The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-01
LYRIC HAIL SERVICES.

The Agencies of Providcnce-Serm0D by Rev.
q. II. Frothinghau.
The Rev. Mr.. rockingham preached yesterday at
the Lyric Hal u numerous ana fashionable
congregation. The reverend gentleman said
] am to speak to you this morning on the
agency OF Providence. Providence is fore
sight, and implies forethought and fore-leel-
ing. It is Gods careiulness for His crea.
lures. and implies living and an active
God, not dull and useless iuol, but present,
imminent Cod one hat lives and works through the
world. There are those who say that God mas no
agents on Earth. and their ideas o: God that he
occupies himself with every detail, accepting no
help but dong all things at first hand, and they be,
hold his only agents In the air, the sea- and all
things In nature. Tney would allow no mediator
no intercessor between man and the quick, living,
efficient God; they do not perceive that
TOO MUCH GOD
is as dangerous too little. Between atheism and
pantheism there not much difference in effect
too much GOO suffocates man. too little dries him
up. In al ages God and man have been spoken OF
as separate and distlnct-aike The Greek ana Ro-
man poets, the prophets and the New Testament
though nowhere can any authority be found for the
distinction. Paganism and Christianity alike treat
that COO AMI man are distinct, and that God
works Ills divine Will through hidden agencies
which we call Providence. Assuming this to
be true, let us examine how God WORKS
through Providence. the Hebrew writer's, espec-
ally the pOetica,. were III the habit or saying that
Gou appeared vlsbiy u the cniels of HIS chosen
people. Thus Jacob, gong on a mission at criti-
cal hour, met COO on the read at midnight IN the
form VI an angel and wrestled with HIM. ana would
not let Him go until lie told His name, and the III
commemoratIon OF this meeting WIN TOD, he named
the place "Face u Face.n Then We have Moses on
the mount seeing and speaking with Goa.
THE LAWS OF NATURE
are but the result OF those grand principles by which
the Infinite perform this WORK through the world OF
spirlt and OF matter, oy when all shall be Qofihed
IN the END Nature Is sometimes called Coo, be.
cause. though invisible and impalpaDe, 1t controls
the world The laws OF nature are spoken OF as If
they were creatures endowed with feeling and lore
thought; but conscious creatures they are not. No
angel stands IN the centre OF the and swings the
constelia IONS rouhd; no legons Of angels WORK the
system; by a breath creation Is moved onward.
Che laws Of nature-this is only name for the or.
rors into which me world has raIien, or indeed,
name for Gods unilies, II We please. This world
needs no push TO make IL go.
THE WILL OF THE ALMIGHTY
moves 1t In iron grooves. Inc laws OF nature can
out HIS habits, not His will They may describe the
relations between bodies. but cannot resolve the
force that drives them. We have heard OF the laws
OF progress, oil Development &C, but these only
mans way VI accounting Tor things that are II the
laws OF nature are perfect why Is not the world re-
jusenatedf Why do they not take hold and lift us
from the soughs Because they cannot. Men must
frst hnd them out and set them going. Thus we
come TO tile prime agency OF Providence,
MAN HIMSELF.
Man supplements The natural law by this power
or thinking that power IL found IN him alone. SO
1t comes that II God wishes 20 do anything In the
world He must do IL through man and woman: they
are the only agents through whom the divine Will
can be accomplished. God has bestowed gifts on
man, but man has also bestowed gifts upon himself.
The greatest machines are human In
wa them except through a S met Genius to
cunning Of man. There Is no useful Instrument
OF war or peace which has not been produced by
mans toll thought and agony. God speaks 10 us
through the prophets. They are men, and we can
not go behind this fact Printing. history. the Bible
human mind had not thought, watched, waited,
none OF these would have existed. AZ far as men
feel, God feels pity. No more justice, good Will 0y
lasting skies. C0ld-hearted men have cold hearted
CODA Just es soon ~ men do justice To that when