The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1872-02-10
A Remarkable Sermon.
BIZ A UNITARIAN PRBACHEl


The following discourse. deliv-
cred in the Church of the Messiah.
in New York on Christmas day, BY
Rev. Geo. H. Hepworth, d D.,
prepared the pup!ic mind for what
has eince happened. On Sunday !
the 7th inst. he announced to his
congregation his remuneration OF
Unitarian and adoption of ortho-
dox doctrines. The text which
was made the foundation for his
Christmas sermon, was taken from
Jhon I. 18-The only begottcn
Son, which is 10 the bosom OF the
Father. He said:
Dear friends. want to talk 10
you very plainly and very frankly
this morning and upon subject
of the greatest importance. l do
not care at this time. interesting
and instructive as it might be. TO
talk Of the evidences OF Chriatiani
ty. / take Il for granted that al
admit what the so-called evidences
assert-namely, tina: the Scriptures
are an inspired revelation from
God. Neither do l care to 60 into
the question of the various real-
Jugs, sgreeable as that will be on
another occasion; but l shall pre-
sume on your acceptance OF the
general text o: the New Testament
as it stands, OILY promising that
the words I shall quote are re-
garded hy the scholars as valid
parts Of the Scriptures.
'One canno. read tho account Of
the Evangefis;s without being
struck with the constant use Ivy
; Christ, Of the pronouns I and Me.
If any one else should use them
so frequently We should call it ar
, rooance or concei,; but in Him we
} .l,ink it a natural result Of true
loyalty. We should not tolerate
: it for al instant in Luther OF Call
, vim. not even in Moses or Paul,
. but it is as becoming to Chris. as
> o crown is to king
, First want to speak Of Christ
D as theological dogma. 1 know
very little about the. science OF
8 theology. and care less for it. 1t
l was always very dry study to
8 rse, but this dogma is the basis ell
e cment of my system, end there
r fore speak Of it.. / cannot resist
a the feeling; it has grown partly
r out of .he way in which Tread the
J. Bible, and partly out Of my own
K religious consciousness, that
e Christ's life and Gods life are in
extricably interviewer and inter-
e laced. I am bound to believe in
J, Christ's divinity, or else teal
I. certain texts up hy the roots. which
d am wholly unsiliing to do Wher
le Jesus. in prayer. says: oh FA
Is ther. glority me with thins owr
IS self. with the glory l had with tue,
in before the world was! l canno
o. evsde the conviction that the word
". plainly as any words can, are In
~ tended % assert PIE exis' enee
~ II they do not distinctly say ths
r Chris, is co cval with God. then
en- fail to comprehend the meaniI
of the passage. Now you ma
honestly deny tire fact by fpenl
doubling the correctness OF til
text. But sdr:i il,ing the text, til
deduction is plain Again, whe
u. he says: If man loves Me, IN
no Father will love him, and we wi
.ts come unto him. and make OF
he abode with him. Think he clearl
r intimates power Coordinate wit
n that Of God. ! don't see how th
10 conclusion can be avoided, pro
p- vided you admit the correctne'
'se OF the text. I do believe this
nd YSu ask me. Did the Jews hav
any hint Of this? I think they dit
Or one occasion they took ,
'eo stoaes to stone hi :: on the CHAR,
n of blasphe.ny, saying that he mat
:. himself equal with God.
10 Second having placed myse
'en right on the dogma, come
us speak Of it's historical value
al believe THAT the dogma, as ha
no stated it. has saved the world a,
'r, done more than anything else
's. mould inodrer society. If Chri
,'u has been q mere man. great r
~ former. tue changes he introdu
ne cd would have died out. and h
W. voice, though it spoke in clari'
oes tones. would have died into We
leo dim and distinct echo long beeo
ous this. The Chuch was built on 1
ev- divinity OF Christ: it would q
,ed have survived if it had not bee
wa and the Church saved she seeds
IN the new civilization from amo
ant the ruins of the world Luther a
gan Calvin, the martyrs, and all
= giants of those early times we
ana but the henchmen of Christ. Th
'cs' were Ills servants. and He ma
aut them, aud in His promise to
the with them, and in full power
the God to help, they were born in
the heroes and martyrs.
Ked In the third place. I want
rfnl speak of the value OF this dog,
OF in personal religion. Dear lrien,
eat to whom are we invited to 90
ng help in our troubles? To who
oy do We naturally go for consolatio
we. God is very vague; We have,
ana can have no distinct conception
Him. But Jesus-that is, Ii
;ene manifestation of God which ca
re- upon the earth and went throu
IVA the whole gamut of our troubles
We He is our friend. and He tells
ae. to come to Him. Shall We do
had He aava he ia tho Shenbo-a r
Ilf a