The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1867-10-07
LOCAL DEPARTM EN- T.

LOCAL DEPARTM EN- T.
CHuRoH SERVICES YEsrERpAY.- The
morning dawned bright and beautiful, and at an
early hour the places Of worship wore thronged
veil attended. and there va, but little diminu.
tion of nsnbsrs In those attending the evening
services. We give . synopsis Of sermons, I'D
dresses, TO-, Of those We attended:
ST. PkvL's LUTHERAN CHURCH
Il attended largely BY young men. Last night
the pastor, Rev. Mr.. Butler, preached especially
to the young upon the nets In which The young
are taken, from Proverbs l. II: "sursly in
vain the net Is spread In the sight Of any bird.
God teaches man, said the preacher, BY the
bird and the OF, the ant, the spider, the locust,
and the comics, BY the grass aud the lilies.
Gods other book, a. we'll the Bible, is fol Of
lessons and living tesohsrs. The Great Teacher
would have us learn faith, confidence, trust in
our Heavenly Father, from the flowers and the
sparrovs. Though the text speaks Of the bird,
the lesson II teaches Is for man. The servants
Of Christ arc called from their boats and their
nets 10 catch men. The Kingdom Of Heaven is
as net cast into tho sea. Mans enemy, the
Devil, catches men, too. Multitudes are
sntangled In his meshes every day. II Is cain
to spread the net In the sight Of any bird The
sight Of the net is the signal for hight. But
men run ucnpofhteiy into oAssn hoest hos
blindly, but with their eyes open.
Mr.. b. spoke Of youth - the time whom men
are generally csught-snared. The destiny Of
most mon, for time and eternity, Is usually fixed
before the suns Of twenty summers have shone
upon them. They have arrived at that point In
lies journey from which the two roads diyerge ::
the one, Of truth, justice and piety, leading to
peace, and purity, and heaven tho other, Of
unbsiisf and irreligion, and sslhshness, and lust
leading 70 disease, and disgrace, and ruip--etsr-
nal torment. The one, In tho Scriptures, Is
spoken Of % the way Of life, and the other as
the way Of death.
The speaker proposed to point out some Of the
nets spread In tho sight Of mon, and In which
our fellows ere shared every day. One Of them
II Idsnsss, arising often from wrong estimates
Of the honor aad dignity Of labor. Slavery has
degraded labor In our land and inspired pride
which feels dissrsosd by soilsd hands and the
sweat Of the brow and daily toll It has begot-
ter an sristocracy not Of worth, but to large
degree worthless aristecraoy, become indolent
and proud and luxurious--a race not Of produ.
GERS, but Of consumers. God has dignifed the
labor from which He rested. The Son Of God,
the carpenters son, probably Himself laborsd at
His fathers Workbench, aud In the Divine econ.
omy II 10 ordained that he that will not work
shsll neither enjoy food nor health nor peace.
Every creature Of God has o mission In life
. work TO do-a work Of body or mind. probably
both. To evsry young man and woman the
preacher would say. do something, avoid idle
ness and do that thing earnestly and successfully
for which your talent and culture and position
At you. Do not suppose that you must be q
professional man In order to DO respectable. In
ali the professions are mon who can never rise to
msdiocfity, but who would excel as laborers or
artisans or merchants or farmers or bankers.
Put mon to work, said the preacher, give them
something to do, and the women ton, and you
L.. a .t.ks s,A alt
and morals Of the community. We shall have less
busy bodies less gossip, less disease, less sharp
srs, lsss gentlemen, falsely so-callsd. high
compliment was paid to the host Of noble Amer
lean women, who as wives and mothers, teach.
ers, authors, and missionaries among the poor
and frisndless-who bound up the wounds Of our
fallen braves, and many Of whom now with the
true martyr spirit labor among the ignorant but
needy and tsaohable poor, regardless Of race or
color.
Ill.assortsd marriages were spoken OF a. one Of
the mats in which the young are shared. Tho
number Of divorces, 10 say nothing Of the thou
sands who, to avoid the disgrace, cover up the
wrstshsdpsn Of homo, furnish . fearful comment
upon this danger. The root Of the difficulty lies
back Of the marriage, and the words Of the ofioi-
ating Minister: 1t Ia In the training Of the boys
and girls who are to DO the husbands and wives
Marriage Is norabls-God's institution. Cow
per we'll calls
Domestic happiness the only bliss
0fPaIadise that has survived the fall -
But, alas that industry, and truth, and frugsliy,
and forbsarance, and kindness. and sslf.contrO,
and piety arc not inoulcatsd at home, upon
which all domestic bliss must DO built. We need
home religion TO ft our sons and daughters for
the responsible and trying and blessed relation Of
husband and wife. Under the impulse Of what
the young suppose TO DO love, which Is the only
home bond that can survive all change, they rush
MT Thu all uithaut ttf0untinR
the cost" Mos. people marry too young. Judg.
mont 10 held In allegiance, and passion sways the
hour Wisdom from on high 10 not sought The
sons Of God and the daughters Of men indis.
oriminatsly marry. Christ Is not invited to the
marriage FEAST there Is NO bowling together at
the mercy scat; no closet altar NO home altar no
walking together in the commandments and ordi-
nanoes of the Lord. Soon inoongenialities are
discovered, and infelioitiss arise Soon the once
happy pair End themselves insufficient for the
battle Of responsible life; their hopes are wan
Ing. and finally sstrangement, and looks, and
words, other than the inspirations Of love, and
life 10 wrecked, and the iniquites Of the fathers
are visited upon the children.
Social epjoyments, as vino and cards, the
dance and tho billiard saloon, the opera and
theatre, were spoken Of - the most common
some Of them the most speoious and most dan
gerous nets in which the young arc caught.
The young man, In his heart, says the minister
and the church ana ronBion are oPposou 10 my
happiness. They do not understand the buoyant
hopes and social wants Of the young, or surely
they would SEQ no harm In glass Of wine, a
game Of cards or billiards, q paIlor dance, the
rich music Of the opera, or q moral drama This
plausible reasoning, said Mr.. b., has ensnared
many noble young man and lovely young lady.
I stood, said he, upon the banks Of the Ohio
river not long SINCE and saw little boat, with
It's two oarsmen, sweeping down with the cur.
ront, despite hard labor at the oars, until the
thoughtful mon pulled out Of tho current into
the eddies BY the shore. These social pleasures
arc the currents which lead not to the closet,
nor the sanctuary, nor to the narrow way. Tho
young Christian In vain tries TO stem them In
working out his salvation. He huds but little
sympathy In his souls work among their sup.
porters and his only safetyis to pull out Of these
currents-out loose from these associations, which
never made any ono better, but have ruined
Thousands. Eternity alone will reveal the bleach.
ing bones Of mortals who have been wrecked by
the wine cup and card table, and the dance and
theatre, even though 1t have thrown around 1t
the garb Of an slevstsd an elsVating musical
There 10 but one refuge from all these nets,
and that refuge Is our inearnate Rsdssmsr.
1The foar Of the Lord Is the beginning Of wis
dom" "Whsrewithsl shall young man choose
his wsyl by taking heed thereto according s