The New York herald., 1874-11-23
What Have Mankind To Be 0Eatofhl %
God ForHKr. rockingham
on Thanksgiving Day
FAITH IN PROGRESS.
The Ofiiec Of Music In The Public
Services Of the Sanctuary.
CLOSE OF THE CHURCH YEAR
aElaM or TEE D1surLS

oEIRM or TEE D1scrrLS
nav ss~ssx~ ~. ysup~,cs-A - eA~ p~ty
"a <sssn ssssssa.
raa uppnlf autumn vs, rrar rUu bspee w.i1 he
sr-rxrttuns NJ sr arato-trsl mlslN cTs<rAied 10
xsnnw a. unusually arrs soncracss slss Yesterday
usnrslny b. tbe cnuran ri The DsusieS After the
ssusal srslin,toscs nzerntsas. vtsca ceasisted Of
yrsus pv tss uasrn- rnf s-rEfag cy the entire
c,nre-rpns,nI ar. aafv5-sa ~ - and announced
sAs sus,mri n LIZ ss-ce. 20 be "The Duty OF Con-
sssesar re fexs vas nom the sixty-sourth
chapter OF ISa.2n, slxrn and eighth verses-"But
We Gil are rs an unclean thing, and ell our
righteousnesses are as nlthy rags; ana we all DO
nae as . leaf; and our lntquities, ike the wind.
have taken Us away. But now, LORD. thou art
our Father. e\re the clay and thou our potter,
end We All are the WORK OF thy hand"
These words were CALCULATED, not only from tho
tips but nom the character OF the great man WHO
uttered them. They constitute part OF prayer
poured forth IN behalf OF an errng nation, and
by nan VINO did not seek popularity BY excustng
tniqVisy, but who had moral independence enough
TO extract the truth and learessly expose evil
His words naturally are terse And f0rcible and
their meaning apr aren't on the surface He Il
man In deadly earnest ana he goes on In
straight line to the end. He commences BY con-
tossing the presence OF great evil; no then re-
great kindness IN the past and concludes BY I'm
Dioring . continuance OF His blessings l wish 70
upsak to you to-day net only upon the duty but
tho privilege OF confession. II does not form rs
important . part in our hives or In public SER
vfce % it should. 1t is ct the very founda.
ton OF Christian excellence. At nome and in
charch We are in the habit OF praisinx
God, and there is o necessity every moment ana
every hour OF our lives for so doing IN testimony
OF ais mercy and goodness. Again. We are in the
habit. both In public and IN private, OF asking
benefits OF God, and there exists the same neces-
sity for there is not moment or our lives when
we ere NOT poor and needy. the human nature
mover receives lis ill Of any good thing but always
yearns for more, and oitentimes in It's deep neces
ssy cries out In very agony Tor Gods blessing. 1t
seems 10 me, however, that We too frequently
neglect confession. Ii does US good to bow down.
~ In the ashes before God ana TO confess as tfid
the Prophet Isaiah, our righteousnesses are as
nltAy rAgs. Let Us remember that our abilities
are as nothing to our liabilities. What We have
uone Is but as q grain OF sand on the shore or the
mighty ocean OF life. We sometimes nnd fault
with the confessional - instituted by tho
Eomtsh Church. | admit. ~ we all DO thai
&Ae fruit which that tree bears is injurious Ana
I very gravely ana greatly doubt whether 1t is
ever right or proper TO receive pardon or abso-
luton from the hand Of any man not better tran
We ourselves. believe thai tnere ls not man
who treads this planet but who needs forgiveness
from the Almighty, and consequently no man
can have the right to forgive. But when tine
soul 10
when the load Of grief and remorse Ia great that
poor suffering humanity staggers under 1t, then
she heart yearns for aud Graves sympathy. the
longing OF that heart which has no other heart 70
60 to TO communicate its secretI The Romish
man % a. and i'yS woman under is AUTHORITY . Eo Il
stated times to confession, The system It.
sens ous that Il Is and Sas Dsen '
81 much good 10 individuals we cannot doubt.
instead OF prlests 70 confess %, you have the Al
mighty God, who holds the universe IN the hollow
ate the great qualification 20 be derived from tho
less himself without fail hiu seif-examlnation. We
are Ia the midst OF . hurrying world. There u
Some, IN the midst Il Of his famiy T With Ha his Isl little
eblid upon his knee, the shacow OF the days toll
Is on the man. 10 Is impossible to shake 1t or and
even at night when sweet re ireshiug sleep should
be his portion. this pnan ON OF business mocks
his dreams. From the beginning to rne end OF the
II we could only grow to be calm and serene how
refreshing would then be every day and hour OF
sss end NGU 10 tsse sne ss' time ana csimg
think over the best methods. Find ont where you
are weak: SO tina. you can apply M for strength: In
30 that you can avoid the stumbling block. IL 10 a
strangc tact that no man can ind out himself
get an impartial criticism from . friend as the
world goes because friend viii magnify your
regard 20 one's enemies tue same principle holds;
they win magnify the bad and detract from the
goo e O ap os sens ss n o
periodically taxes an account OF stock, so 1t Is i'm
oortant that you should look yoarsef over, and
wherever you fnd defects In your spiritual nature
cut into It as surgeon would into your body |
often think It would be well II we could sit down
in friendly fashion, as 1t were, with an enemy anu
listen TO the story he would tell. 1t might be
coored. 1t PROBABLY. would be, but in giy:
ring in our ears ike the sound OF bell on wln-
try morning, cutting as . KNIFE. cold as Ice. but
they would do US great deal OF GOOD. II we are
Ing productive OF so much good as the laying OF
the soul down on tine board OF dissection. as 1t
were. We should lose our solf-conceit ncer the
operation. Seize xcuse is prominent feature In
tae experience Of All o. US what we see In
our liking We condemn, while we excuse the same
thing In ourselves. We are lar more generous to
ourselves tnan to our fellow man.
WE NEVER MEASURE OURSELVES BY OTHERS.
say, then, that the performance Oi this duty or
INTERSECTION and then OF confession TO GOD oI our
oellence and the shortest road to heaven. II
teaches US humility. There is no progress
s :sS ss sas sss better ssn = t.
Every man VINO sttalns TO eminenCe does
pup instead ap9sS oi Se saeher saS And Gs,ns af
think, that the science OF the nineteenth century
smIsM,s makes Tistsse-lt mist has not the grace OF
actual merits-as Christian minister and a.
man accord 1t all credit for what it has accom-.
pusne0-Dut IT makes mistake because 10 ts AFRO
rant and conceited. The scientist Of to-day, IN
stoed ol making an assertion as II the luture
might develop ITS error, rushes at the foundation
Qf our fAlth as with u crowbar aud tries TO over
turn the whole thing. lie tells you that the
srutns which have stood for over l,so0 cars are
myth. and then leaves you surrounded by biiehted
buds and Wlthered leaves. What We most need Ia
humility IN our private lives The American mind
docs not take TO this idea easily Once q convic-
ton ts formed 1t 10 hard to root it out we want
90 remember that we are not gods, but men not
giants, but pygmles; we did not make the
IL only BY submission to these laws
that we can be happy. Bt. Paul after his conver-
sion confessed his lnabihty to be true apostle.
The effect OF Christianity while he only stood upon
lts threshold was to take the conceit out or MIN.
When he arrived at . higher stage OF excellence
MS humility deepened, and he exclaimed, IL am
the very least VI the ssintS-the very least OF ali