The New York herald., 1871-09-18
The Sermons Yesterday.

The Sermons Yesterday.
The pulpit discourses yesterday have moth
ing particularly to recommend them save their
utter simplicity and in some instances shallow
ness. The Brooklyn pastors appear to have
taken away the palm from their New York
brethren in directness of thought and utter
ance If we except DR.. Thompson's evening
discourse (Which will be found in another
column) in the Broadway Tabernacle,
there was nothing sensational in any
of the sermons reported by our corps
of reporters yesterday. That reverend gentle
man gave the Church and the press and the
Christian community and society in general
pretty effectual "scoring" for their lack of
interest in the moral status of this city, by
which such state Of corruption and degrada-
tion as we now behold has been fostered and
permitted to exist. The sermon was osten-
sibly to young men, but it was good one for
some old heads and hearts to hear and to feel
While we have hasted to be rich and have neg
lected the city, our millions have been taken
by official thieves, our public schools handed
over to ignorance and sectariansm, the press
has become demoralized and panders to the
vicious and the bad, and our city and State
and national governments have been under
mined by the example of luxurious ease and
the results of ill-gotten wealth which are
spread out before the young. This is DR..
Thompson's indictment, and the Church is
charged with very much of the assumed guilt
attending it. The remedies suggested are the
toning up of the moral standard of the COM
munity and pressing the thieves and plunderers
to the wall by legal enactments. The people
have begun the latter, but the Church has
failed to proceed in the former.
The country experiences through which the
Rev. DR.. Hepworth passed during his summer
vacation had so possessed his soul that he
greeted his congregation yesterday with a
''sciologicar' treatise-a mixture of science
and theology-on the goodness of God in CIV
ing us such world, With its beautiful sur
roundings. The Rev. Father Cazeau, probably
tion of his vast audience in st. Francis
Xaviers church TO the harmony of faith and
science, and sought to disabuse their minds of
the false notion that the two are antagonistic
But the good father from this standpoint made
an indirect, but, nevertheless plainly under
stood, appeal for faith in the dogma of Papal
InfallibiIity.
DR.. John Hall exalted the preaching of the
Gospel as the first and highest of the duties of
minister of Christ, and cited the words and
the example of St Paul therefor Rut we
opine that if Paul lived ia our day and in this
city he would not speak or write very highly
of much of the preaching which We hear, and
we are glad that DR.. Hall also condemned it
and urged ministers to seek more of the sim
plcity of Christ in their sermons The Rev.
James Beecher supplied his brothers pulpit in
Brooklyn yesterday and sought to demonstrate
that the dispensation of Gods love is seen not
in the tearing down and rebuilding of things,
but rather in the development Of new from
the old. Mr.. Meredith, in Simpson Methodist
Episcopal church, discoursed eloquently on
the unity of the Church, and the necessity for
every member to be in his place; and DR..
Chapman, in st. Johns, enforced the power
gave ample Illustration thereof. For the beau
tiful or the brilliant thoughts contained in the
other sermons delivered throughout the pulpits
of this city and vicinity yesterday we refer
our readers to the reports on another pare of
this paper, and recommend their perusal, go
that our readers may know who have said the
the best things or the prettest