The national Republican., 1867-05-11
THE METROPOLITAN PULPIT.

Chapel our place Of worship, and in enter
ing this sanctuary we found large, intel
hgent, and waiting congregation, mainly
made up Of young and middle-aged people
This society was organized and the 6rsi
church edihce was built upon the present
site in 1929. The present structure was
erected in 1856, and the audience.room
with galleries, will accommodate very
large congregation. On Sabbath morning
II was well filed. There is one feature
connected with seats in this church which
is highly commendable, and that is they
are free. No one is obliged to wait in the
vestibule or about the doors until some
one invites him to q pew; but each indi
vidual, high or low, walks to q seat with
the full consciousness that he is in the
house Of God, and that here, as well as by
the master Himself there is no respecter
Of persons.
The society worshipping in Wesley chapel
has been for many years the leading church
Of the Methodist denomination in this city;
and in point Of influence is now second to
none in the connection. Many strangers
visit this church, and during the sessions ol
Congress very many distinguished men
may be seen mingling in the congregation.
Chief Justice CHASE is constant worship
per here.
The present number Of communicates at
Wesley chapel is about four hundred and
fifty. The Sabbath-school has between
four and five hundred pupils, and d. A.
BURR, esq, is the superintendent. We
could gil several columns Of our paper with
interesting details of this church, showing
that its members are engaged in every
good work, and how the efforts Of pastors
and people have from time to time been
blessed. 1t is not our object, however, to
dwell upon this particular topic, but more
especially TO describe the services we wit.
messed on the occasion of our visit.
The minister in charge of this church
and congregation is Rev, Or. A. II. AMEs,
who is, SO far as we can judge, quite a.
young man. He may possibly be thirty
Eve years Of age, but not more; and seems
TO be in the prime Of his usefulness and
power. He is, we believe, o graduate Of
Dickinson College, and he took partial
course at the University Of Virginia. He
gives evidence Of ripe scholarship thorough
training and careful preparation for his
great mission. With DR.. ASEs, however
and we judge from the single effort Of his
to which we listened on Sunday-the aim
is not to display his learning, but to so
preach that he may win men. His sermon
was delivered er tempore-the best method,
in our judgment, for pulpit discourse.
There is nothing like direct talk to men
about the interests Of their souls. What
may be lost in compactness and approved
style is more than made up in effective
ness. Choice language, rounded periods,
orpateness Of style, are all agreeable, but
these things do not move the hearer as
surely as those direct appeals when the
speakers eye takes in the congregation at
q glance, and well-timed gesture gives
force to the utterance which might other
wise be lost upon the dull ear Of some
drowsy man. HENRY WARD BEEcHER's
best utterances are purely extemporane-
GUS; and It was so with his great father,
and has been so with all great orators, in
and out Of the pulpit. But we did not
mean to write an essay upon extempora-
neous preaching, only to express our pref
erence for the er tempOre method.
DR.. AMEs sermon on this occasion was
somewhat, both as to manner and matter,
out Of the beaten track, showing that he
follows his own methods and does his own
thinking His text was from Romans,
sixteenth chapter and twentieth verse:
"And the God of Peace shall bruise Satan
under your feet sharply" The sermon
had one purpose, which was to set before
the hearer the doctrine that there is o per-
sonal devil that this personal devil is q
being Of much power, but that this power
shall at length be broken, and Satan him
self destroyed. The preacher met the OBJ
lection to the notion of the personality of
Satan by showing that both reason and
the Scriptures assert the Identity of such
being that it is as easy to disprove the
existence OF personal God as q personal
devil The argument was clearly stated,
aptly and forceably illustrated, and well
sustained throughout The speaker as
sured his hearers that however the devil
may at times worry and perplcx and !,
most destroy the Church of God, " . :,
Sha'! no. triumph but shall himself ~ -
umphed over by those-if faithfr ~ -'ho, -
he now essays to destroy,
We learn that DR.. AMEr
teemed by the people of :. 's inueh
that his brethren in the ms charge, III
in high estimation. ~ ministry hoIo nj
5ouont and GOV sains the reputation of
HotoS ~ tLo nest Christian, always ,
nigh purposes of his calling.
Couo. BULLETIN, MAY 3.-Detached
~ .mander A. @. Rhind, from comma
4 IL