The New York herald., 1873-09-29
CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH, ,

The Prayer OF Agur and the Lesson OF
the Hour-The Financial Crisis-Ser-
mon by the Rev. Henry Powers.
The Church Of the Messiah, Park avenue and
Thirty-fourth street, was well attended yesterday
morning, and the services were OF an interesting
character. The pastor, the Rev. Henry Powers,
selected as his text the Prayer OF Agur, as found
in Proverbs, XXX, I, 8, 0:-"Two things have re-
CURED of Thee deny me them not before die
Remove lar from me vanity and lies; give me
neither poverty riches; feed me with food con-
venient for me, lest be full and deny Thee, and
say, Who is the LordS or lest be poor and steal,
and take the name OF my God in vain." Alter
reference to the little tnat Is known OF Agur Mr..
Powers said:-Yet he had hit upon the
TRUE PHILOSOPHY OF LIPE--
integrity OF heart-and this s wholly independent
OF condition and fortune. True, blessedness is not
dependent on any one particular condition in life
ana yet there Is a condition more favorable than
any other, though not an extreme or different onc
scribing this condition, the preacher said that
wealth and poverty are relative terms in this life
s on rich ane In he bn rs M
city. He may be poor in the United states but
rich in some other countries. He that can satisfy
his wealth is such as to exceed his ne
eessities The common lot OF man is
rewarded. When we hear OF man 'that he has
enough. he need not work any more,n we know
the great law OF liIe is being abused. No man has
a right to have so much that he can take his ease.
The greater his riches or the greater his talents.
the more he Is accountable for to his God and
distributed IL is estimated that the Of 81 600
would fall TO every creature. To have more than
Is ROBBERY AND MPIpELIrY-
robbery OF your neighbOrs and inndelity to those
higher principles God has taught His creatures;
and this unequal distribution OF riches is the rea
son of the worlds infelicty The reasons which
induced Aeur to prefer the common lot are set
Itr'" II is ~ the the Temptations Which p al" surround
poverty. The poor look upon the glttering
jewels which fasn from hundred windows
and stores; and have you never thought that
when these are in view their minds 20 back in
Imagination to squalid abodes and haunts of vice,
them how much esteemed IL would cause them
to be among their fellow men; how little less than
God 1t would make them; and Is not the temp
tation great for the
POOR DEVIL TO STEAL,
This is the case when the poor man feels that he
has life faculties to develop, and seeing IT about
him on all hands knows no reason why he should
not possess 1t. The temptations OF the rich are
deny tnee." More rich men make shipwrecks OF
their souls than poor men, all things being
equal. Pride and selnshness come to them There
Is indulgence in every sensual pleasure there Is
Incidence a1d debauchery for the rich man. And
to those who seek 1t OF this class there is care fear
iousness OF ali sorts Money is close to their eyes;
they are blind 20 all that IS good In the world. Is
this right Shall we initiate the PRAYER OF Agnr
We shall have to alter our faith II we do. The
truth OF Agurs sentiment Ia practically denied
among u.s. Parton says:-"ln the United states
is foo who does not sacrifice to the acquisl-
zion OF wealth every thing except health and honor,
since wealth alone gives platform upon which
happiness can be established" Practically,
WEALTH is TIE ONLY PLATFORM,
according to my belief where felicity can be found
'Tls not the worship Of God, the majority believe,
that would tend to happiness but 1t Is the posses
sion OF ofwealth, and 1t must be acquired at all haz-
ards, and all opportunities projects and expecta-
tons are made to point to one end-the way TO
grow rich. And what shall this teach the people
OF future ages
sans mstnnas eth thai the WAY White to grow rich
MI Has been zen brewed from others honeyi
For the true original Hydroinel,
And double or treble your money.
This Is the lesson OF the hour. The crisis which
IS now upon us Is the consequence OF the impa-
tlence winch attends the making OF money slowly
lattve schemes for the accumulation of wealth
And hence the destruction which il upon us be-
cause they have wanted all the good things In this
world without proper labor, because tney have
anticipated the future In the enloyment of the
present, and the result Is
TIE RUIN OF MANY
this land we cannot live without 1t, and its fos.
session gives higher hopes and greater expecta-
tions Wealth shall be our salvation, II we used 1t
In the development Of education spirituality and
the conquest OF the world with the meeKness
OF the children OF God Underlying much OF the
disaster in the financial world has been iaith, and
there has been too much OF IL. one hundred years
ago 1t was not possible for such panic as that
now upon us to occur, because there was not laith
enough among the people to try the experiments
which have brought 1t about. The only wealth OF
the Roman was soldi1ed wealth. He had IL with
him at all times and would not trust IL out OF sight.
IL was not bonds, notes, mortgages OF railways ana
the Ike that are now held,
ZACH TRUSTING THE OTTER,
TO carry out his obligations Wonder then there