The New York Herald Newspaper, January 25, 1875, Page 8

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s “GEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. | Mr. Hepworth on che Business Yalue of Christianity. DIVORCE OF CREED FROM CONDUCT Dr. McGlynn on the Parable | of the Laborers. BEECHER ON CONTENTMENT. | bes ks a | Talmage on the Uprooting and Devouring Classes, | | The Storm Keeping Worshippers at Home. CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES. SERMON BY 7! G2ORSE H HEPWORTH— | THE BUSINESS VALUE OF RELIGION. Rev. George H. Hepwortn is so attractive and ular a preacher thet Rot even a snow storm like that whick raged yesterday moraing can keep | nie faurh w away (rom luscauren, The Church | of the Disciples, at the corner of Forty-fifth | street aud Madison avenue, over whose congre- gation Mr. Hepworth presides as pastor, was | Aimost entirely filed by attentive and devout per- | sons during the services yesterday morning. The | services preceding the reverend gentleman's dis- course were characterized by earnestness and tm- | presdivene-s, and Mr. Hepworth’s exhortations in REY. regard to (ne singing—he lays stress upon the ne- cessity of have had the desired efeci. The suujeet of the | reverend preucher’s Bermon Was One Of more than | | ordinary interest. It was toe conirast between | the joy which rewards a life based on faith ana | virtuc and the misery that follows in the wake of doubt and wickedness, THE SERMON, The reverend gentleman took bis text from Psalms, |Xxtii., 28—“But it ts good for me to draw | Bear to God.”’ 1s almost imposelble, he said, to successfully parapirase the words of Seripvure, and yet take it that David means to intimate | that God is the centre of all things, ana that he ‘who contracts the circle of nis life toward the | centre, which 18 God, finds the path of lie com- parauively casy, whl.e he who chooses a more re- mote circuit jeels tae rays of the heavenly san | less, and experiences greater dimculties in keep- | ing on the right and sale tracs. The closer we live to God’s spirit the easier it is to bear the burden of ms world. The farther we live from | God the colder is Lhe climate tu which we dwell. | The farther we are (rom tho sources of light and | life the more Lumerous will be our disappou ments, our triais, our troubies, our sorrows. The object of Christian reveiation is to draw all men Inv loyalty toward God’s Kingdom. | have noted 1m my observations of our seciety three strong tendencies in tue opposite direction, which draw the soa! into the trigid zone of distrust aud doubt | and strand it on iceberg of despair and death. A CARDINAL ERROR, In the first place [ have noticed a tendency in men to overestimate the value of worldly pos- sessions, of the comforts and iuxuries which money cai purehace. They pretend that if they bave oii and wine and f.uit ta abundance they have accomplished the success of their liv I think you will agree with me that thts feeling extends through aij ramifications of society; that it undermines the cuurenes, makes us zealous in pursuit of wealth and indifferent to the pursuit of morai growth and spiritual happiness. Yes, -bretaren, I think you will agree with me that tors feeling produces mo.t disastrous effect for puilan- Fopic enterprises, Upon Charities, upon cuurcies and, iD fuct, upon the everyday Mie of the world, as it not true that we live torgetiul of the one King who will not ieave us woen we ueed W be deiricuded im the hour of supreme necessity * tlow oltet it bas seemed |0 me that this worldiiness is really corroding our fine natures, {is worid is but & garment in which tae soui ts clothed aud whicn te Angel of Deacu osiy wits aud forth to eternity, Thatis death, } d With linen it suits in ove moment; ment ts Lu Dat Lf tis ined with pitch it sticcetn fo as to the last 4: The svgi has chea become wericly, and body oul bang upon the peg of anuibtiation, There is uo Lope, be 1a ure, | SHEWDNESS VS. HONESTY, | The next teudency to which [ must refer 1s that Which teacheth Us that shrewduess, and not mural purity and nocesty, is the vest toad tu success and greatress. 1 Know that ‘en thousand young men are acting Upon this iaise priucipie, and that ten thousand old mex stand ready to coniess their grievous error in baving Uniortuuately acteu upon it, One impression is thal (we ‘World 1s @ reecy laid table, aud, while tue modest and ehy ave to stay aiur, the boid aid impudent Lustle their Way turough the crowd and eat thetr fill and enjoy themselves to their heart's content. That tals pbitosopuy vas gained a very strong Joothold nobody can douot. Bul novning is more faise, no statement ts iarther from the truth yor mOTe iwjurtvus iu its effects. Hxacty the reverse to my migd Is the uudouDdted aud Incontrovertivie verity. believe that im the lowg ruu not sirewdness, bui Christian fideuty carries tue —not once, but always. I have no doubt that ere many days the Lriliuncy Oo! the Speedy suc- cess of eV: must cramble into tue dust, leaving Dut shame and remorse vemiud, | beweve that there Ys nothing in suse Word quite so strong as simpie Unpaduliersted pelies. | 4 CASE IN POINT. Wrong may surround itself by a coup d'état, ana even seat itael! upon the giitteriug throne of a Bation. The nation itselt may say :—Justice is Hething veuold the Kigperor upon bis turene in he fuluess ol power aad triumphs! but tne end as yet to come, and it will come. God’s mils yen siowly, DGG they grind exceedingly smali, ere many days you will Mud the toroue empty, deserted. ana the great particular star of the eneralion seeking sulety in figut—igoominous, hameiy! figut. That is Out an apt iilustrauon of wWoat occurs every cay. Truth will stand, but Ja'sehood cannot pear the test of time, Lnere 1s ho power 1n tie worid like rof truth, and there Is nO Weakness tn like that of Wroug 45d /aisedivod and Gecepliog, Bretiren, I bid you, then, beware ol thie philosophy. Let the logic by Which You are guides to-day stretcn Itself far to the turone of the Eternal God, ana not ve Diinded by tbe gittter of to-day'’s or \o-morrow's Hi success, UNBELIEF. But there is another tendency to which I must For the carpal reasou O1 that to 1asist that orid and no longer guides its le presuraptious indeed, more especi- When @ great scnolar makes such an asser- tion, abd oné in whose judgmeut mavkind should be avie to conde. Great upon the word's mighty meu. Néciity they throw a suacow respunsibuity rests If they speak in- over the worid, wad} ence percolates down vbrough wil grades bjuriug them al. Again, if, on the olher baud, (be world’s great mea are fuikor fatto abd (rust in Curist, they turn |he tide of an- delle! anc do mealculable good. Lam sorry to yay now we be bi Upon times Whek some of the world’s ¢ vhinkers have gone astray. ‘Mhey tell ws that what ages vave acceptea ag truth is but ielsehood; that there is no God, no prayer, no future lie.” Taey leave God out o the ubiverse, as taough the maker of tue clock couid be jet out in deserit:ng bow it was made, They i¢ayve voting ior the future, no misia of hope to be penetrated by jaithul lives nor sunsinne 0! a better lute, THE BRYECT. Such belief has @ maisrious effect upon our heerty. It dulls the edyes o1 aifection, 1b lakes (ne sweeiness out Of Our souls, it separates by «# deep abyss trom the (ature, to- rd which We