The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-02-08
GODS KINGDOM
Mr.. HepWorth on Christ as a
Friend Of Sinners.
THE ROCK OF DEFENCE.
Dr.. rockingham on New Thought and
True Thought.
IS THERE A HE'LL p
DR.. McGlynn on the Observ-
ance Of Lent.
The Christians Reliance on Gods
Promises.
) THERE A HE'LL p
The Christians Reliance on Gods
Promises.
CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES

PEOPLE.
The bitter cold or yesterday morning had very
perceplbe eject upon the congregation which
usually gathers at the Church OF the disciples.
Madison avenue and Forty fnh street, and as the
pastor. Mr. Hepworth, seated himself at his
small table and cast his usual rapid glance over
his audience the unusual spectacle OF an occa.
sional vacant seat in the vast ampbtheatre before
him met his eyes The preliminary religious SER
vices conducted by the assistant, were followed
by an earnest prayer from the pastor, having I'M
mediate relation 10 the subject OF his discourse,
which he announced as "a Friend OF Sinners"
TIE SERMON.
Mr.. Hepworth said:-My dear friends, the text
which have selected as the base OF my remarks
this morning may be found in the eleventh chap.
ter OF Matthew and nineteenth verse "A friend
OF puollcans and Sinners" That was the fashion.
able Criticism OF the day upon the life and
methods Of the Lord Jesus Christ The words
were intended TO indicate the scorn and reproach
with which they were regarded. But the magic
OF time has changed them into a euloey. They
were a chain which He slowly dragged along
through all His earthly career from Nazareth to
Jerusalem; they have been changed through the
lapse OF ages into golden crown, which fits the
lair brow OF Divinity ITSELF They were spoken as
an unanswerable argument in favor OF the worth.
lessness OF the new REFORM but In the
course u time, LNey nave OeCOme the
strongest proof or the sagaclty and miraculous
presclence OF Him who spoke them. Such are the
changes in estimating the deeds OF men which
time brings about The Pharisees saw Him as q
slave; We look upon HIN as God. At the best
they regarded Him as an honest fanatic whom II
was unsafe to follow; to Us He 10 the adorable. the
Mighty One, who sits upon throne, the Judge OF
all the world. Though we pity their shortsighted.
ness, It is probable, had We been present, we
should have seen no further. Perhaps we too
would have picked up the stone TO cast at
Him and utter the words which would recon on
own souls while doing harm to Him. l pity
that Hebrew crowd. Humanity has always been
the same and always will be. Were Christ among
us to-day we would be ready TO place the
cross upon Him did He preach doctrines
strongly in contrast to our Institutions
as re ana TO nose existing then. We wouo lead
Him through the cusl OF Jerusalem TO the summit
OF Calvary aud not rest until We had placed the
stone before the sepulchre and sealed 1t with that
seal which no man couid steal away. Man 10 ever
one and the same aud Will be to the epd. Pas
sious and .upersltons change, but they are sell
dom uprooted. LOOK upon this picture and see II
1t is not true Look upon this man. FIRST, what
are His claims? He asserts tnat He Is a king.
Does He LOOK like oneS Not at all. Does he dress
ike onef Assuredly not. Does tie advance nom
one country 10 another IKE KING No, 1t Is sci.
dom tbat HIS feet are free rom the dust OF the
road. He says that he Will ouild up
KINGDOM WITHOUT END;
that the lordy struttu around shall tumble into
stone be left standing upon another, while from
ruins dis power shall 60 forth. lar and WIDE until
at the mention OF hls name every knee snail bow.
