The New York Herald Newspaper, November 12, 1877, Page 8

8 ‘SERMONS. A Variety of Topies Discussed from the Pulpit. SCHOOLS OF ANTAGONISM. Professor Adler Expounds the Religion of Humanity. “NIE PATRONESS OF THE UNITED STATES.” Recognition After Death and the Person- ality of the Devil. ——— CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES. {THE CONTEST BETWEEN SCIENCE AND BELIG- ION—SERMON BY REV. GEORGE, H. HEP- ‘worTH, The history of the development and establishment of Christianity is at once instructive and encourag- tng, sald Rev. George H. Hepworth to his people yer terday morning at the Church of the Disciples, For three centuries, he remarked, Christianity fought tor the right to exist, It bad to contend with the sarcasm of @ so-called philosophy which 18 never tired of throwing ridicule upon the marvellous stories told by the apostles; and it wrestled also with the supersti- tious conservatism which condemus whatever is now, simply because it is new, and without weighing its value, It had also to endure persecution by the sword until at last it became the religion of the Emperor and his Court. From that moment the danger to Chris- Manity was not on the outside but im its own heart, In bvery age, the preacher said, Christianity hus had its sritics—a certain class of men who took delight in denials and in unsettling belicis, Thoro was avery large number of these people in this age. 1t was use- less to cover up the fact that there is a very serious breach to-day between culture on the one band and religion on the other, Mr. Hepworth preterred the word “culture”? us covering more than tho word “science”? There ure, ne sald, a large number of persons of education who honestly question some of the fundamental principles of Caris- Tianity. These people taik so plausibly that there 18 au atmosphere of doubt pervading the whole com- munity und a certain unwillinguess to discuss those matters, ag if they were a little wexk 1m tue lounda- ton, after all, until ut last peopie huve begun to be- lieve that there 18 a war between science aud religiun, What was needed, Mr, Hepworth cuntended, was more {uvestigation und not less, He proceeded to seek lor the cause of this breach between scence und religion Aud to discover the method which would bring the two, like twin giants, to each Olwer’s side, One of the prime causes vf the breach be found in the Church \tgelt—not in Christianity, butin toat peculiar ad- ministration of Christianity knuwo as the Church. Voltaire wus brought up under the tufluence of tue Christian religion; in bis mauhood he became its bit- torestenemy. ‘the reason of his opposition was that the Church was utterly corrupt. Voltaire, while he thought be wus figuiing the Bibie, was in reality ‘warring againat the Church, There was bis mistake, because the irmest support be bad was the bible. SCLKNCK AGAINST RLIGION, Another cause for this breach Mr. Hepworth found In the active scieutilc research which wistinguishes our age. All Curigtians ought to tuke priue in these discoveries, but it should vot be forgotten that seleace had only been 1 tull play tor 4 geaeration or two, und that 11s voluries were lavie to be mistaken ug Wellas Christians, A curious point was that while acience sueers at the Churcn tor intolerance it exer- cised that quality itself toward all wuo doubted is Doldest ussertious or its rusbest conclusions. Tne preucher declared that modern scieace resembles a Quantity of chemiculs in solution aud in process of erystullization, 1t would be maatfestly unlair, he con- teuded, to Judge of the suape of tue Whole muss from the firs, crystals formed, Proiessur Tyndall bua baid in @ recent tecture that the soul, the will Aud moral responsibility were only w imytu—tuat they were caused by processes of decomposition Boing on iuside the body, that they are the result of Shemical action and of electricity, The very right of personal investigation under which these scientists were ucting, Mr. Hopworth said, was the gift ot Christianity. Luther had tought ior it 800 yeurs ago, ‘and it was bardly tar vt Messra, Tyndall and compauy to exercise that right in touring down the very 1usti- tution which had obtained thal right and which to- Gay protocts tho masses iu ils exercise, Perhaps the Most powerlul reason, however, tuat causes tue breach between science aud roligion was Ww be found iu the fact that there was 4 very large clags in the community who donot wish to have the Bible proved to betrue, Revelation rebuked theirlives, Wein Amer- ica, the preacher asserted, have been living a very pe- Cullar ana abnormal life tor the past ten or filteen wars. Never since we Were a nation, ie suid, were We BO und to this world and the things of the world as we are to-day—ever were We 80 Jittle inched to feel the oot wid wublie attractions that are born of t higher life. ‘This state of afldirs was born of the war which swept the land aud left behind not only dead Bod wounded but an intinite demoralization which years wlone can repair. We have lived, continued Mir. Hopworth, in u state of coutinual excitement, Aud excitement is not lavorabie to worality, We buve lived so rapidly that we have lorgotteo our duty, and itis ouly natural Uhen that We sould not be pleased with auybody or with any book tuat aiscovers our fauits to us und hus no mercy on us until wo repent wud change our lives, You tind in those tacts the Teuson for a great deal of Ube Intaolity that marks the times, Intldelity 18 not whoily philosophical; 1 18 not Lorn of the lugical faculty, “IL is someuimes born of men’s tnuer lite, und it is $0 1p this case. TRUK CULTURE, ‘Truc culture and genuiue Curisiianity the preachor fivclarea (o ve in perivet harmony. I'he word * cuiture’? Meuut periect form, and it he undersiood the ann of Scicuce 1t Was to enable man to educate bitnself as a Bpherc—to educate the heart, and the will Lt looks Intu Lhe laws of huture wud reveals them Lo us that we May uuderstund the wysieries of human lite aud of puysical happiness, ly divex deep into the meutal Bcivuces and Works oul great problems of moral pli- Josophy in order that 1t may lend a helping hand to Man aud thus elevato him to a higher plaue of thought aud action, ‘Teil me, said Mr. Hepworth, hus ace any other aim than this? Has all the research pi the ages any other purpose then to invke ina nobler aud better? Christianity, tue preacher went on to say, dovs not consist of a doctrine alone but of a lite based ou truth. Sv tar from being a chain or a fetier upon man it Was the gruud chartor of his liverty and be should fignt jor it as be would lor lis vative laud were st in danger, The career which ended ou the top of Calvary was an illustration ot ue very lie which science Would teach every mun to attuin unto, Ubrist’s life was au example; it Was the copy whicu He set man to follow, Curistianity so tur from setter- ing man encouraged bim to tind out every law, Whetber it bein the heavens above or in the eartn beneath, Tbe first words of the Bible are, **Let us make man in our own image.”