bave been looking with tne con- jence ol chiigren, It ts !mpossible for any oae wm be & true mun as long @s he ts not linked tw Obrist. He is buta siave; but, linked to Chrtat, bis cuains fall away aod be goes iorth a ree man, With a my streugen of mind |, jor ivy part, con- fide in tnad belie! which bas led the world 5 through 80 mauy centuries to progress and civilisa- tion, The dearest thing of \ife to me t6 that whica grauts the bope of another lie, and the warmest epot of my heart is the cue on which God's ray fais, God watches you as you walk out and as you go Lome, aud what Ho biesses you im all the pia f your ive, (hough you may not think has} iuwarts you, bat, perhaps, for your own good, you know in your hearts, ie when you appreciate ali this that He itits you up and you fare & partaker of Christ's spirit. You bear om you advan you sirugyle, you resist—la one word, yours # a Ubristian lie, ‘Let us, then, draw neat wo dim, that we may joel Lhe iuspiration of Mis sous presence, | THE TRSIT OF RRLIOTON. | The nearness to God of waich David s,eaks is one of practical oan it is @n eleotrical current Shat wives Wingting Vitality to every verve of life, | Abie Lhe drink that quengues tuirst it ue the Rearé | | religion upon ti | sale | cient | temptations NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 1875—WITH SUPPLEMENT, pone beeen througa Sten. aitety body. region of ander th tree oltpeace ana rappiness. ul ‘Tors belies, , 18 not tu be courined to your pariicular creed. Your belief shall give you power to love, and you power ‘o love more and more abundantly as you grow in spiritual tuiness. “I want you to put the principies that | have re- vealed to a practi test,” says Christ. cible and test tt for yoursell, whether Christ's retigion is of vaiue to you in itfe. bretnreu, | wamt you to estimate tne va'ue of Christ's reiigion and its teachings by the ordinary business standard, Let me present to you as It will teil vou business men the doctrines of the New Testament | 48 OF GREATER UTILITY than anything elise that we kuow of. Is this not literally trae? For instance, when tne wicked | man falls What happens? There 1s the end of nim; there 1s nO resurrection, nO hope; nothing but death, He rushed up to lis million; the million Was taken away, Where is he now? Openly re- vellious against the very God that createu him, fe 8 but @ burden to him, Suppose sickKess comes to Bis faunily, a chud dies rouad which his affections have been wound and that man stands eio°e (he Open grave, is there any voice heard ‘oin he Deavens? No; he has dealened limsell, Do not | accept them at ones Put your faith into the cru- | asin the days of Job, The sage of that day falted to tao ways Ot Gods” the Book Job stands ou weer a lar of iij Without this patare an@ science would but a iissi iitokering light, The history of the world shows this. Paui’s Epistie to the Ro: we must live, Job had bis troubles througi uo- wise counsels, | clond—“Who are these that advise without Kngwiedge.” Job wakened to a life, and the biessed him. The iatter partof Jon's lile Was even more prosperous than 1ts beginuing. Thus the world goes on. Jobd’s latter end 1s typicat of the end of the tried and afticted, | Christ promises heaven. Have you lost relauions, irtends, wealth, companions, ef Lord bach given and the Lord hath taken | ¥, biessed de the name of the Lod.” But | bhere will come days when you will prosper, and the latte? lite will be messed as Was Job's, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen, LYRIO HALL. THE DIVORCE BETWEEN CREED AND CONDUCT— SERMON BY REV, 0. B. FROTHINGHAM. the raw ciiluness of the atmosphere yesterday We ‘here any bope to be looked jor wiin certaiuty— any consetation, even’ The man is alone, terribly alone, Now, upon the other hand, suppose he believe: in Christ and His promises o/ a better tture—sup- | pose ae has Worked in this faitn and never | weakened im his loyalty, what bappens theat ‘The man loses wis children, or his wile, or nis movey, or, pervaps, he i smuit- | ten with sickiegs, poverty or otber distress, The man’s hears quails betore this terrible trial, But listeu to the voice of Heaven, waich teiis him vo rejotee inasmuch as he ts Wo ve a par- taker of Oneist’s sorrows, “For i! you suder with Me you shail rel with Him.” And | find Cartst's broaver basis, and | believe there is more hope in it, more assurance tuaD in | all the knowledge and aii the ricues of lile, Try God and see if bas made auy mistake; try Him to the iuiiest and see where lies tue source of streugth and beauty, | THR CONCLUSION. | This ts a new basi, of thought and action; this | ig & LeW plane Of leellug aud alfection. Cnrist | must Lave eit this when He insisved upon bap- | tism. Yes, iet a3 ail begin new lives ou this true and feel secure from the attack’ of disiress and row tae pursuit Of Lrouble, Every nation of an- cleat mcs Bad some city Of reiuge. In the times | of Greece and Kuome & man who W.8 pursued by | jusuice went inte the temple, and was then trom persecution while he remaned tuere, in Old Ouristian times, ff you could | come to the altar, you were sale irom deatu as jong as you Ciung to that sacred spot. Christ's Words ave a temple beneath whose overarching | all burdens, ail triais and sorrows. it seems to me, then, that the Wicked man 18 like a feeble | candi, that Mickers for a oriei while only 10 go oui, Wide the taithiul and sincere, who follows Curist, 18 1K “ ixed wm the firmament. Ana, dear friends, w re wid by scieace that even aier astar bas been extinguished ite radiance liners fo years and years; and 80 when a guod meu bas departed the rays of his character are } shed upod ao wamurinyg posterity. Brethren, May | God in His mercy grant tiat we may continue 10 | our career on tve basis of a sound philosophy, | Which tells us that only He who walks with Cprist | Waiks through the grave and on to immortaltty | and everlasUns joy. Lreturen, let us ail pray that | we may vow allegiance to the only Master who has @ right to coutroi our mortul cesimy, Amen, ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL. SERMON BY THE REY. FATHER KANE—THE NE- CESSITY OF LEADING A GOOD LIFE. Noth witustanJing the severity of the storm yes- terday there was a very large congregation tn at- tendance upon the high mass services at the Ca- thedral. The sermon Was preached by the Rev. Father Kane, who took lor lis text part of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel accoruing to St. Matthew, iu wilich the paravie of the vineyard is told. The reverend father argued in an eloquent Manner to shew that every mau was calied by God. Tue Saviour was born into the world to teach us the way to saivation, and God would nold us responsibie for neglecting to profit by that teachmg. He gave to every one of us grace sufll- for our saivation, no matter by what we were beset, and for every opportunity given ior our sauctification that we wiluily threw away He wouid wold us strictly acconntable. Yet God was aiways desir- ous that We should be éaved, and it happened to every one durivg tits lire that God called upon him in some especial Manner in urder, as tt were, to WAKEN OUR FAITH that may have been durmant, :o bring us to the realization of tie damger we were in by leading a life that, 4 enddeniy ended, would plunge our souls Ito eterfial misery, There