The New York Herald Newspaper, April 27, 1874, Page 4

| + CHRISTIANITY The Voice of the Pulpit and the Word of God. Frothingham and the Fight of Humanity. Sabine’s Farewell to the Protestant Episcopal Church. BEECHER AND ECCLESIASTICISM. Hepworth’s Reasons for Believ- | ing in God. Canist CHURCH.—Yesterday morning the Right Rev. Bishop Potter preached at Christ church, ‘Thirty-flith street and Filth avenue, the Rev. Hugh Miller ‘Thompson, pastor, after which he adminis- tered the rite of confirmation to a class of twenty. Gack Onveca.—This church was, as usval, full yesterday morning with @ fashionable con- gregation. Dr. voiter cid not preach, however, bat, instead, the Kev. Mr. Karkus, the assistant, ook his place. The reverend gentieman said that we @re tov apt to become inextricably involved in imnumer#dle metaphysical speculations and to imagine phenomena there, where we should simply content ourselves with simple Christian faith. Prowirive Mernopist.—Mr. Fred. A, Bell, who wus formerly a free and easy singer in Engush ale houses, but who was converted a few years since, preached an interesting sermon yesterday morn- ing im the Primitive Methodist church in Bridge street, Brooklyn, taking the following for his text—"A bruised reed shall he not break and smoking Mux shall be not quench till he send forth judgment unto victory.”—St. Matthew, xil., 20. Sevexri STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL Cuugcn.—At the morning service yesterday the pastor of this church, Rev. W. P. Corbit, preached to @ large and appreciative congregation. The text chosen was Zachariah, iv., 10:—“For who Bath despised the Gay of smal! things? For they suall rejoice and see the plummet in the hand of Zerrubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth.” METHODIST FREE TABERNACLE.—This church, song known as the “Trinity Methodist,” and situ- ated on West Thirty-fourth street, near Eighth avenue, Was very poorly attended yesterday at the morning service. The venerable pastor, the Kev, Lucius H. King, preached from the third chapter of Daniel, in which @ description is given of the edication of the statue set up by Nebuchadnezzar in Dura, in the province of Babylon. was a very instructive one. Z10N EpiscopaL Cuurcu.—Rev. Jobn Gallaher, at this church, corner of Mauison avenue and Thirty-eighth street, preached to arather small but fashionable congregation, composed, for the greater part, of ladies, His text was irom Acts, X., 46, 47—‘For they heard them speak with tongues and magnily God. Then answered Peter, ‘Can any man Jorbid water, that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?’ ” Wrat PRresBYTERIAN CHURCH.—At this beautiful churet in Forty-second street, between Fiith and Sixth avenues, Rev. Dr. Cyrus Dixon preached in absence oi the regular pastor, Rev. Thomas Hastings. His text was from St. Paul’s epistie to the Romans, vili., 28—“And we know that all things work together for goo1 to them that love God, to them who are the calied according to his purpose.” The glorious biessings of Cunrist’s religion were forciviy illustrated by the reverend preacher. St, BARTHOLEMEW’s CaURCE.—At this church, corner of Madison avenue and Forty-fourth street, Rev. Samuel Cooke preached to a large congrega- tion, He took his text from Romans, x., 9— “Neither let us tempt Curist, as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents.” He argued that salvation was dependent on cer- tain conditions, as was everything else in life. Some actions tended to ruin and otuers to salva. tion, Tarmrcexts STREET WELSH PRESBYTERIAN CHvrcw.—At this church last evening there was a large congregation. Tne Rev. H. Powell preached a very impressive sermon, selecting his text trom the twenty-second Verse of the lorty-filth chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah. Tne celebrated vocal- | ists, Miss Ecith Wynne and her sister, Mrs. Kate Wynne-Matheson, were in the congregation, and after the sermon gratified the audience by sing- ‘ng several solos and duets. FOURTH PRESBYTERIAN CuURcH.—A fashionable congregation assembied yesterday morning to | hear their popuiar pastor, the Rey. John Thompson, D. D., discourse on the First Epistle of Peter, third chapter and eighteenth veise:—“For Christ also hath once suffered jor sius, the just for the unjust, tnat He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh bat quickened by the Spirit." Dr. Thomp- son treated the subject in a solid, scholarly man- ber, and evidently interested his congregation. CHURCH OF THE at the corner of Madison avenue and Forty-second street. He founded his discourse on part of the fi'teenth verse of the fourth chapter of Nehe- miah—“We returned all of us to the wall, every man unto his work.” The sermon Was an admir- able plea for zealous work in the church and in Christ. St, Mank’s Protestant EriscoraL CaURCH.— Alatge number were in attendance at morning prayer yesterday. The music was, as usual, ex- cellent, The rector, Rev. Joseph H. Rylance, D. D., officiated and preached. The sermon on “The Twofoid Office of the Christian Minister” was founded on the words of St. Paul in Acts, xx., 20—And now I have kept back noting that was profitable unto you, nut have shewed you and Dave taugut you publicly, and from house to Uouse.” Smrson MxTHopist Episcopat Cuvrea.—There was a fair congregation at the Simpson Methodist Episcopal church, Brooklyn, yesterday, to listen to @ sermon by the Rey. John A. Monroe, of the Newark Conference, who delivered an excellent discourse from the first verse of the eleventh chap- ter of Kebrews—‘Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” All who would be saved must have faith—faiti to beliéve, a8 the apostie told them, that there was a spiritual world as well as a material world, OcLieGiaTe REFORMED CuvRcH, LArAyETTE P.ace,—Rev. James Baird, D. ). of Paterson, occupied the pulpit of this church in the morning yesterday, in the place of the regular pastor, Rev. | Dr. Chambers, at present ona visit to Paiestine. The sermon was on the parable of the unjnat steward, Luke, xvi. 1-13, and took its princl- pal direction from the passage wherein itis or- dered to, “Make to yourselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness, thac when you fail tuey may receive you imto everlasting habita- | tions.” Orr Lapy or MERoY.—A large congregation assembled at the principal service yesterday fore- hoon at this church, Debevoise street, Brooklyn, in anticipation of participating in the opening of the promised mission. It was, however, an- nounced by the pastor, Rev. Father Mokiroy, who preached an excellent serrmow from the Gospel of the day, that the mission by Kev, rather Garesché Would not commence until Sunday next. The The sermon | Hoty Tartniry.