The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-12
RURAL RELIGION.
Methodism Under Green Leaves-Christians in
Camp-Picnio Piety-The Camp Meetings at
Merrick, Sing Sing and Dsnville
MERRICK CAMP MEETING.

Ten Thousand Long Island NIethOdists i'm
the WOods-Sermons by Rev. DIR. Eddy
and j. l.. Ia yl0r.
The annual camp meeting which is held under
the auspices Of the Methodists Of Brooklyn and the
upper portion of Long Island commenced at Mer-
rick last Tuesday. Owing to the numerous gather
ings Of this sort the ATTENDANCE during the week
has not been very large, and yet number Of the
Brooklyn churches are represented. Yesterday,
however, there was large accession to the wor
shippers in the woods. Special trains were run
from Bushwick and Patchogue by the Southsde
Railroad under the charge of Conductor Chiches-
ter, and hundreds OF vehicles brought an immense
throng to the grove. There were between eight
and ten thousand people present throughout the day
The meeting seems to be in charge of eXPresiding
Elder Pease, and the best Of order prevailed In
deed, there could not he found more quiet and
devout assemblage within the walls Of any OF our
city churches than that which participated in the
services at Merrck, which consisted of preaching,
prayer meetings and religious gatherings for the
youth and children.
The audience were favored yesterday with the
presence and mnstrations of one of the most dis
tingushed pulpit orators In the denomination, Rev.
DR.. Eddy, formerly pastor Of the Metropolitan
church at Washington and recently elected Mis-
sionary Secretary OF the Methodist Episcopal
Church. 1t was said by many that his sermon was
the most eloquent discourse ever heard at Merrick
He took for his text the tenth of the second
chapter of Ephesians :-"For we are his workman.
ship. created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
| which God hath before ordained that we should
| walk in them" In his opening remarks he
said that the divine ordination of our life is life of
sublime activity. II was not to be mystic or a
dreamy life, nor one Of monastic retirement. There
was to be manifested forth in the life the power of
! nd tn m Ea In
| apostle presented a difficulty in the context in
stating that we dead. How can dead men
walk Around the soul was built sepuichre Of
trespasses and we were buried beneath our trans
! gresslons. But it did not follow that man inca
pable OF choice and action ST. Paurs philosophy OF
man was threefold-body soul and spirit Bodily
| functions might be perfect, the brain active, the
aesthetic taste highly cultivated, and still the
The doctor proceeded to give clear def
milton OF the resurrection which was wrought
in the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost upon the
spiritual nature of the pentent believer, by which
| he was delivered from the power OF sin, discerned
the law of divine obligation, received strength to
! thing, and the atOnement Is not tlnged mirage.
1t is only by the sacrifice OF Christ that we can
have new life. Of which the Holy Ghost was the
efficient agent The ''bOod" and the spirit
were the two words by which trueness and sound.
considered some facts which grew out OF the
cardinal statement of the text The first great fact
| was the knowledge of Christ by experience. Mil
| lions of persons, in all lands, with cool enough
brains for the transaction OF ordinary business, and
| with q fair knowledge or men ana things, nave
testified that at certain time their character was
| revOlutionzed and they were translated into
| new life. The doctrine Of new creation forever
separated Christianity from all naturastic ond
materialistc systems. The tendency OF certain
schools was to teach that mind was kind OF elcc-
trio influence running down through the brain and
looking out of the eyes, and that spiritual phe-
| n0nena were not to be relied upon Christianity
stood up against such teachings, and, SO far as he
knew, was the only system that said 81 viii take
| that broken, battered, ruined debauched man and
make him glorious in Cod How easy to blow
Christianity to the moon IL 1t did not do that thing
| Christianity was pledged to this position-a
Supernatural regeneration. Christianity said,
~ am not culture, growth, a
development, but am CREATION An
accomplished English reviewer maintained that
Roman Catholicism stocd alone as the true philos-
| ophy Of missionary life. lomanism grated Its
Christian observances on the old stalks OF the old
and observances saints days, and Ii took Druidisn
| and grated ts priesthood upon Christianity. Blu:
| Professionalism did not understand how new
| Christianity could be grated on an old stalk--a
dead one at that. What little know about farming,
| said Dr. Eddy. does not give me any process for
doing that thing. This theory of new creation
| spurious and the defective. The sacerdotal theory
thrust q third man between the soul and God,
but the teaching Of Christianity was that the peni-
! tent believer can come directly to the
mercy seat and the place OF power The
| preacher proceeded in telling argument
and with opposite Illustrations to assa aud de-
| molish the development" theory Of the New Eng
land school. Last sabbath he stood before four
| thousand New England people, and told that vast
multitude that where those disciples of culture
| planted one college his church founded dozen.
lie was tired OF hearing OF the smallest OF the
| denominations piping up Its pUny treble whistle
| and saying, eve are the apostles and high priests
| Of culture" They affirmed that all men needed
was culture-music, oratory, sculpture and paint
| ing-tO develop the spiritual nature. There were
two difficulties about That. The flrst was that in
! splration affirmed that men are dead. grave