were those who were culled inthis way by troubles of business, * by Sickness, Dy dwappolotmen's that were galling tO the spirit, Oy Suaden deprivation Of wealti— tried in the furgace, asit were, so that their thoughts might be turued more earnestly to God. Ana yet there Were those who, though oiten calied, reiused to heed the warning voice, who became 80 hara of heart tbat tae grace Of God fell upon their souis as seed upon arid soul; 80 deal to the loving appea! o1 the saviour to RETURN TO THE FOLD as not even to ucar His voice, and who at last ied in their sing, It was a duty we owed to God to serve Him taithvully, to love Him and obey Hig commands, and as our soul's eternal happiness depenued upon our leading & good it'e how careiul should we be to avotd all occa. 8100 Of Sin, LO resist all temptation; not only that mereiy, bu’ io dv good, to practise virtue. It was @ solemn (ought that we Knew not whea we Might be caved away; that we Knew not the day hor the hour. God was patient, but a time had to come when we shoud te called, and il we were Mot ready the fault would be ourown, If we were ready, even at THE RLEVENTH HOUR, God would receive us, but it was not well to de- nd upon any Chance of being ready at the eley- eoth hour. Not knowing wuen our time would come it Was the part of wisdom to be ready at ail times, so that when ¢ we would bave nothing to fear. The reverend ‘ather closed by exhorting his hearers to love God aud serve Him laithfuliy in this ile $0 that we might enjoy the happiness of a glorious eternity with Lim in the next, THIRTEENTH STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. SERMON BY THE REV. DR. BURCHARD—THE LESSON OF JOB's LIFE. The Rev. Dr. Burchard preached yesterday morning at this church. He took Jor his text the whole Book of Jov, and spoke on the lesson taught by the life of the old prophet. He sar this ive of Jobisa drama un-urpassed by any which either Kuriptdes or Suakespeare has writ- ten, Like ali Scripture tt was written for our in- straction, aud we can have more tuan an ordinary amount of this by @ study of this singular and wonderiul book. Jod had mansions, estates and other possessions. He was very rich and pros- Perous in ali the worid’s goods. He was the owner of great quantities o: the world’s material wealto. But calamities came to him—fre, famine, peati- lence, The opening of the Book of Job shows the opening of the prophet’s man- hood, He was uninformed with regard to the deceitfuiness of the human beart; bow there Was @ Cay wheo virtue would grow tirea of being tested, Job dared Satan to do bis worst, but oaly to spare his life, and he was brougnt down from aMuence to poverry, and still stood firm in his integrity. it was not so with tne first parents o our race, They succumbed at the first tempta- ion, but Joo stood Orm in his trust In God. Job eaid:—"That which I was afraid of came upon me.” [tis the way of the world. The rich are not happy, because they are afraid of losing what tuey have. itis (heir Ounstant fear—tueir bug- bear. They fear poverty above all things. This is what Job ieared, aud What came to pass. No man Dad 4 more sure prospect. No one was more cer- tain of retaining that which be had. Solomon hed the wealta of Egypt and of the then known world at wis 5 H bulit the most magnificent temple which ever known, Bul tt was ail Goue for vanity, In truth he that has the most and he that has the least are identioal. The rich nave at In some: thing whieh i not sauustied—there is alwa: something to annoy men’s hearts. The super. Ss liloUs Man is Airaid Of the haunted house, even though he ve old, There Is something that always turos one away irom it, and { say that the orain Of Man is @ baunted house. Spectres abide there, ‘These are but suadows you say, The Great Bard Says shadows were broughs to Richard aud ne saw in tiem his future fate, Prosperity may be ever | so weil establisied, pee Me may tall, The woridiy | rich, the great 0) earth, are not happy. Thi apprehensions like Jou. - dbl THB WHERL OF FORTUNE is ever turning, and those who are on top to-day may be under to-morrow. Fortunes are heid by | a sender turead, which at any moment may break. We recently read o| a man tn very poor Who Once controlied millions, 1 would, i Lhaa millions, racher lose them than lose my lov ing friends. Joo Jost friends and everything else, and be exclaimed, “My kinsfolk have forgotten me,” aod jurtner on he said, imploringly, “Have pity Qpom me, my iriends.” The three wise men who aurrouuded hin were the cause of all lus troubles, They constantiy gave bim what he thought wise counsei, and it ruined tum. How Olten in real lie when aman starts in business | @N4 does not succeed his friends say, ‘1 thought s0;" and, on the other hand, whea he has suc ceeded how they ali say, “I tola you 80." To suc. ceed is to be smars, and to fail is to be otherwise. But wise men spring up everywuere, Ali the peo- pie discussed God aad Provideuce with Job, and ave (heir sapient Opinions about tuese Divine ous. The ways of od are 08 unse@rchabie now ) ity, | back to their allegiance ; | Meve in eaucation and progression. Boston being | | morning Lyric Hall was filled to its utmost capace | re Rev, 0. B. Frothingham had recovered trom | his sudden iilness amd occupied bis familar piace on the plarform, His subject was the same as th one announced for the previous Sund Yorce between Creed and Conduct.” That there is such @ divorcee, Mr. Frothingnam began, it 13 hardly necessary to argue. By all Classes {t 18 coniessed, The religious man conjesses it with pain, the Irreligious man witn trumph. The re- Mgious man considers it a falling away from faith; the irreligrous man thinks it was to be expected, Religious men preach sermons to oall men irreligious men, on the other hand, take no pains to hide the breach. Im spite of protests and sneers the old dispute goes on. A few months ago, a book was written entitled, ‘Modern Onristianity a Civilized Heathenisim.” There is a discussion described in and a man of the world, They are sitting at din- ner, The man of the world calls his clerical brother to account for the wide difference between his lie and his preaching. At the same time he admits that the clergyman ts a good man, but says Uhat his Ite is not like the creed which be preaches. “For instance,” he says, “you preach the utter y one Joining In the psalms—seem to | rut we are sai¢ irom the darts of me devil, from | Worthlessness of human nature, but you recognize impulses of kindness and follow them. Your creed | Bat you enjoy | calis this world ‘a vale of woe,’ art and music, and mingle freely with man- kind. Your creed declares that none can be saved except through Jesus Christ, yet you be. You projess to serve a heavenly Master, who is the Lord of human kind, He was a hero, a re‘ormer, a saint, He led a litle of poverty and suffered an iguominous fate, What part of your lie resembles His novie seli-sacrifice? You liveina nice house, in a good neighborhood; you eat good dinners, your cellar ts Stored with the best wine, and you receive your friends pretty much as other people do.” The ciergyman declared that tne modern wan cannot live Up to that idea, tor 1t 18 (oo old and NOT SUITED TO THESE TIMES. He said that, beiug an Englishman, be would lose bis influence by endeavoring to curry out something which