The New York herald., 1871-10-23
ST. JOHNS METHODIST CHURCH.

Analogy Between Natural and q Spiritual
Lnws-Sermon by IL, v. DR.. Chm pmnn.
Dr. Chapman discourced yesterday morning from
The thirteenth OF the fourth chapter OF Pauls
Rpistle to the Philippans:--.I can do all things
tnr0ugh Christ which strengtheneth me-" He said
the phrase "all things was limited by the condi.
tional clause Through Christ" or the scope OF inn
parted ability to do the law OF Christian duty
By hearty and cordial reception OF Christ the
dividual win come into harmony with the divine,
and. becoming snarer In Cnrist's power,
one is thereby made adequate to the per.
f0rmance OF HIS viii. Paul did not stand
as an instrument but as an agent.
Man, standing In certain sense outside OF physical
forces, studied aud welded them for the accom-
plishment Of his purposes. by the knowledge and
use OF mechanical laws he raised architectural
structures tunneled mountains and navigated
oceans; by q knowledge or agricultural laws he
turned prairles into fields OF iruitfuness and gar
dens OF beauty, supplying his necessities and graft
Tying his taste; by knowledge OF chemistry he
turned fuids, gases and metals into innumerable
and important uses All the achievements OF an
Client and modern times were the result OF wise and
skilul use OF natural forces outside oi man. lie
might say, win almost literal irutnfuness III can
90 all fhings through natural forces, which strength
enetn nei for it was but announcer method OF saying
\ 81 can do all things dthrougA God;'' for natural
.SrCes "eaS ,nnp o' tae DIVINE WIN acting
The preacher went on. 10 say that this principle
true In the spiritual as IN the natural world
and that it seemed TO him no greater injury could
DO done 10 Christianity than In arraying II III It's
conditions ana lave IN opposition TO nature in IT'S
conditions and laws, removing II from the realm Of
common sense and surrounding Ii with Kind OF
mystclsm. rhe fact was that spiritual forces were
more capricious than natural forces, aud the
conditions OF tlie former were more clearly
Get forth In ID the Bible than The pos
sibiies OF the latter were in the book
Of nature Man could bring the great spiritual
forces 70 bear upon himself aud TO certain extent
upon others In erectuating the work OF salvation.
The working OF TINS principe IN the realm ol
appOsite illustrations. by stud ting, mastering anu
bOdyng the power OF Chrst's life and love man
might go out into the world 10 remove the mouu-
tAs Of sin, 10 uproot the trees OF social lnguity,
70 heal moral diseases. to convert moral wastes
into blooming Edens and 10 open up communlca-
tton bet tween the soul oil man and the SKY. Luther
brought about the Reformation aud Wesley and
WhiCneId the revival that was yet b.essng The
world. IL might he said that Gou did tnat through
them a. instruments. But were they lot ireeY ~
ehey were not driven Dy q iorce tney could not
restrain, then they did ~ Just as truly as man
convertS pro1tess prairie into a fruitful neld ~
wss enphatlcaly true that without CHRIST ana the
cncrgics OF His spirit man conld 10 nothing. But
ns bot tns equally true IN the natural worluf Leu
s'sa s.auu apart ifon chemical AMI n ural lorce5
au s WHAT could ne dor IL was the branch that bore
nia,v uue d6rived ns vigor from the vlDe God's
s"cro s.n ~ " convert men through The voluntary
~a"J y, NOSE ALREADY converted Ihe speaker In
'"-'" '"'"rcasI iha mint tbat christians were