The New York herald., 1872-07-08
pith of tho Sermon. Yesterday.

Notwithstanding this warm July weather,
when SO many ministers and church members
are tempted to be away from the city, and so
many have yielded to the temptation, 1t is
quite refreshing still to find such faithful me-
among u.s. ministeringt to the people as they d,
yesterday, as Rev. DR.. Chaplin, Of the Churc
of the Divine Paternity; Rev. DR.. Foss, of s..
Pauls Methodist Episcopal church; Rev. w.
M. Taylor, of the Broadway Tabernacle; Rev.
DR.. Storrs, Of the Church Of the Pilgrims;
Rev. DR.. Chapman, of ST. Johns Methodist
Episcopal church, Brooklyn, and others Of
equal prominence incur midst, Mr.: Beecher
preached his pre- vacation Sermon yesterday,
and the thousands who worship him from Sab
bath to Sabbath will miss their idol from Ply
mouth pulpit for three months to come. Had
they gone there more generally to wor-
ship God they should not now be so
disappointed and forlorn Naturally enough,
too the crowd of worshippers was larger than
ordinary at this or, indeed, at almost any
season of the year. Very appropriately, too.
Mr. Beecher bidding his people "goodby."
encouraged them to hope, and presented hope
to them as an element Of Christian faith. And
why shouldn't they hope, since, though they
may temporarily lose one Beecher, they will
gain another And the further consideration
that the Beecher will return should inspire
them with hope. But hope is peculiarly an
element of Christian faith. Almost all re-
ligions outside Of Christianity have the element
of fear as propitiatory position, and where
fear is the generic element the religion must
be servile Christianity alone makes hope the
genius of religion. AS to the future life, ac-
cording to Mr.. Beecher, if q man gets to heaven,
even though it be 'by the skin Of his teeth"
he neglected here, while the man who has de-
veloped his nature into higher life will 60 up
still higher in Christian or spiritual develop
ment
DR.. Chapman dilated on the breadth of the
Divine law, which the Psalmist declares is "ex-
ceeding broad" But law is not the active
agent, but the rule according to which actions
are measured. Everything in nature is SUBJ
iect to law, for God Himself Is subject
to law. The law or commandment Of God
Is EXCEEDING pros:a; pr;:a; because 1t extends to
every action of the imiooa! nor! and the physiea!,
being of man. Violations of those laws ''esa we're
cited and illustrated, and the Doctor took oc-
casion to condemn Incidence, intemperance,
profligacy of every sort, and the unnatural and
irrational pressure that is brought to bear upon
children in the common schools by the sense
less ambition of parents and teachers, as we'll
as the terrible strain to which the nervous
energies of men in business life are subjected
There ore every day violations of the laws of
our being, and their penalty is felt in the
shortened lives and the sudden death of young
and old of ourpeople. The necessity ofprayer
and the blessings that flow from it were
themes worthy the thought of DR.. Storrs, who
declared that the noblest life on earth is the
life of prayer, and no life 50 perious and poor
as the life of one who never prayed. But as
to the nature and extent of our requests, which
were indicated by the Doctor, we refer our
readers to the synopsis of the discourse given
elsewhere. s
One of the attractions in DR.. Chapins
church yesterday was the liberal Christian
candidate for the Presidency, MIR. Greeley.
The conflict between right and wrong, between
good and evil, which is at some time waged in
human hearts was considered by the Doctor,
and the ease with which men submit to the
control of evil when this conflict takes place
was deprecated. "No men, however depraved>