The New York herald., 1872-09-02
BROOKLYN CHURCHES.
BEDFORD AVENUE REFORMED CHURCH

Vno Cnr1st1an Life NO Fu1lure-Serm0n
by Rev. DR.. Porter.
After o few weeks absence Rev. E. s. Porter
D. D., pastor Of the Reformed church, Bedford ave-
nue., occupied his pulpit yesterday morning. He
discoursed from the twenty first verse of the first
chapter of Philippians-"For me to live is Chrlstn
In introducing his theme he said that the biogra-
ply Of Paul was most wonderful, his career having
been marked by unexampled hardshps and trials.
When he wrote to the Philippians he was not in
situation to call for human envy, for he
was exiled by the hatred Of his country
men, abandoned by his early friends, deprived
OF his goods, cast out as an apOstate, exposed
to the treachery of designing and selfish parti-
sans, and held fast in the grasp OF Nero. But he
exhibited no winnings or unmany murmurings,
but on the contrary exaltatiOn, joy and constant
triumph. He had lost everything which the world
chiefly valued, and yet, II his words had any mean
ing or his heart any sincerity Paul assured that
his life was not failure. "For me to live Is Christ
and to die is gain" Wonderful as was the biog-
raphy of Paul. it had many copies, among whom
might be mentioned Richard Baxter, who wrote
his Saints Rest' IN q prison, and glorious old
John Bunyan who traced his "Pilgrim's Progress"
while he was In dungeon. Those were only sam
Jesus the cnSa aF'h1g which grace sDansd f ths
prove that even in the deepest extremity the
christian life is no failure. The true life Of man is
the plumber Of pounds he could accumulate upon
hts frame, nor In the things which he possessed. A
man might be very rich and very poor. An abun.
Ssns SsnSs q sis seu shs Ss SsIy s
ms le to MN Of all satisfying cnioyments Neither
dld mans life consist in the honors which he
might secure; for although human applause might
he would feel the bitterness Of remorse that what
There is wide difference between things as they
our had d
and setting OF the sun, the shining Of the stars the
glory Of the mountains and the beauty Of the gar.
den, and to q pure physical taste each one was a
make 1t; the pictures on Its walls do not compose
the Joy and charm OF the house. Our senses were
sw man nsnc s s
presence Of God, while another saw only an accu.
mutation Of material contrivances dominated by
and to him 1t was sweeter than any
flower could be to am unedncated sense, for
Of sweetness. One man who walked "i Sy rnnune
stream would see Its banks garnished with beauty
and would feel sensuous delight as he gazed upon
succeeded each other, while another man with q
soul behind the outward sense would discern some-
God and the Lamb, and that murmured Of the
melodies caught from the river Of the water OF life.
The difference between the real and the apparent
was measured by the difference OF soul. II man
came in reality through the help OF Jesus Christ, to
have character refashiOned alter the image of
nature to the image Of Chrlst--if he
be Transformed ~ and made over 80 that he is new
to secure in this present ie He has in himself an
through the highways Of his lie. In the next place
the preacher proceeded to show that the Christian
s s nss as sSs Il Iss Rn% y.nss
tried to be happy. We could be happy In this
world Y we kept nom sin, avoided crime and
streamed upon US through the ear and came
down nom the skies; but, knowing that our
companied by disappointment. We know not
what day may bring forth; for when we
say we are happy, perhaps there may come ne
like the aspen leaf So far as our natural lives are
concerned there are pleasures OF memory, OF hope,
shipj and yet, having them ALL how long will they
lastf We ask ourselves every day whether it Is
the pSs the Of and
thousands who loved the Lord Jesus Christ were
taken, we may rest confident that there 10 some
antidote for ife's Ills but an unutterable recon-
pense Tor existing SORROWS 1t Is not the province
deliver from all the expressions and burdens
o snes
have an nexhaustible supply Of help for every time
the Master admonsh; In adversely the sweet
charm OF the Saviour's words lts up the trembling
heart; In days OF perplexity, when one knows not
on what side to turn, there comes shining light
upon his vision and there are words heard by the
car Of the soul, ''Be Of good cheer. have over
come the world 70 and In the last extremity, when
the beaded sweat is on the brow and e's pleasures
exclaIms, "Yea, though walk through the
valley Of the shadow Of death, will fear
no evil.n The life OF that person who
depended upon Christ for the daily bread OF the
Spirit and who leaned upon His bosom was not
failure. The other points made by the speaker
were that the Christian life Is which attans the
end and object OF life, and that the Christian life