? Goa wus man’s pattern and his end, This was evident, for one of the frst utterauces of Christ was, “Be yo therofure perfect, even ua your father which’ is in bueven iw periect.”” Christianity then gave man the very bighest Felations to God on the one hand und to men on the" otoer, Christianty—Mr. Hepworth did pot say tu Church—iusisted upon persouul Justice, upou bouesty, upon the necessity of charity; i would so develop Mec youl tuat ail these things would be pertucty watural to it, With tuis ideal the preacter contrasted that wich he ulieged was presented in the doctrines of Tyudals, Spoukiug Of these hv asked Whether they presented & pata for (he uttainment of the highest manhoud, or Gid it not rather uppour to every thinking mau Las the Vrolessur’s whole system wus at faulty Mr, Hop- worth drew a dark picture of the tnimorality tows Would prevail were the doctrines of tbe scientisee generally accepted, and men believed themselves irre- Bpoasibie Leings, swayed by chemical or electrical im- puises merely. PLYMOUTH CHURCH, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN FOR HIS BELIEY— BELMON BY REV. HENLY WARD LEKCHER, Mr. Beecher proached on tho responsibility of a man for bis belief and his relation to the truth, He selected as his text Romans, 1, 18:—"¥or the | wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesa and unrighteousness of men who bold the truth in unrighteousness” Mr. Beecher Suld that this verse would have been vetir rendered if it wore ‘that they beld the truth in their wickeduess or in their unrignteousness,”’ It did not deciare that they beid the truth or withheld 1, but that thoy were preveuted from knowing the truth by an unboly lite, The object of truth in any other rela- tion except that of conduct and character was un- known to antiquity. There are no such discussions in the Old Testament or io tho New, as the intellects nuw formulates into advanced opinion, Can # man believe the truth simply because he wilis it? sutbority? Cans mun believe it or be held respousi- bie for it because a church or priest declares it to be true, of because some OE |X authority clothed us a pri tolls men that tt is the truth’ = 1f upon the pre- sentation of evidence men do voi vee or foul the truth aro they to be held guilty, OF may a ian rejoct one | great cardinal doctriny of theology and ve beld gati= | Joss? These und many other questions in the same | Folution ure coutinuaily discussed wong 1 Vo the wation ure men accouutable JF (ie bowl of tratuy Beocher suid that be auswored “yes wus uy,” aud | NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, NO that he would reply to the “no” first, Mon were not responsible for the orgaptzstion that they received, Tuke the sense of mirth, wit and bumor. ‘There were men so organized (hat everything that bad wit and humor in it seems to be taken iu ivsiantly by them, ‘They see itevery time. Blessed were such men, They go through lite with springs and cushions and bey were far more blessed thau the men who are driven along jolting and have their ribe bruised by all that 1s uubappy and disagreeable in life, That which was true of humor was equally truo of the imagination, of the Jaculty of hearing and senses. THE LIMIT OF RESPONSIBILITY. That which was true of man in this respect bee aged astrue of bis power to receive moral truth, aud just as (ar a8 @ man was limited by bis organization is his esponsibility affected, in accordance with the jaw laid down by the Master, which was that it was what a man hath and not what a man hath not that he ts ac- countable tor, Many a mau was like a hut with one window—it only jet light in through that cue aper- ture; another man was like a palace where the light flowed in by a thousand windows, aad who is respon- sible forthe light that came to hin oa every side. Men ‘were not responsivie, except in a limited degree, If by their education there had been a miscarriage of the truth, A child was not respouaible for being a Mo- | a joy Can a mun believe the truth simply upon | bammedan, for it was brought up in that tanh; poither was & mab responsible lor the sentiments an ideas that provailed around him and which worked within bim a kind of atmospheric belie! This was shown ip the of witchoratt, when judges like Sir Matthew Hale were accustomed to the weighing of evidence, Lawyers, jurists, physicians held this be- hef, and it was not until It fol away of itself, and the facts adduced tor 118 support failed to produce any effect that witchcralt ceased to be believed iu. Men ure not to be held responsible whore the themes were go abstruse as to elude the ordinary scope of their thought, or to put them beyond tie ordinary gtwsp of mot minds, as a child of three years of we Was Dot responsibie if it could not count a mill- 2. ‘THE NExD OF CHARITY. All this showed how large was the scope for a chari- taple consideration, and tho danger of men being dog- mutic and dictatorial, We saw sects—one arrayed against the other, but yet, Il we went among these sectariaus and entered into a personal deliberation, we should find scurcely one among them all that uu derstoou oue-half of the creeds they protessed to be- heve ip, The creeds of Christendom were a great theme, and how few even kuow anything of the theory of a personal God Even the man who preaches this truth may not have wore tuan a Wari, Porsonal fash and belle in the truth; and yet his preaching may be useful, iu the same way as a judge ou tbe bench may be a good administrator of the law, and yet not know tho tucory 01 the la\ ‘The fuct of 4 man’s belief did not iuvulidute Dis testimony tor it, lor the trawb of that which ho taugnt was proved by the fruits that it produced, There were many circumstances in which men were held to be responsiple, if they were ignorant of the truth and did oot wish to know 1t; as 4 mother «woo found ber cuilv contumacious who was sent to louk for an object and returned without it, becausa she would not look 1n the place whore it was, und ro- turned saying that she could not find i, Men are responsible for a semi-conscious resistance to tho truth. ‘they aro algo responsiblo for the casulstry of and the fencing with the truth, 1, was dangerous to go uguiust the primary sense of what was truth, io the whole soope of those truths which relate to moral conduct, Meu, too, were responsivle for an indifter- ence to important truths, aud that leads them to miss by simple neglect. ar. Beecher urged bis bearers to ponder, to rellect, to think of these things it was our duty, be saiu, to explore tuat truth which was Vitally connected with the moral sense. No Parent excuses the child tor saying, “I dud not remember,” “I torgot”—excuses that were the devil tor litte children, Men were also respot lief that came trom the distemper of their orgautza- tion, which was brought about by the maulgence of their passions, I, thoy led immoral lives until the finer elements of their nature und their woral percep- tions were soddened by dissipation, they were respon- sible tor a non-perception ol the trutu, ‘Lhe wrath of God Was a retribution to such men, aud it ought to be, ‘Thero was a stutewent of the doctrive of retribution thut was quite consistent with the moral government ol the word A man might come to that point wuere he destroyed bis moral sen tho hybt suiveth into tue darkuess of such u man, and the darkness compre- henueth 1 not. ‘T'bere is such 4 condition by which a mun emasculstes his morai sense. in such a case ar- guments were addressed in Vain; appeals were in vain, Duch men were dead beyond 4 moral resurrecuoa in this due, It was not transcending the bounds of a proper spirts to say thut such meu wore reprovates, Mr. Beecher said:;—“l do not say that God cannot work miracies, 1 merely say He don’t with regard to such men.’? FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH. WAS OUR LOSD JOYFUL?—SERMON BX BEY. DR. ARMITAGE, Rov. Dr, Armitage preached inthe Fifth Avenue Baptist Charch, His text was taken trom Joha, xv., 11, as tollows:—That my joy may bein you, and your joy be made {ull,”” Addisoa says, observed the Roverend Doctor, ‘that cheertuiness keeps up a kind of daylignt in the mind, aud fills it with a steady, perpetua; serenity.’