—The Rev. | Stephen i. Tyng addressed yesterday, as usual, an | enormous and highiy fashionable congregation, | which filled every avallaole seat of the new edifice | NEW YORK HERALD, MUNDAY postponement is occasioned by the severe indis- position of the reverend missionary. ‘The mission will be continued for two weeks. First Baptist Cuxurca.—At this church, corner of Park avenue and Tuirty-pimth street, Rev, Thomas D, Anderson demonstrated to ® numerous congregation that if they were only fighting self the work would be dreary enough, but if they re- ceived the fulness, love and divine richness of Jesus their hearts would ‘feel no loneliness, for Christ would be there. , Hig) hearers bad not suM- ciently welcomed Christ to their hearts—that was their very greatest aiMiculty. and if they would blessings to which they were now strangers. FouRTreENTH STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.— A large and attentive congrewation listened in the | morning yesterday to the preaching of Rev. R. | Sloss, at this church, The text was:—‘According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation | of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him im tove."” The main theme of the | Sermon was the need of waiking lovingly, both with regard to doctrine and practice, in Christian | life, and was tn espectal directed against sectarian | bigotry and the marrowness of criticism m social | lie, FinSt PRESBYTERIAN UHURCH.—Rev. Dr. W. M. Paxton preached a sermon irom tne First Epistle | of John, i, 3—‘That which we have seen and | heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is With the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”’ | The sermon was mainly upon the Christuan’s hope, | He expressed how certain it was tuat, should our | lives be pure here, we shouid enjoy tne fellow- | ship of God, and should not die the death. John 1 Spoke irom personal kaow.edge of what he said, but he was uo more certain of the fact of eternal salvation tian we suould be ourselves, CENTRAL METHODIST EPIscoPaL CHURCH.—At this church the Rev. Dr. Bottome preacied from Romans, vii, 28, “And we kuow that all things work together for good to them that love God.” | The subject of the reverend gentleman's ser- | mon was mainly held in this idea, that the love of | God engenders happiness to a!l, because He gov- | | erns the world in the interest of His cmidren. There was a fair congregation present, and among them was Mayor Havemeyer, who is a regular attendant at this chureh, He was accompanied by lus two daughters. PILGRIM Baptist Cuuaca.—The Rey. J, Spencer | Kennard preached from Revelations, xx1., 1, select- | ing the phrase, “And there was no more sea.” He made a touching allusion to the funeral ser- vices, to be held to-morrow, of the late young Louis A. Mackey, who, aiter attending an evening party at Communipaw, was drowned at Pavonia ferry by making a false step, om last Thursday night. A circular was handed round in the church addressed to the “Pilgrims,” stating that “five tons O1 old newspapers” are wanted irom the con- gregation, in order to support the Sabbath School EGLISE REFORMER FRANCAISE. — The Calvary | chapel, In Fourth avenue, was well filied yester- | day morning by an intelligent looking congrega- tion, Alter prayer and singing, in whicn the | whole assembly were invited to join, the Rev. E. Borel announced his text from Poalms, viii, 1-9, and preacned in a jorcible manuer a very able sermon on God's glory and His love to man, mani- | tested by His works. After the service the reverend H gentleman invited all his American friends, who | | for many reasons take interest in it, to attend the | afternoon Bible class, St. Mary’s, STAR OF THE S#a,—At the early | mass—sevea o’clock—at St, Mary’s, Star of the ) Sea, Court strest, Soutn Brooklyn, about 400 peo- ple received holy communion. Among the com- municants were the giris of the Sodalities of the Biessed Virgin and of the Sacred Heart, attired in | blue, wearing white veils and medals. The mem- | bers of the temperance society, aumbering up- | ward of 100, also marched up to the altar rail in | Teguiar order. The celebrant and pastor, Rev. | Eugene Cassidy, took occasion to call attention to | tne temperance demonstration just witnessed, in | eloquent commendation of the virtue of total ab- stinence from the intoxicating cup. 81. George's EriscoraL CHURCH.—A large num- ber congregated in this noble church in the morn- ing yesterday. The admirable singing of the | choir, consisting entirely of boys, was a note- | worthy feature in the services, The pastor, Rev. Stephen HL Tyng, D. D., officiated, and also | preached. The text was—“¥or the love of Cnrist constraineth us.’’—IL Corinthians, vy. 14. Dwell- ing on the peculiar strength of the term “‘con- straineth” the preacher proceeded to show | that we should not live for ourselves alone, but tor Him who died that we might live through Him; that herein in the love of Christ lay the motive tuat directs aud the power that ever upholds us in progress towards a better life. SPRING STREET PRESBYTERIAN CuHuURCH.—Dr. | | McCampbeli spoke on the necessity of peace and | good will among men." Carist had come imto the | world to give us peace, and He had leit it to us. | “Peace Lieave you; my peace I give you.” Let us | Rot dare to break that holy peace which the Lord | has given us. Let us avoid everything that tends to break it, Let us walk constantly in the pata of righteousness, jaitnfully serving God and obeying His commandments, and then we shail always , have peace. We should speak no ill of our fellow | | man, for where there is evil speaking there can be | no peace. Evil speaking is incompatible with peace; so let us avoid that and serve God and we Shail be blessed torever. St, ANN’s RoMAN CaTHoLIc CHURCH, BROOK. | LYN.— in this church, of whicn Rev, Father Glea- son is pastor, the Dominican Fathers conciuded a most successful mussion yesterday, about 4,000 people having approached the tribunal of penance during the season of special grace. At the princt- | pal service Rev. Fatber McKenna admonished his | hearers as to the necessity of perseverance, in order that the good fruit of the mission may be ap- parent to all men and their reward may be greater in the end when called bejore the judgment seat of God, In the afternoon the sacrament of confirma- tion was administered to several hundred chil- dren and adults by the Right Rev. John Loughlin, Bishop of the diocese. CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION.—The sermon yesterday morning at this church, was preached ‘was taken from Hebrews. The burden of tie ser- mon was in the idea that the greatest mistake that could be made on earth was to give way to the temptations of this worla, because they were so evanescent, so temporary. On the last day, | when good and evil men were to appear beiore the | throne of God, the pleasure of sin would appeara vain delusion, and the prospect of the eternal ret- ribution would appear in letters of fire to the lost soul. It was better to go through hardship here and have eternal life, Temptations here, even in | the most glowing form, could be avoided if we had this idea constantly before onr mind. | Greene StReet METHopIst Cuvacu.