the present does not cali tor. Should you not entirely revise your creed or entirely alter your lite? Hither aker your | | creed or hive aifferentiy. So the contioversy | ends, and no answer is given to it. Some say that the author of that book is not a Christian, Here | 18 tne situation—the divorce be ween creed und | conduct, 1 do not say between morality und re- ligion, for there can be no divorce between these, | because they are the same thing. Religion tol- | lows law and morality toilows la Religion 13 | morality on its poetic side; morality 18 retigion on ite prosaic side, The reiigious man ana we mora: man travel the same read and have in view the same end. ut while the moral man plods along ihe religious man floats before mim on wings, Morality says, “Thou shalt not kt Re- Ligiou says, *Thoa soait not wish to kill.” Morality | says, “Way your devis;” Religion says, “Owe no | man anything but the debt ot gratitude.” Morality | gays, “Avoid sensuality; Religion saya, “Avoid siniul desires, ior the pure in heart 8ha.l see Go. Religuon says, “He temperate, chaste ana pure, because ye ure the renpics of the liviag Godt’? Morality says, “Be 1n all things, Decause it | pays! Between religion and morality, then, there | cau be no divurce. ‘Tne religious maD must be a moral man. The divorce, theretore, 18 between belief and condact. It 18 impossibie to see how the two Can become reconciled as they stuifd. How does it foliow that be a man believes th Christ he wul be @ kind nusband, a good father or a loyal triend? We can easily beleve that tuere Was @ tine when evil wus stuoborp, aud sucha prominent element that meo thougnt it was a | great house presided over by & prince, whose heme was Darkness. In those times instances of human periection were very rare. Was it strange tuat # person like Jesus slouid have been ciassed with the «angels? These oid creeds seem _to have represented the world as it | Was, and in those times people acted up to their belieis and lived eatirely up to their ¢ eeds. ‘rhe Puritans are ao example of strict adherence wo creed, They believed in Satan. To them he was a being, &@ prson. He and the better Gud excuanged deflances with each otner and iougnt it out imine | arena of space. They believed in the u'ter ue- pravity ol human nature; they denounced their appetites, and they wanted to put down tueir wickedness and get a regenerated body from above. There are men and women in Eugiand woo are pasoing over to the Cathoic belle! They @re wen and women who would lay down their lives on the altar of their belieis, | When some earnest revival sweeps through the | land. People who receive tres convictions act up tovhem., Some leave their homes; but their zeal declines, simply because What they have un- dertaken 18 Impussible ; tor To live according to THE CHRISTIAN SCHEME IS LMPOSSIBLE, Take, lor eXample, the ives of ortavdox believers. Are their lives better than those of hovest, sober, Tight-minded men of the world? ido not ase if they are worse, but I do Dot Call them sly or dts honest, ibelieve they are as’ good as any one else. They are good meu and wumeu aud are as | incor. uptible as any. Does their virtue biaze belore suciety, and is it true that their Ii pitched upon a nobler key than yours’ Whatever | the Kibie says, God says that is the creed, Du tne people jive up to this creed * Do those wuo are | Called upon to decide 1u Importabt cases Cousider | 11s yndgment supreme * Do politicians quote the Kib-¢ as couciusive autoority’ Lremember hear- ing Joan Quincy Adams quote trom the Bivic 48 an authority, aud @ Visiole smile rippied over tue faces oi the audience. During tne agitation of tne slavery question the peo,ile did not listen | to the Woras ol the Bivie, although tt speaks very clearly on this pout. The Bivie prowioits mtem- perance, but it is seidom quoted. lake the ques- tion 0. The Bivle is very explicit on Unis point, fearful dénunciation fatis Upon tue head that recetves usury; but waen 13 It quoted exceptin the churches ¢ Our society is con- vulsed by questions that train ite very heart, and aitnhough the bibie could explain away the dim- culty 12 many Cases 1\s Wisdom is not sought, We have the words oi Jesus upou the questions of marriage and divorce, THE RELATION OF THE SEXES and the rignt of woian'’s progresmon. Popular debates aud decisions set one Way and tue Blule | the otuer, The jact is that the divorce is periect. The creed belongs to Asia, tne Conduct to America, Sunday is spent in Jerusalem, week days in New York. Some pray ou Mouut Zion, others practice on Broadway. Wien we leave the church we close the wible, forget the Psalms of David aud tuke up our ledgers or otner bvoks. Tne Coarch telis people they ought to return to their creeds. Ib is sale Wo Say that a reconciliation will never be effected, Shall we make the creed square with the conduct, since we cannot make tie conduct square with the creed ? Wat is your standard of aciou? Conduct 18 not scientific. Man ac ac- cording to his iinpulses, To some the Biple is @ book of etiquette ana the Ten Commandments are rules for polite action, One tuing remains— men and Women must BB BONES! WITH THEMSELVES in reference to their creeds. Your creed ts what you believe, Lot What your preacher lays down for you, or whatthe Pope of Kome prescribes, Reserve the old meaning to the word and then tt will be what you veueve. Du not let tt be the representation of the iancies of peopie who livea 000 years ago. The question is, principle is this ite of ours organized and con- ducted? Answer that question aud ieti repre. sent your creed. The tacts of the worla do nut pe ag fl total depravity, hor that men and women Will be consigned to everlasting perdition, The facts of he World report the veriectibiity of man, | @ World full Of hope and beauty, a society teeming With possibility abd a belief in a beautiiui future, Work thisinto your creed, the old gulf will be healed up and existence Wili begin vo be the happy thing \t was meant to ve, BEREAN BAPTIST CHURCH. SERMON OF THE REY. P, L. DAVIS — THR CHRIST OF THR PAST THE SAMF SAVIOUR TO-DAY. At the Berean Baptist church, corner of Bedford and Downing streets, the atrendance of worsbip- | pers yesterday morning was remarkabiy smail, This and the gloomy weather gaye the charch a Pecypiariy dismal aspect, The pastor of the church, the Rev. P, L. Davies, delivered & seemon, selecting for his subject, “The Power of Uurist's Word,” and choosing for his text idatihew, vitt, S—"Speek the word only and my servant shall be healed." The preacher endeavored to convey the idea that Christ has the same power now that He exhibited in the first century, when fe performed the miracies of beating which are described tn | ‘he Biblo, and he exborted tis hearers to come to Christ and oray ta tii io pein our of uced, abe The Lord answered him out of a | Despite the lowering aspect of the ciouds and | he Di- | See how it is | upon what | in quring them thet their eals would not be ‘vain #0 long as uaniiosted their faithin His 1] Givine power ana love. STEPHEN'S CHURCH. ST. mans shows that through /a'th | seRMON BY THE REV. DR, M’GLYNN—PARABLE | | OF THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD. In spite of the weather yesterday morning there Was @ good attendance at the high mass in St. | Stephen’s church, which wae