Smyrna times., 1874-12-02
mise eI/UW e OWS.
SERMON IN THE NJ. L. CHURCH
BY Rev. DR.. PHOEBUs, PASTOR.
God Communicates with a Nation
through the Medium Of the Church.

through the Medium Of the Church.
In the year king Uzniah died the Lord sitting
temple Above stood the eraphm each had six wings
fees aud With twain Gs did i; And another
earth iu OF his glory, &c.-Isaiah VI, is.
The speaker began by showing that both the
| PrOcIamatl0ns OF the general aud State Gov
ernments, and the text are in harmony with |
the theme announced, after which he said
The scenic representation is first that of the
! Lord seated on throne When we behold a
| throne, we think of Government, because it is
! the symbol of the same the throne of Deity
is the symbol Of Divine Government. It's high
elevation is typical of the great truth that He
is the Head Of all government. Himself seated
thereon indicates that the Divine Government
is under His own especial, personal admins
tratiOn. The number of men who have been
disposed to relegate God from the government
of the world has always been comparatively
small, and when they have dared to promul
gate their opinions being established in posi-
tionS that gave them the control of large por
tions of the race, God has chased them from
the society Of men, like He visited the proud
king of Babylon. Among the nations Of the
earth, whether Christian, Pagan, Mahometan,
or Jewish, whether MOnOtheists, Deists, Trini-
tarians or Polytheists, there has been deeply
imbedded in their framework government
!
controlling agency called divine, out of which
has grown their respect for law, and their safe
guard from anarcy and final ruin. The most
difficult task for any person disposed to search
into the past Of human life will be to find a
natirn of Atheists, for the simple reason that
practical Atheism is pronounced lie through
out the whole history Of the race. Mark then
the fact displayed in this temple scene; God
hath dominion, He sitteth upon throne the
Lord is king. As by Him all things were
made, SO by Him all things consist All things
: r. under His dominion and law. lie is en-
lhroned King over the world of nature. He
wheels the rolling orbits in space lie leads
up the seasons Our King is seated on the
throne; drought and fire, ard food, the grass
hopper, aud the worm like rebels have invaded
Ills domuou bnt the year is crowned with
tnducss. our garuors are full ot corn
Yes He sitte,h upon the throne. the attitude
Of supremacy and dignity. lie sifteth upOr
His throne, the attitude Of conqueror, wait
ing until the trained ervants of His house
hall return with sound Of trumpet, to rrOclin
tie universe as having laid down its arms
lie can wait though it takes ten Thousand
year. 10 redeem E'horia though Alexandri,
and Thebss aud Memphis, shall lie embalmed
in the tomb Of their pristine glory, till tn,
pyramids in the plains of the Nile are hid b!
t &C inundated debris OF millions of ages
He can wait for their homage; it will sure
cOme.
let US now turn our attention to the plac
of the Divine Government as displayed in thi
wonderful vision 1t ia not exhibited as
placed on IIoreb's cloud-envelOped rock visibl
by the cleaning lightnings of the Almighty
and reverberating with the rolling thunder
of the Holy Presence, nor within the wal
of the church of st. John of Laberan, owe
whose chief portal is the inscription On,niH'
,wbiS ct OrJjS ecciesiarm, mater ct cdput IS
Mother and head Of all the churches of Rom
and OF the world His throne as seen by tn
prophet is when we may see 1t ourselves
stands ia the Temple it has been sprinkle
with the blood Of propitiatiOn by it is tt
altar OF Sacrifice, before which onr Gre
High Priest stands with an everlasting Offe
irg; around it are the cherubim, and SOf
ened by the cloud of mercy, we have b0ldne
of access into the holy place, boldness OF a
proach to the throne, where God comes dow
to greet our souls, receiving our offering al
forgiving our sin.
The temple at Jerusalem is now cast dow
hut God has raised up instead thereof Il
Christian Church, into which the King
Glory has entered, and from which lo speal
to mankind.
Passing over the mention of the comm
influences of the church upon a nation,
come to a graver question, with which
shall have to deal q question that shall fl
the world has ever known. 1t is shall t
Church or the State establish the morals
the people The question looks to the poi
of State legislation by Church aid to t
best method Of imposing moral restraint up
tho people, and of forcing by the sanction
law such respect for questions of morality
shall the more certainly secure the best en-
of government for the whole. 1t is alrea
agifating the older governments. The gove
ment at Berlin, with Bismarck at its head !
with all the force of civil power, declared
sui stance, that the Church is subordinate
the State even in Ecclesiastical matte
Though the special party assaled is the Rom
Cl ur h under the domination Of the Pa
See, it cannot be disguised that the positi
inv, Ives the whole christian church in Il
government, as we'll as the now Obnoxlt
branch of the same. Across the channel,
England, the ex. premier Gladstone, has OPP
ed enc of the gravest issues that governm'
has known since the days Of the retoTmatl
He has charged, with ell the force OF his 10
cal mind and graceful pen, that subject OF
Church of Rome is bound to regard the dl
of that Church as paramount to all the statut
ordinances and laws of the civil realm, 9
that obedience to the Pope il claimed by
Catholic as more binding than to any
government. Said Archbishop Manning
first of this month. in animadvertlng upon
Pamphlet of Mr.. Gladstone.
within the
him that the world threatened with contov
on the whole OF the decrees Vatican Council From
and other that had to his knowedge ne enu
hiatt on thp at the lghest cot
vSrsies the world had ever seen Certainly not
like the controversy which they about to enter
five hundred years. and theytCatho
must be prepared.l
He intimates that the announcement
Catholics OF their principles, will cause /
testants not only in England but everywhere
respect them aud return to the abando
faith. In the same address this preate d
not hesitate to say that the Pope has righ
:. temporal power, and he virtually summon
the whole world to allegiance claiming for
as Sovereign Pontiff the right by virtue OF
office, to arbitrate for all nations, and 10 sec
,hrough tbo Orincinles of the Catholic Cbu