—The Rev. | Mr. Osvorne preached om the necessity of serving Christ each in his own sphere of life. A shoe- maker, humble as his calling 1s, can serve the Lord while ocenpted at nis daily toil, and a carpenter, while pushing his plane, can consecrate bis life to Goa, No matter what our trade, proiession or oc- cupation, if we follow the teachings of the Re- deemer, keep His commandments and walk in righteousness, @ crown will be reserved for us in heaven. Each of us should find our work and do 1t, and there is no occupation so humble as to pre- | Vent us irom following Christ and doing good. | The preacher appealed to the young to devote themselves entirely to Christ. He wanted their young blood, their energy, courage, devotion and ardor, St. Jonmy’s, Ep1scoraL.—Dr. Wea on gave an in- teresting discourse on the subject of miracies, and whether they are to be considered as an imierrup- tion of the natural order of things, Most Chris- tian scholars Of the present day, he said, are con- once overcome it they wonid find comforts and | | church when I say that there ts mo sister in the by the Rev. D. J. Seabury, the rector, whose text | ry | that there Is a soul of guodness in taings evil; that | lions of years, and there is nothing inconsistent with revealed religion in logical strata are that so many veinet. The geo- | | | } Vineed that the world has existed probably mil- 1 pages of toe | history o and creation itself one vast miracle, A miracle is not something that reverses the Batural order of things, but so:ne- f thing that ts higher and beyond what we know of the natural order. Our knoy Of the laws of science 1s but in ita tnfamey; these laws are God's creation, and He does nothing that is inconsistent Witn them, The infidel makes @ god of the laws of nature, whereas the Church recognizes these laws as God's work. Les Avenve Barrisr CHURCH, BROOKLYN.— There was a large attendance at the Lee avenue Baptist chureh, Brooklyn, BE. D., yesterday aiter- noon, where six Methodists converts were to be baptised. The audience was composed mainly of the» congregation worshipping at St. John’s Methodist Episcopal church, but there was also a sprinkling of Baptista, who were degirous of witnessing the ceremony, which was brief and impressive, aud performed amid pro- found silence. Theexercises were commenced by the Rev. J. Hyatt Smith, pastor of the Lee avenue Baptist church, who said:—“It affords us as & church tne very greatest pleasure to extend tnis | Christian courtesy toour brethren and sistersin the | Methodist Church. Brother Warren is to baptize candidates for membership in St, John’s church, I voice the entire heart of Lee avenue Baptist | family of Jesus Christ that we love more than our dear sister, St. John’s,” Rev. Henry Warren, D. D., then offered ag appropriate prayer, aiter which the congregation united in singing All hail the power of Jesus’ name. The candidates for the ofdinance of baptism then presented themselves—three young women and three young men—when Dr. Warren immersed them. At the conclusion of the ceremony the dox | ology was sung and the assemblage dismissed with the benediction by Rev. J. Hyatt smith. . THE FIGHT WITH EVIL. Rey. 0. B. Frothingham preached yesterday morning to a large congregation at Lyric Hall. Before the sermon the reverend gentleman said ie would read “passages from ancient scriptures,” and taking up a book read selections trom an old author, Without announcing @ formal text he began his discourse as foliows:—The subject this morning is “The Conflict with Evil.” ‘the writer of the Epistie to the Ephesians says:—‘We buttle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities | and powers; with evil spirits that rule in the air.”” The idea of the writer is this—thar the cham- bers of the air are the abode of evil spirits whose aim is to lure men to their ruin. These spirits are organized in ranks and denominations, which he calls principalities and powers. The people, according to the early Uhris- tians and according to later Ohristians, too, in a great measure, are to battle not against fesh and blood, that is, against persons, against institutions, against wrongs—things as we call them; but against impalpable spirits that are always beset- ting the soul. It isin measure an inward con- flict, and therefore the principal teaching is to | keep the heart pure, the soul clean and the mind free from debasing thoughts and desires. Tne | Christian reformation from the begining until now specifically has been for men to purify them- | selves irom the world; that reformation begins from within; that the kingdom of heaven must firss be within a man before being outside of him, and that, therefore, the great work | to do 1s to regenerate the soul, and that has veen | the mature of the preaching trom centuries past until the present time. The pbrase ‘tne battle of lie,” a8 applied to conflict with outward evil, against wrongs, is 8 modern phrase, and involves a modern idea, They who speak now oi the battle of lile speak of it as a grasping with existing evils in society —that is, it is a war with flesh anu blvod, | not against “principalities and powers’ in the air, | but against principalities and powers on earth, and | against evil spirits domesticated here in the flesh. | And they who speak of the battle of life in | this way have an entirely ‘distinct fdea of its | signification, Their idea is that reformation | begins outside and works inward—tnat you will make the conditions right men | will right themselves; that if you will aboiish evil, wrong, error and injustice, yeu will at once fix in | the grooves of law the men who are now wancer- | ing and working evil amidst conditions tney do | not understand. The specific Christian theory and the modern theory therefore differ, in that one confines the battle to the evil spirite that are always tempting the individual soul, and tnat the | other confines the battle to those outward instita- tions which involve the soul ina fatal thraidom. THE MODERN BATTLE. And yet it,is evident that this modern battie with evil is carried on in some respects to greater advantage under the old theory than under the new. For instance, the belief ina personal devil, a being either created or uncreated, naving super- | natural powers, rank and origin, presents to or- dinary minds an object for them to fight against, It is @ great convenience, to say the least, Belief in the devil originally | was a very palpable conviction. Coming irom the | far East, it originally formed two dominions of light and darkness, which were presided over by | | chiefs or kings, perfectly