celebrated by the | Rev. Father Carroll. by Coletti, the bass; Romeyn, the tenor, and Mlle, Muuier, the alto, In the “Et Iacarnatus’ of the “Credo” Mr. Romeyn’s sweet and ringing tenor was heard to much advantage, and the ‘Agnus Dei’ by Mile. Mumier seemed to thrill the cougregation, In the aiternoon, at veapers, | Treager’s “Alma Redemptoris”’ and Nava’s “Tao- tum Ergo,” both exquisite solos, were well exe- cuted by the tenor aud the alto, After the first gospel of the high mass the Rev. Dr. McGlynn occupied tae puipit and preacied a Umely and instructive sermon on the parable ot | the laborers in the vineyard, Having read the + had and epistie of Septuagesima Sunday ue | said — ‘The gospel appointed by the Church to be read | | in the mays to day gives us a simple and beautiful illustration of God's justice end mercy, and in the episte we are iorcibly warned that we musi not presume on the divine mercy, but by mortifica- | Won bring our bedies into subjection, so that we muy win | | | THE PRIZE OF ETERNAL LIFE. | The Word, the divine wisdom oi the rather speaks ; in the simple language of tue parable that may | kuow the truth, God is ‘the householder,” “the | | vineyard’! the service Of our Creator, and “the | laborers"? those who by grace and faitn are in- | | vited to enter the Chureh, to ovey she comman | ments of God and save their uls. All | are called (remotely or proximately) to | lavor in the vineyard, but few correspond | faithfully with that call, Man’s reward hereatter 18 not proportionate to the time of bis calling, but | | so his service after hig call, aud to Mlustrae this | | great truth is the design o! the parable “Why | stand you here all the day idle #” ‘Ibis reouke of | our Divine Lord 13 addressed to us, and if we are | pusis, I My witaim the granite walla 0. religtvo | tt between a clergyman ol the Church of England | Willing to laborsto cultivate aud sanctity our souls We Wili assuredly receive our wages, eur reward. | And inorder that we may work faitnfully the | Master utters the great truto, ‘Many are ca.led but .ew are chosen.” If we would be of tne num- | ber of the chosen we must, as St, Paul so forcibly | inculeates io the epistie of to-day, mortity our bodies and bring them into subjection and apply the ; means which will infalltbly secure our heavenly reward. ‘These are the fight of vocastons “ol sin, especially of external occasions; fervent prayer for sorrow, love of God and final perseverance and frequent and worthy participation of the sacra- ments. | GRACE BAPTIST CHAPEL. DEDICATORY SERVICES YESTERDAY. | Grace Baptist chapel is an unpretending looking | Wooden edifice, recently erected in Twenty-ninth Street, a few doors west of Ninth avenue. It is still redolent of the odor of fresh paint, and 1s ua- | comiortable in its aspect both inside anda out. Notwithstanding the fact, however, that at the | time yesterday morning when church-going people usually make up their minds as to whether they will stay iu doors or go out, the weather looked threatening and augurced of the severe storm Which fo.lowea, the chapel was weil filled. Dedi- catory Services were conducted in the morning by the pastor, Kev. Robert Cameron, who opened ; With prayer, ‘The hymn, { To Christ the Lord let every tongue 1 Its noblest tribute bring; | When He's ihe subject of the song Who can reruse to sing ? | _arter wnich Rev. J. F. Elder, D.D., delivered a dedicatory sermon. In the afternoon a_ social meeting Was hela, at which Rey, William Taylor, | D.D.; Rev. Thomas Armitage, D. D.; Rev. H. M. Gaianer, D. D., and Rev. W. T. Sabiue were the kers, In the eveutng a sermon was delivered | by the Rev. Dr. Hamilton. | ST. MARK’S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL | CHURCH. WHY MAN SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED OF THE | GOSPEL OF CHRIST—DISCOURSE BY REY. DR. | RYLANCE. | The attendance of worshippers at the above | church yesterday was not as large as usuai, owing to the inclement weather, but the dis- | Course of the rector, Rev. Dr. Rylance, upon the conversion of St. Paul and the beauty of the Gos- pel, was listened to by all with attention. Mr. | Rylance took fur hts text Romans, t., 14, 15, 16— | “am a debtor both to the Greeks and to tue bar- barians, both to the wise and tothe unwise,” &c. | Phe minister referred to the fact that to-morrow (Monday) was St. Paul’s day, which is observed | by the Episcopai Church, and stated that many | found themselves indisposed to honor the day | commemorative of St. Paul, yet they are fired | with enthusiasm to observe | DAYS SACRED TO SECULAR SAINTS. He reviewed the career of Saul oi Tarsus ; his bit- ter persecution of the followers of Cnrist; 1s con- | Version when God appeared to himin a miracie and asked, ‘Saul, Saui, why persecutest thou me?’ x | his earnestness in preaching the Gospel to the Ro- | | manus, Jews and Greeks alike. Paul, wnen sur- | ronnded by danger, persecution and hatred, dis- closed that he tvok pleasure in being persecuted | for Christ’s sake. He said to his hearers, ‘““How- ever unworthy it may appear to yuu, 1 am not ashamed to preach the Gospel of Corist crucified,” ‘The rector depicted the condition of society when Paul wrote this epistie to the Romans. The Gespei | was despised by Greeks and Jews. To Greeks and Romans it seemed folly tor the disciples to preacu the Gospel of Christ, They were hated and | Fidiculed as | A BAND OF FANATICS there at Rome, uuder the very soadow of Cxsar's | Ubrone, the disciples met with peither stuwue, aliar or sacrifice, and tuey were not asbamed of the Gospel oi Culist and to pray to an unknown | Goa, Yet to many Curisi’s Gospel proved atl pow- | erlal to salvation. Paul never could iorget tne day When the ight ourst upon him and God commis- sioned bim fo preach the Guspel. He was in tue i [ges esha oft all his tacuities, and, Kuowing it to | be a miracle, he became a convert to the fa.th he bad despised, and irom that vay ne became a new | | man. With us, toe preacher said, it was ditferent, We had never reen the muiracie that toid Paul of the truth of tie Gospel; but we have the \estimony of those who have scen muracies that the Gospel has lied the world with Its beauties. We see the | facts and mouuments 01 Chrisuamity. It ts the year of our Lora of which men speak, instead of the year of tue world. It is the Lord’s Day, in- stead of tue Jewish Sabbath, that we honor. THE MEN WHO SAW CHRIST and heard Mim speak lave given their testimony to the world and guarantecd by evidences go infallibie We cannot reasonably be ashamed ot the Guspel Dor yet of its character, for it fills the soui 0; man with the best thoughts; it 19 fuilof pity to the weak; it cheers the downhearted ana consvies the untortugaie; it 18 @ message of good will Character and stability to Congress, given sanc- ty and effl-iency to the law, developed com- merce, brougit a pardon to the guilty. Lastly, then, if actual Work and the progress Of the Gos- pei waich ts to RESTORE HUMANITY TO GOD has done so much, no man need ve ashamed of it. | Yet how many of us stand of ana reiuse to em- brace this Gospel, a8 i it bad but a slight hold upon our conscie! t 18 when he is asked to take Christ jor ais Lord and Master that mau ve- gius to make excuses, It 1s especially 80 of young men, wit r to meet the reproacnes of their companions, aud