The New York herald., 1873-08-17
RELIGIOUS.
August 17---Eleventh sunday
After Pentecost.
IMPROPERLY QUOTING SCRIPTURE.
Universal Salvation or the
Contrary?
Dedication of St. Cecilia's Church,
in Harlem, To-Day.
The ROumanian JeWs-Extracts OF a Let.
ter from One of the Editors Of
the Jewish Messenger.
MOVEMENTS OF THE MINISTERS.
MOVEMENTS OF THE MINISTER'S

Services To-Day.
The Rev. Joseph Parker, minister of the City
Temple, London, who wrote few days ago to the
Evangelist, complaining that he could not find q
church open here, viii find dozen or more oil
them open in different parts OF the city to-day II
he will only read the HERALD religious columns.
For his benefit and that other strangers visiting
our city at this season. we may say that,
Rev. F. s. Evans breaches morning and evening
In the Central Baptist church, Forty street.
near Seventh avenue,
That Professor b. N. Martin will address the au-
dience gathered in Association Hall in the evening,
That Rev. U. T. Tracy, rector. will preach in the
Church OF the Reformation, Ffty-seventh street,
between Lexington and Fourth avenues, and
That DR.. Deems will occupy the pulpit of the
Church Of the Strangers to-day, as usual, morning
and evening.
Rev. John Teas will preach also morning and
evening, IN the Westminster Presbyterian church,
In West Twenty-second street, between Sixth and
Seventh avenues
Rev. David b. Jutten will deliver his message in
the Sixteenth Baptist church, West Sixteenth
street, near Eighth avenue, at both services.
The Methodist Free Tabernacle, in Thirty fourth
street, near Eighth avenue, will be open also
morning and evening, aud sermons will be de.
the pastor.
'Mary, Mother OF Christi and the tomorrow OF
Sin" are the subjects on which Mr.. M. c. Lock-
wood will discourse to-day in the Fftythird street
Baptist church.
y. p Andrews will address the "Church OF
Humanity" in Germania Hall this morning and Dr.
Kinget in the evening.
Bishop Snow sees mighty trouble coming on the
nations and he proposes to tell what he knows
about 1t to those who may listen in the University
shis afternoon.
Lucian S. Crandall will speak in Robinson Hall,
East Sixteenth street. this evening.
''The Social Revolution" will be discussed by Mr..
Hugh McGregor and others at the Cosmopolitan
Conference, at three p. NJ.
This morning and evening, in Emmanuel Baptist
church, Rev. Samuel Altman Will preach.
At the service this morning. at eleven O'Clock
In the Church OF the Messiah Rev. B. G.. Northrop
Will discourse upon Couture of the Sensbilitesn
Dr. Cheeyer breaches this morning in the Forty
second street Presbyterian church.
Rev. Mr.. Westover will conduct the morning and
evening services in the First Baptist church.
Divine service at halfpast ten this morning in
the Church OF the Resurrection.
These should furnish variety enough to strangers
for one day.
Quoting Scripture Improperly.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
However instructive and edifying the religious
controversies which obtain in your great journal
once week. no satisfactory solution Of the points
at issue can ever be arrived at long as the Bible
is referred to as authority and quoted as such by
one party to the argument while it is rejected
totally or its authenticity doubted by the other.
The practice, however, OF calling the Scriptures
into court to establish their own authority and
divine inspiration should be repudiated strenu-
otsly. The religious laith OF the present enlight-
ened age is not 70 be based upon the driveling
perstitions OF the past. Its foundations must be
laid In the natural sciences, and be sustained by
absolute demonstration and by simple and
straightforward reasoning. What this man said
or what that man said, or rather what either Is
said to have SAID two or three thousand years ago,
when gross darkness covered the face OF the EARTH
80 long as 1t CONNECTS with good, sound. common
sense, is not worth button to-day Every revela-
lion 10 man. has been made and continues to be
mace through some natural channel, or through
some agency that demonstrates its supernatural
character and power. There Is not single well
authenticated line of contemporary history to prove
that the just and noble Nazarene was more than a
mere man. In fact, il Scripture evidence be worth
anything we are taught to regard Him as not only
wanting in ordinary good understanding, but in
&llned, at times, to be pet1lant or vndictive.
Take 1or example, the story OF the barren fig tree.
Here we perceive Him expecting to dnd fruit out
of its season. and blasting with a curse
This fig tree was remarkable one by the
wayside, Tor 1t was seen alar on But what cared
lie, according TO l1DeuerS tne nelgn-
boring children OF their favorite noontide haunt
beneath its shade OF the sweet fruits that peri
Odically hung from its boughs? or what did IL mat
ter 10 Him that the more sensible traveller whO
weary and foosore, sought its accustomed shelter
a month subsequently, with view TO resting be-
meath its ea1y branches and filing his empty scrip
should find it wthered and bare and dying? Let
any person in the present day, with even the con-
scientious hatchet Of George Washington, destroy
a leafy fruitful angel by the dusty roadside thus
and see how he would !are at the hands OF society
and those OF the press am, however, of those
vhn n N nn hnl
ever guilty OF such an act.
But so long as men are satisfied to use the same
teaspoon and pap which mnstered to the ignor-
ance and superstition OF bygone ages there Is
little use in pointing out such gross absurdites as
form the corner stones OF most OF the religious be-
leis OF the day. We may, nevertheless, hope that
the dawn Is at hand, and that ere long they will
begin TO perceive how monstrousy absurd 1t was
In the founders OF their faiths TO make God a man
and then Kill Him to insure his kindness and the
forgiveness OF offences committed by people who
mad been dead four thousand years, as well as OF
those to be committed by others yet unborn How
wondrous tne credulity that accepts such an alb
surdity and the faulty that holds you an enemy If
you endeavor to prove that there is no possibility
OF those who entertain such theory being damned
light OF the nineteenth century, else 1t gradually
goes Dy tue BOARD. LOGOS.
Universal Salvation, or the Contrary
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
Your correspondent, 80. H.,r inquiries, "Does j.
E. wish to be understood as believing that the life
beyond the grave is the only life of any practical
Importance 2" Certainly not but he does wish to
be understood to say that II we love the Lord and
earnestly strive to keep His commandments here
we need not be anxious about our future state,
for we shall reach heaven as surely as an acorn
planted in a congenia soil is developed into an
oak for effect follows surely on the spir-
ltual as on the physical plane OF life. We want to
be saved from SHINING or from doing wrong In
Intention, thought, word or deed here, and If we
are so saved heavenly life Will as surely be de-
ve'oped within us as physical health Will
result from obedience to the laws OF health,