distinct from each other; | one the origin of light, the other uf darkness; one of truth, the other of error; one of good, the other of evil; one was all life, the otner wag all death, And there were the priests of light and the priests of darkness, There wasatemple of Heht and a temple of darkness. There were usages, customs, laws aad institutions, each divided and set apart, | nd indicated by unlailing marks, so that the | wayfaring man, though a fool, would never fail to know whether he was living in the do- minion of Ormuzd, the good spirit, or in the dominion of Abriman, the bad spirit. This belief was imported into Christendom and there wok @ more palpable form, because the spirit of evil was associated with certain forms of unbelief and heresies, which were distinctly marked and set apart as organized operations of | the devil, No Christian, therefore, could have a moment's doubt who he was hitting when he wai striking @ being, ii not of flesh and biood still a tangibe as if he were. Y. e here there was no hesitation when he wept to battle against a visible , 1 Bot to the eye of flesh, to ‘he eye of faith pale to the mind. This belief does | once. Alter the beliei in a personal gone the belief in a devilish Rot incarnated, is substituted, 2 priucipie, aud people will go on fighting evil with as much determination and doubt as ever, although belief in a of Kvil may have deparied. Read, for instance, the way in which Protestants, 300 years Seo, fought the Catholic Church; read the exploits the English, of Frobisbee, Hawkins and others, ni y 1d freedom from sonal Prince vinoed it was the scarlet Woman ani red dragon, they went out and persecuted Catholics wherever Jound, without a moment’s misgiving, and cruelty, treachery, barbarity were ail excused when the children of light smote the children of darkness, That cannot be done now. Novody now can assail tue Catholic Church in that way. But witness the | way in which the early anti-siavery men entered upon their crusade aguinst slavery; with what whole rteduess they Warred upon it; how it never occurred to them to explain, justly, excuse or make the slightest incidental allowance; it was the germ of ali villanies, a cruel abomination; 7 was Che living devil of to-day; consequently they Struck atit, hured curses apou it, You see the enormous advantage peuple have whose creed is that evil is a thing, a being, or even & pare principie, a shadowy eiement in the world, ‘he modern idea 1s that evil 1s good in the making; that there is no such thing as intrinsic evil; that notuing is essentially and through and through bad; evil is often @ iriend in disguise, w benefactor wearing @ mask, and consequently, even when a tain looks exceeding ugly, they for- bear strike it. lest they may in some sense be committing suicide. We have learned in these days tu pay some respect to very noisome things; to explain, quality, compromise, adjust and make excuses. We will not destroy the | muck heap, ior itis wanure; we will not heed noxious sewage, because when spread over ficlds it fertilizes the yroand, Nothing ts so evil that it cannot be made into good, fhe consequence is the moment we liit @ hund to si trom our hand, Another jeature of the tage over the new in the ainst evil TOTAL DEPRAVITY, —The belief in total depravity is a very convenient faith to hotd, vecause it biends tiat in a mass which if taken apart and aualyzed the evil van- isnes away into thin air, The Coristian who looks upon the World asa place to be regenerated, and upon men as beings to be converted and made over, enters upon his work with @ whole hearted purpose, ‘There is but one thing to be done. All persons who give iree course to heir love, or their sense of equity, OF indignation oi evil, or love of truti—ali these people may be at once classed as it. { op! | text APRIL 27, 1874.—TRIPLY Re who are to be simples Convers. mon. to, tag ‘oteed of tue ‘onve: 10 ol Chureh; bring them over to the shelis of the Chureh, and alt the work is cone. The conse- quence is that the Ob piaen, puts on the armor of tne 01 an he Spirit and goes jortn to conquer the world. Now sub- stitute lus theory for the modern theory, the theory which we hold, that there 18 nosuch thing as total depravity, and that the co 18 Not to con- vert uF r generate the worid, or turn it inside out, or to turn it round, but.to instruct and educate and guide it, Substitute your doctrine of regener- ation jor the doctrine 01 progress, and you see at once the disadvantage under which we labor who hold to the doctrine of progress; ti rytainy is | - SHEET, forth.” The cause o1 this separation is that there is an utter want of accord vetween the Protestant Episcopal Church and those of other Protestant faitog. These elements are also found in the Boox of Common Prayer, THE FLAVOR OF ROMANISM. In the reurgamtzation of the Church of England by Queon Elizabeth, a compromise was formed between the Church of Rome and Protestant- ism. The result 1s that the Book of Com- | mon Prayer is uly Protestant and partly | Roman; the bapusinal service, the use of the Other instances may be good tn its place; that there is @ 1a) evolution | reje) anu advance, according to whic all things work | eae ACA Yeualn “4 ine ernie Hooke babe togethi ood and evil, false and true, and | same eviis will exist. ‘The word priest, modity each otner continually, and through | which means @ Mediator between God pro and modification advancing oad » and not once used o: the Christian minis- to better and better states. wor i Testament. ‘he Curistiun minist-rs theory everything 1s good la its place, notning so | riectly bad that tt must pot conform to condi- ons and nothing so bad that conformity to con- ditions will not redeem it. Even war, slavery, violence, oppression, taken in their time placs, and all the circumstances that fe, with, them, are innocent, are servants of the Almighty to do their good work in the rid. This is the idea of progress. Even the monsters of the primeval world, thougi uncomfortable to look at, had their piace, and creatio.. could not £8. with- out them. 50 in this law of progress all crime, all abuse has its place and fulfils its mission. Now on that theory it does not to enter into a hand to hand fight with evil. Beur with yourevil and it disappears. Let the law of prog- Tess work; commit yoursell to it aud at once you find that the knots are untied and tuat the evil things are just as necessary as the good. The cons-quence 1s that men are iuclined to fold their hands and float easily along. Having made their Way smooth they are conteat to walk in It. A spell of inactivity and weasness comes over the man, and, in place of the Christian hero, clothed 1 armor, e in perpetual wariare, we have @ compauy O! ladies and geutiemen, dressed in silk and satin, rol'iug forward in their carriages as if all the world were a Central Pars. You