therelore they will not take up the cross and follow tue Saviour. They stowld remember that Paul was not ashamed Of the Gos pel of Curist auder :eproach and ‘secution, and they vught to follow hisexample. The mnis- ter aiso referred to the prolessed Unristlan who 1s d sioval to big Lord because his love ior Him had grown cold, These persons ne urged to renew their iove for God. Keligion, he said, was either something or nothing. Ii sumething it ought to be supreme as @ power in your |i Ii you have once reached convictions over them don’t bo turned, Keep out of charch, have nothing to do | with it, rather than be airaid to ponor and conless | | Christ, BROOKLYN CHURCHES. | PAUSES | PLYMOUTH CHUROH. THR SECRET OF CONTENT—WHAT SHOULD BE THE AIM OF OUR LIFE. As storms make no perceptible decrease in the attendance at Plymouth church, (hat edifice was | | well Miled, as usual, yesterday moroing. Mr. | Beecher opened the services with a long and elo- | quent prayer, tie tears running down his cheeks in bis earnestness, Betore the sermon he said “for the past week [have been suffering from a cold; I have so far recovered, however, as to be able to perform the services of the morning, | but Lohink it wise to deciine a service this even- ing, and my brother, Mr. Davis, of the Simpson Methodist church, bas kindly and gewerously con- sented to preach to you, I hear the kindest and best things said of this brother a8 a preacher, and I hope you will make an effort to-wsgot, and you who generaily stay away evenings will come,* I do not say this because 1 think you invospitabie to atrang’ ym the contrary, I tliok there la no church, Whose members ave atrached to the Mercadanti’s beautiful mass | in D minor was rendered with much skill by the | “On,” says Joo, | choir, The solos were sung with pleasing effect | Iam ins'ructed both to be ull and to be hungry, from the lather to his rebellious sou; it has given | fl pastor, as you sre to me, so willing to listen to strangers as you are when it is expedient. I know the general impression of minuwters preach- ing here ts that they aie unwelcome. It is not so, and | say in your name you are heartily glad to hear anybody speak in my place who Is an earnest mao and means business when he preaches.” Mr. Beecher took his text from Philippians, iv. 11, 12, 13—“Not that I speak in respect o! want; for I have learned in whatsoever state Iam, therewith to be content. I know voth how to be abased, and I | both to avound and suffer need. 1 can do all | things througn Christ which str-ngtheneth me. ‘This 14 a very remarkabie declaration to be made by anybody. You will recollect the many tales of gilts offered by an Eastern king to any man in his kingdom who was con- tented, and how judicrous in many cases their content turned out to be. To hear an intel. hear one of the most extraordinary statements p-ssible ior man to frame. It is y to ieel con- tent for an hour. I can understand how a man who lives for money and has been in fear of hi $20, 000 CHOUSED OUT OF HIM, and after nights and days of planning and worry- tng, bas, by a dexterous stroke, secured himself against its loss. I can undersiand how for a whole evoning such a man may chuckle and be periectly content, Everybody—! mean by that, some bodies—are content in the moment o! attainment of any great de-ire. Does not your state o | content lie im the fulfilment of certain conditions? Does it last so atl through the play of life? Gan you say “i have learned in every state to be con- tent?’ How many of you would hola up your Bands to that? And yet this 1s what Paui says. Yet consider, 1s Pau! quite sure of nmself? Con- sider, im the first place, that content does not necessarily mean & state of pleasant- ness, Thus, 1 may be content tn one sense to remain over night ata miserable tun, where have congregated smugglers and all the riftrair of the land, if I bave been cast upon the shore, fOgtring for lite, and have struggied to the light, I vhink | would say “am content;" yet the company are obscene and viglent. How did 1learn that pounded and by finally belng thrown upon the veach, I learned it because I had almost given up brravia when | feil at (he door of the inn, So it does not follow that! must iike the circum stances to be content. We must not confound content with @ state of indifference. If a man has no sort of moral feeling he ts periectiy con- tent to sit in a camp on the plains and hear what no huinan ear ought tv hear; waving, hour alter hour, poued into bis ear tales of blood and nidvecus inhumanities that would make the dead shiver, So these words, in tne apostie’s declaration, did mot mean that he was insensible to ali going on about hin; he knew ali these things; he was now .binking of them when he said, “lam content.” We ought to understand he did not mean content tn any sense of supineness and corpuient indo lence. Paul was not a Jat man. of billous temperament, of intense feeling, tena- cious of purpose. There were certain great ele- ments tn nis nature that remind one of the old German story ol the harp made by strings of iron strung between the towers of a casule and which, heaven came, sounded and sounded again. He | Was of a large moral nature; not a universal sense a8 quiescence, bis whole iile, bis unwearied | labors, all deny it. He was enterprising. | says, “Not ag though | bad already attained, but I follow aiter, that I may = sappre- hend that for which 1 am also appre. hended of Jesus Christ. This one thin 1 do, forgetting those things whicn are behind, before, 1 press toward the mark fur the prize of the high calling of God tn Jesus Christ.” This 16 | what he described bimsel to be, and this is tue man who says :—“In whatsoever state [am THEREWITH I AM CONTENT." We must think, in order to uuderstana tne scope Of this idea, 01 the developing power in any man's life for any s.ngle great end or aim. Whenever a | su) nature selects an for him. | se pursues if with conceutrated | zeal and cQergy, that aim makes every- | thing relative subordinate, and, if necessary, | periectly indifferent. Even take a lower torm of | this idea, Some men are bern to be fortune- | buiders, and they launch out 1n tiie with as dis- | tinct a sense of their mission as i they know how to abound; everywhere and nali things | ligent and educated man aay ‘4 am content” 1s to | ing | He was | when the winds blew, roared out its strange music, Inere were two or three | great = siiogs in the mind of — the apostle that, Whenever the winds from genius; and that oe was contentin any such _ He | and reaching lorth unto those things whtci are | had bad @ revelation, They e dedi- ed themselves. ‘They are not terested the course of other events of social | in le, but their iit be needia ness, that they will not gu through to reach their Tne best things of this lite are not tnose | which are recorded. if old appie woman's | stand tampies over there are TWENTY KEPORTERS TO TELL how the apples rolled; if there is anything any body wants to keep secret, that goes into one Newspapers like Bach has a maw it takes | Rewspapers surely. (Laughter.) | ours, Mave rare capacities, | that must be fed. Lise a whale, 1p a@ hogshead of water a that it may get the Water contains. ‘I! ences that are written in God's | which go unnoticed here. 1 knew a boy who waiked from dichigan here to get an oducation. He got @scholarsuip, and that he might y for his own education he obtained @ round of Jamps to light at night and extinguish in tne morning. He WaS a vDewspaper carricr. He had bis room and was his own cook and chamb:rinaid and actotum—happy man — (laugbter)—and -o ne worked his way on every side that he might give to study three or four hours every day. ‘here (pointing his finger) sits the man who helped him wh-p oe found o1m out, We counselled him, and were bis “matual Iriends.”’ (Laughter.) He said, “lam content in my situation; | am gaming an education.” | Dia he like to get up at three o’ciock in the morn- ing to put out the lights: No; but the end ne nad in view was being accomplished, and ail else was nothing. Aman may go Into the birch woods and camp out @na leave behind him the hundred iux- uries which he considers indispensable at home, and when at evening he brings in an eignt pound trout that be bas caught, and did not buy, he would jast as soon sleep on & rock as not. Take religious examples, think there is not im human literature a scene so affectiny as that of THE JESUITS SeTTLING CANADA. 1 do not mean Montreal or Quebec, for there were politics MIXed up With religion. They became resi- dents among the Indians, witnout intercourse with the rest of tne world, and tne bistory of their sat Jerings and their patience 1s not surpassed by the history of any equal number of men. It isa glorious thing *o me that in every sect there are some Who rise above sell. J would not take this Jauret from the brow of the Uld Courch ‘or any- | thing. The giory of each adwrns the great Church, which embraces ail of the sects. ‘The apostie | wul, speakiug of presents sent to him, say I rejvice in the Lord greatly that how at the last your care of me hath flourished again. It seems to have been somewhat tnter- rupted, wheretn ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity,” PAUL WAS A GENTLEMAN, and always conceded the nighest motive, ‘“Not,’’ he goes on, “that I] speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsovver state | am, there- with to be content.” 1 am willing to bear ali that; | L know voin both what? bow to ve abased and how (© abound. J know how to be witnout a cent, and 1 koow how to have a pocketini. There are many who know how to do eituer, but few know how to do both. 'o know how to swing both ways, Ticb, poor, rich, poor, and be 4 MAN AT BOTH TICKS § not 60 casy, Paul says he bad learned tha’ I don't know what school he could have learned it in. In view of tuis passaze of Paul’s experience, first, we see the ausolute ireedom which absorp- tion gives to any great nature, Stand it periecity because you study tt con- tinualiy, A child away at school comes home jor vacation. I pity auybody woo has not been away ata scnoot, for tiey Know nothing of the delight of the three weeas prevading Vacation, I am speaking now of a boy who was educated at Amuerst and itved in Boston, What il be liad to ride ou @ Nad trunk on top of a stage? He was going home, Suppose the stage wus late and the driver would not stop for dinuer—and a boy sixteen years oid has a lively sense of din. ner'—(langhter)—but he i going home. He 1 | bound for some great pleasure; the little incidents on tue way are nothing, When & man believes in God's providence, when he carrres the conviction that the end o1 tle 14 ving for God, hen he can say, ‘Io whatsoever state If am am = con- tent.” This is the w: to efcape the common troubles of lite. je reason we have troubics 16 that we take our aim go low that live in the midst of trounles, I there ts nothing to you but mechanic art, if there 18 no invisibie life, no spirit, then your aim is | # great chan io the ings of New York and thei changes, Where we now | storied be we will fh | The elevat: $iX and sevea sixteen storied, | rtakes you up in & minute, ana the | greater the height tne purer the air, tue greater | the silence tng hovels, full of fleas butld = higher, and based comort, We are on the earth, that are ond gnats. have got to and lift ourselves out of the | Annoyances that pester us, When & man don't | Unink Of anythiug bat the physical end of life as Jong as le is healthy he is comparatively happy. |It 18 in vain that the pulpit gays there | is ne piness except to Udi ing This | maa hes no atocks, * ie = don't care about the fluctuations of the market. he don't care avout pollucs, It 16 mothing to hin that there is a war anywhere, No matter what | happens, all ho asks is, “48 VULTON MARKET BURNED?" I (faughter.) A min ought to take one extreme | or the other, bub woe be to the man living in jow extreme, DUS Las DWhOr asmirationa Be * aim 18 to collect fortunes, and | |, there 1s no exposute, no mean- | | ished—judges, jurors, You ander: | | Well calculated to make scholars, nor build. | conscience acts as an inquistter. Uh! that men undersiood that if they want eman- Cipation and peace ami quiet they masa give themselves wholly to the cause truth, Let a man so identify himself witn Christ, im purpose and thought, to say, “For me to live ts to preach Christ 1 Fo. to come, to be pat down. I am nothing.” Where is there such dis- interestedness? Do you suppose it would be hard to raise a salary for a minister with such a spirit? It is the want of this continual herotsm that makes the Church weak. Religion is to flourish oy a fervor oi the soul, by an intensity of love, by a consecration of the soul and body to the nd we are going to bave the victory over rid, the fesh and the devil; not by phitoso- hical treatises, but we are going to produce. by jaith, men and women Whom no One can dispute, You cannot deny that the source that makes them ig @ source that might have’ prevalence, TALMAGE'S TABERNACLE. THE UPROOTING AND DEVOURING CLASSES— HORRORS OF THE RAYMOND STREET JAIL— THE WHIPPING POST FOR THE IDLE. The Tabernacle was crowded yesterday fore- noon by an attentive audience, who listened ta the continuation of the series of the sermons ot Rey. T, De Witt Talmage on “Public Iniquities,”” The reverend gentieman said I propose on this Occasion to point oat to you whatl consider to be the uprooting and devouring ciasses of society, andinthe first placel pointyou to the public criminals and those who are offenders of the civil law. You ought notto be surprised that these peopie make up a large portion in almost every community, Of tue criminals that from Europe take ship the vast majority come into our own port. In 1869 of the 49,000 people who were incarcerated in the prisons of the country 82,000 were of joreign birth, Many of them were the very desperadoca of society, sloughed off from the Cowgate 1nd Shoreditch, ooz:ng tnto the siums of oar cities, waiting for au Opportunity to riot and steal and debauch, joining the large gang of american thuga and cutthroats. There are tn this clustre of jails—New York, Jersey City aud Brooklyn—four thousand people whose entire business in life ia tocommit crime. That is as much their business Qs jurisprodence or medicine or merchandise ts your business, oi body, mund and soni, and they look upon the | Interregpums whicb they spend in prison as content? U learned it by being thumped and | . gee peat much un:ortunare loss of time, Just as you look upon an attack of imfuenza or rheumatism which fastens you in the house for a Jew days. It is their lifetime business to PICK