The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-20

WORSHIP AT THE ACADEMY.
Sermon by Rev. DIR. Fowler, OF Chicago
Faith i'm Jesus Christ the Condition
OF Eternal Life.
Rev. DR.. Charles Fowler, one of the delegates to
the Methodist General Conference from Chicago,
preached at the Brooklyn Academy OF Music yes.
terday afternoon. The building was well filed.
Many Of the delegates to the Conference were seated
on the stage and the private boxes were filled by
ladies'.
Chaplain McCabe opened the services by leading
In singing, and was followed by Rev. Mr. Queal In
prayer. Brother Martin then announced that to
defray the expenses Of holding the services in
the Academy they had taken up an old-fashioned
penny collection last Sunday, and were thankful
for the pennies. This Sunday, however, they pro-
posed to take up currency collection to make up
the deficiency in the collection Of last Sabbath.
GAS the collectors pass ar0und,n added Brother
Martin, you will throw your stamps in the hats
we will be obliged to your The hats were passed
around, and the people threw their stamps ac-
cordingly.
DIR. TOwLER's SERMON.
DR.. Fowler announced his text from part OF the
first verse OF the fifth chapter Of the First Epistle OF
John-"WhosOever beeveth that Jesus Is the
Christ is born of God" The Christ Is put In this
passage for the Messiah Of the Old Testament for
Gospel Of John, taking Him as God manifest in the
flesh; as the anonted OF God, as the only son, as
our atonement, our redeemer, our righteousness
is the condition of salvation. This fact
OF Christ, God manifest in the flesh
in the work OF redemption, Is the
central truth and itsreception by faith believing
thus brings to the result Of righteousness. This
doc, doctrine is the stone which many Of the modern
builders are rejecting. Yetft shall become the head
of the corner. 1t shall fall upon MANY. grinding
them to powder, to dust and fne dust, but whose
storm. Whosoeyer buildeth upon this rock Shall
have sure foundation. 1t is the stone OF offence.
Bessed are ney VINO are not offended at It or on it.
seldshness and sefrighteOusness. 1t is full Of
trasts. 1t enriches by impoverishing. When 1t has
TAKEN THE LAST PENNY,
then 1t endows with the hid treasure. When 1t
has extorted the cry, LET me be as one OF Thy
and sonship with the ring and the robe. 1t gives
the singing sense of guilt that it may pardon; it
sI and tSe MAKE Il for ., Jesus is
dictlon and marked contrasts and approaches to
the results sought BY ways that we DC not antic
u.s. of Gods manifestation In the flesh, that the
Word was made flesh, Is the foundation, the centre
imposing in ali history. God, who is the Infinite
One, actually comes into the boundaries Of
A FEW POUNDS OF FLESH;
the Eternal is born amid the shouting OF angels and
the lowing Of herds, and dies amid the jeerlng of
mobs and the hootng OF demons Surely such a doc
trine, taking the Infinite and Eternal, putting Him
into the person OF virgin son, bringing Him to
our necessities, presenting Him as our redeemer,
as the ground OF our salvation, must be the centre
OF all history and ultimately OF all thought. Such
fact as Jesus Christ must draw to itself all eyes.
Any mission that could bring him from the throne
to the manager and the cross must have about 1t
something that should attract and draw up to Him
all men-some to doubt, many to believe, al to won
der In this He stands not only central but solitary.
Messengers, prophets, apostles saints everywhere,
have.but one testimony to unloose his
work. and taking 1t by the power OF His Creator,
He cries out, ~ and My Father are one"
tiers such doctrine as this cannot be presented;
but men will say-"Dont give us theology, but
ge us the dSss but p sys
dogma without piety and theology without the
Gospel It is not possible to give yoI piety without
who will ask for the Gospel without theology is no
better or than the man who would ask for
HIS CHILD WITHOUT ITS BODY.
In the nature of the case this Gospel, this good
news, is the divine knowledge. The knowledge q
thought towards religion, continued the preacher
If we did not turn II towards Christ. Whatever
might be your form Of religion It must ultimately
come to this II 1t be only IDEAS those Ideas must
be ideas Of God. If it be only sentiment, that
sentiment must float in the midst OF divine imagery
or there was no theology about 1t: SO we came to
the great fact that 1t was part Of business to
put and push FIRST last and all the time the great
Concerning this incarnation Of God, he confessed
he had no embarrassment In the mystery.
THE LEADING INF1DEL PREACHER
In this country told him two or three months ago.
when asked what he did with the supernatural
birth OF Jesus-that preacher said that the birth Of
Jesus did not embarrass him any more than the
birth of any child for He was born In the same
way DIR. Fowler responded that the birth OF
Jesus supernaturay did not embarrass him any
more than any other fact In the universe for the
diiflcut question was not the coming Of God into
the virgins babe, but when we camo to tho ultl
mate question of possibility the difficult thing
not the existence Of the virgins babe, but the
existence Of the vrgn-.the existence Of anything
or anybody except God. They said the dfncult
problem was how could God, who was infinite and
absolute, by any chance come down into such
proportion as to have the ignorance and weakness
of a babe. 1t was question OF God coming into
relations. DR.. Fowler said 1t was not question OF
extent but question OF fact. He accepted the
fact Of
JESUS IN yoNDER MANGER
inst as easily as he accepted any other fact when
you came down to the question OF how 1t may be.
DR.. Fowler went on to contend that II God did
anything at all He would do 1t for u.s.. we
were the centre. The world was the house
and we the inhabitants The law was maze
not for the EARTH but for u.s. The earth was
the scaffoldng, the moral character tne
temple No man before the coming OIL Jesus,
the preacher commended, could have been delied.
After the coming OF Jesus the thing was forever l-
possibe-it was never possible to exalt ana deily
any man so that Jesus came to us In the story oi
these Jews, from among these sons OF Abraha,n,
presenting Himself In the eye Of prophecy ~ Ine
Messiah. The condition, then, or eternal NE was
faith in the Son OF God and absolutely notninH else.
It was the old doctrine OF tho Church anu the bipe