see the disadvantage the modern theory has over the an- cient. A suggestion of iatalism 1s very apt to ve- set the miz.ds 01 those velleving—o! course in a very ordinary matter of course jasnion—in the law Ot progress. ‘They fint themscives thinking things must go on; that there is @ vital necessity that the world must improve, and it does not depend upon you and me. We are not Provt- dence; we are clips and straws borne along in the tide 01 the world to our destiny. ‘he Jaw 1s above us, within us, and will act itself, whether we choose or not. Thereiore, as I say, a suggestion of tatalism takes possession of the mind, Shouid not that suggesuon of fatuliam be repelled? Are not we Providence? THE LAW OF PROGRESS, We speak of the law of progress. Where would the law of Progress, be Without progressive men and women? We speak of the law of evolution, What doos the law of evolution mean but the evolution of our conscience, heart purpose, deter- mination—the evolution of a grand will in us? Suppose the schoois should be closed and all at- tempt at education be disvontinued; would knowledge abound in the world? Would intelli. gence increase? Suppose that all the scientilic men who are just now the active powers in in- structing the world—the men of great mind and indomitable purpose—suppose tuey were at once to stop tneir work, what would happen? Would the kuowledge of the laws O1 nature ingrease, or would @ scientific un- derstanding of the conditions of lie be more jargely diftused? You see at once it would not. The love of God is man’s loving heart. God begins to live wien man begins to learn. Ormuzd hives inus A fatal reac‘ion would make the cause of progress progress backwards. in the determina- ton to make the iaw of progress a living law we should consecrate ourse.ves and use as much en- ergy a3 the old Christians used in working against the evil spirits in the air, ‘The world, ac- cording to tne old faith, is a of exile, a dreary vaie, are banished Jor the suf- Jering and explation, where to enjoy them- selves taey had no right; therefore those ef the Old faith began to suspect themselves it they found life too easy. They said, ‘No, the world is a piace Of wariare and lite is a battle.” But we who have discarded that idea look upon the world as a place that is to be a home—a resting piace—tull of oppor- tunities, joys and boundiess privileges. But sup- pose the world is a garden; was there ever a garden vhat did not need weeding ? Suppose the word is meant to be our home, does it not heed to be made our home by a considerable effort? Suppose is is full of opportunities and priviieges, do they drop upon us irom the clouds ¥ Do they not have to be iound and used, and does it not oitentimes require orgauized in- terest and must determined purpose to appropri- ate them? Certaimly. Consequeutly, under the Modern theory, there 1s just as much necessity ior eifort as under tue old theory; only we are not held to the effort as the old theory held men down. No, irtends, under no theory are we ab- solved from the duty of battli though tue method oi conducting the battle is changed en- urely. The ola theory Cit ed pelimell into the ict, aud the first onses deciued the contest; ovner uses generalship and diplomacy; one uses mind, the other muses will; one teaches, the other subdues; one educates, the other crushes; one stuuies, rheother uereiy propels aud overcomes; one tries to erad- icate evil, the other tries to pluck it out; one tries to abolish guilt, the other tries to distance it and leave it belund and make it evaporate in the end. To make this matter clear, let us take a single ex- ample and apply the principles I nave suggested. i will take the evil imtemperance, for taas is a typical evil. There is nothing more injurious and Tuinous to society. Worse than war or siuvery, famine or pesti!ence, intemperance curses every race. How are we to fight it? The oid metiod ‘was to fight tt all along the line, not intemperance only, but every kind o! partaking c1 wiue or spirits. The whole thing was atiempted to be crusued out a8 @ mass of congested iniquity. THE NEW METHOD, ‘rhe new method says, if you wishto fight the evil, frat see exactly what the evii is you want to fight. Narrow the question down until tne very pith of it appears. it is a very interesting ques- ton to Know whether alcohol 18 always, under all circumstauces and conditions, @ poison, noxious and delevertous, and there ure many other inter- esting questiuns; but the particular question we have in view 1s, what is the evil we are to assail, and how are we to assall it? it is not the partak- ing of spiritaous liquors, because that 1s uot drunkenness, Of cuurse, no one can @ drunkard at once, but, though every- with moderation, alld The iact that so many people can goon to the end of thetr lives moderately qeireking Of tacse things Is @ suiticient proo: tuat t is not the cause of druukenness. {don’t com- mend the use of intoxicating drinks at all. 1 ve- Neve that total abstinence is better ior all healthy people. At the same time ido contend tuat the evil is not here that brings ruin on society and causes misery, Wretchedness and social demoral- ization, The evil i8 iplemperance, vot tem- perance. What is the source oj the evil of intem- perance? ig not the Wine shop that makes it its duty to supply, a8 iar as possible, harmiess and unadulterated articles to the community. It is not the restaurant or eating uouse where the ° tie moxious fiuid is taken in conneciion with food. What i its source we all know; places we count in every great city by the hundred and the thousaud, which exist obs and simply ior the sale oi that articie, aud at alone, to passiouate people who are greedy to get it; professed places of temptation to lure men where men known to be tie slaves of the evil habit are sunk deeper. Here, then, is a defi- nite evil traceable to a definite source, whence comes poverty and negiect vf famiics, Ii these places coud be umited—could be suppressed—in- temperance would cease, Let any une oi them, the moment a disturbance ts traced co it, be siut up. No extra legislation is needed—no grand crusade turoughout the country. ii this were done, in five years something like a revolution Would take place in society, But in this war with evil the new method is not content with direct fighting with tne wrong. it sims at fighting the wrong indirecily and out- stripping, Outwitting and suppianting it. Instead Of rebuking error it plants the true. Any effort to lead men out of this siough of intemperance would accomplish more in tue indirect method applied in the most simple way. For instance, it is periectiy possible by establisning coffee houses to draw peo- ple away from the low, bad pisces where they spend their money. The experiment has been suc- cessfully tried under adverse circumstances and made seli-sustaining. Mr. Frothingham, in