The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-18

"rhe Liberty Which Christ Gives''-Serm
hY the Rev. DIR. naems.

by the Rev. DIR. Deems.
owing to the intense heat OF the weather yester.
day the congregation at the Church or the Strangers
was not az large a. usual although there was still
goodly number present DR.. Deems, the popular
pastor, preached very able and eloquent sermon
upon the subject Of "The Liberty Which Christ
Gives" and selected his text from the first verse OF
sixth chapter Of the Episte to the GalatiansStand
fast, therefore, In tho liberty wherewih Christ has
made us free" The first intent OF this letter from
Paul to the Galatians to correct false impression
which had been made concerning himself, and the
next to set his brethren right on the great question
Of salvation. After he had left them teachers came
who, TO break his for declared that he was not in
the apostolic success His contempt for such q
succession was inn .rable. He was an Apostle
not made by man, bearing the signs OF Jesus
and that ~as be- nan any OF their ''successions"
When al mes surprisingly great
ECCLESIASTICAL DILETrANTI
begin to 4. mime his credentials and to inquire
whether he is doing everything ''orderly and ac-
cording to "constituion" as If personal great.
ness were not its own crelentia; as If any had
not right to do any great Or beautiful or good
thing he had the power 70 do. All this opposition
was from that set and stereotyped characteristic OF
Judaism which, when Jesus appeared, had made
that religion poweress to do good any longer Jesus
Christ brought liberty. He ireed the world. He
lung the shut gates open. The Judaizing teachers
Were striving TO pull the free Christians back to the
bondage OF forms and ceremonies, a ritual and
saccrdotal rule. Paul urges them TO stand fast in
the liberty wherewith Christ has made us Tree. The
Doctor urged that Jesus did not Introduce or
courage icentiousness. He made men free from
"entanglementsn aud 'bondagen not from law
being obedient TO law. Men had not been
FREE TO SERVE GOD.
The sense OF guilt which comes to every man who
Is conscious of having signed is in the way OF tins
Sn thnf M mi tint, Of ~ &c
vice is .'the faith which WORKS by loven Guilt
breaks faith. We cannot trust fully one toward
has wronged God ana there has been no reconcllia-
uon, ne cannot trust God nor work lovingly Tor the
interests OF God, no matter what his ideas of the
goodne. 8 OF God may be. That is the load which
Jesus lts He demonstrates to the world the loving
ness Or tue Heavenly Father towards the erring
child and His desire to have His chlldren's love-
ana thus makes reconciliation possible and faith
strong, anu love sweet and active. That Is one
reason why such fiighttul sinners become such
radiant saints when they are converted It is the
rebqund. The load hich pressed them falls, tie
mar q {9 Ea, yhGh b2a9 aem breaks
NOT only the enlargement of guilt. which is at
once memory and a coDsciousnes s, but the ell
tang'cment or loving to sin and of forming sinful
THE OFFERING OF JESUS
1of the sns OF the world sets sin IN such urid light
and makes tie beauty OF holiness so conspicuous
that il aus being lifted ND draws men unto Himself
The love OF q noble human being however Distant
lifts man, and makes him feel i horror whenever
he thinks OF letting himself down below the
place OF that love. Many a man wants to serve Goa
and cannot, because OF his sinful habits. 1t Is the
knowledge Of Jesus which proves an attraction
stronger than the fascination OF sin. The love of
Jesus breaks the chain and sets free do right
Jesus for the power He imparts 70 men OF breaking
the enlan.s ement OF prejudice, that bad habit or
reaching and acting upon decisions that have no
JESUS WAS AN 1coNocLAsr.
He broke the idols and images. He taught that the
manhood o. man was inside In character and heart,
not in Office Or profession. Pharisee or publican
phylactery or punic, priest or centurion, all these
were nothing, but truth and courage and faith and
love were everything. And you cannot tell by a
mans birthplace, or prOfessed creeds official
on OF these ss he has saint
priests breastplate. IL is not the imperial purple
nor the urium and thummim, but the mani Jesus
account OF nationality or position. The Roman was
free to enter the HOlest Of Holesn and the Jew
was free to roam the world and preach the gospel OF
love to every creature.
Ii was lastly shown how Jesus had set US
.G FREE FROM CHuRcHISM.
by that word the Doctor said lie meant all those
ideas OF close corporation IN which oil were saints
and outside OF which all Sinners possessing cor
porate powers to refuse grace or confer and trans
nit grace. He did not believe such q thing existed
although he knew there were o score OF different
saa man e ae was sure t that Jesus came partly
illustrated 1t at some length as In circumcision and
the Sabbath laws OF the rigid Pharisees and the ne
cessLy OF worshipng in the temple at Jerusalem.
Jesus set men free rom all these things, and Paul
taught that I'm Jesus Christ neither circumcision
tNdiIoU aHyC0lLK nor uIlClTCuInClaO0, DuC faith,
which worketh by love-" that, being in the Churcn
mere Observance OF rites would not save man,
nor could any man, on the other side. boast that he
gains by not being in the Church, that being or out
was mere circumstance; but If any man led a life
wholly animated by
FAITH IN GOD,
which Was active and which was not the result OF
logic, not belief reached merely by demOnstra
ton, but was the product OF love, and was kept
working by love. Then he alluded to the liberty
wherewlth Christ made us free. Men do not love
Jesus because they believe In Him, do not love God
IN HIM In
cause they love Him. "With the heart man believes
unto righteousness" Being freed from guilt and sin
and the power OF prejudice and reliance upon mere
forms, man thus mas all his faculties sfree" to
serve God. There Is no bond in heaven or earth 30
strong 10 h0ld so sweet to wear so hard to break
love. The perfection Of love is the perfection Of
liberty.
In conclusion the Doctor alluded to this being the
anniversary OF the day on which he had begun to
peach in the University, and made touching aiuslOn
TO the growth and prosperity and unanimlty In his
church. IL il understood that this congregation are
to occupy new church In the fall