld that a very handsome legacy bad been le.t to his Society for the Prevention of CRUELTY TO ANIMALS by an obacure man who lived down town in a gar- ret. This man had the reputation of being a miser. He died, and when his room was searched it was found to be an abode of misery, It was perfectly carpetiess. There was no coal in the box—utter discomfort reigned. Under the heap of rags called & bed was found a chest full of money, which was all willed to the poor animals that le was accus- converted soul is to have some other s0ul con- verted. The BEST SPIRITUAL BAROMETER to test @ church spiritually is the interest that each member takes in the other's welfare. an iNustration of this point, Dr. Dashiel told the work of a Christian woman im the spure of of that wild region, te Sia aiper ana tal ae he wanted to fly to his ae were many moist eyes in the chares, The happi- ness mm sore for us in the future, he continued, will) be due to the efforts we put forward here. not God’s law that the given to the mighty in action and voice, but those who do what they can will fare just as well. ee school teacher the 5 of iy church, who sits beside and instructs the little ones in the way Christ, will obtain as sparkling a diadem as your worthy and beloved » Why, the richest contribution the preacher ever received was in Jersey oy Dropped in the box was a neck of paper, and, thinking there must be some den meaning there, he opened it and found BRIGHT SILVBR HALF DOLLAR. Looking at it carefully he found en one side, as if 8cratched with @ penknife, ‘1863,” and under 1 “1861.” Think! and puzzled, he looked at the paper in which it was wrapped. and read—"The ift of a dying mother ; it is all Ihave in the world,” If the illustration above noted had affected the co! ition, this did stili more, it was narrated 80 pathetically.) When I read that, the Doctor continued, wed down in sackcloth and aghes, and thought how little Ihaddone. Sacrifices! Sacrifices! Way tions and Christians tell of their how much they do to en! God's kingdom, but and little they do when thei works are com; al t is humillating to hear so much 0i such taik. Before this century nail close the THRONE OF JESUS CHRIST will be setup in every land. In conclusion Dr. Dashiell Sfogeents alluded to the workings of the Missionary Aid Society in Japan and China, and he disabuecd the minds of these who thought they Were going to convert all the people of these coun- tries, by telling them that it was intended that the Chinese should convert Chine and Japanese con- vert Japan, and that this would at last be done. The Miesionary Society has faith in the conversion of the world. God hag strangely opened wide the Geor to enter. In the aiternoon the Sunday echool of the church held thelr missionary anniversary, when addresses Were delivered by Rev. M. L, Banerjea, a converted Hindoo, and Rev. Dr. Dashiell, In ‘the ereuing pissiopary addresses was delivered by Rev. T. M. Eddy, D. D., aad others. ASSOCIATION HALL, Sermon by Count Hernsteff on the Can- version o7 the Sinner on the Cross. There was a large attendance last evening at As- sociation Hull, attracted by the announcement that Count Bernstoff was to preach on that occa- sion, Although the audience was large in numbers . they did not exhibit, as a whole, the very highest appreciation of te tal- ents of the Russian couny whe really deserved a little more carnent attention, as his ser- mon was clearly enunciated and gave a very graphic and touching explanation <f the converston of the malefactor on the cross, Muny of those pres- ent, hawever, did not appear to give much atten- tien to the words of the preacher, and evidently preferred a quict snooze, much to the discomfort and annoyance of the rest of the cengregation. COUNT BERNSTOFF’S ADDRESS, Count Bernstof selected for a text the foliowing verses—“‘And one of the malefactors which were hanged, railed on him, saying, ‘If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.’ But the other answering, re- buked him, saying, ‘Dost thou not fear God, eceing thou art in the same condemnation? And we, indeed, justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done nothing amiss, And he said unio Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise,” which ore found in the twenty-third chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke. The preacher comincnced by explaining the con- version of this maletactur, and said that although it would seem to be evidence in the support of deathbed conversions, we should be careful how we took it in that ligt. It was cer- tainly strange how, in the course of a few minutes, a mateiactor, a sinner who ‘was suffering the just sentence of the laws of his country, should be converted instantaneously and receive the com:orting words of the Savieur, ‘To- Md shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” It could only have been THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT moment, when all were reviling our Savieur and taunting him, if he were a be hewwe to come down from the cross and save himself, and given him the belief to say, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” It was not alone the fear of death that converted this sinner, but an implicit faith in ‘THY POWER AND MAJESTY OF GOD and the blessed state to come. It is certainly very couforting to think that such a sinner