The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-04
CMRCl OF The DIVINE PATERNITY.


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Eloquent Discourse sof DIR. Chapin-What
Constitutes 9rne Freed0m-Th0ughis Worth
Receiving the National Birthday.
This Christian temple and It's eloquent pastor. DR..
Chapn, are too well known 10 need an introduction.
1t may not be 80 wen understood that the services
therein do not begin at the same hour as III other
churches. Yesterday lt was quarter past eleven
A. NJ ere the organ gently announced that the hour
had arrived and then the Doctor assembled the pull
pr and the choir sang lively song of praise. The
congregation was very sparse, and very few were
present at eleven o'clock. The Eighth Psalm was
read ana sung responsvely by the pastor and the
choir a part OF the eighth chapter Of Sc. Johns
Gospel was read amt a prayer offered, after which
the Lords Prayer was chanted by the choir
If an echo, The effect was exceedingly delightful
and spiritual Hymn $780, being an aspiration for
holiness was next sung, and then the sermon was
delivered. The subject OF the discourse was sug-
gested by the approach or the nations birthday ana
related wholly TO the nature aud character OF
TRUE PERSONAL FREEDOM.
II was based on the thrty-sixth verse OF the les.
son that was read-"Tr the Son. therefore, shall make
you free We snail be free indeed.n There is here
made, he SAID, a wide distinction between the free
dom that most men claim and that which is true
genuine ana complete IL Is diiilcnIt TO understand
why the jews made such q remark "A that which
called forth the words OF the text. Their assertion
tlct they were never IN bondage To any man IL
meant politically was untrue for at that very
ment they were IN bondage TO the Roman
government. II they meant personal bondage IL was
also untrue tor they had been slaves In Egypt lift
was uttered IN metaphysical sense 1t was but partly
true. The great truth which the Jews and which we
should understand Il that freedom lis inward and
spiritual ,,
morrow to-day, amid the explosions OF glnpowder,
| the firing Of rockets and the shoutings of chi.
dren than tins word liberty. All true personal,
social, political or religious liberty Is essentially
| FREEDOM by CHRIST.
| Concerning this inward spiritual freedom there
| are man and grleyous errors, some OF which the
Doctor refuted. Regarding 1t as personal spiritual
matter, some good men overlook its efforts to ex
! press itself IN concrete FORM and stand aloof from
all political action a thereby perpetuate the evils
| In society OF which they complain. Other men, again.
regard this freedom OF Christ which shows itself In
political or social action as something too gross and
worldly TO be introduced In the pulpit, and they
| turn up their noses and sheer ut the political
preacher But freedom, whether in the social circle,
In the State In song, everywhere must begin In the
| heart OF the individual man. whatsoever commit
teth sin Is the servant OF sin, but n the Son shall
make Us free then are we free indeed. His Spirit
and hsruth in alliance with every effort that we
may make TO become free. The graves Of martyred
heroes, the waving OF flags and banners over re-
stored Union but The embems OF the strivings OF
men and OF nations toward this consummation. But
how does Christ make us freei There are two
sutuents required to make history-men and cir.
cunstances Neither are wholly Independent OF the
other. The real, the grandest changes are effected
where man mouds and shapes the circun-
OF the will Christ operates. There Is no
power moving the springs OF human action equal TO
CHRIST IN THE HUMAN HEART.
The deliverance OF man from all thraldom Is
liberty. 1t Is the sprit-mans spirit emancipated
true and pure and good. There may be outside cir.
cumstances OF Independence, externals through
ward bondage is true freedom. The best constitl-
ton IN the world cannot make men free. Take our
a 81 wen Win ~ ana tell
with the lives Of heroes and martyrs TO liberty and
II would not make them free. One class or one
nation OF men cannot make another free. We
may lift heavy burdens OF their shoulders, but they
must be prepared traned, enlightened IN the inward
actions or the will. The wave Of
GREAT AND MIGHTY MATERIALIsN
Is rolling IN upon Us, and some OF us think and say
moi. Our INSTITUTIONS are but dead things and i,nles
we are individually free institutions nothing.
lie tine Doctor did not desire to be an alarmist, be-
cause he believed that the present tendency TO
naterialsn Will have reaction that shall bring us
back again to truth aud righteousness and personal
purity. The Old Testament IL the greatest chart OF
freedom In the world. From the Song OF Miriam all
through the Psalms and down to the last written
page a - Is BOOK Of Liberty Order and liberty are
blem To be solved IS to harmonic both. Where is
The nation, where the individual that can be fully
developed In these two things? They have divided
tile world into conservatives and rcformers, into
Catholics and Professionals, and kept them nj vari-
ance with each other IN regard To personal rights
How shall we harmonic them so that liberty and
right shall be bound together In lover Libertyis'a
duty Liberty Is order 1t Is the right to be right
US dutiiui, pure, and true and gOod-tO be morally
ike God. our real liberty is TO he moving in line
with Gods Will; but without liberty
MAN CANNOT BE FULLY DEVELOPED.
We cannot become Gods children. This is true
velopIng into godlike beings. spiritual freedom Of
conscience OF worship, OF thought are necessary TO
this end. And God put FAR from us the day when
any power, political social or religious shall arise
that would control our freedom IN this regard God
keep American tongues American pulpis, American
institutions, the American press and American
homes and hearts free from CIVIL social political or
religious bondage. The highest conception that
many men have OF liberty Is freedom from restraint
But my friends, God has not place In all this unit
verse for man to do AZ he pleases unless his mind
Is Ike Gods mind. We hear every day about rights
OF man. rights of woman, rights or labor, but dis
tlnct nom order and duty. What purposes have the
rights of man saye the right 10 live and TO be AZ
good as we can The rights OF labor are not merely
10 demand better wages or fewer hours Of toll, but
10 be men, TO De elevated into true manhood The
same IS true also OF womanhood. Womans work IL
not lnauS WORK. Freedom ~ not material: IL II spr
itual liberty. Ours Is largely heather civilization,
and we are still worshippiig heather gods. Free.
dom must be personal experience IN our hearts
ana lives.
IT IL not Az TvBERiTANCE
that can be carried down rom one generation to
another. But how are we made freeg In this same
chapter IL Is answered the truth shan make you free
~ Is from truth TO liberty and from liberty To truth
we are made intellectually Tree. Weare made free
from the Illusions of senses. The present world
has great influence us; bur Christs truth brings
the invisible world before us ana we are not OF this
world, because by faith we rise above the snsdowy
darkness In which here we alt in doubt and despair
aud all the realities Of the better land made sure
unto US. There is no ianatcism or insanity like that
OF the senses, from which Christ delivers us, We
cannot Kill the life OF sin and the love OF evil In man
by penalties, and tomorrow we shall hear men boast
ing OF their freedom TO do and say they please-to
vote, ana to vote dozen times a day-as # that
was liberty. We are free only by the assurance OF
the Fathers love, and Paul spoke like free man,
though bound win chains, when he sad:-"I am
persuaded That neither DEATH nor lie, nor angels
nor princpaliiies, nor powers, nor things present
nor fhlnas 10 come nor height, nor depth nor any
oter creature shall be able 70 separate as from the
love OF God which II IN Chris. Jesus our Lord Say
That In q DUNGEON and YOU are q free man he M