The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-18
CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH.

Sermon by the Rev. p. s. Evans, on
thc Preaching of ST. Paul the Apostle
The Doctrine of the Crucihxi0n and
Incarnation-'sWe Preach Christ Cruel
Ged.''
The congregation assembled in the neat and &C.
I0mmodating Central Baptist church, West Forty
second street. yesterday morning at halfpast ten
S'cock not large in point OF numbers, but CON-
priscd some very intelligent looking members. The
preacher Of the hour was the Rev. p. s. Evans. He
chose his text from the first Epstle OF 81. Paul to
The Corinthians the first chapter and twenty third
md twenty fourth verses, viz :-"But we preach
Christ cruci1ed, unto the Jews stumbling block
and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them
which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power Of God aud the wisdom of God.n
The Rev. Mr.. Evans opened his discourse by say.
ing that there was
ONE TRUTH ONLY,
ppon which the whole Christian Church based its
dogmas, and that was the crucGxion. That was
what the great Apostle OF the Gent,les loved to
preach, and except from the lips OF Jesus himself
never did such words issue from the mouth OF any
The preacher here eulogsed st. Paul, told the
congregation OF his nobility OF character, the
grandeur OF his genus and his intellect, and the
Die OF Christ. ST. Paul, however, did not preach
human nature to the multitudes, nor did ne dwell
upon ,9e agp 9 h Oh man 70 ANY e1.en an9Tgn ne
haps before his conversion, that the world has pro-
duced. But after his conversion when taught by
the Spirit OF God, he scared above all his contem
poraries. He tells us himself OF his conve sion in
the words OF the text, 81 had not known what sin
Ia II the law had not said thou shalt not coyetn
rhis structure upon the
COvEToUsNEss OF THE HUMAN HEART
brought him to sense OF sin aud of the desires of
his heart, and yet he was noble, nigh minded man,
Of unmstakabe ZEAL Society was then almost as
It is now There were open sins aud secret sins as
there are now. The present Is but vague copy OF
the past. There were systems OF philosophy and
NEUROLOGICAL and superstitIous ideas which in tlme
lost their light and weight before the preaching Of
the tent makers Of Taitarus and the fishermen of
Galilee until they became like the empty shell OF
the crystals when the butterfly has attained its
proper facilities to leave 1t.
st. Paul did not preach salvation attainab!e by
ones own executive power but through
CHRIST CRUCIFIED.
He did not, however, preach Christ as model,
for he knewit was impossible to initiate Him, but
70 keep it. The golden gates OF heaven, ne knew,
would be thrown open to the sinless-o those who
devils to find him guilty OF wrong-dong by wful
Intent.
Paul did not preach Christ crucned as the only
hope and source OF salvation. He shows us that lie
died not so much for sinners as In the place OF sin
ners. His death is but the doctrine OF the suDst-
tuted sacrince-lor the law had to be fulfilled and
the justice OF Cod satisfied. He preached, in add-
uon TO the yicarous suferings OF Christ, the suffer
lngs Of the Divinity that was within Him. The Son
01God was known By two names-by Christ from all
eternity and by Jesus rom his birth. Chrlst suE
Tered and died IN HIS divine as well as in His
human nature Some persons fear TO believe In His
divinity when they come 10 contemplate Him
HANGING HEI.PLESSLY ON THE CROSS,
end uttering the words 'My Godl my God why
hast Thou iorsaken mef .But tell me not, SAID
the preacher, that it was the divinity united with
the humanity OF Jesus that fed the 5000 in the
desert and walked on the ruined waters OF Galilee
and called forth Lazarus from the grave: tell me
mot these things II you are going to separate that
divine nature from the manGod at Ills last mo-
ments Oh the cross. An, yes; the saving power
was in the divinity OF Christ, and at no time ever
since he became incarnate was 1t separated from
II. Paul preached these things. not as q mere the
illogical abstraction, but that men might come To
Christi The eloquent preacher concluded with q
short but very impressive eulcgy on the grea. mys
terry OF the incarnation which Is like thousands OF
mysteries connected with our very existence, un-
fath0mable, yet incontrovertibe In its certainty.