should receive forviveness at the last Moment and be taken into the Kingdom of Heaven, as it gives assurance of iuture salvation to all, however great may have been their sing. But this male‘actor was carnest in his repentance, as be conlessed his sin amd even acknowiedged the Justice of his sentence, Count Bernstot spoke very clearly and in excel- lent English, and appeared to be earnest and ca- temed to see abused and Killed. The naked truth declared bim a miser, while truth clothed showed that his heart was underlaid with such sweet sympathy that it fell upon the lowest creatures, Apply the thought to character, It was an old way of judging character by pulling it to pieces. Man was said to be a MASS OF CORRUPTION, and made out that naked truth wasa machine layed upon by the opposite forces of hope and ear. Slanderers will find a mistake—some wretched little foible—and say that they always thought you honest. A poet says that we are such tlings as dreams are made of. We are what we are, and this stuff of which Greams are made has become a body ‘fearfully and wonderfuily made.” Faith in God—of what is that made? A feeling of depen- bmg and longing, an emotion of trust and grati- ude, 8T, PAUL'S METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHUROH. The “Chosen Gencration”—Responsibill- ty of Man and the Conversion of the lonary Sermon by Rev. Dr. The spacious and elegant St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal church, Fourth avenwe and Twenty- second strect, was exceedingly well filled yester day morning—as it always is—by an intelligent and attentive congregation. The services were of the most interesting character, the music being very fine and the discourse the annual missionary sermon, by Rev. Dr. Dashiell, Secretary of the Missionary Aid Society, Taking his text from First Peter ii., 9—"“But ye are a chosen generation”— the cloquent gentleman commenced by altuding to man’s responsibility to God, which reason and our soul's own consciousness teach us, We are the daily beneficiaries of the Creator, and in all things must remember We are His stewards. This grand old truth, underlying the convulsions of forty cen- tories, is forced upon our minds. It is the utmost stupidity to suppose that God intended to leave man, 80 great and 80 GLORIOUS A CREATION, nothing to accomplish, nothing higher to aim for than mere existence. Some Christians think that religion meaus to have a good time only, not reflecting that we are responsible beings and in the measure of our circumstances and intelligence. Thus wherein hes the dignity and honor of this cfosen generation? God does not propose by His own power directly and imme- diately to save us, but this will be done by human agencies. Like a turead of gold running throagh @ fabric of cloth, 80 the Gospel will accomplish the great work. Certaim great truths God has been pleased to institute. As an illustration the preacher referred to the histery of nations, saying that around each and every government one great principle and one great idea were observed crystallizing all about it, He also said that denominational churches, all churches, were governed by an idea, They have specific Work,and specific doctrines, one supple- menting the other, ‘fhe experimental religion of the Methodist Chureh marked it, and its influence has been 80 extended that the world all around and about them rose up to do them honor for what they have done, God selected two great por- tions of the romna TO CONVERT IT. These are the ited States and Great Britain, pames are comprehended in the sweet nase of Jesus. Pronounce that name and you piovounce the name of God in His works, the father of a fu. | tore age in His resurrection; the Emmanuel with us fer all cternity if we follow His precepts, This | is name } and only — treadtn; the th of Gows THE TITLE OF HONOR | | auclent ‘people, the Jews, Pho fell from of the Son of G The name our Chnorch bn | | vheir tigh estate, end the honor hus mumemorates i# the name acquired by lis blood. | been transierrea.. ‘The Gospel that we have will do # the title of His victory, and the cross was the coiamn to which He wanted to have it fxed. Learned dectors tell us that the name Jesus is more holy than even Jehovah. Jelovah wus the gaidt star that conducted the Israciites to the Promise: Jesus Bow guides the sioner redcemed to F World is to be gomverted it must be done by these two countries, Ie may be a little humiliating and cast us down whea, in considering how Christ | honors us, we reflect that He did not mean to save ‘he world through ua We are @ new people, for all other eople, for the heathen as for us, | Then wherein fen the dignity of this chosen genera- ton? If it be true that favor from God means op- portunity of doing good, then yon have reached the ipnacle, The beneticiuries of the Gospel should thusiastic in the discharge of his duties. 