The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-08-23
ST. PATaIcx's CATHEDRAL.

Sermon BY Rev. Father STAIRS, v. q.
At the forenoon service yesterday at the Roman
Catholic Cathedral In Mulberry street q very i'm
pressive sermon was preached by Rev. Father
STAIRS from the sixth chapter OF ST. Matthew, TWEEN
tyfOurth to thirty third verses"No man can serve
two masters for either ne win hate the one and love
the other or else he will hold to the and despse
the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon," &c.
You cannot, said the reverend speaker, serve two
masters; the service Of God 10 incompatible with
the service OF the world. Look at the example given
you by the Apostles. You have the same opportu-
nifty, you have the same means they had. They had
to encounter the great enemies OF in this life
the world. the flesh and the devil-and they con-
quered them. You have the same faith, the same
master to follow, the same means OF sanctifcation
they had; and the same reward Is offered to you.
God offers You everything you require Yet he says
"But seek ye first the Kingdom OF God and
his righteousness. and all these things shall be
added until you." God created man IN his own
image and endowed him with a soul. He created
him for the special purpose OF obtaining heaven.
Heaven should be the object Of all mans actions It
should be the object OF all his labor. all his TOLL all
his thoughts. But II GOD created man In hts own
image he required him first to seek the kingdom OF
heaven: II man does not do SO he does not fu1l
the end for which he was created. The trials and
suferngs az life to which man Is subjected from the
G s saS s 20 here
but for few years, and then pass away Therefore
we must serve God instead Of the world; the SER
w
1t that nammon is sought after rather than the
kingdom Of God2 Why is r that the pleasures and
enOyments Of life are sought rather tnan the King
dom Of heaven 1t ID the spirit OF the world. It Is
the spirit that leads to eternal damnation But still
it is the spirit that prevails throughout the world.
Why Is # that the people of the world In gene
raj would rather serve the world than
serve GOdf 1t Is for the want OF under
standing these things which Christ has written
for the sanctihcation OF our souls; Il is Tor
the want of true faith; for the want Of . desire
to follow the Gospel OF Jesus Christ, which alone
VIII lead US to eternal happiness The text tells
us:-"BehOd the fowls OF the air, for they SOW not,
neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet
much better chan theyf Any why take We thought
for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how
they grow. They toll not, neither do they spin.
And yet say unto you that even Solomon In oil hts
FORE II God cotne the grass Of the field which to-
day s and Is cast INTO the oven, shall he
not much more ciOthe your Oh, We OF little fifth ~
Let us then serve God rather than the world; let
the service Of God be supreme in our eyes. Let us
do tins, and all other things that we require shall be
added; food and ralment shall be given US; our
heavenly Father will sec to Man Ii not created
for this world, or for the service OF the world. He
Is created to love ana serve God IN this life In order
to be forever happy with him In the next. Let us
then first seek the Kingdom Of God during life. Let
us remember we were created for that purpose. Let
be faithful here to the service OF God and we VIII
have even In this life all those blessings which
necessary for u.s. ana hereafter we will enjoy eternal
happiness
Previous to the sermon Father STAIRS called the
attention OF the alton to the establishment OF
an infant asylum or founding hospital In this city,
which will open next October under the charge OF
siIy that existed for sucn an institution he notified
the congregation that any donations for the support
OF this charitable project would be received by any
Of the religious institutions throughout the city.