? Then, cheerfulness ts even unelevated, undepressed. But joy 1s a higher and livelier order of happiness, and generally ia sudden in its rise and ex- pression, Commonly there is one bound from de- pression to delight. Suddenly we find ourselves raised irom ponury to affluence, trom obscurity toa large sphere of influonce; or, alter wearisome tpves- tigation and exhausted {acultios, we find some new trath developed or some question in science solved; then joy rushes through the breast like a tide, Or, unlooked for, we meet an old friend whom we never expected to seo again, or catch a sight of our native Jand after long exile, or receive an act of generosity from our supposed enemy. Any of these make us so happy that we exult; our delignt secks utterance, joy wants to express itsell in exclamatioos; but only tears or langhter can tell the joy that we feel, tor every pulse beats to a healthy tune, vecause every spring in the bosom 16 instantly quickened to exuilaration and even raptures, This is Joy, real and true joy. Now the text tolls us that Jesus was the subject Of this species of emotion, and, as we should suppose, tn its honest tutellectual und spiritual rank, If words Lave wuy meaning then tuis verse suows Him to have been untrammelicd in the glad upsouriug of His soul, because He experienced a boly joyluiness which ex- cited every vital power of His sacred breast, Such wn idoa sirikes us at iret as very strange, and, in fact, us rather unwelcome, so that we would preter to pass by such New Testament expressions, iest ic some way they suould detract irom that trust of soul which pro- fers to repose 1u Him as Ouly, and without mitigavon, 4 mau of sorrows. We ure so firmly held by tho thought of His sublime repose i deep sorrow; we soe Him so often in divine tears, aud the hidden conflict within bursts forth so often 18 dark sadoess und deep pity, that we are reluctant to think of His hfe in this world other (han as ono unbroken torrent of woe, He bimsell tolls us that He was no stranger to joy, aud tue living oracles tell us elsewhere that God ‘anointed him with the oil of gladness above his teilows;” so that all the bap- piness, all the vurightness, ail the jubilant joy which we associate with the leap for joy und the song tor joy und the shout for joy were not ouly His, but His avove the measure of ordiuury more tals, heoiogy, art and piety have unconsciously stimulated cach otuer to the rendering of a one-sided Christ 10 this water, 1 protest aguinst this one-sided View, wuich gives bul a part of the .truth, and gives tual in such an empbasi¥ us distorts the part which 18 given, uuu uot ouly that, but bas (ue presumption to do it at tue expense of Our Lord’s own Veracity. ‘That He suffered more thao tongue can tell, both in soul aad bouy, 1s uot to be questioned, tor all sorts of heaviness, burden and horror uppressed Him, But, alter all, thut 1s obly a part of the truth, tor itis equally tree wat in doing Lis perfect work there were times when a brill- dunt bappiness eeized Him, When a nameless triam- phant joy tiled Him from bead totvot, wuen all about Him was sparkling and bright, and ‘when Jesus ro- Joiced in spirit because a wiae rilt had torn the black cloud about Him, so that while tho eftulgence of rapwure poured itselt upon Him in floods, ecstatic joy cried out, “Father, I thank thee 1? THE SOURCE OF CURIST’s JOY, Why Was not all this su natural and Godlike that it was # mark of His greatness rather toun u detraction from the majesty of His character? ‘True, the burden of the worid’s #1n was of becessity acrushing load, But to baye prosecuted the lavor of beartug it througa a iio. Ume 1b One med Of mind Would have argued woridlt- ess, oF mMoroseness, if not weakness, Instead of tho power of resistances and tbat springing vigor which withstands pressure, Jhere was a sympathy with His work, Ou ali sides of It, which urgues the greatness of Mig nature and 18 exact adaptation to His position, Bvery susceptibility sprang to His command ut an in- Stavt, and promptod tual exuct seutiment of His wing and Heart which tho occasiou needed, now In warding off danger und now in awakening Joy. Could He exe- cute hig office without veing a partaker of the joy which He inepired? Could little cbidren lovk ito His taco and simile while he wept? Could the lame loap Jor joy and the dumb sing His praise—tho sorrow ot she bereaved bo Lorved into iauguter and the blind burst into hosannas wheu they saw His glory, while all within His own soul was sadness? No, Wuen Ho spouks of “my joy” Ho means that His bosom was a bunquoting house, Bueiues all this the most weighty Teesuns we assigned in the Scriptures themselves tor His yoy. Take that Messianic ueclaration already quoted in part;—“Thou lovest righteousness and uatest iaiquity; thereture God, thy God, has anointed thee with iho oil of gludhess avove thy foliows."” ‘There is « malicious loy which “rejoices in iniquity’? — takiug ite source in Masious motives and schemes of Villany—so that a thrill of horror which makes others shudder ouly makes the projector oi in- iquity joytul. je source of Christ’s Juy was the op- posite or this—“Tuou huiest wickeduess aud lovust riguteousness; thereiore tou art glad above ty tuilows.’” Out of that hatred of iniquity aud love of Tighteousuess there distilied an oii vi Joy, Whicu was so abuudant os to annoiut Him, ‘The periect health of His sual aod body gave a bale, holy sounduess to Him whieh = pertectly accorueu with tae recti- | tuge of God aod = filled Him with ao happiness twat other men could not kno ‘1bi8 Was the gladness whicu endowed Him so olten Wwitn the festive feeiugs of w bridegruom, and led Him to throw away the dark sido of life, as His uarbinger, Jobo, had obeerved it, sv that He mingied witu tie urigue side of lite, chrowig all His heart tuto the Uilarivies of the tnarriags feast, Lanting 10 How Gale the rovuru Of tue prodigal fon with a tuinily temet, en- liveved by WusiG wud dancing, aud Hiwself so Ireely dung With pUllicaus wud singers a» ty shock the most Figid pietists vf His Wine wud deaw tured their severe Cuarge that He Was & giuttun and & WinebIbber, Lhey eouiu Wb Undersiand bow He should be ry sue CHOY Lappy YO MUIHLATH & spOliessbess UL spiel, Whe they tele (iat soul-teaviness wud par Inust be sighs of piety, Whieh EXquisie joy could Hot be, But ju the COMLOXL He g.Vus Us (he redsou—" bese Lhiags have I jon unto you thas my joy might remain in you,” hat things? the father bath loved #0 have I loved you; continue ye 1: keep m ndments, ye shall on as Tb ept my father’s commund: ate, abide in bis love. These things hi I spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be tull.’” Nothing which I can think of so heightens, deepens and enlarges my conception of Christ’s joy as the ex- pressed wish that His joy may abide with thom till their ‘joy is full.” ‘Yo begin with, it is an implication that their joy, at the best, was comparatively trivial and uni ‘but that His was solig, permanent and deep. Ho wanted ti joy emptied out that they might be filled instead with His joy. The joy of the disciple is one thing, the joy of the Lord **is apother,’” He wanted theirs poured out; wanted them fljed with His, and when they were filled therewith to have it “abide”? in them; thi ey could draw water with joy trom the wells of salvation, and it should be in ‘them a well of water springing up to evertasting life, On the next day sorrow and griof flea from His soul forever, aud He bas realized no cloud, no pain, noth- ing but the joy ‘that was set before Him” ever since. DELIGHT IN THA LORD, And He wished to have His benevolent delight with them, 80 that they 06. could come to Mount Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, for that should obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shali flee away. Ho had the well-spring within Him and He wanted them to drink from the overflowing stream, ‘That your joy may be tull will God make fountains of joy flow in him und leave you rness."’ “If ye keep my commandments, ye commandments, things bave I spoken unto you that my joy mig main 1p you aud that your joy might be full’’—just His joy was full. Oneot the most delicious thoughts in the realm of thinking is thia, that God provided such holy excitement for His Son. He hud given the mountains round about Jerusalem un everchauging, genial joy in the daily ministrations of His morp- ing and nightiy goodness, und could Hia generosity withhold the cup of biiss to His Son? Shull mirth and music and soug throw their bewitch- mut among the celebrations of the feast at which Joaus should die and His sout remain uncharmed? No; at least one rea current should flow through tho inner life of Hig Son as it cour (olen the spirit of nore of “His fellows’? Ihe joy of Jesus vibrates through the gates of His heart like the inspired notes Of 4 poet Irom the very soul of music, And truly, ii at the old creation ‘the morning stirs sang sogether and the sons of God shouted for joy,” there was a double fitness at the new creation that a joyfulnoss should bo heard inthe heart of His Sov, “That joy opeuied ono gute after another in His soul and sent the sweetest melody floating through the atmosphere of His whole being oul red ie music died, on the one hand, in tho immutable ot the Eternal Godhead, and through tho gate beautiful of love and sympathy on the human wide, filled tho breast of mortal disciplestip with buoyant rapture to imobriation, Chriat’s wis that His “babea’ should be filled with His joy was ro- alized at Pentecost when their spirits bocame so stirred, suviimated, elevated—intoxicated, shail I say ?