The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-04
Is moro cruel than anything which Dante imagined in
CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES.

points In religion the second or which, an interesting
discourse on the difference between the Old and New
Testaments, he delivered yesterday morning. After
the sermon it being the first Sunday in the month"; the
ceremony OF the Lords Supper was observed Mr.
Hepworth's text was Matthew, will, 10" Verify say
unto you" &C The use Of the personal pronoun ~"
\ is grand popularity OF the New Testament It
makes that book either a immense mposture or else
grand revelation. If turn to the Old Testament,
| for instance, to the book of Isaiah, find such
phrase as this" But thus saith the Lord, /" and
you can see behind this sentence the consciousness
on the part Of the speaker that he is simply an instru
ment in the hands of God to accomplish purpose
that his self-hood is hidden behind the fact that
| God uses him. In the New Testament the phrase
| is changed and the authority is shifted II
is longer " Thus saith the Lord;' it is,
overly, | say unto you;' and therein we find
an assumption OF power which makes the Bible inf
nitely valuable infinitely worthless and so APP
proach the second sermon my course on the place
Christ occupies in our spiritual experience with din
dence and hesitation overwhelming Feeling how impos-
sble IT is to do anything like justice to the subject,
can only pray God will my words and arguments
with His spirit to convince you of the truth Of the
words speak It is glorious privilege speak for
Christ at any time, but 1t is also
| A HEAVY RESPONSIBILITY
want to say, in the first place, that the idea Of
Christ as leader is at the of the Christian dis
pensaton If you leave Christ altogether you
might well burn the Bible to ashes; If you deract
from anything which Christ claims for Himself by
single you take the whole underplnnng from the
structure and the whole revelation from God falls to
the ground Christ is everything to ones conscious
ness, nothing We cannot believe part and reject
part, because foundation supports the whole
structure II we believe that the Bible is perhaps,
better book than those which come from
printing presses in general yet not
final authority are, intellectually and spr.
tualy, all ahoat we acknowledge that as yet there is
no standard by which to purposes and
lives There is something peculiar about this leader
ship. He said He came establish kingdom, and all
ambitious men the world grew envious But Christ
did not say He intended to establish kingdom upon
the briancy Of 100 900 bayonets; neither did He say
that the loyalty OF His kingdom the loyalty of
mems hearts He simply said He for the pur-
pose of
BUILDING DYNASTY,
but made comment 1t whatever But these l. 500
years have been commentary, and Christ was
as the Caesars and Napoeons stars are
above The prediction forth from Jesus after
He had begun the csabi of His kingdom that it
to last forever; this earth might burn up a
SCROLL but single jot little of His kingdom
would decay, and the Apostle tells that the day
shall when every voice shall confess that Jesus
Christ is Lo I'd and whatever is done shall be done to
the glory of the everlasting God Father And so
this simple uterance of Christs has been proven
by the prophecy becoming fact have said Christ is
the central figure Brethren, If we look into the pho-
| sophical schools OF Athens find the gifted and
learned teachers standing the midst of their pupils
utterng facts, speaking truths without feeling that
argument is possble it is enough that they speak.
| And when the disciples argued with each other
it settled all questions of difference when one man
turning another, would say 'lpse dxit he himself
said SOL Aristotle told sou Plao yesterday gave
utterance to those words and everything in the
ftnta finat
ana brethren IL seems to me Jesus occupies precisely
that place in experience What He says true be-
he says it, and having settled the question
His right SPEAK then have settled the question
concerning the authority OF every uerance that pro-
ceeds from His lips He requires not questioning
doubling loyalty, but an unquestoning obedience, and
He assures that II we will conhde IN Him He will
only preside over our present lives, but He assures
of life Now the personal allegiance TO Jesus
the basis OF our progress III Christian e without IL
cannot get on at all Unless you see that power,
part just here. Personal allegiance TO Christ the
theme In pupits from Sunday sunday all the
globe. That allegiance indicates gratitude part;
dependent HIM for everything, we not ready to
concede this muchS What could we do but for Christ;
when beset by lifes temptations 1t Is His voice
. that cries ''Come unto and Will give you rest"
! He is balm OF Giead to wounds When heads
bowed in who is there this green planet
that can assuage our griefS Not one 1t Is Christ
/ in whom ought TO live and In whom
have being, who can alone satisfy hun
CRY and thirsty souls and this dependence but gives
birth the gratitude which is the central force and fire
of all true religion Love and gratitude born OF the
mother; they one, and the only power there
"
just here. We ought 10 be grateful Christ, and
gratitude should uttered not only on Sunday but
every day; not only with lips but in lives We
ought be ashamed, whatever company, to
stand loyal to the source of our JOY and our consoa
ton
Now have said this personal allegiance Christ is
A MOTIVE FORCE.
Brethren, cannot overestmate that force. The
man who Is uncertain about himself strikes in the dark
always. The OF conviction and steady purpose
cures beyond doubt The whose religion
is all afoat-who thinks one thing to-day and another
comes to naught But when man feels every fibre OF
his nature centred the fact that has aim and
a high one that he has goal and that goal heavenly
one his progress upward though may be SLOW yet
sure, and while others grovel he He shall
above the mountain ana his eyes shall take in the full
landscape which the hand of God has made There is
power like the power of conscious allegiance to
person who Is head, our leader, lna authority
See its power We have illustrations OF II all about
US. Perhaps you have been to Europe and travelled
the Continent over You have seen the Tag OF Eng
land waving in the breeze. 1t is nothing you
than piece OF bunting; IL does not stir emotion il
is strange flag. You cross the channel and you see
the flag Of France. That, too, is stranger. You
acknowledge allegiance TO II. You travel Spain
and to Italy and to Germany and in each country you
see flag that belongs that section the world and
yet they all bunting to you. But gala day,
perhaps you floating in the breeze the flag of your
own country and the very sight OF makes your heart
papitate and the blood rushes with tnglng force
your cheeks and you feel ready sacrce everything
Tor the sake OF that which Is more than buntng-the
token Of allegiance the symbol of loyalty OF great
people SO mighty is this feeling that when the Swiss
soldiers in Spain there royal edic uttered
attaching penalty TO any who should play
the "Ranz des vaches y their national song for 1t
said that IL melted the soldiers TO when they
heard it. and they worthless the fight while this
reverberated in their hearts. When the Druids in
olden time were drawn up in battle line the priests
would talk TO them of their allegiance to their Gag
until every mans trembling hand grasped the spear and
rushed
WITH mREsIsrIBLE FORCE
upon the enemy and the day won-won not by
muscle but by the loyalty Of nations heart to
TONS flag That is the kind OF allegiance Christ
quires and ought TO have-an allegiance that fills US
with joy; allegiance that we owe because He Is
worthy OF H. because He has suffered much in
behalf o. brethren II could only make you feel
this How are we ever to pay Him backS He not only
left heaven lived EARTH for our sake and died the
death OF ignominy and guilt that we might have life
and have il moro abundanty. Do not think am
making mere assertions Let me call your attention TO
or two facts which tell ought to give our al
egIance to Him. Look at your leader and see who He
j a I'm hmm