con- clusion, expressed a wish that their society would Take @ beginning, and prove tuat this was an ex- periment that would succeed. THE EPISOOPAL EXODUS, The Rev. William T. Sabine Gives His estant Episcopal Church. The Church of the Atonement, on Madison ave- nue, corner of Twenty-eighth street, was crowded yesterday morning. The sermon was delivered by the Rev. William T. Sabine. It was of the nature Of @ farewell sermon, detailing the history of the congregation during the past eight years, since Which 1t has been under his pastorate, He then gave at length his reasons for seceding irom the Protestant Episcopal and joining the Re- formed Church. He began by seiecting as his the words from Samuel, vil, 29— “What have I now done? Is there not a cause ?” These were the words of David when he went down tothe army. When your pastor stands be- fore you after an association of eight years and declares his determination to resign from the Episcopal Church you have a right to know what the cause is. THERE 13 A CAUSE, Itis not found in the parish; all your pastor's wishes have been ably seconded, one and all. You have been loving, soctabie and kind. It is no want of sympathy which prompts this action. so neither does it originate in any mere desire vo change; your pastor believes that high episcopacy cannot ve according to the doctrines = of the Scriptures. There is & Yoice im is heart which says, “Go are not priests and are uot invested with any Bioordotat’y Festina Son A priesthood tmplies an the eae a ve Hi mews Rave Bo aliar except no sacrifice excepi the great atonement of Christ, " ONRISTIAN MINISTRY, In the exclusive position which tus Church main- tains towurd all other Protestant iaitus i tind an- cher Cause, ‘Ine position which our Church ‘Nag in re'erence to ordination is not evangelical, it is not to be denied that God has sct the seal of His approval. on other Churches beside the Prot- “By their koow them.’” Is it then, for us to ae be & standard in opposition to Jesus Christ; A ciurch, @ peuple good enough for Curtst to own should be enough for us. | Butit appears that they are not up to our stand. ard, It 18 written, “If ye have not the spirit of Christ ye are not one of us.” When, then, any one Church shuts out from association or trom her ld pit all representatives or pastors of every other denomination, does she display a Christian spirit t A MATTER OF NECZSSITY. What must we do, then? We must either wil- fully disobey the most sacred tenets ot the faith or we wust go out into another flela where we can obtain peace of mind whicu here is denied us. Tuere is no help ‘or it. There is no saiety but in fight, ‘he pastor who originally gatnered this tock toether hus been long sipce drawn tanto the vortex of Hign Churchism and {sa principal worker in tie fled which he 80 boldly opposed. The creeds oi justification by Jaitn and saivation by the atonement of Christ can neve! be assimi- lated, Oil and water will not mix. Why should these two elements not separate? Better separa- tion tan disagreeable aitiiiation, THE BAITLE LOST, Yet there is another cause. why do Dot stay and fignt it out in the Church? I reply, the battle bas been fought and has been los: tous. one by one we have seen the revolutionists supplant our bishops and our pastors, ihink what this Church is to- day and what it was sixty years ago. Then we were strong and onlignty; now we are weak. If the evangelicul men go to ask of us to join im their work when it is op- posed to our tenets, we are compelled to de- cline. We cannot be of them nor they of us. It is not the murk of a true soldier to be ignorant of the moment oi defeat. Retreat and intreachment in a new held is far preierabie. INDI¢FERENCK OF THE LAITY. I find a sixth cause in the indifference of the en- tire ialty to this grave danger by which we are threat:ned. Ido encourage and admonish you to think more of tuts. I leave the subject with you, lt i8 for your suse, no less than ior that of the cause, or sor my comfort of heart, that I believe it best to go from you. bo I leave you, not to out into a cold, heartiess service. 1 shali lose friends, a Hock, @ smali share of the riches of the world, but I shall gain peace of mind, a clear con:cicnce. Is this not evough? | speak as to wise men. Judaye yeme. 1ask no man, no woman, no child to iollow me, 1 go out alune. May God in His mercy be with you, and may we all be united in the great hereafter, PLYMOUTH OdUECH Sermon on Ecclesiastical Strength—Mr. Beecher Offers Plymouth Pulpit to the Pope—The Beecher Ancestors. The bleak weather yesterday morning had no effect upon the attendance at Plymouth church, it being, a8 usual, filled to overflowing. Among other notices for the week Mr. Beecher announced that Mrs, Susan M, Everett, M. D., would lecture to women next Wednesday aiternoon in the lec- ture room of Dr. Cuyler’s church, and followed the announcement with the remarks:—‘I am very glad that women are allowed to speak, if notin meeting, then neveriheless in the place where Meetings are usually held, I have looked with great sympathy upon my brother, Dr. Cuyler, on account of suffered from attempting to do that which was sepaible and right. ‘hey have been firing the New Testament at his head, but that | mever hurts anybody; they will probably prevent hie permitting women to preach tn his pulpit or to teach; but for all that they have aodged that | Mandsomely here. This is not a religious meeting, ; but it is preaching or teaching, nevertheless, and i it 18 going to be held in Dr. Cuyier’s church, thank | God; a woman is going to tell women how to be healthy, and although this is a lower form of | preaching it is @ part of the Gospel, and I bid God | Speed to all intelligent, well informed women who | are endeavoring to give the light of their expe- ; Tience and knowledge to their sistera—to women. And I congratulate Biother Cuyier that this is a matte? in which the Presbytery cannot la} its hand upon him. I am _ asked, THE SERMON. Mr. Beecher chose for bis text two passages, one from the third chapter of Galatians, from the twenty-sixth to the twenty-ninth verse, inclusive— ' “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ | Jesus; for as many of you as have been bap- tized into Christ have put on Christ. There ia neither Jew nor Greek; there 1s neither bond nor tree, there 1s neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus, And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the | promise.” The other passage was from the second chapter of Ephesians, from the nineteenth verse to | yi | hate was love turned sour. the end of the chapter—“Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and ioreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himseif being the chief cor- ner stone; in whom all the building fitiy iramed | together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for | a habitation of God through the spirit.” In both “of these passages stand out the same general | thought—namely, the higher measure of relation- | ship Wuich is implied in the divine word. You will observe that one difficuiry of interpreting the New Testament cousists in this, that it has a subtle, @ constantly appear- ing and disappearing, an evanescent relation to a higher stage of development. All of the man- hood that either consciously or unconsciously steals into tte mind of a speaker or writer therein | is one which transcends immeasuravly the man- hood that has actually existed here upon earth, and therefore the teachings of the New Testament are subject to exactly that difficulty which exists in college, in schools and in the household, where | persons of prominence and culture are endeavor- | ing 10 convey an idea of a higher stage of knowl- edge or development to persons of a lower stage. | The study of that one singie phenomenon would throw a great deal of light upon the general prin- | ciples of interpretation to be used in regard to the New Testament, and also upon many of the un- settled passages or knotty questions which exist. Every parent knows how hard it 1s to teach achild things tl beiong to the stage of growth beyond Culidhood; we are put to it ail the time by the chil.’s questions and the attempt to render into child’s ideas ‘he things that we have come to by years Of growth, But the Apostle says that in , the higher deveiopment that is to come by and by there are no dis! tons, DUL We are ull to be “one in Christ Jesus,’ We ate now in this nascent state of existence covnected in the first instance by blood aud kindred and by houseuold consanguinity, that is supposed to be the basis of ail relationship, ana it | 18 supposed that this is to be the genuine and the | reat relauonsiip—there may be metaphorical rela- tionships besides, but the real one is that of the flesh, This househoid relationship is novle and Justified by its necessity, but is it the highest? Outo it does there not grow something higner yet? What is it that by and by takes the son away Jrom botn father and mother and unites him to one that has po blood or kinship with him, to give to her 4 more absorving, reai and perfect iove than he has ever ‘elt ior Jather or motner? It is elec- Uve aiinity—the spirit regions, So will 1¢ be in the higher life, in the couditions of human life the relation- ships are and must be very low. If in the family, where we have the one advantage that comes from common interests, common rearing, they are so low, how much more is the inter- course of men in life low. ‘there is, im the first place, spirit of indifference with which we meet men, We meet men not even as the ants meet one another ; for If you ever watch tne ants, which in summer time ran up and down the trees seeking sweet Juices, you see that the streams never come togetuer without | kissing—it 1s touch and go alw: But in ite we meet men, throngs, throngs, snrones, and they are tous uo more than the leaves of the trees that we pass by. ‘The sense of the tness Of manhood seldom enters the mind, The great mass of men j are simply indifferent to us. But then in the | corps tu which we live our rivalries, our matches of strength and skill in our Various pursuits, there isa continual antagonism between men. If you the persecution which he has | | believe ‘put on all the pressure of all the bellows in this biysy and then down every one of the ke: allotthem together, aud bring out that muitt- tuainous groan and roar of all that discord, of all the clashing notes t! ge the keys, that is New York. Well, you analyze it only makes it clearer it, go into the detatis and and clearer. If you have @ moment go up Wail street. Now, you have Shouse sometines whem you have seen me going up Wall street, meee} from one side to the other, that I was thinking stocks and wishing that 1 could get hold of some ofthat money. [ wish could tnink a little more avout money, I wouldn’t let it sip out of my hauds so. But no, I watch with my curious eves how men come and go, how they scrutinize each other and look at one another with suspicion, They have superficial good nature, but when you look im where man is man in the mentiade ot his power how super.cial are the relat nips that exist. BEBCHER'S ANCESTORS. Thirdly, men h a rigot in this world to each other in @ Jar her seuse than they pave ever. yet toa considerable extent been accustomed to recognize, I suppose there is nobody that has net some little liking to trace his ancestry. | have. ‘There have been @ great many of Rr an cestors m New Haven where my great an- cestors landed, and I ha spent mucn time in looking up books, seeing name of Beecher on the one side and Foote on the other. I like to know who they were in the family and what they did; and it be a great pleasure to some of you to know that i have traced up on both sides till 1 bave found a coat of ar low, that instinct u not to be despised; itis well to trace one’s physical arg but 1 re- joice to think that in the gher plane— not ay @ figure of speech, not metaphori- cally, but in the verity of Gods trutte and. in the spirit life—every man and every Woman 1s equai—brother and sister, But no map that ever tried to make the world better, that im any way tried to exemplily the coming manhood, the manhood of souls, in all the past in every re~ lation, but the language ne spoke was my lan- age; in whatever sphere he wrought it was my Sphere; whether he was crowned or uncrowned £ am of us ineage—I own him. And not only in the past but all over the world tnere are no spirits ring and enduring with iortitude and cheerfal- allare eat to but he is my brother, 1 have @ great many friends in Rome and the Pops among them. He would not come to see me, butI would just as lef go to see him; he would not say “you are orthodox, and you may preach to my people,” but I really believe be is. orthodox, and would oraae him if he wanted me to. I believe the old man is @ good man; and as for the cobwebs in his brain, he will get rid ef them one day as the Cuurch of Rome will, For that Church—and | call it a Church—has a great deal of rubbish and much that is good and pure: is like an old miser’s garret, who will not have anythin: sold but saves there all the old broken cribs children’s toys and old broom handles, So the Roman Charch wiil not part with any of its tradt- tions, but even tries to set them in order and make aD inveutery of them, This thought tuat we shall be gil one in Christ ought to remove from us also the fear of death, Ficsh and blood shall not imherit the Kingdom of God; but the exaltation of every faculty and sentiment will lit us this earth and set us upon a firm foundation, Tura which way you will in all the universe of G gathored together in ove, no longer sirangers a! foreigners, but they shall be one in