, 1874-02-01


To The Editor Of The Chicago Tribune:
DEAR Sm: nv attention has been called to =
telegram in your columns Of Monday, the 19th
inst, to The effect that had preached SERMON
which gn7e 3 ''qualifed indorsement" to tho
.sCummns movement" It it were 'home" !"
papcr would trust to my reputation for Vlnd1-
cation, But, Us I have no reason to suppose
TIN. have any reputation in Chicago, or that
YOUR Telegram" is not my first appearance in
that CITY, must AJAX you not to give me quite
euch an introduction I send you what did
sav, and am quite willing to bs judged by
that. And Dr.. Cummins and his friends are
,ulte welcome to any "aid and comfort"
iha: it gives them. The LAST paragraph (4) Of
,.ho sermon was abridged, for want OF time, as
.he manuscript shows, but the principle asserted
is one that am ready to selaborate" 81 rs we'll as
TO mention"
Il you 7fil do me the Kindness to print what
lid ray, ask no further "odds in maintaining
nv '.1eputarion," which may not be much, but
is all have Yours respectfully,
JoUS VAUGHAN LEWIS.
Tho sermon, which was preached in st. Johns
Church, Washington, Jan. l9, is as fonows:
Can any good thing come out Of hazarstil--st
john f:f6>
fThe irst and second heads OF this sermon re-
1ate} TcspeCITeaEs 10 Auo llue 1Ate4 kAesI-4oA "
the text, and to the lesson which the example OF
Nathaniel affords to the private Christian.l
Th:rd-And, il this be the lesson OF the text,
to Individuals, it has also an Epiphany lesson
to the Church, not to despise the day OF small
things, nor the power Of Obscure causes. :. The
Kingdom Of God co1ueth not with observation y
It must como s'out OF Bethlehem" but it may
come By Way Of Nazareth
1t doubtless seemed strange to Al the thousands
Of judith" that Bethlehem Ephrata, the least OF
.:4: ~
rule Gods people. Israel" But yet, Bethlehem
was the Clsy Of David, and its sheep-folds had
once before been gloritied in David; but Naza-
retn had no traditions and no reputation. It
tue Captivity and IS nothing good" had been
raid OF it by the Prophets in connection with
the Hone Of Israel as nothing evil was said
Of it until it suffered the reproach Of Christ i
and the things that made it Mecca to Christians
became the reasons why the city WIS abandoned
bv it's Jewish population, So it is this day.
1t had been. honor enough for Nazareth il it
had only been the scene OF the Annunclauou.
and Joseph and the Virgin seem to have taken
10 their abode at Bethlehem, aftey the Nativity,
IS II wiling t. fulfil s'tAe prophecies that went
BEFORE TINT Christ should como out OF Naza-
Eeth.
Il was the xickedness Of Herod that prevented
tie manifestation of Christ to Israel as - the
Son Of thGt Josse the Bethlohemjte,' and it was
tho fear of Archelaus TINT turned him aside
into the parts Of Nazareth, that ''he should
be called q NazArene."
It was no foul: Of Joseph. or the Virgin, who
then beld the destiniea of the Church in their
kee1iug that the Mesaiaship 1apsed to Gaiilee,
md that Tie holy childhood was not spent In
Bethlehem No man may plead his own crime
n sclf-defense; and it was tho crima Of Herod,
md of the Jerusalem that sympatlized With
him, and not their misfortune, thas Christ
"came to His oWn,' as 4 Galilean, and not IS 8
Dethlehemite.
But He came nevertheless, though He did
some * out OF Nazareth, and He :wss the same
Christ that - was born King Of the jews" in
.he City OF Darid.
And there is comfort in believing and know
ing that God riu "cau Els Son ont OF Egypt"
and Elorify Him from Nazareth. And that every
nn,cward event. in the history Of the Church,
whnc it may be IS 1uinous to its perpetrators as
uesods treaclery WAS to Herod, will, sooner or
!arer, rebound to tho benefit Of the Church,
through the careful Providence Of Him Who
very wsath Of man to praise Him."
Nothing call excuse the act Of the man
who has recently stolen from this Church the
Apostolic Succession to use it rs he
peases, and not as the Church requires. It is
IN offease, not only against Church-discipline,
but against manly honor. He took the Epls-
copa;e in trust from this Church, and for this
Church; aud, if he could no longer conscien-
tiously hold the trust, for any reason, it would
aaem that he ought to have resigned it. and not
to have run away with it. And, therefore, nm
sorry for him, as am sorry at any exhibition OF
dishonesty and breach OF faith, and hope to
gee him deposed aud degraded from his place
In this Church, IS every righteous man must
"reioce when he seeth the vengeance
And yet, without the least tolerance for "the
wicketlness Of the man that hath done tue
.ning.' r can gee it done without raising the
echoes with my lamentations over the stolen
goods Of the Church, and be moved, rather, to
ponder the wonderful Ways Of Gods retr1bu-
lions and ssloying corrections than to pursue
this cuiprit with vindictiye denunciations. Let
him answer for himself to HIS God But wei
This Church has had the apostolic ministry, in
trust. from God, for the benefit OF the world.
And She has too often used it Is if it we're her
own family heirloom.
these Colonies begged England for the Epis-
y11e it. Our ancestors went to their graves
without the laying on OF hands" which
is a first principle Of the doctrine Of Christ"
our candidates for Holy Orders we're, literally,
jec:mated bv perils Of the sea, during the Whole
period. in going to England for ord1nat1on. our
narishes il many instances, were supplied By
Immigrant clergy, who came here because they
we're 100 we'll known at home, and who brought
the Church into contempt, and the Euhetngs
md losses Of our Colonial Church in men and
reputation, and privilege and properly, were go
great that when. at last, We got the succession
Ne were 40 feebls that, for half reutury, We
.ould do little else but apologize for our e1-
:stence.
John Wesley begged the English bishops tor
,rdinaton for his preachers at home and
:or theso Colonies, and lie never could
Set it. THIS Church's hin against the
NetLolists is SO grsat tlat there ID
,oetic Justice in tile retributiou that has over
.aken us that a Methodist preacher should
.o:no into the church aud be ordained Deacon,
Priest, snd Bishop, and then run away with his
,rders. It is no glory to tho man who did it,
3utif God will ouly put it into the hearts Of
Ncthodists. as their lions Hsrald already pro-
3oaes. to rectify aud improve their own orders,
yy means of this Seceder's Episcopate, it will be
: thing OF which this church will have 70 sort Of
tight to complain.
Tho fact stands that the Apostolic Succession
bo3 q licked out +" OF Judea into Ga1ilce Of the
:eutiles. aud while We must reprobate the nan-
ner of its escape, we ought ito tako joyfully
his 6poiling Of our goods" since We cannot re-
iect that Succession. Il it comes back to us froEa
Nazareth .,.
ne have been careful Of it, to parsimonious
It has s:salt in ITSELF" and will " keep " where
ever it goes. There never WAS an instance OF an
= Episcorsl" nchism that did not sooner OF