8T, ANN'S CHURCH, “Chureh Work in Moxico”—Discoarse by the Kev. Henry C. Riley. At St. Ann's Church, Eighteenth street, near Fifth avenue, last evening, the Rev. Henry C, Riley, late of Mexico, delivered a discourse on “Church Work in Mexico.”” About 150 people assembled to hear the rev- erend gentleman. Mr. Riley, after explain- ing to the congregation the magnitude of the work before the evangelical missionaries to preach the 1ove of Jesus toall and rescue that Driest-ridden people from the deptns of ignorance, sald Ou! my brethern, when I and three other holy men went into that country we found it SEETHING WITH THE CORRUPTION OF ROME. The people had become disgusted ‘with their own teachers and lost faith. The priests, instead of instructing the people, had become tyrannical tax collectors, and absolutions, induigencies and masses were publiciy sold. It was then our littie band of missionaries stepped in. We worked with might and main to spread the truths of the reformation among that people. They fiocked to hear us by thousands, Then the Church of Rome became alarmed; we were beset on every side by dificulties; disturbances were fermented among our people, and all the power of that corrupt organization was thiown agaist us. But we, inspired by the love of Jesus, inflamed with the desire to save His be- nighted children from vhe grasp of Kome and the depths of perdition, kept bravely on, OUTRAGEOUS PAMPHLETS were printed and circulated, calling us vile dis- turbers. We were abused, even as Jesus and His Apostles were abused; and one noble soul, one Emanuel Matamoros, was thrown into a dismal cell because he could not be turned from the true path. While this persecution was going on we sent word to the Roman Catholic Archbishop that we would discuss the articles of our faith pie before all the people and let him select is champion. He gave a sort of acquiescence. At the announcement that inthe large Cathedral the discussion would take place six thousand cople assembled, but the so-called champion of Rome failed to appear. Then it was that the peo- ple rose in their imight and demanded that we should be heard, A CHURCH WAS RSTABLISNED where daily service was held, and schools and Teligious edifices grew up on every side. I spoke, ~ beloved brethren, of young Mata- moros, who was persecuted so ‘bitterly on account of his dent love of Jesus.” This young hero escaped from his persccutors to France and there made the acquaintance of a nobie Ameri- can lady of means, She fostered and cared for him and established a training school in the south of France to provide missionaries for Mexico, Matamoros was ea at its head, and he inspired his young neophytes with his own zeal. The rest of the reverend gentieman’s remarks were rambling in the extreme, concluding with & Herce diatribe against the Roman Catholic Churen. FOURTEENTH STREET PRESBYTERIAN OHURCH. Anniversary of the Sabbath School Mis- slonary Association, The seventeenth anniversary of the Sabbath School Missionary Association of the Fourteenth Street Presbyterian church (Fourteenth street and Secon% avenue) was celebrated last evening. There was a large attendance, not only of the chil- dren belonging to the Sabai School, but also of the congregation and their friends, After singing of hymns and prayer by the pastor, Rev, Rovert Sloss, the Treasurer's report was read. ‘The con- tributions during the year amounted to the re- spectable sum of $817 80, The Secretary, Rev. P. Walling, also read his annual report. “While other societies, he said, may point to their accomplish+ (be distrivutors of it, The very dret impulse Of @ ments, we may bay, ‘See what the Lord bas done for that could have comforted thia sinner at such a. ta!’ Mr, Lewis, our missionary in Minnesota, has organized over forty-two Sabbath schools in that State. He writes that noble lads are growing up to be noble workers; five of his pupiln are study- ing for the ministry. He has visited 389 families, giving over three hundred and forty Bibles to those who had none. He speke at 100 different gatherings, reaching over six thousand persons. We have aided three colored Sabbath schools and churches in Charleston, 8.0. In Concord, N. ©., we have another Sunday school, We sent a library of 100 volumes te the Sunday school in Loulsvitie, Ky. We have educated two native girls IN GABOON, AFRICA, . and thirty-eight girls are being instructed in the missionary school.” ‘The tollowing ofilcers of the school for the year 1813 were then clected:—William A. Booth, si- a F. B. Ferris, Vice President; Edward P. Secretary; Andrew 0. ‘Armstrong, Treas- ‘les L Watson, Assistant Treasurer. aries A. Davison delivered a short address, iM One of the pleasantest features of our work, ig the manifestation of the mae ary irit, The more we are eradicating our selfishness the more we approach the 4 ef the Saviour. This 1s what this missio: rork is doing for us. In ee this mi ry it we su) D tdtute schools with libraries, It & Very blessed thing to ee. ‘as the Saviour says it is more blessed to give than to receive. What an immense amount of good you have been doing by theae $500 that you have been distributing ali over the globe! You are helping to build up THE KINGDOM OF GoD, ‘Though there is a great amount of heathenism and ity, and vice and ignorance, we know that ‘the thne has come to estapiish this kingdom. The littie that you give you will take with you into the eternal world, Mr. F. N. WISEWELL, Secretary of the American Sunday School Union, said :—If you, little children, are saving your own souls and helping to save those of others you are doing a twofold blessed thing. BS will be blessed in this pledge to be the Lord’s forever. General Ciinton B. Fisk said he was glad to lay off the military harness te go into the Sunday school and work. Our gifts, children, are