The New York herald., 1873-12-15
ST. PATRICK,s CATHEDRAL.
Sermon by the Rev. Father Meyamce-
''Prepare Ye the Ways or the lord;
Make straight His Paths.n

Sermon by the Rev. Father Meyumce-
.s7repare We the Ways or the lord;
Make straight His Paths.''
There was a large congregation at st. Patrlck's
Cathedral yesterday at the high mass services.
The Rev. Father McNamee preached the sermon.
He took for his text the words "Prepare ye the
ways OF the Lord; make straight MS pathsn After
eloquently dilating upon the necessity OF man
studying himself as it were, looking into his soul,
aud striving TO 40 the Will OF the Lord in all
things, he referred to the way men went along
from day to day, exertng all their energies in tAe
pursuit OF wealth and worldly position. They
stopped at nothing to attain the worldly ends
they had in view; no obstacles were too great, 10
EFFORT too exhausting SO long as they believed that
by perseverance their ambition and their desire to
accumulate the goods OF this world could be finally
gratihed. And what after all, were our bodies
for which men sacrificed everything? Simply
Jump OF clay'-a thing made Up OF matter
which IRON It's very nature is corruptible. And
even the soul OF man was sometimes made sub
seryient to the body-that soul which distinguishes
him from the brute creation. Some OF the most in
tenectual men in the world allowed their great
faculties OF mind which were
GIFTS PROM GOD.
to run riot in the ways of evil. How vitiated were
| the hearts OF such men, and how cftel were they
, flied with influences that are obnoxious TO the
r.! influence Of good. Examine them as we might we
allied to find il them anything but that which made
them slaves to everything that might be cause Tor
glory or pride. IL was true that these souls pos
sessed some sublime qualities and all the gifts of
the creation, but through pride and perverslty OF
spirit they were wasted on the transient glorles
the world. The greater man became by
reason Of the use he able TO make OF the gifts
OF mlnd God gave him the greater should be his
humility What, then, would be the fate OF those
people VINO turned TO bad account those faculties
OF the mind when they should have to appear be-
fore the Creators; those people who seldom or
never give even moment TO the serious subject
Of their souls salvation, reflected upon tie lie
to come, who indeed seem to think that beyond
this world there was nothing 10 Tor, that all
Is made for their special enjoyment here below and
who are puned up with vanity that they can
appreciate nothing that does not pander 10 their
honor their lame? TINS class OF people, lie
said, was not by any means exclusively composed
OF those who did not believe in the immortality
loudly at times OF the
oLoRIEs OF ETERNITY,
but who through their pride were unable to cuti-
vate humility, to be humble ana meek as Cod re-
quired that we should be. When John the Bap-
tist called on the people to repent he found among
the unregenerated Jews TO wnom ne preached,
many with good hearts, who al once turned rom
the by-ways OF sin, and VINO, bewailing their past
lives. mace every preparation Tor the salvation OF
their souls Christ to-day repeated to every one
Of us not only during this season Of ADVENT
.'Prepafe We tne way OF the Lord make straight
Jews, but to and orr chilaren, VINO have
received rom God graces In abundance.
THE DAWN OF CHRISTMAS DAY
was near at hand. when the saviour was again to
come to us-a divine infant. full OF compassion for
sinuers-and 1t behooved us TO prepare ourselves
that He might find us ready TO receive Him. What
grief would it not be TO linn who mad died for MS TO
Ind US yet In sin, after an He had done 10 redeem
us. We should realize what we are, and feel
that all we have we obtained from God-open
our eyes 10 our faults, to own imperfectons
detach our minds from the transient gories OF this
world and fx our minds on the Rlories OF the king
dom Of God which win never perish. II we did this
we could make "a good answer 10 the question,
'Who ain !, whence did come, what Is my destin.
ationsr
The reverend preacher then closed by earnestly
exhortlng the congregation 10 prepare themselves
worthIly Ior lhe coming Of The Saviour.