—with His delicious joy that their tos charged them with boing ful! of new wine. And the intense, secret, satisfying Joy which thoy wore inspired with is but that “iruit of the spirit which 1s joy,” and which can give birth tn you to psalms and tongs, and delight in the Lord, which shali show that His joy “1s in you,’’ and that your joy is full, Amen! STANDARD HALL. PROFESSOR FELIX ADLER ON THE BELIGION OF HUMANITY. Standard Hall, at the corner of Forty-second street and Broadway, was crowded to excess by a large audience, eager to hear Professor Folix Adler preach “The Religion of Humanity” bofore the So ciety for Ethical Culture, It was only a tow days ago, said the Prolessor in opening his remarks, that ho had adaressed a large assemblage of liberalists in the well known and staid old city of Now Haven, Couns, whero the famous blue jaws of the past had boen en- acted. What a change had como over the descendants of men whose suporstitions bad lod them to enuct such laws! Neveriheless it was a glorious sign of the times that the fog was littiug from that New Englaud sky, and it was their duty to assist in penetrating the American mist that was covering the intellect of the age, Evory accession to their liberal views should, however, not be considered 8 valuable acquisition. Thero was a class of frecthinkera in this country whose education was unflnisved and who were not suillciently advanced to understand the eminent ten- dencies of Mberalism, It was against such men that the religion of humanity raised its stand- ard, for religion, indeed, Was more than its’ simple name ‘implied. Suppose that ull ot them would fog themselves suddeniy ina far-oil Jand, having no counectiou whutever with the existing world, Where no societies existed, where no church bua been established, where uo tolling of bells called maukind to its devotions—a land, iodeed, where noue of ibe ar none of thi ences, nove ol the intellects nono of the experiences of the world, as we knew it, oxisted. lt would be imagined that 10 euch a land there would vo a total loosening of ull social restraints and that people thero would ussail one another like tigers aud wolves. And still tuere Would be in such a land the same happiness of the human heart, tue same craving of tue Duman mind: there would bo sickuors, tuere would be broken hearts and there would be pity for such misery. There would also be terrible tomptations, 10 which some of us would yiolt ani otuers again would withstand thom. There would be nu necessity tor 4 coue of scriptures. We would simply help suller- jug bumanity becauso we could not help helping it. ‘there would be herows in such 4 commanity und there would be martyrs, and as thispew mankind progressed in the course ol timo they would readily ascertain Uhat their kuowledge was 4 more fragment of the im- meuse whole lying outstretched before them. They would soon ie! the need of something greuter than themselves, something to look up to mightier than themselves, Even if the word religion had never been heard among them thea and there would be tue very beginning of that religion Which we undérsiand as such, 1u fact tho inborn spirit of reverence would give birth to the religious principle, OLD PAITHB, It was so with the aucients; they had beheld the mightiness of what t! cousidered greater than them- selves; they Lad watched the sombre hues of the night and the bright gli the day, tue majestic energies of storms und the sweetuess of a culm atmosphere, lo marble bulls aud aloug the rusuing waters of Deiphi’s oracie the Greeks had adored their gods amid music, garlands aud flowers, und amid statues of gold, of ivory und of marbie, They adoreu them to such an ¢xtont that one kuew not whether tt was the Divine Spirit utteivuted to these things they worshipped, or whetbor it was the art form itself, that beauty without flaw, that wisdo: without limit and those ideal rulers, Thero was uu- other race, not beauty-loving ike the Greeks, but equally inspired with reverence, Tbe Hebrews be- lieved in their book of Jaws. No faith had ever ex- sted before that had law for 1s basis, It was as if they avticipated the spirit of moderu times, aud with their hearts more than with their heads sought that Supreme morality and infinite justice which was the keystone of tueir tuith, They required something to gIVo utterance to the roverouu thoug nts that were With uud benee proclaimed “Jehovah” the triumph- » Jehovah” the all poweriul, Do we, asked the preacher, 10 our time need not vomethiny to look up to which 18 greater than we are our selves? He Kuew Unis age was full of men teoming with egotism aud self confidence, The extension of commerce, the maguitude of various operations, all had assisted toward creating wat sell-coniidence. ‘There wore individuals how wuo could carry on trans. auctions larger than Swates would have dared to uuder- tuke in times past, aud the audacious speculators of our day claimed tbat they could effect auything. ‘The material interests of our day predominated and had crowded iutolloctual interests to a fourtul exteat, THE BINLE. And no doubt the Bibitcal criticism of this age had been the principal cause iu encouraging this crowding forward of wuterial interosts, Nevertheless, while the stupendous superstitions of the past should be done away with, he (the preacher) bud always felt toward thy Bible like an oid friend which bad great iufluence over mankind. 1t bad becume necessary to oxpose its leartul fallacies in order to suve the com- muuity we live in, Yet mankind would never cease wo love the Bible, stull there were among liberuls boors who loathed it with foul-mouthed abu: The Bible, written thousands of yeurs ago, wot respousivie for all ihe —‘housenso — preasued in its Uchall, Uniess iivera!ism maiutained the spirit of reverence und sought to teach true bu- manity it would have been better if mankind had never departed irom 1t6 old traditions, All that tho worid of .o-day should beur iv intud was what history upd astronomy bad taught mankind. If the old tras ditions of heaveus above heavens were compared to whut modern science bad revealec—now tuut every. body could understand the immensity of Wme aad Space, How that we knew bow to answer the question, Wat is (his earth of ours??’—our leenngs ol rever- nee, indeed, were greater than anything the wacients kuew of When we compare tuis insignificant atom in the universe, then consider its mighty contents, and cowpare it Lo the petty squabbles of our lite, di Dot religious thouguts take possession of our souls then? He (the preacher) bud been in Italian churches, heard the magniicent “Gloria in Excelsis” sung bY master voices, aud yet it was ouly when bo stood on tus high peaks of the snow-capped Alpine mountains that be was inspired with more rev- ereuce than by any hymns he hud heard 1 the cathe- drais, Lu that expunse woich he called the sky the troe Bible was written, There was the grandeur that filled us ali with uwo and revereuco; tuere with that Cuungeless precisiva, sublimity and simplicity, with thy process Ol growth aud decay going ou forever and ever, tuere Was (he reality before us that claimed our reveronee, HO mater Whence und What the source might Le, And beyond all this principio, order, which controlied the universe, assumed 148 highest form in the human system MAN THE LORD O¥ ALL, Tho life of mau, indeed, was more wondortul than even the orbits, Listory ud taught us everything AVOUL Mun the same as astronomy had taught ds tHe mecoanioin of the universe, Nation alter nation had oveupied the stage of wctiou; all bad performed their suare iu the civilization of mankind us a whol, and yet how siowiy bud morality risen from the eusos that stood betind! “How slowly we night was receding! iho tyrauay ot kings, tho enslavement of races, tue sefidom uf the poor, ail these exisiou yet bur day, Auu yol, great us is the sweep vi the orvits grewter yet is the sweep of human intel ject ‘This worid Was a growing world with constantly increaring strength. Wo were not only wituerses, but also the Lelpmates’ of this constant evoiusion, reat universal workshop. Ri ligtou of Wauautt es us to du our duly wal cugaged us such crafiswen tu prevent tue weak from Ueing Urawpied Upon, to resist brutal egotism, Aye, iu (Hi8 Very Iand uf progress Lo Fut out Lue wretehed- ness (hat suli Logers 10 the dark leuerncuts ot a civile VEMBER 12, 1877.