God. Fear not, old man, because thy end draweth meh! O matron, rejoice in your growing intirmity! The jailer draweth near to set you iree. O maiden fear pot to depart. Tne joys tnat you leave behind you here are not to be compared with those that shall blossom tor you im eternity. Dopotlet us look upon death with blank despair. Remember, we shall all mect in the lenitude of love in the higher relationship of uue—iree, all free, all one in Christ Jesus, blessed and biessing forever. OHUROH OF THE DISCIPLES, Why Mr. Hepworth Believes in a God, A large congregs.tion assembled at the Church of the Disciples yesterday morning to hear the Rev. Mr. Hepworth give his answer to the inquiry, “Why do I believe in a God?” The reverend gem- tleman took ior his text the first verse of the four- teenth psaim, “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.” One of the most prominent characteristics of the Hebrew prophets was their directness of speech; they never guessed at anything; they always di- rected their remarks. to the centre of the mark; they spoke with the golden authority of Jchovah himse!f, and their business was not se much to persuade as to command. In the history of the world there had appeared men of learmipg and brains who had tried to deny the existence of God, because they did not desire that their acts should be controlied by His commandments. We were not left, intellectually, in any doubt as to the existence of God, and we acknowledge His super- intending providence. PROOF OF A DESIGNER, The wondertul and ingentous structure of the world and its inbabltants must have had a de- signer. Could a tactory, turning out its beautiful labrics from the raw material, with its intricate machinery, be the result of chance? We know it had a designer in man; so the human frame; so the innumerable worlas revolving in infinite space, Which science had revealed to us. He belleved im God because every body has believed in Him since the world began. In whatever part of the worid he might travel he 1ound @ religious culture, more or less periect, whether in ice-bound Iberia or im Central Aincu, which that great man Livingstone had brougnt to ligat. The heathen worsuipped their rudely carved idols, but in that worship was contained & religious sentiment. ‘they beileved m @ God, because tuey recognized in. Him sometoing better taan themseives—a great spirit, or a great tyrant, who is never seen, but of whom they stand inawe. Auy man wio looked up to an outside power was not an atheist. There was no race of Inen out who had some rude conception of a God, ANOTHER REASON why he believed in God was that he could not help 1i. There was one pission inherent in humas nature, and tnat was love. He did not that it was possible ior any man to live without loving. something oF somebody; he beiieved im love vecause he had a rigat to it himself, He could not tear it out of bis nature and throw it away. It was an original element, whico could not be got rid vi, given away or sold, Even if we hated everybody, our very Hatred was our originat love turned upside down. Hate was love that had curdied, He had an instinctive beet of a power over him. Common sense alone told him there was something above him, PRAYING, . A few days since a man said to him:—“Mr. Hep worth, I have done praying, fori can’t get any sSwers to my prayers.’’ Now, tual was & mistake, No wan ever lived ¢wenty-our gours without raying in some way or other. Did they never long for true friendsmp? That was prayer. Long- ing lor anything was praying. People made a ter- rible mistake When they thought the only prayers they uttered were those said at the bedside orm churen, He might have prayed 1,000 times a day; he nad prayed when he was thinking, No map ever lived twenty-four hours without praying. He wanted them to be conscious of this fact, although it might not take a visible shape. GOD IN OUR HOMES. Another proof to him o! the existence of a Go@ was ine necessity for Himin our homes. homes we should have without aGod! Were i$ not Jor our trus¢ in Him what confidence could we have in the domestic circle ? How could @ bi trust his wife or P tage Lo their children’ Home conilaence would fly off like a tangent, tie little community would be disintere: home woud ve impossible. All tiese elements came from heaven. It was God iu the heart that made our homes a reality. What a difference was there between those homes where God was acknowledged and those where He wus shut out! Where there was no God it was not a “nome but an establishment.” In denying tne existence of a God you do not rob the minister of his pew rents, but you rob the en- tire community, the entire nation, of the elements of its strength, of the elements which control puv- lie opinion and which elevate its influence, and weaken the influence of Christian public duty. Rovespierre, wuen at the head of the French na- tion, declared that religion may be a falsehood but that it was im ble to rule the French people unless they velieved in @ God. No nstion could live without bowing ita head before the Controller of all events, MORE BESIDES BELIEY. It was not enongh to believe in God; it was nec- essary to know something about Him, We need not guess about it; Christ came into tue world not to satisiy our guesses, but to tell us the exact dele Ke Pera averse mn; they prayed about Mt, but they pot Low itin such, @ fashion that they were will- ing to die for it, Christianity taugnt us that God was not a despot, nor @ king or dreadiul being, Dut a father, to whom we could look up, We were taught that He was ‘our Father.” 1t established a relationship between Him and us—vetween the parent and the child. OUR DUTIES. Every fact discovered involved a duty; the higher our conceptions the deeper were our obii- gations. The grander view we take of religious matvers the more welghty they tali. Beiore tne coming of Christ nations were right in their theory of 8 existence, and they offered Him sacrilices from their flocks and herds ; but when Christ came He made God “‘our Father,” before whom we were ali equal, rich and poor, and born to be partakers: of the kingdom of heaven, Heaven was demo- cratic; He who was the lowest in birth was the mostexaltea, Christianity taught us that we were all bretoren, and that we shouid help one another in sickness and in trials, A FUTURE STATE, After our work had been done we were told we should enjoy the sweetness and repose of @& heavenly abode—that we should be elevated into an eteraal lie. No man conid know this feel but must experience it. Where the futare sta’ was he could not teil; it was enough to know that it existed for every one who died; and that he Whe died lived, anv, with Christ in tly heart. would be- come a citizen Of that celestial city where all tears would be dried and all sadness changed inte ag Let them, therefore, give their hearts to paris, , and