The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-06
BREvOORT HALL.

Miracles Out OF Vogue and No Longer
Necessary to Prove Christianity-Sor-
mon by Rev Henry Powers.
Notwithstanding the pleasant weather yesterday
there was but scanty attendance at BrevOort Hail.
in FftyfOurth street, between Third and Lexington
avenues. The PREDATORY exercises, as usual, con-
sisted Of prayer reading the Bible and singing
The last, however, scarcely deserved the name it
was so poor The organist tried to do double duty
to play the organ and sing through his nose. After
these decorations were gone through the Rev. Henry
Powers, late Of Elm place church, Brooklyn, who
by invitation has taken charge OF this church,
menced his sermon, choosing for his text Mark xvi,
leland these signs shall follow those that believe
That these signs did follow, he began, you saw in
the second lesson. They followed In the healing Of
the SICK In the casting ont OF devils. DO these
signs now follow them that believe No. Had we
lived eighteen hundred years ago we should not
have believed that miracles would stop. They did,
however, as soon as Christianity got footing in
many lands-when 1t had too large and firm root
to be eradicated. Miracles have ceased in the Chris
tan Church. We still hear occasionally OF them;
but they are invariably the effect OF some physical
cause. There is nothing wanting to convince man
OF Christianity. 1t has already been proved already
passed through every crnciole Of
miracle. But yet they think the worker must be
power Of awakening miracles did not awaken the
soul. 1t did not raise 1t more than any ordinary
gift or talent. The frequency OF the miracles took
from them their appearance OF wonder. Miracles
necessary to the establishment OF Christianity
The eloquence OF the apostles might move, but it
required the miracles to bring full conviction-that
conviction which would suffer death rather than
recant Our Lord chose the best means for the con-
version OF the World For several years the
forever. Though they have ceased, the gospel
never will Preaching is now sufficient. Signs
shall yet follow those that believe, not in physical,
but moral sense. We shall find what is not literally
miracle is yet full Of
He went on to Illustrate this by the story OF Mr..
Patterson, wealthy Englishman, who left fortune,
friends and home TO convert the savages of Poyne-
STA. He accustomed himself to hardshps, learned
to SWIM prepared himself for his post and de-
parted. The benighted heathens crowd around
him; he breaches the true Gospel and they believe.
But in the midst of his labor villains propose
to take advantage OF the confidence reposed in him
to steal of the natives. Accordingly they get
vessel like his, entice the artIess ISLANDERS on
board and bear them away to slavery. For this
atrocious crime the innocent missionary is muir
dered. For all this unhappy termination OF his life
no arithmetic can compute the amount OF good he
performed. Did the
WICKED TRIUMPH OVER GOoDp
The attention of the British nation was thus
called to the question Of buying and selling human
ity. Slavery was abolished. The speaker next in
stanced man who had acquired forty languages
and dialects. Neither Of them, the man Of Ian
guages nor Mr. Patterson was particularly
secrated themselves In His name. In some Of the
Eastern countries serpents are very numerous;
poisoning abounds. Before the advent OF
Christianity they were almost always fatal
Christianity first healed by miracles; it
now heals by the light OF science. No
mentions without feeling Of reverence the
name Of Florence Nightingale. She mnistered to
the body of the SICK to the soul OF the dying Thou
sands died blessing her. If she were about the
first she was, thank heaven not the last. What
thousands OF
MINISTERING ANGELS
accompanied the armies In the late FrancO.Prus-
sian war. These actions were not sustained
by miracles-the actors gave themselves in
the name OF Christ. It was the Christians
that inaugurated this system. Heather armies go
to war, but no Florence Nightingales follow. Man
Is left to suffer man Is left to die But there
healers among the Christians, there are de-
stroyers. We heard the other day Of woman in
Connecticut who poisoned her husband Who does
not look on her with horr0r These cases rare,
however, and when they do occur the greatest skill
Ia brought against them In this day men are not
satisfied with bringing the gospel to the soul; they
the spirit OF God not only by words, but by actions