not weighed by what we give, but by what we ee back. O that God would breathe upon his Char everywhere a spirit of generous, liberal giving. Brethren, you can’t enjoy this Bible unless you pay roundly for it, Let us work to-day, for the me on thie earth is but short to do this work. Remember that Jesus commissioned us all to preach His gospel. We are ail commissioned to do this—this man in his pulpit, the other tn his school, and the other in his store. A hymn was then sung, and the pastor pro- nounced the benediction. OOSMOPOLITAN CONFERENCE. Remarkable Discourse by R. Hume on “The Religion of Hw ity "—Reli- gions Compared. Mr. KR, Hume delivered a discourse in the rooms oi the Arion Club yesterday afternoon on “The Re- Ngion of Humanity.” Despite a very small audi- ence the lecture was delivered with a great deal of nerve. He said that the main principle of all the Nazarine had said and done was compressed in the words—‘ I was hungry, and ye fed me; I was bare, and ye clothed me.’ That was the basis of the whole Christian faith. But it was not by faith we entered heaven, but by just such acta as Christ here described. Vain protestations of Boodness and faith went for nothing. Long before the Christian religion there existed @ scientific religion, which was exemplified by stones and pebbles and reptiles, which endured to the present day in museums, when all elsc bad passed away of those distant periods, These made a book In which there were no lies, and were put together by a printer who never made a mistake. God made the reptile which car- ried in its fangs a fearful poison. But there were human xeptiles, who went about poisoning the air around them. God made the tigers and lions, which devoured their species; but were there not human lions who did likewise? But in the eyes of God all tings @re good. Then will you say, “Is the mur- derergéod?” Yee. By reviling him you revile the God that made him and gave him his instincts, PHYSICAL ERRORS do barm to those who make them. If you put your finger in the light of a candle you burn your- self; you do not burn another person, The scientific religion looks with contempt upon the atonement of John for Peter's sin. Yet the Christian religion makes @ person bear the penaity of another's faults. Their reiigion recognizes that two wrongs make a@ right. They say that Adam's evil and Christ’s doata make us ee and yet to be re- deemed. Whatever moral fault you commit is will pay the penalty of, just as much asin @ physical Way you suifer when you outrage the laws of nature, A Woinaa was convicted last week in Connecticut for a varicty of murders—Mrs. Sherman, It 1s sald that this woman received the Judge’s sentence sailing, This, because she received religion, as it is called, A woman commits haifa dozen murders and then by asudden propensity she became the saine as youand I, But it is the practice of THE ABOMINABLE MALEFACTORS to lecture us Wien they go upon the scaffola. And we ure promised that we shall have the beatitude of meeting them ina better world. But if the law believed this, the law wouldn't hang them. A Turk would lyon blush to enter one of our churches, He would see it built on specula- tion, witi an orator of grace in it employed on speculation. When he enters his mosque ne takes his siippers off like a slave and devoutly pris, and he knows no such thing as selling pews by auc- tron. A good religiom is always vital. When the Mo. hammedan was vital it took Alrica, a part of Asi weut over to Constantinople and even exten across tre Straits of Gibraltar and was at the he: of civilization in Europe. It leit us Arabian figures, alcohol (which you may use or misuse) and algebra. When Catholicism was vital it sent 7,000,000 men to Palestine to conquer the Holy City trom the Musseimen. Lately THE POPR wanted help and the whole Catholic world of two hundred million people gave him one regiment of Zouaves. When Spain was truly Catholic, it was great. Isabella's faith discovered America. When tue plague comes @ ‘Turk goes and sits by the bed- fide o: his dying father and quickly catches it himself, and dies. He fears not death. A Christ- iau’s first idea is to runaway. An old Turk used to tell me that he would Yor the price upon a bale orcloth and people would come and cut of what they wanted and leave the money on it. When he found that he had not enough money or too much clota had been taken he would say, “A Christian has been here.” 8T. ANTHONY'S CHURCH, Discourse by the Rev. Henry A. Brann, D. D—The Causes of Sectarian Clamor Baved on Prejadice and Want of Dis- crimination—Its Effects and Results, The Rev. Dr. Henry A. Brann delivered a dis- course om the above subject last evening to a large congregation, in St. Anthony's church, Sullivan street, between Prince and Houston strects. He opened his discourse by stating the fact that prejudice held an influence, to a greater or less degree, over every human heart. A man devoid of prejudice was noionger huinan, He then showed the logi- cal distinction between conviction and projudice, ‘The former is a belief in established facts, founded upon reason, the latter a freak of the imagination of the will. He then introduced his subject—“Sectarian Clamor.”’ It ‘was necessary for some one, he thought, to speak a few plain, blunt words on the present clamor of religious sects against TRE CATHOLIC CHURCH. This clamor aroge either from prejudice, ignorance or @ want of discrimination. That it arose from prejudice he proved trom daily occurrences and illustrated by analyzing the gist and moral of the romance of Don Quixote. It arose from ignorance, because the true principles of Cathoile doctrine were not sufiic. pe studied, Men were iguorant of the teachings of the Church, and micagured her condition, her aspect, her mora.: ity and her purity rather by profane history than by theology. It was not fair to judge the Courch by the lives of wicked kings or wicked prelates. ‘ihe history of kingdoms and empires was contemporary with, but not in reality the history of the Church, This manner of judg- ing ofthe action of @ divine institution he atiri- buved to want of discrimination. Persons nowa- days were educated almest entirely by THE INFLUENCE OF THE PRESS, which, a3 & matter of course, intluence public opinion. They were too easily led to believe the Jabricated livels of sectarian newspapers. Here revereng speaker read @ part of a story in- muted, he said, by some attaché of foreign bigotry a printed in & New York two cent daily, The ry told of the canonization of @ saint afew weeks ago Who Was evidently a murderer, The lecturer called this a queer manner of attack, and said there was not the slightest foundation for the story. He then enumerated a list of news- papers of this city who made Cathoiicity, Jesuitism id the Church objects of attack when- they had an opportunity. These papers controlled by foreigners, and their manner of ing American judgment he termed & The ktrapgest fact of ali to him was that of making Irish Catholics, in the main, the objects of their prejudices. German Catholics were - not 80 much stigmatized, neither were English nor Freneh ( ataoiics, “The Ciuich was opposed to civil and religions liberty” was one clamor of sectarianism; “The wer of Catholicity aud Jesuitism will destroy our stitutions’ was another method of howling. All these attacks he reiuted by showing that CATHOLICISM LOVED LIBMUTY and hated tyranny in every age; that Catholics, and eapeciolly Irish Catholics, Were taut Wy love and @ honeyed at attacks, but has iphed over t! In conclusion ara ‘gan a matter of justice } was Disading aa well as of gored pablo and charity of Catholicity in 80 quietly the libellous slanders made against it. He dhished by ts as the “spouse of apostrop! Christ,’ which last to the end of time, ac- cording to the promige of her divine founder. BROOKLYN CHURCHES. PLYMOUTH OHUROH. Foreed vs. Free Religion—The Popular Opinion of Christian Lifew“A Mul- tiplication Table with a Skin Diawn Over It”—What Mr. Beceher Said Yes- terday. The immense throng which once a week pours through the thoroughfares and over the various ferries leading to Brother Beecher’s chureh was not wanting yesterday, but came one and all as though bidden to the feast, and doubtiess they were. Not @ seat or even an inch of standing room was left unoccupied by the time the great smiling face of the hero of Plymouth church, hat in hand, and himself snugly ensconced beneath the ample folds of @ colossal cloak, slipped from behind the organ on the platform. But the reverend gentleman was little noticed for the time, for the vast audience Was too intent on admiring the beautiful flowers Which adorned the stand. And why should they not? for how much of heaven is wrapped within and siniles from among their delicately tinted leaves! They are such holy things, born of beauty and nursed in purty, fed upon the dews, and sel- doni looking upon aught less sacred than the stars, as if they were more allied to heaven than to earth. An old lady who bas for years been a con- stant attendant at Plymouth church, ana whose hoary tresses and faltering step tell but too plainly that she has almost done her journey, remarked to the writor, while admiring these “THINGS OF BEAUTY,” “i( the virtue, goodness and love represented by those flowers were but practised by mankind they would again make the children of earth what they were in the infancy of the world—little lower than ange's.” Presently Mr. Beecher prayed. He was at once earnest and eloquent, and ere they knew it his hearers forgot that which charmed the eye for that which ravished the ear and touched the soul. Selecting tor his text John, xv., 16: ‘ Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth, but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Fatber I have made known unto you.” Mr. Beecher began his discourse by say! that this wae Gagne hon @ contrast between ao and free religion. A forced religion is not only servitude, but slavery, the difference between ser- vitude and slavery being not then so marked as in our day, but still it was be! held in bon Christ says come into partnership with me, I call you no longer servants but friends. A slave acta jor another's will. His master ye do such a thin; and that is all he knows about it; but a triend consulted and advised with. He isone who is 80 united in love to another that he instinctively per- ceives and complies with his wishes, Christ raised men from religion as u bondage to religion as free- dom. This is not accidental, for “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make Yyoudree”; and “now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lora is there is liberty.” But some men think