—WITH SUPPLEMENT. to vive our poor fellow creatures toat lig \d air which is pot even denied to the brute animal, to do all this for sake of divine love, to thus give vent to our feeli of sympathy, pity and the religion of humanity. It was the new Jeboval that would I mankind on to deeds of loveand charity to their tellow beings, and under his leadership to strike for liberty and light. MASONIC ‘TEMPLE. THE EVILS OF SECTARIAN STRIFE—SERMON BY BEV. 0. B, FROTHINGHAM, The Rev. Mr. 0. B. Frotbingham preached in Masonic Temple, Twenty-third street, a ser- mon on the evil effects of sectarian strite, Ho prefaced his discourse by reading trom the New Tes- tament the chapter wherein occurs these words:— “Brethren, let us love one another, for love is trom God,” and from the Koran a passage which said— “Mohammed ig not more than an apostle; otber Gposties have gone before him. The Messiah, the son of Mary, is but an apostle; other apostles bi: gone before him; he was but the gon of a just person; they both lived on food,” &c. ‘TRE SERMON. In the course of his observations the preachor said, im substance, that we must carefully distinguish the difference between sectarianism and tho sectarian spirit, Sectarianism must always exist. 1t comes to us with the freedom of thought, with history, science and tho schools of art, It docs not imply any fecling of rancor so long as its object is the pursuit of truth, On the other hand, the sectarian spirit engenders feelings of envy, jealousy and strife, and 1s thereiore evil, Even in the days of Christ’s aposties the aec- tarian spirit had manifested itself in the difference of bveliof between Paul and Peter upon the interpretation ot the words of their great Master, St. Peter thought \uat the revelation was for the family of Israel only; Paul took the opposite, higher and broader view of the subject, Kaul thought that the world was emuraged 11 the purposes of the Messiub’s mission; that He came to gave not only Israci, but the Gentiles also. Here, then, originated a bitter quarrel which separated these two apostles, Paul suys:—* stood ap azainst Poter and rebuked him, because he was to blame ;’’ 50 that away buck 1m the very beginning of Christianity the secta- Tiay spirit manite 4 itself Oven iu Lhe circie of the apostles theme From that time until tho cele- brated Bossuet wrote his great works, including tho history of tho various Protestant churches, some two hunured yours ugo, ull the present duy, the Christian denominations have been the prey to a relontiess seo- tarian spirit, 1n England aloue there are ninety-nine persuasious and twenty-five subordinate torms of Foligious beliel, making altogether 124 sects ol one kind or anotuer, ‘here are 20,000 places of worship und @ corresponding number of ministers and priests. ‘Vhero ure teu times as many ministers as are Deeded, und to oncourage young meu to enter theological schools is to withdraw them irom social useiulness., ‘These thin-Liooded theological students, whose wuste of mind is great, could by culture become uselul mem- bers of the community. In the United States there are 360 colleges, ail poorly organized and equipped, which might be welded into a jew grand universities, and (us 8 allthe immense waste of bruin power, to say notoing of money, which must now be spentio on w the pornicious influence of the sectarian spirit, THE SKOTARIAN SPIRIT IN ALL THINGS, The moment a man accepts the sectarian spirit ho cannot, without a treatise ou the sciences, study Matueluatics or mvextigate the secrets of chemistry, unless he does it turough some sectariun organ, With buch people the world of knowledge bas uo signill- cance, The condition of tue religious press in this country is simply disgraceful. The speaker never saw & Secturian paper tuat could be nouest or unbiased in matters thevlogical, Tne orgaus of Catholicity and of Provestaptism are alike bitter aud vituperative against cuca Other. An orthodox man has been beard to say tbat the atheist must necessarily steal und ho, Whatua spirit of uucharitableness, unkind- nesg, inalice, it must be that makes a man give expres #10n to so great a Biesphennys den like Herbert Spen- cer, Profussor ‘Tyndall and other great lights in tho firmament of philosophy, who are utterly irreproach- able im thelr private lives, are condemued wholesale; men who ure exercising great and beuciicial influences upon the working classes, making them honest, econ- comical, just, 4 TOO NARROW CHRISTIANITY, ‘The apostles spoke to the eitect that their followers should jorget hatred and love one another; but they were not the brothers und the sisters of ail mankind, jor they did not eajuin a love for the Greeks, Romans, Persians und other races, Here the preacher Teviewed the acts and policy of the Evangelical Alliance since the idea, in embryo, suggested itself ut Edinvargh in 1846 till now, aud vored to show trom the bistury of evangelism that it bad brougot forth no iruits ave irom the bitter source of an un- christiuu-like sectarian spirit, There is but one remedy for ull these evils, and tha the concession of access by ull denominations to revelation, and that auy one form oO! revelavion bas no right to lyraumze over others, During the iast thirty years great scholars Lave beev occupied in studying the tenets of the different religious; the dogmas of China, Persia, India, Lurkey, are engaging men’s minds to greut ud- Yuutage, Honce we have to-day not only the Hebrew Bivie, but that of the other sects also, The couciusion is thut ail religions have essentially the samo doc- trines; tuoy all huve the same idea ot God, of media+ tion aud of atonement; all set forth the cardial vir- (ues and inculcate a love of our fellow mon, Passag fonumersvle from the writs of pugan teachers might be quoieu—pussages more exquisite und dell- cious in moral aroma than anything that is to ve Jound any where in the New Tostament—passagos that were peaued One thousand yeurs beiore the birth of Christ, ‘Inia, we know, 18 uot a matter of conjecture, but ow mater of fact, the proof of which is winin reach of all of us, All the religions have some great prophet or teacher, In Cuma he is Coniucius; in Persia, Zoroaster; in India, Buddba; in Yarkey, Mohammed; and Chriat io our own land. Everythiug improves with age as we go on; und the relgion of to-day 1s as superior to ‘hat of centuries back as the great telescope of Lord Rose ws to the lens of Roger sacon or of Haus Lip- persbeim. THEN LET US HAVE NO CHURCH, If religious insitutious create ideus that depend upon hatred, malice, spite for their existence, then let us never bave a church, Why does the American fight the Chinaman but because ho tsa Buddhist? ‘Take away the sectarian spirit thaton toe margin of the Black Sea bas set Russian and turk at cach other’s throats, and much of the motive for the war uses 10 ist, AS Jong as Coristiunity eudures it the pussion of sectarian spirit must be distilling iiseit into the world, Religion is moro than Cbristianity, and the mind of mun more thaw all systems ol religion put together, Man is more than all tho lawgivers aud prophets, ‘Tbe religion of evolution comprehended in the sublime revelations of Huxley and of Spenoer, is laying tho groundwork of # trauscendental form, upon the nectar of whose ambrosia tens of thousands of intelligent souls ure quietly teeding, irrespective of the presence of Cbristiauity ; aud the day not far of when re- ligion shall be as freo as tne sciences, philosophy and liverature, THE BLESSED VIRGIN. TWO SERMONS ON THE PATBONESS OF CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES. At St, Stepben’s Church the sermon was preached by the Rev. Father Byron, Kev, Dr. Carran colzbrating the high mass, ‘l'ue music was very tue, especially the olfertory piece, at which an ‘0 Salutaris’’ was Bung, With cornet and organ eccompaniments, The preacher took bis subject irom the Gospel of the day, Luke, xi, 27—“Blessed is the womb that bore theo and the paps that gave theo suck.’ Tho poor woman who thus addreseed the Saviour gave us an example how we should venerate the Mother of God. Many Christians professing to believe in Jesus Christ think it necessary to despise the Mother who bore Him. There is no doubt of this, for th re so many painful evidences given of it in the offorts made to throw obluquy oa the Blessed Virgin and to make ita part of religion that the Mother of Jesus should receive not even the respect whicb the just are entitled to when crowned with immortal glory, But the Church sows us that if wo love the Son we must boner the Mother, and therefore at tmos during the year selects passages of her life lor especial devotion that we may — prott by the example set velore um To-day is tho Juast of the Putrouage of the Blussed Virgin, and to us iu $his Country it should be ONO of Special devotion, jor Mary is tho patroness of tue Uni States, Utuer countries bave their patrous, saiuts whose lives on ourth were remarkavle lor boimess aud heroic conduct im the service of God's Church; but to this country Was reservea tue honor of Laving for a putrouess the Queen of all the saints and the angels, From tue toucuings of the Church we know that wo aro encour- aged \v place our contidence in Siary’s prayers. Kvon here below men of every sudo of religion acknowledge that the prayers of the just man are uselul belore God, It, then, as St. Jumes says, such prayers avail mach, how acceptable must be tho intercession of the Biestod Virgin, Who was tho bohest aud purest of all God's crewtures? Avraham so much power with God that bis ers averted punishment from u wicked vity. Moses ulso stayed the arm of the Almighty, aod Job procured the pardon otf a false friend, The example of Khas aud Overs montioued tu Holy Scripture migut be cited tw show the ellicacy of the prayers Of the Jast, and we ure compelivd to acknowleuge once Low powerful musi be the pleading voice of the Mother of God as she intercedes for the souls of mou THE fu beaven, Her sanctity and Loliness in life were In~ comparable. To her lone belougs the exulted diguuy of the motherhood of God, We see that the very tirst miracle perlormed by Jesus was ut His mother’s sulicitution, wud, as St Chrysostom tells us, ihe mitucic was done because she Was His mother. ‘The fathers of the Courch tell us that Mary 18 oOmMipo~ vent in heaven, We can have vo doubt as to ber will. inguess to help us Sue must desire that the bivod which Jesus shed for us should Dot be shed to vain, Jusus toade himself our brother and we too are tho chilaren of Mary. [t18, therefore, meet that we should honor ber, She presente tu us to herselt & model of every virtue, While, then, we strive to imitute ber wo suould constantly ask her to pray for us to her at- vine Sou. are sure pever to have a deat ear turned to our petitions, for, us St, Burnurd tells us, it was vever heard of tu any age thas Mary rejused to hear the suppiant’s prayer. SERMON LY VERY REV. WILLIAM QUINN, V. G. In St Patrick's Catvedral Very Rov, Father Quin, V. G., having read Luke x1, 27, 28, sald:— The Church, among the many fostivals suo has ap- pointed in honor of the Blessed Virgin, selected the second Sunday in November to commemorate bor Patronage, She was dostined from all eternity to be the Mother of the Son of God, avd im anticipation of what that Son was to accomplish, was saved from the im 1m which all the children of Adam bave been and ever will be born, Sho was bevor, in for a mo- ment, defiled with the slightest tarnish of ain, Sbo alope was immaculate, because the Son of God was to her tlesh, When our first parents were driven den of Paradise she was alluded to ip promise that the seed of the woman woul: crush the werpent’s head. She nurtured, protected as it were, and watebed over our Saviour until she saw Him expire op tbo cross, snd ao few moments before His death heard Him appoint her as mother to the beloved disciple, In 4“ppoimtinent we were all included, for our Saviour meant that she should be a mother to us all, Io heaven si on a throne, crowned with a diadem, ‘at the right hand of her di Son, She is above the angels, the archangels, the cherubim and serapuim— in fuct, next to God himself, She ls constantly interceding with her Son for us, entreatyng Him to bi pity On us und to forgive our offeucea, She is the principal intercessor between God unu man. If the love o: a mother be ardent during, ber’ 80 1n ap infinite degree, She is over watcnful over us and continually interesting herself in our beball. ‘The ancient fathers, sani and doctors of the Churon cduld not find words suiliciont to extol her virtues and powers, In tue litany which the Church has uppointed in her booor, calied the “Litany of Loreito,” we say:—‘We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God! despise not our petitions in our necessities.” ln that litany sho is called *Mother of Divine Grace” and next ‘*Mother of Mercy,’? because she is, in truth, both the ove and the other. Lt she be such why not us to do that created by God, and her bumility Was the sister virtue, We know thut God re- wisis the proud aud gives His graces tv the humbio, There would be no use in the man who sels himsell avove ull others, and thinks there is nove like unto himself, seeking the patronage of the Biessed Virgin until Le first became humble. Neither would the man whose heart is corrupted by vice receive any help. We must tirst reform our hives, and then we may cou- fluently hope tor ber succor aud protection. she is all poweriul witb ber Sou, who can reluse her nothing, and if we will but change our lives aad imitate ber virtues we may rest assured of her patronage and of hor obtaining ior us all necessary grucos and blessings. BROOKLYN TABERNACLE. THE STORMS OF LIFE—SERMON BY BEV. T. DE WITT TALMAGE. * Mr, Talmage preached on the “Storms of Life,’’ taking bis text from Mark iv., 36-39, where Christ i described as stilling the storm on the Sea of Galilee. TUR SERMON, I learn first trom this subject, sald Mr. Talmage, that when you are going to take a voyage of any kind you ought to bave Christ :n the ship, What you can do by the utmost tension of body, mind and soul, that you are bound to do, but be sure to take Christ in the ship. Some men are tullof prosperity and are able to bear aisaster, Others are full of all uncertainties, When they succeed they sirut through the world im great vanity, but when disaster comes thoy are utterly down, They are tar-weather sailors, who can’t outride the storm, Suppose 801 quick tura of the wheel of fortune hurls you backward and the wave beneath und the sky above and the darkneas around are illod with the voices of destruction, Uh, then you will want Christ inthe ship. 1 also learn trom the text that people who follow Christ must not always expect smooth sailing. 1i there ure any people who ought to have bad # yood time in this world you would think it should have been the aposties of Jesus Christ. Have you over noticed how they diod? When the winds ure dead abead, by setting the ship on ber star- board tack and braciug (the yurds saiiors muke the ‘winds that are Opposed to tne course of the ship pro- pel it forward; so Opposing troubles through Clirist, Veoring round the bowsprit of jaitu, will wait you to heaven, wuile if the winds were ubait they might have rocked you to sleep, and while droamiog of the distant heaven you would not have heard the cry of “all hands aboy |” but would have gone crashing into tue breakers. “Again, the subject reminds me that good people sometimes get very much frightened. ‘Thus some good Christian men imagine that the Church is going down of account of infidelity and bau newspapers and the spread of scepticsm. lt won't go down. The world is not going back; it is golug forward, Thon there are Christians who are Irightened about the revivals, thinking there will be o many people in the Charch, 1 also learn -from the text thut Christ 1sGod and man, As | stand in the back purt o/ the boat, looking into His sleeping face, 1 see He is a wan; when I see Him como tor- ward Lo the bow and still the winds and waves