POCKETS AND BLOW UP SAFES and shopiitt and ply the panel game, and they have as much pride o/ skill in their business ag you have tn yours when you upset the argument Of an oppusing counsel or cure a shotgun iracture which other surgeons have given np, or forescoa turn in the market so you buy goods just before they go up twenty per cent. It is vneir business to commit crime, and I don’t suppose that once in @ year the thought of the immorality strixes them. Added to these professional criminals, American and foreign, there is a large class of men who are more or les’ tndustnous in ertme, In one year the potice in this cluster of cittes arresied 10,000 peuple for theft, 10,000 for assault and battery and 50,000 for intoxication, dranken- hess being responsible for much of the crime, as you see; strong drink being responsible for much of the theit, since it cou‘uses a man’s ideas, and he gets his hancs on things that do not belong to him, Rum is responsible for muca of the assault and battery, inspiring men to sudden bravery which they must demonstrate though it beon the face of the next gentleman, Seven militons of dollars worth of property stolen in thia ciuster o! cities tn one year—seven militons, You Cannot, as good citizens, be indifferent to that fact; however elevated your morals you must be touched by it. it will touch your pocket since I have to give you the ‘act that unese three cities pay SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OP TAXES A YEAR to arratgn, try and support the criminal popula- tion. You help to pay the board of every criminal, from the sneak thie! that snatches a spool of cot- ton up to some man who enacts a ‘Black Friday,” More than that, it touches your heart, for this widespread moral depression must at- fect ail classes. What is the fire that burns your store down compared with the conflagration which consumes your morals? What is the theit of the gold and silver from your safe compared with the theft of your children's morals ? Oh, we are all ready to arraign criminals, We soout at the ir. of oar voice, “Stop, thief!” aud when tie pollce get ou the track we come out hatiess ana in our slippers and assitin the arrest, We come around the bawi- ing rutfian und hustle him off to justice, and when he gets in prison what do we do tor bim? Wito great gusto we pat on the handcuffs and hopples; at What preparation are We waking for the day when the haudeuffs and hopples come of? Society Scems to say to these criminals, ‘Villain, go in there and rot,” when itouzht to say, “You are ap offender against the law, but we mean to give you @n opportunity to repent; we Vast improvements have been made by totroduciug industries into tl prison, but we Want sometning more than hal mierg and shoe lusts to reciaim these people. We want more than sermons on the Sapbats day. So- ciety must impress these men With (he fact that it does not enjoy taeir sullerin; and that i is tempting to re:orm and elevate them. © © © Some years ago, 0! 1,500 prisuners who, during the year, had been in Sing Sing, 400 had been there before. In a house Of correction in ti country where during a certain reach of tim there had been 5,000 people, 4,000 of them, ana more than 3,000, hai been there be ore. So tnone case the prison and in the other case the house of currection did not do ite work. 1p osaer words if Jeft them just aa bad as tuey were beiore, I sup. pose there are hundreds of persons this day DYING IN THE PRISON BUNKS who would leap up at the prospect of reformation Uf society would oniy take tiem away into decency and respectability. ‘‘Ub,” you say, “I bave no patience with these rogues.” Iusk you, in reply, “ow much better would you bave beeu under the same circumstances?” Suppose your mother lad been a blaspnemer and your father a sot, and you had started lie with @ body stutfed with evil preciivities, and you had spent much oj your time tn a cellar amid obscurities and cursing, and if ag ten years 01 age you bad been compelled to go out and steal, battered and banged at might if you came in Without any spoils; and suppose your early manhood anu womanhood had heen covered with rags and filth aud decent soctety had turned its back upon you and left you to consort with vagrants and Whur, rats, how much better would you have been? ‘Ihe saiety and ise of the com. Munity demand more potential influence tn benalt Of public offenders, THE RAYMOND STREET JAIL. Within five minutes’ walk of where I now stand there is a prison, enough to bring down the wrath of Almighty G.d on th g city of Brookiyn. That is the Raymond Street Jail. It would not be strange if the jail fever shoud start in that horrible hola, like that which raged in England during the ses- 810n Of the Black assizes, When 300 persons per- constables and lawyers, Alas, that our fair city should have such @ pe: house! 1 understand that the Sheriff and the jat keeper do ali they can unuer the circumstances for the comiort of the prisoners, but I have to tell you tnat five and six people are crowded into a place where Chere ought to be but one or two, and tual the air is like that of THE BLACK HOLE OF CALCUTTA, AS it swept tirough tae wicket it almost knocked me down. No sunlight! Young men, who had cummitted their first crime, crowded io among Old offenders! I saw there one womal with @ child, almost blind, who had been arrested for the crime of poverty, and who was waiting upll the sow law conid take her tothe Aling- house, where she rightiully belonged; but she was thrust in there with her chtid, amid the most avandoned wretches of this towo, Many of the offenders in Unat prison are sleeping on the floor, with nothing but vermin-covered blankeis over them, Those people, crowded and wan and Wasted, are almost infuriated. I said to the men, “dow do you stand it lieve? “Gud knows,” sald one man; ‘we have to stand it.” On, they will pay you when they get out, Where they burnes down one house they will bura_— thre They will strike deeper the assassin kniie, They are this minute plotung worse burglaries. Raymond Street Yau ie the best place 1 know of to manufacture footpaaa, Vagabunds aud cutthroats, Yale College is not so larvard 80 well calculated to make scientists, nor Princeton 80 well calculated to make tieologiaus as Ray- mond Street Jail is calculated io make crimtnals, [ tell you that every hour that It stands is chal. lenges the Lord Alinighty to sintte this city! I call upon the people to rise in their wrath and de- mand areiormation. I call upon the judges of our courts to expose that iniamy. | call upon the Legisiature of tue State of New York now in s#ea- sion to examine aud appease the outrage on God And iiuman society. I demand, in behalf of the incarcerated wretches, fresh alr and clear sun. ght, and in the name Him who haa not where to lay [lls head, & conch ta rest oon =at 6 Might, = care nol how bad & man might be, you ought to give him a plage to sicep at night, In the insumers able stench and sickening surroundings of that Raymond Street Jail there is no’ hing but disease for whe body, idiocy jor the mind and death for the soul, Stifiag air and darkness and vermin nevor turned a thief into an honest man, (Applaase,) Mr. Talmage thea proceeded to denounce au- (CONTINUED ON NINTH PAGE To tt they bring all their energy |

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