National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-03-22

Week beginning with Palm Sunday. The SER
vices during the week are Of the most solemn
character and typify the death and passion Of the
Saviour. Palm Sunday is sO-called from the
ceremony OF blessing branches of palm, olive or
some other tree to be distributed among the
faithful TO carry in procession in mbrance of
what the Jewish people did when Jesus Christ,
six days before his passion, maze MS triumphant
entry into Jerusalem riding on an ASS colt, as
had been loretold by the prophet, and was re-
eeiyed by the Joyous 2eelamatioDs oil the multi
The blessing of the palm takes place before the
celebration OF the Mass, and is attended with
much ceremony. After the Mass il is distributed
among the congregation. In former times it was
the custom to form q procession and march
through The church bearing the palm, but this
has OF late years been discontinued except by the
clergy and the assistants. The ceremony of
blessing is lengthy, and includes while in pro-
ETess series OF chsunts by the choir and clergy,
and the usual sprinklng with holy water and
tuning with incense. Included in the Mass of
this dsv is the recital OF The Passion accord
ing 10 Matthew, XVI and xvii owing to the
extreme length of which the usual sermon is
omitted. At the Mass on Tuesday the re ding Of
tie PRssiln according to St. Mark, xiv and Xv, is
continued, and on wednesday according 10 ST.
Luke, xii and xiii.
Metropolitan Church.
DR.. Newman received an unprecedented We
cCue'upCu his resuming the charge - erlaY
morning, and one OF which any pastor might be
proud The audience was very densely packed,
every available place was filled, and before the
services commenced many went away vexed, not
being able TO obtain standing room. Among
these present were the President and his family,
Senators t'rRE:n Allison. eX-POstmaster General
G,resuelI and others. At the close of the SER
vices the Doctors friends came forward and gave
him cordial greeting.
In his Introductory remarks Dr. Newman said:
an here to-day by your afectiOnate, earnest
and persistent request, and by the authority of
the presiding bishop of our conference. Ny
Judgment was that another should have come.
had chosen another place, not that loved New
York more, or Washington less. but shrank
from the responsibility of being again the
PASTOR OF TIE GREAT NATIONAL CHURCH
Of our denomination. In New York l would
have had less labor, less anxiety, responsibility
and salary. and, therefore, chose to go to New
York. But il is not optional with Methodist
pastor to choose his own parish. He must go
where the bishop sends him.
who are true, and who haze been constant in
good report, and no Christian pastor has ever had
irieuds more sincerely attached to him, and more
earnest in their affection than have found in
yen. and my affection for you is as earnest and
iincere and has been as abiding. 1t will always
give me great pleasure to have you refer 70 my
successors and predecessors in this church in com
phmentsry terms. If it were possible for you to
speak otherwise OF them, such expressions must
rot lie uttered in my presence. One Of them is in
heaven, the other on earth. Tell me Of some
GLoRIOUs TRAIT IN TBEIR CHARACTERS,
Of come grand sermon they preached: Of some
noble deed Of charity; some sublime act Of devO-
IIOn 10 God, and l shall listen joyfully and be
The Doctor then went on to say that he ex-
Ieeted Of the people that this mast not be pO-
htiCal church or merely social church, but must
be a spiritual church for the advancement Of
truth, the increase of piety, the well-being Of
society and the conversion OF the people to CHRIST.
/ propose to do my share toward bringing about
this result. Whatever information have gath
lay upon these affairs and take the liberty to
announce that in the course Of G week or two /
shsll commence course OF Sunday evening SER
mons On the religions of the world" and CON-
pairing and contrasting them with Christianity,
and showing wherein Christianity is superior to
them. Next winter shall give q course OF even
ing sermons on the "eXhumed cities OF the En-
pirates valleys" showing the wonderful agree
ment between the records that have been discOv-
cred and the Bible, and the remarkable fulhIl-
nent Of prophecy.
The Doctor then announced that as next Sun
day being
THH sIyTH ANNIVERSARY
Of the organization Of the Metropolitan Church,
there viii be appropriate services the occasion.
He then preached from the text John vi: u:
t-Gsther up the fragments" the SUBJECT being
seeking truth as addressed TO persons who are per-
picked with imaginary or real difficulties in the
He recommended obedience to the ten command
ments and the practice in every day life ofthe SER
He described the different classes of minds and
the methods Of such minds in the investigation Of
truth, and asserted that as
TRUTH IS A UNIT AND UNIVERSAL
the sincere seeker will lind what he wants some
where and that he should accept. When he gath
cred up the fragments FROM the history Of nations,
fragments from the lives of men, fragments from
the Bible, such as the ten commandments and the
sermon on the Mount, fragments Of the church in
the lives Of its own exalted characters on the
hand in Standardization with the lives of its
faithful members on the other hand, and said
were all human characters to fail there is one
peerless chsracter-One sublime iragment-Jesus
Christ, to whom you can cling.