by His presence then I see He is God. 1 iearn one more les- 800, and that is that Curist can bush tho tempest. It you had stood on tho shore and lvoked off on that Struggling boat on Galilee you would huve been tempted to say, “Let those sailors go down mto the bold.” But Christ rises, and the wind and the storm tull dead. Some of my Learers may bave a pack of troubl Alas ior the man who ouce bad plenty of inoney but now has for the morning market | No storm e Genesereth like some of the troubles that come over your soul, You awake Christ in tho back part of the ship, He rises up and breathes peace ito your soul. There 1s one storm into which we must all ran, ‘There is a dying Christian rocking on tho shoals of douth, All the spirits of darkness soem to be let loose, for it t# their last chan ‘here is no tremor, no terror, no sighting. Whatis the reason? The fact 1s that irom the back part of the boat the voice rings out, “Wuoen thou passotb through the water | will be with toee,” RECOGNITION AFTER DEATH. REV. NATHAN HOBBELL DISCOURSES ON A SUBJECE VERY INTERESTING 20 TRE BUMAN MIND, At tue Forsyth Street Methodist Episcopal Charch last evening Rev. Nathan Hubbell delivered a gather remarkable sermon on the subject of ‘The Recogni- tion of Friends in Heaven,” ‘he edifice was crowded and the preacher was listened to with profound atten- tion, He said:—In I, Cormthiwns, xii, 12, we fod this passage—‘‘For now we sce through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now 1 know in purt; but then shall | know even as alsulam known.” This soems to my mind to be almost dircctly bearing upon the subject im which we all have such a vital interest. Men in all ages have believed in the Tecoguition of fricnds after death, This idea bas been common to pagan and Jow; all the older nations have held to it incommon, and upon the temples even of anctent Kgypt, washed jor ceuturics by the swift flowing Nile, the undimmod bicroglyphics tell to modern thinkers the belief of those living in the Gloudy past in the recognition of iriends iu immor- tainty. Homer, the Greek poot who lived 900 years before Christ was born, aung of the sweet joys of such recognition al the toils and Jevers of this lilo were over; Socrates and Plato, wuo were culled wise men, and who existed 400 yeurs belore the Christian era, gave to the people tooir adbesion to the belief that friends, lovers and kindred do not pass out of a liie of sympathy wnu love to have their trieudships, common ulnbiviens OF aspirations scattered to the iour wiuds of heaven without recoguitiou or futuro result, ue Hindoo widows were burned with their husbands, in the beliei—a burvarous und savage onc, ib ts truo—tbat When the soul pusses out of tue body It is reunited to und recuguized by the iriends Joved on earth, When the Indian Priuce of Morava died forty-seven of Lis wives, it 18 suid, electeu to be burned with Lim. The Eastern gymaosophists, or barelooted puiiosopbers aud hermits, sent messages to Leuven by persone de, Supposing, througo their terrible superstition, that they could thus mere directly com- municave with their irieads 1 only mention some of these maiters, although many of tem ure revolting to our miudero sense Of religion, tosuew how univer- Bul, MA ayes, bas Luis Lele: been, In every iutel- Jeciual minu—aud | tbiok 1 can say 1b tue majuriny Ot Uotutored minds ulso—iue idea that irienus, kindred aud those conuected vy the noliest of eurtoly ties are to be reuuited prevails, Did Goud — give hose affections aod ideas tv mock us? No, They are wulverse! because they ure truc—us true ay the ex- istence of God or of tue immortality of the soul. Guero, the Kuman oratur, ove hundred years beiure the virth of the Saviour taught it to the people, who hung upon the sweet tidings from his lips with biisstal Tevereuce, ‘iruth gains strengiu with time; not so with error, Hope grows in tue huwuo heart as we grow in grace, aud thus tho idea of a recognition of Iriends in heaven 18 more strony in tue breusis of Saints than io those of sinuers Death is called asleep; but we awake, Shall we awake iu this immortal world aller laculties and lev inteuse desires? Mem- ure will exist, aud will that mewory tail to Jace, the tendor baud, tue geutie voice that choured us ou carth and rendered viessed #0 inany duys aud years? Will not iso tue morcy and goodness of Goa permit the ones who have gone veiore to hasten tuat recoguition aud Clasp Us to tuvir young hearts? AS the suutlest Til leads by the ocean, 6o (ne Stnaliest trugn feaus to God, 1 tnink the universal dewiro Wo Ve ut home aud With our kindred forbids the idea of eternal separation. ‘Tue Jews suid, “Gathered to their futuers.’? Moses died on Alouut Nevo—*yatnerey to ple.” Toe love of Davie and Jouathan, o1 Ruth Naomi—did death quench it? When Moses and as Met on the Mount of Truustiguratiou twey bad beeu away from the world for several hundreds of years, aud they seemed to Know eoch other as tue: living disciples seemed to know them, Une day @ young girt was lameuting that when she passed uway irom earth she should not Know her mother, who had d.ed ta hor iniaucy, Nobody could tell her how sue jooked, even What was the color of her huir, but when the young giri was ou her dean bea she raived her eyes tu beaven und cried, Souther, mother, 1 coming!” ‘The Presbyterian clergyman woo wituessed the scone said he wus satisiled vl the revoy- nition of Iniends th heaven, The vbjecturs to this View say if this doctrine bo true it would be oxpiicitly stated in tue Bible, Not vecessurny. Ibis wot necessary to prove buat t ao suiues, Water rans down bill or tbat the soul of man iw tinwortul, As to the statement that iu heaven there ig to DO NO marriage oF giving In Marriage, My thought 4s, that while this 1s $0, ucourding to our Duman stand- point, that there will be noble sy mpatuivs aud attrac: lions of # higher type than we kuow vb oarth, ulvested bis y of Carnal aud animal passions Some doubters ox- . Press thomselves that we will be like fleeting spirits, floating im the air, with no Mixed aim or purpose. This would be no heaven to me, and I doubt if it would be to any of you. THE DEVIL. HAS HE A PERSONALITY?—sERMON BY REY. DR. MACARTHUR, Rev. Dr. MacArthur, the pastor of the Calvary Bap tist Church in Twenty-third street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, preached last evening to an unusually large congregation, The subject of the discourse was “Ig Thore a Personal Devil,” the text being James iv., T—‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Dr. MacArthur said:— THR SERMON, Tam about to compliment Satan, I propose fora Mttle time to discuss him, The object, however, is not tocomplimont him, bus, if I may be able, to ine struct you. There is among all classes much ignorance in regard to the origin, character and power of Satan, My aim is to avoid merely speculative questions and all technical terms, Thore is some danger lost in such dis cussions we may excito admiration for Satan’s ability apd pity for bis doom. Milton has erred in this respect. Regarded merely as a character of literature the history of Satan is interesting. Of his existence no believer in the Bible or observer of men can for a momentdoubt., He is known in tho Biblo by a great variety of numes. Threo times he iscalled Ruler of this world, #ix times the Evil One, twice at least the ‘Tempter, He is called the God of this world, Beelze- bub, Dragon, Serpent and other names. But chielly he is known undor the two designations—Satan or Adversary, Devil or Accuser, 18 H¥ PERSONAL? Now, the quostion is, Are these Scriptural allusions to be undersivod of a revoaied person, or are they merely a perseoification either of the principle the totality ofeviut ‘The Urst is the almost unanl- mous view of those who believe ip the inspira tion and divine authority of the Bible, the latter i the view of tho great majority of Rationalists and ‘n Unitariaus. Our first proposition 1, there ia a personal devil. We read of the ‘wiles’? of Satan, The master wile is to teach people that there 1s no Satan, He has beon called ‘the great gumester,’! ‘This is his duest game, How delightful a doctrine it would be tw burglars to have the people tuughy that there was no such thing as burglar, that the belief was a fancy, an old — superstti & misinterpretation of newspaper accounts of the digappe icv of goods! jo doubt ali burglars are willing to have the people so believe, No doubt ‘Satan is willing to havo a similar view held in rogard to himself, Taffirm that the Scriptures ascribe to Satan acts and atiribates waich, by uo laws of lan- guage, can be regarded as applicable to a principle, To make tl Ltempt is to introduce coniusion and even nonsense into the Word of God Let us make the ab tempt and see the result, ‘Lhen was Jesus lod up of the spirit to the wilderness to be tempted of ‘the Principle of evil.’ ‘And wnon ‘the principle of evil’ came to him be said,’ &c, ‘Then the ‘princtple of evil’ taketh bim up,” &c, “Ye are ot your father, ‘the uf ovil’”? Many other passages might be quoted. Wherever we find thought we iniera thinker, plan @ planner, design a designer, This it cossury deliverance of the human miud, In many passages tne wiles, the works, the will, the character aud tue fate of Satun are spoken of, As well might you attempt to-devy the persouafexistence of uny charac ter of history not persopaily seen by us as todeny that of Satan, A body of German scholars denied the personal existence of Homer, They iuvented various tneories to account for his poems, It is easier—al- though it has pot yet been doae—to deny bis person- ality than Satan’s, Another proof of the personality ot Satan is to be found in the temptation of Christ Whence came thogo suggestions to evil if there be ng Satan? Was Christ sin ? Then the suggestion was not irom within, You must affirm either that Christ is not sinless or that there is a personal dovil, But it ig said that Christ purposely coniormed to a Jowish superstition, Did Ho? Would He? Ho was truth itself, ‘This was, it un error, a serious one Would Christ sanction it? Christ’s treatment of this doctrine has forover settled the question of the personal existence of Setan, The lan- guage of Scripture with reference to the fate of Satan 1 another proof, He is doomed. Ho is bound for a thousand y: shen set frov tor the last coutlict, and then cast into tho lake of fire and brim- Stoue forever and ever. Such language applied tom priveiple is simple nonsengo, The sume motnods of interpretation applied to otber books than the Bible would all hisvory an absurdity, and would go tar to prove Talleyrana’s saying that language was in- ‘Veuted to conceal thought. THE DEVIL AS A TEMPTER. Our socond statement is thut Satan tempts man, ‘The Biblo is clear on this point. He tempted Jesus, he entered into Judas, he desired to sift Peter, he ope posed Paul. Wo gain nothing by underestimating our enemies. This was the blunder of the Russians inthe early part of the war, They are learning better no’ Satan dared oppose the Omnipotent, He cai transiorm hbimeeclf iuto an angel of light, He has power over ordinary mattor. an aflect the minds nd the bodies o: men. Heo ne playa a bold gam He deceives. “He if a liar from the begim ning.” If maniully opposed he becomes coward, His indirect attacks are dangerous Every man bas bis weak spot, eiso he is wan ull over, Satan bas expericnce. He comes in ‘tras oblique”? When Napoleon was retreating (rom Ruesia he was crossing a trozen lake. The Russians attempted to break the ice; but the balls flew off surtace. They then fired into tho wir, and the do- sconding showers of lead and tron broke the ice into fragments, Tho indirect shot 1s often the worst. Be ou your guard ‘Tbe last thought is, Satan may be overcome, Resist 1s the word, You cannot persuade, You dare not parley. This would be sin. He w mighty; Curist is mights His power is limite temporury, subordinate, Josus vanquished him an deuth and hell, Christ struck the crown from bis brow and the sceptre from bis hand. He is more than a match for you. He is less than a maton for Jesus, yn havo overcome him. “I write unto you, youn; men, because ye have overcome the wicked ous.” Fear not. ‘hose who are for tho Coristian are more than they who are against him. Go Jorward. You shall come off more thaa conquerors if you trust in Curist. Hato Sutan, Desert him. He is doomed, Clingiug to bim you must perish with him, Resist him and he wilt feo trom you. CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY. REY. STRvHEN H. TYNG, JE., D. Dy ON THE BIBLE AND NATURE. In the Church ofthe Holy Trinity, last evening, Rev. Dr. Stephen H. Tyng, Jr., began a series of lectureson “Nature and the Bible’? Tho first lecture in the course was on the san, The text was from Matthew v.,45—“He maketh hig sun to rise on the just and the unjust”? Nature, the rovorend lecturer sald, has a grander mioisiry than may be learned trom the consideration of its mere physical uses, It mirrored the perfection and groainess of the deity and suggested the grandeur and infinity of the hereafter, The universe was God expressed, Kven the etymology ot tne word naturo coufirms this assertion, as the werd nature mount things which aro tocome, The speaker ugreed with Milton’s suggestion, that the ourth is but a shadow of heaven, Attor referring somewnat briefly to the advocates of a mua- terial philosophy, and remarking that thew leader bad recently pronounced the dvom of respousivility he recounted the accepted astrovom- feal data respecting the sun, He dwelt impressively upon tne facts narrated, making use of many homely compurisons to bring ous their fuli force—the ideas of immensity they produced, the greatness of power and space and tim they reflected. Then, when he bad traced the sun’s light to {ts oxtrome limit be told Low other worlds beyoud aro found and space extends still on. These things, ho said, sug- gested eteroity and infinity, as they did God’s oma presence, Everywhere was order and intelligence, As Paul says, “God bath not loft himself without ‘a witness.” Taking the Bible in bis band the reverend gentioman said it Was the key that opened the une verse to the contemplation of those desirous of seek- ing God by his manilestation to men, There are two extremes, bo said, who buve lost it—the savage and the excessively "proud of intellect or “over civilized”? class of invdern times, Repeating several quotations from the sucred buok, he said the vest mony of the Bivlo to objects In Nuturo was like wine dows in the heavens—openiug tho view to things bo- yond. THE EVILS OF PARTY. Rov, J. Hyatt Smith, of the Lee Avenue Baptist Church, Williamsburg, during bis address to his con- gre, ation last ovening upon the evils of “Party Domi. nation,’ gaid that party would damn the United states if it ts ever to bo damned, for the animus of partiog now is to deieat cach other, vo matter by what means or through what men The emancipation of slavery, said he, was not an act of righteous ness, but purely & mattor of state policy, and party. domination willin afew years restore the negro to slavery again in everything except tho term. Wrong 1 and has been done tho Lodian, and ail througn the domination of party over our thiev~ jug, —_ Blealing, lying, truth-deuying nation, In the matter = of choosing our rulers we are govorued more by policy than rignteousness, and Wo afe rotrograding io every principle that make @ stable and an upright government, Vompare th: legislators of tho presunt day tu tuose of even les thao a half century ago, Then the capitol was a smal buiiding with vig mon; now we had a big buildin, with #1 Tuo decorum of the lewwiaiors is 1t was ‘The bonoravie gentleman You lie.” Look wuere you will you will see the same downward tendency, noticeavly iu the recent election. [tis the duty of the pulpit to warn tho people against this, und continue repeating toe ee Uutil the peopie rise above tne influence of parcy. If we cannotuo this as a vation wo are gone, and nono will by leit to do us homage, THE WEEK OF PRAYER, Yesterday was the first day of “tho week of prayer,” on each day and evening of which services of prayer will be hold in every Young Men’s Christian Associa- tion throughout the land, There aro 1,000 Young Mon’s Unristian associations in the United States, with a memvership of over one bund thousand, and in every une of them services wero held yesterday. (CONTINUED ON NINTH PAGER) ‘