The New York herald., 1869-12-27
CHURCH or THE DIVINE PATERNITY.
Christianity and Its Triumphs-Sernon by
Rev. Doctor Chaplin.

Christianity and Its Triumphs-Sermon by
Rev. Doctor Chaplin.
There was an exceedingly small congregation yes
terday morning at this church, ewing, doubt, to
the miserable state OF the weather. Rev. DR.. Cha
pin took the text Of his discourse from the Apostle
Paul's Epistle to the Galatians w., ,b-"But when
the fulness OF the time had come God sent forth HIS
SON. made Of a woman, made under the law TO re-
deem them that were under the law and receive the
adoption Of the Son."
The preacher said that the Apostle Paul IN this
text proclaimed the deliverence Of mankind by
Christ, from all the weak and arbitrary elements OF
the world into the glorious liberty OF
the children Of God. In the passage be-
fore US the Apostle argued against the
Church OF Gaiatia in which Jews and Gentes were
ntermixed; but in dong this although his argu-
ment had specific point ne proclaimed universal
truth. He spoke not only to the Jews and the Gen.
tiles, but empnatcally TO all mankind. Before the
coming OF Jesus Christ IN one sense, not only the
Jews were under the law, but the Gentiles also.
Paul proceeded to illustrate this by alusion to the
hope OF adoption He the preacher said, then, that
referred TO the state OF mankind al large In the
first place the Apostle Paul spoke OF the fulness OF
the time THIS phrase possessed ,woroid slgnin-
ment No event. not even an event in what was
termed sacred history, was absolutely Isolated.
the world before Christianity. The Jews
| and the Gentlles were led up TO II, and not
WltuhLdnulhg all the OppOsItOn Lnat $1,000 up against
| ~ the Gospel triumpned as witness OF its truth.
Ihe Jew prophesied about II. The welding Of many
nations into one great socety, the evangellzaon OF
the world by physical agencies the advance OF civi-
| llZ6ton, the reign OF peace-al these conditions
made ready Tor y so that when Christ came into the
world ~ was the funesa OF time from state Of
human preparation. But we should, after ali, dis
tinguish between the conditions In which the fact
appeared aud the fact itself. Preparations that
brought down the mountain and filled up the valley
did not produce the advent. The soil ploughed up
did not create the mustard seed aud make Is
grow into tree under whose ample folds
the 1owls OF the hr might nnd shelter. The
fulness OF the time mad come when, by Gods own
appointment, ChTistianltJ was contaminated by HIS
decree. 1t grew from no form OF Greek philosophy
or Roman enterprise. ~ came only when God sent
forth Ills Son. That fact was not a development;
II was a revelation. But this revelation came NOT as
an abstract system but az person. IL was not the
utterance OF truth or the nrst promulQation OF q
system that we claimed for this event. hut the birth
OF person. Christianity, then, was Christ and
| Christ was Christianity. No other system was 30
identlned with person az Its founder. In any other
System we might take away the founder OF the struc-
ture ana yet the system would remain; but remove
jesus Christ from the Gospel and Il was no
where; the popularity OF personal redeemng
force would be lost, No abstract truta would nave
sent tne Apostles into the world TO proclaim the
Gospel TO every creature. was no mere system OF
theology that made Paul 20 into the midst OF perse-
this II was the fresh reality OF One who was born
and VINO lived among men, and who suffered and
dled ior them. No system OF philosophy, no elo
quent literature could move the heart OF man IN It's
deepest pulses like Christianity. we never could
organize society; VIC never could TeQenNratc IL Dy