First Congregational Church.
n
morning, from Matthew Ills: Bring forth, there
fore, fruits meet for repentance He began by
saying that there are two ways OF determining a
mans spiritual condition; one is to ask what
Church be belongs TO, if his minister is in the line
Of apostole descent, and If he have been properly
indicted into the sacred ofice. Judged BY this
standard, the men TO whom John the Baptist ad-
dressed the the very elite OF his hearers
They were the hlgh-churchmen Of their time.
But he had another standard for them. H q had
no irrevererce for Father Abraham or his de-
scendants, but he did not place implicit reliance
upon origin or ordinances as tests of genuine char
acter. And these Pharisees and Saddueees, who
patronage Tor them; he knew that his baptism
would not help them. He calls them what they
were, generation Of ytpers. Who has armed
you? Repentance? Bring forth the fruits Of re-
pentance," and let your apostolic descent alone.
Show that you are the children of Abraham, not
by genealogies, but by holy life.
The subject discussed was the fruit and test of
repentance, Repentance is life, state, as well
as an act There are more acts Of repentance
among the impenitent than the penitent They
are al the time ceasiDg TO do evil, but
NEVER LEARNING TO DO WELL;
ali the time learning, but never coming to a
knowledge Of the truth; elm bling up and slipping
back; never holding to what they gain Many
like going past the Rate-keeper into the cars
where 9 ticket is called for. Repentance is the
condition of entrance. But some Of the most
hopeless cases in the way Of reform have been
those Of men who seemed to have the greatest
facility in acts Of repentance. They will weep
and wiring their hands and pray enough to break
these acts Of cOntrition and repeat the same Of
fence right over again 1t is often argued that it
is bad practice 10 exact pledges Of the intern
perate, because, if broken, they are demoralizng
II made to be broken they ought not to be made.
II made TO be kept they are good thing. Peni-
tenee in the Christian characters like the ballast
TO ship. 1t keeps it down and steadies IT, so
that II breasts the waves. Says Ninet, Nothing
IL more according to God than the sadness Of a
Christian after be has sinnGd." II sin grisVes
God why should it not grieve one who calls him.
self friend Of God, especially when he is the
occasion Of this grief? There is superficial type
Of religion, sort Of exuberant carelessness with
regard to sin, as though God would take care Of
II, which is very prevalent. But God never be-
comes so much the friend Of man as TO stand by
him when he has sinned if that sin has not been
Tepented of.
1frepentance is life it will bear fruit The
common conception is that repentance is itself q
fTult; that when we have reached repentance we
can stop. The very first thing which a true peni-
SeAb uOes Ie " ElBnI all the wrongs OF winch he
has been guilty. Take the case Of the TAILOR Of
Phllippi for example. Before repentance he was
man as could receive two prisoners like Paul
and Silas, bruised and bleeding and thrust them
into the dungeon-deep, and fasten their feet in
the stocEs and then go TO bed, and sleep so that
nothing else than an earthquake could Waken
MN; imperturbable, unteeling, professionally IN
tympathetic; after repentance, as tender as q
woman, taxing the same men at midnight and
washing their wounds.
Many people seem to think that repentance
4IOhes lor WrongdOing. An INSCRIPTIONS law
yer wealthy and tired Of his former manner Of
NE, thinking OF another tribunal and other wit
nesses, repentE and joins the church. Has he no
Smenos 70 make TO those whom he has uniustly
9epIIFe9 OF their property? An editor, who has
oelsMed your character, has he no amends to
make! Inc speaker then drew a comparison be-
Ineen Ihe conduct Of the Jews in liberating their
slahSsg Hhen NeOucLAdneZLar was besieging Je-
Iutalem, and of the American people during the
war: The Jews. violated their pledges proving
az !nslneerity Of their repentance. Would the
aamerlean people? II there was such disposi-
jeremiah. 'H 'noPNei0 Vi
repentance always indicated the direction in
49, .Sh len need reformation; always has fruits
100 Wri iSelI. The Lenten season is nearly
WEI VIII its repentance bring forth
THE FRUITS THAT ARE MEET?
Genuine II VIII be followed by amendment.
Thirteenth Street Baptist.
At the Thirteenth-street Baptlst cburcb last,
evening, alter the usual devotional exercises the
pastor, DR.. ]. II. Cuthbert, announced az bis
text, Proverbs xiEl2, There is a Way that seam.
eth right unto man, but the ends tbersng srs tha
WAYS Of DEATH oIe bnS