The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-04
BROADWAY TABERNACLE.
ssThe Degcnerucy OF the Present Times''-
Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Hitchcock.

ssThe Degcneracy OF the Present Times''-
Sermon by tho Rev. Dr. Hitchcock.
The Tabernacle, OH the corner or Ihirty-fOurth
street and Broadway, was filed yesterday morning
by q crowd OF earnest devOtees who had assembled
to tender their hebdomada tribute OF praise to the
Almighty and to listen to an instructive and elo.
quent discourse from the lips OF Professor Hitch
cock, OF the Union Theological Seminary. The
learned divine took for hts text the seventeenth
verse OF the second chapter OF Malachi-"Ye have
wearied the Lord With your Words YET We say,
wherein have we wearied Hlmr and commenced
his sermon by endes~orlng to prove to his listeners
that Malachi had tired TO convince the people Of
very far remote; that they sel-cOnceited.
had too full an appreciation OF themselves, and
thought so lightly oil the powers and omnipotence
Oh Almighty GOD that He became utterly
''wEARY OF THEM"
The preacher proceeded to show that we are all
inclined to make false estimate Of SIM IN fact to
CLOAK our errors even to ourselves and endeavor to
convince own hearts that our negngences are
not only venal, but absolutely worthy Of applause.
But SIM IN the abstract, never consented 10 be
posed and punished; knowing our errors and
offences, we endeavor to shadow them with inge-
then asserted that we, and all Christians In COM
mon, are Indebted to Germany Tor the best eucida-
ana Larin ranslatiOns OF evangelical ar
chlves We possess we owe to Tenlonic scholars;
spring OF our learning; Tor from 1t come
our proloundest thinkers, our greatest essay
that use In the Of religion, despite al their
teachings the world at large Is getting TO be scep-
cal Mnen 70 we s say uUa Is e we are
gave birth to rltuallsm, and that ecclesiastical city
has much 70 answer ior there being many VINO are
caught within the siken meshes OF
THE NET OF ROMANISM
and drawn into the vortex OF Papacy. Panthelsm
| Is also gaining sway We sneer ut the historical
description Of the fall of man as an Oriental liable,
| ana the sin III connection with 1t we consider a
| mere rdatc pas, while such an idea as atonemenU
being necessary never enters our heads. or course
II Is hard ior man to blame HIMSELF the Conscious
ness OF having done wrong to cod or man stngs
| person. and he Is reluctant TO acknowledge 1t
even TO himself BESIDES the commission Of sin
| points forward TO It's punishment ana that makes
| us still more 10th to admit our transgressions-
| Knowing that 1.-THE wages OF sin Is DEATH" we
| naturally shrink from
| COMPOSING OUR ERRORS.
| duces US to deny our sins, and try to convince
| plunge our rebeous hand into the very bosom OF
God and seek to pluck from Him the secret He Will
never revealthe perfect knowege OF good and evil.
In conclusion, the eruditc preacher proceeded TO
tnat the fact or our denying our sins must be
very offensive TO our great Creator; tnat we should
never forget we are dealing with a beng VINO de-
tests anything false, and that the burden
OF His just indignation will surely fan
upon us, and that INDIGNATION WIN burst
| ton OF Vesuvius Will be but as dream, the
SIMEON OF the desert but passionate kiss. IL VIII
In Its vlolence its Jury and Its force with its
! lightnings and lava, and sweep away from earth
| all those who have Willingly erretl. We forget the
| late OF Sodom and Gomorrah, looking upon 1t as a
worn ont ae, yet history proves that those cities
| were destroy edthat they We're annhilated in con-
sequence OF the sins OF the inhabitants OF them
| anu we read. we should think "if these things
| be done IN green tree what win be done In one
| that IS dry ~ We are much better III.
| structed In theological matters than our
! ancestors were, and, therefore, we are much
more worthy o. we devnte IRON ae
generate itself 1t must awake from its ethargy and
| make rapid strides IN different direction TO that
winch IT mas lately been taking or else utter bar
| barlsm, the fearful state or
| BLIND 1DOLATRY,
Will supervene. Our only hope is that, finding our
selves drifting toward that dreadfully destructive
| lcesnore on nearing which we loose all latin ano
| 'scurse God and die" we turn to prayer, and plac
| ing implicit faith in the great originator Of Oui
| being endeavOr TO so walk through the paths d
| life as TO merit an inheritance IN the Kingdom o.
/ heaven.