The New York herald., 1870-05-23
CHURCH OF The STRANGERS.
The LORDS Scavenscrs-Keep Aiive-Serm0n
by the Rev. Dr. Deems.

The LORDS Scavenscrs-Keep Aiive--SermOn
by the Rev. Dr. Deems.
large, fashionable and highly intelligent audi
cnce assembled yesterday In the Church OF the
strangers to hear discourse by the Rev. DR.. Deems.
The text was selected from Matthew XIV, rs
'Wheresoever the carcase is there Will the eagles
be gathered togeiher.n DR.. Deems thought that
this passage was often misapplied, as when il was
supposed TO mean that wherever there's game there's
hunter or wherever there's chance for SHINING
cheating, cheaters would be found ready. He
believed there was deep, general truth In these
words OF Jesus, which he should try TO bring cut.
Men often complain OF their bencfac tors--such as
nies, worms caterpillars and some birds like buz-
yards, that follow an army. Rust fermentation,
cor upton are offensive. They are not nce but
they are useful We should be surprised II we could
leirn how many scayengers God employs, and that
some nice things did this unnice work OF cleaning
up Gods beautiful world. The deaths we mourn
over are merely the getting out OF the Of things
no longer useful. Nothing dies that is useful; but
when Its functions have been discharged 1t dies and
is removed Then the first thing we learn s that
GOD is THE GOD OF CLEAN LIFE.
He can't bear u corpse-a dead, useless thing.
And he can't bear waste. All the flies around the
markets eat up the matter which in It's decay would
breed disease. And even II there are no flies the
decay will thro the clements into other combina-
tons This very disease, that comes OF what call
miasma Is proof OF the activities engaged In using
up what otherwise would be waste ana always be
fostering ana producing oaensiveness Gods good
mills are always sent.y grinding filth into beauty
and making everything finer. the dead horse
the batL!c neld attracts the ugly buzzard and the
carcase Il consumed; but even live buzz rd is bet
Ter tlian deal horse. 50 q ny, whose WINS are
beautiful when examined IN che microscope, bet.
ter than the decayng vegetable nbres or animal
muse on the markel stal. God cleans up the uni
but does not waste or anni6llate. The second
lesson Is tliat 10 keep from pcng carried OFT
WE MUST KEEP ALIVE.
The vultures hover around putrerying man who
can parry them OK at te they see tnas nat his l
strength . mas lased Boy pynnce on him. God las
But our most beautiful friepds, Kept to the last em.
balmed, locked In aif-tignt caskels, put away III
marhe sepulchres, wnere no bird or worm can reach
them, do, nevertheless corrupt-that ts set loose
their elements for new combinations. God has put
inside US what wll change the dead into the living.
IL must be carried away. so with
DEAD MEMBER or SOCIETY.
While he is actively alive lie keeps his place. When
he succtmbs 10 death he must be carried away lie
cannot hide himself iron the carrion crows. SO
with all dead Institutions, such as dead churches.
They may have members, wealth, fine edigces, but
the LORD cannot spare place for % dead church any
more than the husbandman for dead tree II you
want 10 keep your candtestick from being moved
out OF It's place the light must b, Kept shining
When anything becomes utterly useless to US we
throw IL away. The Lord never throws anything
away He gathers up these very dead churches
and transmutes them into something useful as he
changes the vegetable deposits into COAL But 1t is
no longer church any more than the coal Is still
leaves OF tropical plants so with a dead nation.
When any nationality dies ceases to be civiizer.
no longer discharges the function Of its individual
nationality, IL Is carried away BY process which
reproduces It, so the Old empires OF Nineyeh and
Babylon; 30 Greece; 50 the Jewish people. That
nation was to discharge the functions Of theocracy.
When they would no. u0d let the eagles in on them.
The Lord was never In love with any elect nation
or man or woman, that He would preserve the
corpse. He Is no sickly sentimentalist He loved
the Jews, but when the Hebrew nation died, though
Jesus loved II unto tears, He did not lit hand to
drive back the Roman vultures that from Britain,
Gan and farthest Germany scented the carrIon and
flew down on the prey. The third lesson Is that there
Is no use in
WORRYING OVER NUISANCES.
God will abate all nuisances. Everything that has
life ought to he living, and has right TO live II 1t
baby III her arms III Wild grief OF bereavement. But
at last her babe becomes such horror that she must
ruJ 1t out OF her arms. so with any institution
Being dead 1t rots. Do not, therefore, worry II
you ieel called to the office and work OF vulture,
which Is an honorable work, eat up the dead thing
but be that you turn It into glossy feathers and
delicate nerves and splendid eyes, such the Lords
winged scavengers have. DO not worry about Mo.
hammedanism. II 1t mas any life 1t is so Tor doing
good, and has right to live. When dead it win dis
appear SO some PrOtestants would move the Ro.
man Catholic Church out OF the way. WhyY And
they worry. WhyY Ii that church has lie it ought
to 1--we, and will probably live. II 1t dies all the
wherever the carcase Is there the eagles gather.
But DO not try TO bury anything alive.
The discourse concluded with descriptions Of the
beauty and grandeur OF living, the usefulness of
dying and The ninie sense OF purity In the Heavenly
Father.