The New York herald., 1872-10-07
Tho Sermons Yesterday.


Tho Sermons Yesterday.
Professor Tyndars ''Prayer Test has done
more, perhaps than any other thing to call
attention TO prayer, and TO arouse Christen-
dom to defence of the practice of prayer.
The discourse of Dr. Bellows yesterday was
one bearing directly on prayer, encouraging
us to pray. and yet assuring US that God will
not give us all that we ask for. He knows what
is best for us aud lie will give us only that
Aud although the Christians desires are
not answered. he does not think God hard or
unjust any more than lie would think his
earthly father so when he refuses to crafty
his little whims and fancies. Nor should we
think, when sickness and misfortune come
upon us, that God chastises us without cause.
These are intended for our good, and as Chris
tians we should accept them as benefits. not
as curses. The Rev. T. De Witt Talmage
went for Tyndal and Galton unsparingly He
accepts their challenge because he thinks
1t would be impossible to get any man to go
into the prayerless ward of the hospital-not
even the proposers Of the test. But the SER
mon is made up Of small puns and sarcastic
witticisms which, we. may imagine, would keep
the congregation in roars of laughter. But
from beginning to end 'Jesus and the
resurrection" the central theme and
thought Of the Gospel. is ignored.
Whatever may be said about the prayer
Test" the Christian world has given sceptics
and scientists sufficient reason to make the
proposition whether the experiment be tried
or not And if a sermon test could be made
as we'll as prayer test, we might almost ven-
ture to predict that bushel of such sermons
as this would no more save diseased soul than
in our lifetime would diseased body. Pun
sters are not necessarily preachers nor are their
puns by any means that Gospel which is the
power of God unto salvation. And yet the
frequency Of the latter in some pulpits would
indicate that they are considered in that light
Mr.. rockingham elaborated the idea that
evil is an instrument of good in the hands of
God, and is intended for discipline. The soul
of goodness is in evil he declared, and sin is but
the shadow of goodness on the ground And
from this theme Mr.. rockingham branched
off to talk about the disfranchised condition of
women, which, he declared, Is a national and
social evil. It is very likely that Miss Susan
B. Anthony's return to the city has compelled
Mr.. rockingham to show himself still orthodox
on the s'woman question" DR. Chaplin recon-
mended love to our enemies as the highest style
of love- and protested against the practice of
sordid souls doing their duty as they paid their
taxes-cutting down as much as possible and
paying out as little as they can. Rev. DIR.
Farley preached in the Church of the Messiah
on the value of the Lords Supper and its
position in Christian theology. The mode in
which it is administered or received he con-
siders of very little Importance so long as the
spiritual meaning and significance of the act are
observed. And its primary meaning is our
Lords great self-sacriice for our sakes It is,
therefore, not an empty ceremonial, but, as it
has been proved to be, the comfort and strength
Of many subdued and hearty penitent. Mr..
Hepworth opened his Fall campaign in Stein
way Hall yesterday and ministered to congre-
cation as large as could be squeezed into that
place on the spirit of the Lamb subduing that
of the wolf, or, in other words, the Gospel
truth knocking gently at the door of the
worldlings heart entering and leaving its
teachings and benedictions behind in spirit
of prayer and meekness. The condition Of
the world at the time Of the introduction of
Christianity and the progress which the latter
has made since were cited in proof of the
conquering spirit of the Gospel.
The Rev. Father Rogers, of Massachusetts,,
demonstrated, to his own satisfaction, at least,
that the Roman Catholic Church is the true
Church, because it sis one, it is holy, catholic
and apostolic. 1t is one in doctrine and in
government. Gas the Church was in the days
of the apostles so it is to-day. What her min
listers then taught and advocated the same
truths are still propounded and, we add, a
great many more.
Mr.. Beecher attempted to square circle
yesterday by assuring his hearers that half
faiths and half-prayers are as good as wholes,
because Christ accepts the halves when he
cannot get the whole. The Methodists Of Great
Neck, L. l., dedicated church yesterday at
which Bishop Simpson preached sermon on
the glory of Christian churches in every land.
Archbishop Bayley delivered his farewell dis
course yesterday to his people in the diocese
of Newark. Next week he will assume the
reins of government over the archiepiscopal
diocese Of Baltimore
The Pope County War I'm Arkansas.
In another part Of to-day's HERALD will be
found q continuation of the history of the