The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-23


Notwithstanding all our hopes and expectA-
tions of rain as indicated by the overhanging
clouds and the occasional droppings yester-
day. the weather held up very pleasantly, so
that the prayerful were able to spend their &C
customed morning and evening hours in the
house OF the Lord. The sermons, with hardly
On exception, are practical or doctrinal, simple
and Scriptural. SO that they can be easily
read, marked and inwardly digested both
by those who heard them yesterday and
by those who shall read them to-day.
Those who may be curious to know what
Unitarianism teaches regarding the way of
holiness will find in DR.. Bellows discourse
as thorough orthodoxy as many of the most
evangelical" divines could furnish to their
congregations He tells us that holiness is
merely holy-hearted simplicity of purpose, o
singleness of eye to see the right, strong
love of goodness and resolute will to seek
and possess it. 1t needs not education or cul-
tivation to secure holy heart While
all this is true, it does not tell the whole
of what holiness as o state Of heart
or of life is. We do not agree save
conditionally with the Doctors statement
that it does not matter what direction
mans feet take if his heart be turned the
right way. If the feet always followed the
heart this might do, but not otherwise. A
firm resolution and strong will are good
things if they are sanctifed; but they cannot
keep the heart pure nor the feet in the way of
holiness. And there the completeness OF this
discourse is lacking in that it leaves the divine
factor altogether out Of this attainment. Is
it true that without this holiness of heart nine
out Of every ten Of the young men who leave
country homes for city life are wrecked every
year on the shoals and quicksands of this
great city? If it be it is terrible fact, and
one that cannot be too gravely considered.
The story of the Saviour's trial before PLATE
was plainly and briefly commented upon by
DR.. Foss. but no new thought was evolved
therefrom, according to our synopsis.
AS st. Paul taught his pupil, Titus, so DR..
Imbrie taught the Fifth avenue Presbyterian
church yesterday, that Christianity was not
new philosophy or humanity devised scheme
of renovation, but an entirely new heaven
sent principle and that it is distinguished
from the PHILOSOPHERS in that Christian moral
ity is superior to the morality Of the world;
that it is sustained by peculiar hope Of the
appearing of the great God our Saviour, and
in that the source Of this moral life and hope
is not in man, but in God. The proof and
illustration of this latter point will be found
in detail in the sermon.
The rewards of selfshness and of abnega-
ton respectively formed the theme of Mr..
McArthur's discourse. Society, he declared,
is suspicious of the man who proposes self as
the object of worship. It shuns him and de-
feats his projects. God also withdraws from
him and allows him to fall into his own snares.
When sin is reduced to its last analysis it
becomes selfshness, the opposite of which
is abnegation, of which Jesus and Paul are
shining examples, as Judas and Plate are of
selfishness.
Most of us realize that this life is warfare,
but very few of us go into the conflict pre-
pared to do battle with the world, the flesh
and the devil, the souls greatest enemies.
The world is constantly alluring us. and the
flesh is more than ready to be allured, and if
we escape from these we have the devil as
roaring lion going about seeking whom he
may devour. Father Power tells us that we
have little chance of escaping this last enemy
unless we take st. Peters advice and "be
sober and watch unto prayer" which is un-
doubtedly true. With prayer as weapon we
can defy and defeat all our enemies and arrive
at heaven, our final and proper resting place.
Father Kearney, using the parallels of the
lost sheep and the lost piece of money, illus
trated Gods care for His erring children and
His anxiety to bring them back to His fold.
He is now as ever securing the wilderness
after the lost sheep or sweeping the house
after the lost coin, and when they are found,
when the sinners are brought back to God,
there is rejoicing not only in the heavenly
household, but in the earthly one also.
DR.. Holme charges our fearful criminal
calendar to the late war, to the character of
our foreign immigration, to the publicity
given by the press to records of crime.
1t familiarizes the public with deeds of VIC
lence and thus aids greatly in their propaga-
ton. Intemperance he considers the parent
of all vice, and the antidote to all these evils
is the cultivation Of the love faculties among
men. Butwe can hardly wait for the ripened
fruit of that sowing. We must make the
punishment as short, sharp and decisive as is
the crime itself. There is no other remedy
half so effective for clearing our criminal
calendar as that.
Mr.. Beecher explained the nature of belief
and of mans responsibility for what he be-
lieves As belief, according to Mr. Beecher, is
partly voluntary and partly involuntary, our
responsibility is therefore equally divided
Every man who has the ability and oppor-
tunity to investigate truth is responsible for
failing to investigate The character of q