when they join a church =F must be sober and go xround with long faces, and inflict all sorts of pain and privations upon themselves. ‘They are like a tree, long-legged, trimmed up—something good at the top may be, but along way up. Peopie say he is ‘ A GOOD FELLOW, BUT SPOILED, Is that not the current idea? But is that what Christ promises? Liberty by stealth—yoked—har- nessed? They join the Church as a necessary evil, thinking it better to undergo a@ little discomfort here than to risk the hereaiter—just as men insure their houses; they don’t want to pay the money, but they have todo it for fear their houses wilk burn down sometime and they will have nothing for them. What is the nature of liberty? Doing what you please ?. Sometimes—when you please to do the right ae It is that condition in which men understand the Jaws which God laid upon Man—a cheertul obedience to Goa’s laws, not @ slave to them. Men are tree in propor- tion to their knowledge and understanding of the laws of Goa. Whe is the free workman? He who has learned his trade—he who has trained his muscles so that he is master of them,mot they master ef him, as im the beginning. A carpenter, when learning his trade, saws with his whole body, and he finds itimpossible to keep to the» line, but atter a time he has trained himselfso that he is master of the saw. ‘Take study. When I first com- menced the study of algebra there never was any- thing s0 perfectly bewildering and jue—so al selutely dark a8 It was (o mc; but after a few weeks I hd po to see into it a little, and finally mas- tered what at first seemed inscrutable. A man never masters anything without being born again, What ta true of physical servitude is true of re . MORAL =o aE eae Proportion as & man rules imself he is a child of liberty. Liberty is not dangerous; it is our highest safety. It is the expression not of ca- price or wilfulness, but of drilled and perfect obedience to law. ‘Oh, how I rejoice in Thy law!” said the Psalmist. When men first enter a Chris- tian life they are apprenticed to God, Some are already advanced part way, and to make believe you are @ heathen is monstrous, There is a young rl, Me arents have always prayed for her con- version. thinks she ought todo something to show for it. What can she do? Submit her heart? She has done that. She been trained from her cradle, Take up her cross? has taken up her cross since she Was three years old. does not want to be harnessed by Christ. All she wants ts a little impulse in the right direction. Men need not look for @ crosa to take up; what you want is meck- ness, humility and obedience to God's laws. If you have a saucy servant und choose to put youre self on a level with him by losing your temper, that is your cross. Take it w jut if you ‘act rightly there is no cross to take up. A boor ace into a-school where there is a young, gentle, deli- cate woman in charge. He makes up his mind he will do as he likes, sit where he likes, spit where he likes and set himself up in opposition to her generally. At tirst things go very wy but, aiter @ time, what a change! He anxious to please—he 3, he worships her. Love is absolute Hberty. Some have partial liberty, free in some things, in bondi in others, and liberation comes gradually, until the whole is free. A man thinks he ought to read the Bible and pray at certain times, like the people who put o certain number of prayers in a whecl, and they flew out in every direction as the wheel turned. It must be spontancous prayer, comii trom the heart. We are not obliged to talk to Ged. A man says, “I forgot to read the Bible this mot ing, I in such @ hurry. God forgive me.” W: that any excuse? What if a son living with his father went out in the morning and came back saying, “Forgive me, father; I forgot to say good- by this morning.’ Why, he would feel insulted. We are free to say or be alient. ° GOD UNDERSTANDS MOODS, Pray when you hunger. Don’t make believe. Some pecs have Sak we for every hour out of the wenty-four, and feel sant, if ‘they omit one. I could not pray chronologically—could not be a mal- tiplication table with a skim drawn over it. I am not regular in anything else and how could I be in that? The Bible is our precious privilege, and he that Knows not must learn. Men say that priests should wear black roves and white robes and embroidered robes of different kinds, and should face the congregation or turn their backs, My opinion is that they are better for having their backs turned—or face the east or west at certain times, as symbols of religion. If they like to wor- ship in that way it is their liberty. That is a lower grade. It is anear.sighted kind of worship. But when we can worship without the symbols we are = higher. Not that I don’t believe in sym- vis, I do believe in universal symbolism, All things are ladders—we commence at the bottom. Don't sit down on the way. But lot us Had in large liberty, pleasing to God and best tor 4 8T. JORN'S METHODIST CHUROE. Christianity’s stim: Humanity—Sermon by the Rev. Eddy. Yesterday morning the pulpit of the St. John’s Methodist Episcopal church, Bedford avenue, was occupied by Rev. Dr. Eddy, formerly pastor of the Metropolitan church at Washington, and now sec- retary of the Missionary Soctety of the church of which he fs so distinguished a member. His text was taken from the twelfth verse of the thirteenth chapter of Isaiah :—‘‘I will make aman more pre- cions than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” After a brief introduction he said his theme would be “the preciousness of the individual human soul.”’ In eloquent language he proceeded to show that revelation demonstrated the value of humanity by the creation of man in the divine likeness, and who, though fallen by sin, was yet godlike in his ruins; also by the great mystery of godlincas in inter- posing for his salvation, no other price being adequate to purchase his rescue and immortal biessedness than the ruby drops of the heart of the incarnate De.ty, It was a glo.ious truth that the of the Value of Dr. great atonement was not merely for something called human nature, but for each man, woman and cbild, And the other great fact of revelation which showed the preciousness of individual wren was that each separate person was the special ob- ject of divine care. God cared for the widow in loneliness, for the orphan in its solitude, for stranger im his distress, for the child in its and for the lonely wanderer upon the wide sca., ‘There were enough knetty and diMcuit problema ppled with without anmning. the needs este uaate aad gaean that ue pees, care whether individuals went to the devil or not.. ee ea RS Wi where in the purlieus of Cod's great creation, hay-: no piace we in the Father’s heart. THE FEELING OF PARENTAL LOVE ‘was so strong that the last child had as tender a tin the heart of the Parent as not crows else ou . = saved notin tastes, but aa individuals, ands came with His finger upor t Physician ein ual . The great raged of ane divine whole drift of the world's thought. the remote influence of Christianity 2 rid & r estimate of life; Ares ee ciaperaced this: Wing, on the oné hand, the prodt-. where heathenism prevaiicd ahd ius etity in Christian lands; how the life of help- and imbecile infancy was cherished andi how sacrediy it was guarded even in war, and how di ig Was almost sippressed and the a penalty was confined to murder. This estimate of life was scen in the revolution minds of men regarding t! Serfdom -slavery, ch {man and cievated the rs Of & class, had been borne by the mighty influence of Progressive truth into the wide-mouthed grave which the Christian pick aud peace long age dug for cruel feudalism. War might continue, but those who led armies mst remember that bayo- nets think, and that cannon was only potential, ag their deep boom would echo truths for which ‘the world was waiting. The practice of 1 in prepa tlle fe the past;.lor man too grand and sublime a thing, polluted as he m be, Jor stripes and scourging. There was an of the caste principle, ‘Tell me, said the speaker, WHICH 13 MASTER, CAPITAL OB LABOR? Ospitatisss in the city of New York would giva if their capital to be able to answer that aMrma- tively to-morrow morning. The call for the educa- tion of the masses was so urgent that in some por- tions of the world it had become compuisory, for; the world was waking up at last to understan that there is no waste like the waste of manh and brain. ‘The heat of New York could better afford ta burn itself from the Battery to the Fifth Avenne Hotel than to leave her untaught children in the igmerince and degradation in which thousands of them were to-day. If she did not take time to edu- cate them now, she would have to punish them: to-morrow and hang them by and by. Before leay- its of the in-’ eed 3 ing this part of his subject the doctor pictured. ia 7 glowing terms, the onward march of Christli clyNization and what it has already accomplished. He then proceeded to show that the individual Worth of manhood was the moving characteristic. of modern Christianity, remarking that THE TRUE TRET OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER in this epoch of its development was not so mach the ecstatic divihe revelations to individuals as the practical results of a life of service. The institu- Uons of the church should be tested by their hu- manitarianism. The so-called ‘liberal Christians’? criticized what they termed the stern ruggeduess of orthodoxy, which, however, only turned its stera side toward evilto lure the wrong-doer into the sunny side, where was written in charac ters, “God is love.” But orthodox Chi stianity had dotted the land with schoots, and was grap- ping with heathenism and idolatry in all its forms, while ‘“ilberalism’’ wrapped about itself the mantle of gentility, talked ofits culture, aud lefé the neg- lected in their unsaved condition. Dr. Eddy spoke of the great cha! which had taken place in thet literary world in dealing with the aggressive spirit of Christianity, and said that the day had gone Db. when Macaulay’s fling at Christian missions and Dickens’ picture of Mrs. Jellaby’s labors for the. little savages of Timbuctoo, which were more po- tential than the thunders af the Westminster Re view, would hinder the progress of the missionary. movement, When tie NEw York HERALD will send a special commission to hunt somewhere in the interior of Africa for an old man, @ lost missionary, und bring him back to civilization and to lite it may be, or, at: all events, to relieve him, it is an indication that the world has turned its critic.sm’s sunny side to- ward advanced Christian work. jamin; Dr. Eddy concladed bis able sermon by a stirring. ‘ aD} in ald. of