The New York herald., 1872-12-16
Advent and Other sermons.

lHo urpiCrary rules OF the Cathouc OhuTch
are of great benefit to the people by keeping
before them in regular order the great doc
trines of Christianity While other clergy
men can take up any topic they please-and.
as our columns testify, these topics are mani
fold and are variously treated-the Catholic
clergy have their lines of thought and their
pulpit topics in great measure laid out and
defined for them. Hence the incarnation OF
the Lord Jesus Christ, His manifestation 10
the Gentiles, His agony and betrayal, His
arrest, trial and condemnation, His crucifxion.
resurrection and ascension. are all brought
before the minds of the people in their proper
season. Hence the advent of Christ. SO soon
to be eommcmorated by the Christian
Church, finds its appropriate echo in ths
iCatholic Church, whose ministers. yesterday,
adopting the language of John the Baptist.
called sinners to repentance ere this solemn
season shall pass away. Rev. Father Kane
ikened st. John to tho morning star that
ushered in the day of the Son ofNRighteouaL
ness. He came to prepare mems hearts and.
to point them to the Lamb of God, who doea
not despise the heart that is bowed down and
crushed to earth with the remembrance Of
many SINS but rather lifts it up and seeks 70
lead it higher toward His throne. If we could
see with the eyes Of angels the Nervousness Of
our sins, the reverend preacher thought the
still stars would then look down upon US be-
holding our rufaed brows and agonized eyes
lifted to the sky while prostrated before God
xua clxo od md 90 urA
believe, too. But the great trouble with
preachers of every name and denomination il
to get men to think. The thought of the
enormity of their sins would soon drive people
to Him who pardoneth iniquity. transgression
and sin. We do not, however, regret that tha
days of enforced penance have passed away
It is better for the world that God should deal
separately by His Holy Spirit with every indi-
vidual heart than that either Church or State
should bind men down to particular or pre-.
scribed form of faith or Of ritual. Never.
theless the admonition of the reverend
Father Kane is well worthy the attention NOT
only of all who hear, but of all who read hia
words to-day. Rev. Father McCready was
equally plain and practical. His effort was ia
show Gods justice as well as His mercy
toward sinners. Sin demands either pardon
or punishment, and in human society thosa
principles are illustrated in our everyday life.
And what we do ourselves to our fellow men
shall we deny God the right to do to His crea-
turesp Shall we dare to bind up
the hands of God, and say that
He the Creator must not demand
from us what we exact from one anotherT
Certainly not. We should acknowledge the
justice Of the Almighty's claims upon us and
yield prompt and hearty obedience to Hia
commands. Father Romayne insisted that a.
God SO loved mankind as to give His only
Son as q sacrifice to reconcile the world unto
Himself it is the duty Of every Christian to
make ready for the Saviour's coming by living
lives of purity and of love to God. The
Saviour, by battling with the world and over
coming it, has set us an example of courage
and determination which we should follow. J.
Mr.. rockingham handled the doctrine OF
Immortality and mans faith in it yesterday
in his usual STYLE He acknowledged that
the doctrine is an old one and that the
conviction of immortality cannot be eradicated
from the human mind A faith, he remarked.
that could live through the two thousand
years of Christendom, faith that still lives in
the nineteenth century, faith that has sur
vived the Roman Catholic Church, faith
that has survived the Protestant Church,
which is all hell and no purgatory, must be
cardinal, fundamental faith-an indestructibla
faith. It was splendid faith to believe that
there was o child, the son of poor carpenter.
who rose to such height Of dignity and
sweetness that he became monument for all
time. In such faith there was hope for all.
The Pharisees, who, because they live Q
tolerably decent life here, expect q life Of per.
petual bliss hereafter, receive a just rebuke.
and the suggestiveness of the inspiration to
goodness in this life drawn from the faith in
the future is worthy Of thought and medi-
tation
Mr.. Hepworth contended for the stability oi
the Word of God. Jesus Christ declared that
heaven and earth should pass away, but His
words would not pass away. At the time these
words were uttered they might seem to be
arrogant but now they are imperial-they are
the words of king. Jesus came king, but
he went forth prisoner, and died the death
of one who had greatly offended the law. But
His resurrection had impaired to the disciples
power which had enabled them to perform
the great works which they afterwards did.
and before six centuries had passed the Gospel
was preached from shore to shore of the Roman
Empire. The triumph is come, but the Master
is gone-gone, yet ever present. DR.. Chapin.
exalting the spirit and life of the Christian 10
ligion, found that whether it be defined a
faith in the divine mission of Christ or belief
in the method of salvation that He promul-
gated, it is more than either--it Is spirit and
life. 1t j. more than theology and
creeds. Theology is not even stand.
ard Of religion. The soul is larger than logic