The New York herald., 1870-02-07
CHURCH or THE DIVINE PATERNITY.

Facts and Figures About the Church.
Fashions and Fiowers-Thc sabbath school
and Bible Ciass-Rev. DIR. Chapn,s Sermon
Yesterday.
or the many temples erected in New York wherein
To worship God perhaps The Uniyersalist church
locaIed on the corner Of Filth avenue and Forty
filth street may he set down as among the most
prominent, both in point or architectural beauty
and the fashionable ana wealthy character OF those
VINO most do congregate therein. large proper
iion OF the rank, beauty ana fashion OF the avenue
contributes towards the support and maintenance
OF the church and its popular pastor, Rev. Dr.
Chaplin. and on every fine sunsnny Sabbath, as was
the case yesterday, the interior or the cdifce is
jammeo and crowded with lne fair worshippers at
the shrine OF fashion. decked out in the
most gorgeous and costly toilets, and impartng
quite q refreshing and enlivening feeling. The
church can scat comfortably 1900 persons
and its estimated value now Is $500, ,ooo the income
from pew rents being $22,500 annually. The church
was organized IN 1888, ana Dr. Chapln first oiciated
IN the building now kn0wnlas st. Andrews Catholic
church in Duane street. In 1865 the Church OF the
Divine Paternity was built, when DR.. Chaplin at
once commenced his pastorate over 1t and has con-
tnued to do SO to this me Attached to the church
ls an elegant and commodious Sabbath school, in
which 300 scholars taught. Besides this there Ia
. Bible class OF nifty young people, ranging from
eighteen TO twenty years old. Messrs. d. D. T. Mar
shall and James Cushing Jr teach this class.
Among the prominent members OF the church and
who are almost continually to be found in their
places on Sundays are the folow1ng:-Horace Gree
ley, +. T. Barnum, Calls p. Huntington Jason G;
Clarke, Abner Mellon, John II. WILCOX, Joseph A.
Jameson, J. A. RODsden, Colonel Opdyke Charles f.
Goodhue, Charles q. TenL George Hoffman.
EDWARD Ellsworth, John H. Harbeck, Lemuel
Smith, Samuel r. Peters, Benjamin F. Bush,
william II. Coventry war,ieT 4. T. Sherman Sias
Herring. Jacob Weeden, c. d. Cook j. o. Rhines
ana others.
DR.. Chaplin took the text OF his discourse yes-
terday morning from the Epstle to the Ebhes,ans
", 1:-"Be We. therefore, followers OF God and His
dear children" The preacher said that the injnpc.
ton OF an arbitrary law not expressed IN the
words OF tue Text On the contrary, 1t rested upon
reason. he doubted not however, that there were
many people to whom religion was matter OF DIM
cnlty-hard 70 understand. And perhaps such peo-
pie had some reason for this from the fact that
religion itself had been presented before them in a
vague manner and decked ont with useless f0rn,a-
ties. In the text We had the essence OF religion
stated IN u few words. Ii was q solid com
pleie mass but contained various phenomena
OF different characters, which might be clas.
sihcd. There was another stage OF IL
which was more comprehensive and 4
newer view. Modern science mad still more dis
tiagushcd this subject BY the assertion of the fact
that all these phenomena spring from one source
Being. We all mad knowledge and experience or the
fact that the highest idea OF was the state OF
child. .Except ye become little children We cannot
enter the kingdom OF beaven.o Whatever Pops or
council or Church might say the individual asser
t0n OF reason bY man up 10 the extremist polpt Of