The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-10-25
LOCAL DEPARTMENT.
Church Services Yesterday.
TIE NINTH STREET METHODIST PRoTEsTAN

hccOiuinR 10 announcements, tnc pastor,
Rev. DR.. Drinkhouse, preached on "The
Way Of Life" taking for his text, morning
and night, Matthew, 1924; "Then said
Jesus unto his disciples If any man will
come AFTER me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross and follow me-"
The speaker said that the Christian, from
the peak Of his position, took a horizon view
OF the church and the world, as In some
sense mutually dependent-thc church upon
the world as the subjects over whom II must
gain spiritual victory, etc., and the world
upon the church, not only as a mere external
Organization, q kind Of moral police, but as
a great spiritual power-the depository Of all
mans hopes OF Immortal life, &c. The de-
fects OF church organizations were statei,
calling for a new baptism Of all evangelical
denominations, giving to every member the
"sun-clad armor" Of pure heart and life.
In deceit, darkness, and disingeuuousness
Of the world In Its harsh judgments Of the
Christian faith and character, we find men
cherishing the most childish conceits and
contemplate objections to the Christian rei-
gion, and rejecting as of little worth the
most convincing facts and indisputable evil
dences. The phases Of scepticism were no.
ticed. IL fosters that base habit of mind
which seeks for a preteuce-covets a doubt
makes refuge Of a lie, that 1t may parry
the strokes Of the convicting spirit, and
harden the heart against the truth, as II is
10 Jesus. fruitless and an endless task to
follow up all these. It would be to refute
for the thousandth time the fllsehoods aud
sophisms Of the historic page of yolney,
Hume, and Gibbon; to wade through the
sneers and inconsequent arguments of Paine
and Taylor. 1t Is idle to hold controversy
with that large class, Of whom Baxter said.
"Whcn you silence them, they are never the
more convinced. And when they can give
you no reason, they will give you their reso-
luton" We shall notice few objections
as representative, which men seize with
avidity, as reasons % why they cannot em-
brace the offers Of our holy religion.
The speaker then took up the peculiar
doctrines Of the Bible The vexed and WELL
worn question Of election, whether personal
or national, conditional or absolute; the
Trinity OF the Godhead; the mystery of the
Incarnation, and spiritual regeneration.
Many profess that their peace aud decision
Of mind are strangled by these peculiar doc
trines, and they strive to make an obscure
truth responsible for their neglect of duties
too plain to be misunderstood. Several of
these obscurities were elaborated and ex-
planned. 1t was shown that because we can
not understand the whole of given thiDg Is
no reason why we should not endeavor to
understand and accept what we can OF Il.
The mystery Of a strange language Is mas
tered by acquiring first Its alphabet and root
forms, and the sincerity OF the students
wish, In this direction, may be fairly ques-
TONED who refuses SO to begin the solution.
And we put the same form OF statement to
the man who processes an honest desire to
become Chrstian-det up 10 pltat you knor,
or abandon at once the shallow pretence.
As 10 mysteries in the Bible, 1t has been well
said sour little island of knowledge is EN-
bosomed In an ocean Of mysteries-they lie
oil about US. You cannot take a step with
out planting your foot on mystery"
Notice was now taken of another point:
The diversity Of opinions among Chris
tians OF multiplied religions" There Is diff
ference between q straight line and crooked
one. We learn the distinction between things
by comparison-their genuineness by apply
Ing the proper tests. A wooden nutmeg Is
detected by grating it; and the position we
take Is that men are not honest or willing
to be taught when they assert that they can
not distinguish the true from the false re-
lgions, or make differences of doctrinal opin-
Ion among Christians an excuse for rejecting
Christ. Mr.. Nelson gives a strong and strik-
Ing example. Sir" said he, to q neighbor,
what do you think of the precepts Of the
Biblel" He looked up with a sneering coun.
tenance and said, "Mahomet had a Bible,
which do you meant am au ignorant man,
and can't tell which Is right" Here was a
man pretending that he could not tell the
difference In point oftruth bet ween the Koran
and the Bible; and yet Mr.. Nelson found that
though professedly ignorant you could not
pass counterfeit coin upon him; nor could
any OF his neighbors oyerreach him In bar
gain. Aud sure enough, how could go igno-
rant a man be able to know whether Christ
or Mahomet was divinei You anticipate
me. II he had given u 1.-THE of the time
spent In qualifying himselfto Judge of money,
he might easily have known the difference.
ls not this the truth lie did not rant I,
kaop.
Next the speaker enlarged upon the in
constituencies Of professed religious men.
The eagle eye Of the fault-hnder is ever OF
the alert. In religion II Is true with
double emphasis. The common form Of
cavil Is, off your Christianity cannot re
strain Its followers from this inconsistent
and that hypocrisy, then I must forego III
reception" That there are those In the
churches who pay tribute to God that they
may the better Impose upon men, may not
be doubted-men who pedde their piety and
parade their pretensons, flashing In scarlet
and braying like n trumpet. Many of these
charges are utterly false, and the objection
has no force whatever unless 1t can be
shown that Christianity has guaranteed the
prevention OF such lL1rmites of character
and false professions. The contrary is New
Testament teaching. We are warned of the
coming Of Just such, and 1t Is well to re.
member the proposition that thing is liable
to be counterfeited Just In proportion to its
value and genulneness. Men do not coun.
terfeit the notes Of a broken bank. A Span
lard, We are Informed, became interested on
the subject of religion. He went to Rome t
be taught. There he saw the chief teacher,
Of religion plunged In all kinds of excess
Upon bis return he reported to a friend
"Well, them" said his friend, 81 suppose
that upon this finding you abandon all
thought OF becoming a Christian ear
from it," was the response; 81 have con.
cluded that religion which could survive SO
many centuries In spite OF the folles and
sins OF its teachers must be divine" And
this Is the conclusion Of every right-miuded
man.
The speaker next took up the love of con
troyersy. How many there are who whcr
the subject OF religion Is preached you nevel
ind "of guard" They are ready to spin out
thread Of controversial verboslty as fragile a
1t Is unendlng. You see It to be cheat, a
much so as the bandaged arm of the profes.
slonal beggar. The speaker concluded the
morning sermon with the proposition tha
no man can seek the religion of Jesus, The
crucihed and risen Saviour, with mind and
heart willing TO be taught and guided by the
spirit and word of God, and not ultimately
Hnu tulb pearl OF great price,
The discourse at night was resume aud
particular exposition of the text itself, In
which the simplicity and rcasonableness Of
the gospel plan were demonstrated through
the following points;
/. A sincere desire to follow Chrlst-"If
any man will come after me-
2. We are to renouucc self-dependence
and selfish pursuits "Lct him deny himself"
0. We are to embrace gospel conditions
and meet without shrinking gospel RESPONSE
billties-"And take up his cross"
4. We are In all things to initiate Christ
land follow me-"
sBRviCEs AT ST. ALOYsITs CHURCH
Yesterday morning were largely attended, 1t
being very difficult to seat the numerous per-
sons 10 attendance. The occasion was the
opening Of the jubilee ceremonies for the
ensuing week. 1t had been previously an
nounced that Rev. Father Mcguire, of
Georgetown College, would deliver a sermon
at the II O'Clock mass, but he did not appear
and the sermon was preached by Rev. DR..
O'Connor, formerly Bishop Of Plttsburg.
The text chosen was from the 10th chap
ter of 81. Matthew, as follows: "For what
doth It profit a man If he gain the whole
world and suiior the loss of his own soul /;
or what exchange shall man give for his
soul" After brief reference to the errors