1t is true those magic words came from HIS lips,
ATTENDED W simplicity and eloquence which ap.
psa'ed 10 tne emotion IL not % the understand
thentcIty 10 His claims; He assembled the steps Of
no marble palace; He never courted greatness or
power, but, Oacked by the tluDders OF Gods in
ulgnatlyn, lie warned the rulers against their OPP
Preston o. the leopie He Illustrated Ills sympa-
Thy for The people by sitting at the table with pub
lcans and Sinners At one end was an eXtOr.
rioner. at ne other harlot ana in
the midst the King OF kings. clothed
IN peasants earb. 70 have seen HIM taus
laying claim TO sit upon the throne o. ages AMI TO
strange to you had you been there me Phari-
sees not unacquanted with HIS claims, regarded
Him as insane; but He turned His back on them
and hs lace TO the poor. And yet. looking back
through the annals OF history We nnd that He
had complied with all the conditions OF royalty.
tops OF HIS comIngY Did not Moses say that the
commandments engraven on stone should IN Him
be written upon human life 2 Did not David,
sitting alone with his heart and ms God, sing IN
anthems OF the coming timeS Aud more than
that. did not Jesus have herald Immediately pre-.
shoulders the gnt OF no imperial mas
ter. but waose rugged. stalwart body was
Kings table. but found in the ocusts ana wild
honey his only iood. The words he spoke were
kings:-"Repent We, for the kingdom OF heaven is
ut hand.n Neither was He unaccOmpaned with
nop ana et ws q san
see the old picture where troops and phaianxes OF
angels, invisible to man, accompany Him on His
way rom BE tblehem to the cross, singing songs or
victory unheard by mortal ear. / fancy Jesus
listening TO The rushing o. their white wings
ait OF Calvary. And here want 10 make another
pint. want to look at the state OF
prove that Jesus saw INTO toe future and
that the Scr1oes and Pharisees, rs political econo.
upon whose philosophy they poured scorn and
contempt. "Jhl Pharisees. 1t seems not so TO you:
but my words snail prove true wnen the Roman
has overthrown your proud temple and times
corrodng chemistry has plotted your names and
your lives from the annals Of history" say If along
down these annals has lot been developed the
plans or the Father written In words OF living
night The political economy OF that age all tended
toward an arstocrscy wnlcn had Tor It's objecS the
advancement of rulers. Thrones were everything
Man nothing La tue providence OF God thrones
have become nothing, humanity everything The
Christian religion Is useless unless applied 10 the
individual. king IN the sight OF God Is no more
than tue meanest peasant And so
CHRIST WENT TO THE PEOPLE
and turned His back on principaliries and powers,
and has not Time proved Hun rightY Every age
all the people have struggled toward the top. And
now what are tntonesi Ornaments; costly ones,
TO be sure, but without stability save as they rest
upon the masses. When amid the years / see the
smokeSof battle ascending know above II Will
ioat the banner, having inscribed thereon, Liberty,
Equality, Fraernity-tue magic words which ndl-
cate the progress OF the people. Ny brethren,
every one that suffers bend your ear TO the field
and you will hear the chains dropping one by one
and more tnan this the voices o. the angels, sing
ing peace on eartl and good VIII to manu- IL ~
only through the crashing Of hosts that peace
ever comes. Jesus, with prophetic eye, said:-
.,nn,x MOI tnat i am come 10 send peace on
earth. came not TO send peace, put a sword,n
Christ who loved the people, saw The trouble
through which the people should rise. Aud now
want To maze
PERSONAL APPLICATION.
Christ is no more tue friend OF the PEG than
Of the Individual We all want true frir A1snlp;
we want TO hear words OF advice. G0d instituted
the my stery through which we are formed INTO
little ciiquss. The strength OF me one IS the
strength of the other. In looking on the picture
vi life the nrst thing which strikes W. " the falsly
apparent word, look, aud t1e Dond OF SYN
patty Is broken; shadow Is thrown On tue Iann-
scape No matter now much we love, no one can
tell what cold circumstance may come between
you and me- We yeafn ior frlendsnlp,
and yet now seldom we get II. here We
have true friend, one who bears the
burdens OF LIE for US; one who has promised
not TO leave US until we emerge from darkness
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