the Missionary Society in its enter- prise of evangelizing the worid. ENFORCED EDUCATION. The Value of Education as a Qualificas tion of Citizenship=The Uneducated Class Not the Most Dangerous—Compul- sory Education Incompatible with Our Institations and Civilization—Priest= craft Brought Back—Our School System: Not a Fatlure=The Machinery Theory of Progress. The Rev. J. M. Pullman, of the Church of Our Saviour, delivered the second Yecture of the series on “Social Problems” at Lyric Hall, Sixth avenue, last evening, to @ large and attentive audience, the subject being “Enforced Education.” ‘ In opening, the reverend gentleman proceeded to consider the true vaiue of education, tirst, as & means of individual progress, and, second, as al qualification for citizenship. As a means of prog- Tess its value is the greatest, but aa a qualificatiom Of citizenship it 1s over-estimated by those wha favor & compulsory education. In substantiate ing this he called attention to the fact that the statistics show that but thirty-three per cent of the criminal class is illiterate ; out of the entire citizen. ship of the State of New York but six per cent ts illiterate. It is not the uneducated class that Is the most dangerous in citizenship, THE CLASS MOST DANGEROUS to our political institutioas is that of the educated’ sohemers for power and wealth, The class which: Tetused to vote when New York most needed the vote of every true man was not the illiterate one.. Ifeducated men were best qualified for citizenship: certainly all possessing education would exercise: that first duty of a good citizen and vote. With these qualifications upon the value of education the speaker professed himself in favor of the widest. Teach of it—even of an enforced education, but one: enforced py public opinion rather than by legal en- actment, He then proceeded to give the reasons why this idea of compulsory education ia so taking. First, because when cay has been neglected for a long’ time we natural favor extreme measure: second, it promises a sweeping reform; third, it is, done for us, and we ure relieved of all responsi- bility—the government takes it off our hands. But, though this idea of compulsory education is thus: taking, he regarded the reasons against it as con- tyr a and proceeded to enumerate them. It 19, ¢ sald, . LBGISLATING BACKWARD, and admitting that the people are not equal to the duties of sell-goverment. Again, it is exceed-) ing the powers of the government. The civilizedt world hus just decided that the State must not; teach religion, and for the same reason the State} should not compel education. The functions of governmentin this age are not carried on under the old paternal idea of control in every relation of life, bat upon the democratic idea of teaching man how to do for himself and protecting him imean- While, But it 1s claimed that this is ® measure of SELF-PRESERVATION. if so @ more direct measure would be a law com- peliing every man to vote. This would be no, greater infringement of private rigit, and a3 the’ great majority of those who do not vote are educated, the desired end would be more surely, gained. There is no proot that the law if enacted, would diminish the numberof illiterate persons. The truth is government interference is not neces- sary. Our school system has not proved a faiiure., Mr. Beecher said in a recent discourse on tiis sab- Je “The masses are demanding to be taught to think,” If so, nO compulsion is necessary, He’ th it that the chief argument in favor of com- pulsory education, is drawn from anomalous com- munities like great cities, Every great city is ab- — and it 13 met safe to reason from its condition forthe whole country. We are in an abnormal condition here on account of the great. influx of emigrasion and the consequent fargo ilhterate population, But for such a condition special legislation ie — end not one applied to the whole country. But legat enactments in the matter of education would not stop there. government says we have a right to educate m to be good citizens, Who is to judge as to wi constitutes a good citizen? Why, the government ofcourse. And so it has the rignt to prescribe the text books and the course to he pursued in order toform a good citizen. And so we stall go back to the condition in Prussia, where all private Schools were abolished and the government con- trols all that relates to education, or in Chin: where everything to be taught the child is lal down. The end wil be that ubedience tu the gov- baad will be taught, whatever its character. PRIESTCRAFT BROUGMT BACK AGAIN. In considering the practical working of com- pang! Log he thought the tendency would to change the character of the sooty educatin, class, the noble eae 3, WHO woul become ae nt oMficisis and only respon- Bible to it, the-saime evils Would creep in as in all governmem@omices. ‘The teachers now expend all their vnuity and ability in their profession because It necessary. But the change would take the won ed life outof them. Again the, law ‘would destroy one of the most valuable forces in our system Of civilization, the sense of respon. sibility which the head of the. family tecis for the education of his chikiren And, finally, our whole theory of political progress Is based upon control, not by law but by public opiniun, and if we once CONTINUED ON NINTH PAGE, 5.