The New York herald., 1874-08-24
Sermons by the Preachers Yester-
day in the City and
Neighborhood.
DEEMS ON THE POWER OF CHRIST
A Philadelphia Pastor Describes a
Good Shepherd.
DIR. FULLER AND CALvINIsM
A Plain Gospel Sermon by Rev.
w. II. Boole.
CHURCH OF THE STRANGERS.
"Nothing Done Without 'Christ''-A Ser
mon by Rev. DIR. Deems.

OHUhuE VI ThE STRANGERS.
"Noshing Done without sChrist"-A Ser.
mon by Rev. DIR. Deems.
AT this church yesterday there large con-
gregation. The text was announced as john, XIV,
5-"Wlthout me ye can do nothing" The circum-
stances under which Jesus uttered the words were
described. He had had His last supper with HIS
disciples. He was at the point OF final desertion,
betrayal and death. 1t is not quite certain
whether 1t was IN the upper chamber where the
supper was had or in the open air, that Jesus
spoke the words in this chapter. Nature per-
petually made suggestions to our Lord, furnishing
The texts OF His dlscourses. IL may have been a
vine climbing up and throwing some tendril
into the window. Or, the group may have
been their way to Gethsemane, yet
having crossed the Kedron brook, but seeing
the fires on the hill sides in which the dead
vine branches were burning and the offal OF the
Paschal sacrifice was being consumed according
70 law. Whatever it was, here was the theme
for the great consoatory discourse There was
great root-truth suggested: Jesus is the vlne
Here is something planted in the world which
Is OF immense consequence Jesus Christ is to
be the great spiritual life stock OF the Christian
world. Nothing has spiritual life which does
not derive that life from Him. No man, what
ever his profession has the grape blood OF spir-
itual yig0r IN him unless that man be part of
Christ. The text teaches that outside OF Christ
broken away from such connection with Him as
makes the thrObs oil His heart thrill through
ours, and the OF His spiritual life circulate
through all parts OF our spiritual constitution,
we '.can do nothing The word .'don suggests
several things. the first place it supposes life.
Nothing that has no vital existence really does
anything. 1t may be the instr ument in the hands
oi another, but 1t is always person that does at
rains" "the wind blows" and phrases like that
are common. They are elliptica. The air, by its
own weight, rushes in TO fill up vacuum; the
vacuum is produced by heat, the heat by change
Of electric currents, and so you go back until you
reach a person that ''does, We can have no
spiritual life if closest spiritual communion
with Christ. Being near Him does not hep-we
must be in Him. in the sense IN which a branch is
IN the vine. A branch might be glued on to the
vine, but that would do no good 1t must be part
pass through all the cells the vIne as to vi
taliZe 1t. Church membership is not enough.
Even external imitation OF the lie OF Jesus will not
avail. Nothing bu, organic spiritual union with
Jesus. Then every true branch is part OF the
vine When Jesus represented himself as a
shepherd He SAID, "0ther sheep have tnat are not
OF this iold; them also must bring.n SO He might
say OF the grapes, ''Other bunches have which
not on the side OF the vine which is named
Christian but they are grapes. They may not
know our name, they may hang over another side
hold somehow TO God as God is shown in Jesus
Last sunday the sermon took IN Paul's sayng-
said OF the topmost and iurrhermost bunch OF
grapes. Its lie Is not in itseli; it is not In the
next branch; 1t Is in the rOot-the hidden root
the root is the essential part OF the vine You may
destroy each branch and all the visible STOCK and
there Is enough life III the Root OF David the Vine,
TO spring up again and sustain thousands OF
buncbes Out OF Him there can be no spiritual
NE: In the 1, next place the @ Doctor showed that
nal help to others. This all Christians were; ana
no one could De spiritually ~, helpful who had
something as well as be something. The branches
do not bring lorth grapes Tor themselves only, but
also for others. Men find those who be spirit
ually helpful to them and Will make drafts on such
persons. Men DO not gather thistles but grapes.
Men DO not gather dead grapes, but living, juicy
your Out OF your life or your prayers9 II spiritual
The Saviour sad, ssWhatsoever We shall ask IN nv
name that Will i DO" We cannot ask I'm His
namen unless we be part OF Himself. The phrase
does not mean the formal tackng oil the name Of
Jesus 10 the end OF our prayers but asking have
done for US what would be done for Jesus Jesus
says that tnen He viii DO It, The vine VIII respond
from its great sap-making root to the demand
made by the smallest branch because it is part OF
the vine. We are vessels TO hold the spiritual grape
juice and minister it to others. II we are not
thus helpful 10 others let rs suspect that have
can do nothing. No genius learning. wit. man
ners, eoquence, Will make US helpful If the lie OF
CHRIST be not IN our souls. Then 1t was shown
ltualy fruitful branch does three things: it
has lie; IL produces grapes which are good for
is with Christians. Every true Christian Will pro.
duce more Christians. He viii have spiritual chill
dren. He remembers the saying OF Jesus =
.'Herein is my Father glorlhed that We bear much
fruit He could not bear to depart II He ielt that
lie lett no one TO propagate the Christianity that
was In Him. But We can do this only by being in
Christ. No matter what you do for a branch 1t
cannot 1--we II you cut 1t of from the vine.
.Witnout me n The preacher dwell on these words.
CONSIDER what follows being out OF Christ. First
of ALL there will be no pruning Perbaps Won
would nike to get rid OF that. You do not iike the
KNIFE OF discipline. But that Is necessary, that we
produce more % iruit II is not administered to
thOse who bear no ruit. sometimes we have /
project in hand by which we nope to DO much
good. We become attached to 1t; it is a pet
scheme IL Is blasted. We are humiliafed Men |
VIII say that we have failed. Not at ALI If the san
be in 1t Will drive out into some grow th some
where else, If the Lords pruning knife trim u.s.
But II The branch he severed hom the vine the !
nusbandman can care for IL no longer. WIZ men , ,
No The last thing which follows Is destructlon
.'lf man abide not In me he Is cast forth as a
branch and Is withered; and men gather them
and cast them into the fire and they are burnedn
TnAt IS what Jesus saws. Do you know how hard
IL Is TO burn living vine branch Try
try. The green and juicy life that is In 1t win
Keep IL alive under a great name. You will ind
II dincut 10 Kill lt with IRE But dead dry
branches need but little name, and they make a
great fire. SO with a Christian. Take q man VINO
IS not a true and living branch OF the great and
living Vine and put him IN the fires OF trial, ana
how he consumes away How readily ana quickly
"a dead branch burnsi The saviour was not prob
ably speaking specially OF the destruction OF sln-
ners beyond the grave but Of our fery trials here.
Without Hfn we cannot bear llfe's burdens, with
out hifl we cannot keep life's vigils, without Him
We cannot fight lies battles without Him we
dc nothing for ourselves or for others in life or
death or eternity. Let every soul search Itself
with the question, "Am abiding in HIM" study
the lorce OF that word "abide."
SEVENTH STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL
CHURCH.
The pulpit OF this historical church was yester-