The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-11-26
The Inclement Weather No Damper on
Church 0ratOry.
BELIEF AND NON-BELIEF,
The Beauty, Mental and Moral
Wealth of Life.
BEECHER ON SELF-EXAMINATlON.
Professor Felix Adler on the Higher
Ethical Culture.
CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES.

-<
CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES.
THE NoN-DEIIEr OF THE NATIONALIST AND THE
pELrEr OF THE CHRISTIANS SERMON By Mr..
HEPwoRTH.
Al tho Church Of the Disciples, yesterday morning,
Mr. Hepworth preached on rationalism aud bcei, Sc
iectlng his text the twenty second verso OF the
second chapter of st. Johns Gospeis'And they be-
heved the scripture, and the word which Jesus had
said Mr. Hepworth commenced by stating that the
most important and solemn question OF the hour Is,
Have we any revelation from God? Concerning this
matter there seems 10 be kind OF intangible and
impalpable doubt In tho hearts OF the community.
Wo are LIVING in moral and spiritual
atmosphere, in which We are receiving into our
system something OF q subtle poison that may be
characterized malaria. Although 1t does not show
itself 10 any well defined disease nevertheless 1t low
ers the tone produces general debility which Is
characterized by doubt and which ultimately results
In dependency. II We have revelation from God
giving us an authoritative law Of life then wo
tossed to and fro upon troubled sea- II We have
nothing to guide us but our own opinions, not yet
ripened even into convictions thcn tho best impulses
OF soul vanish. On the other hand, brethren, II
we have revelation OF God tho mportant facts
OF lite for The way in which we are 10
walk is not TO be guessed at but 10 TO be entcred
upon with vigor and enthusiasm. We have
fixed standard Of measurement in morals and IN lie.
We have definite aim Ia society on tho ono hand and
for the individual on the other Now, ! think you
will admit with me that In the heart oil man there Is
IN exceeding deep longing Tor revelation, 20 nave
y tarlng point liked and TO have some confidence as
10 our destination From tue appetite OF mrs. We
that God has spoken through all ages He IS ready
10 speak again. We are ready also TO admit that from
. belief IN an authoritative revelation comes the
highest attributes OF human nature. The Bible
develops and educates nothing else does. belief
In IL is a only then compelled TO confess
that sucn a dream is better than any truth II IL is
illusion then t better Tor 10 cherish that
illusion and be deceived thereby than SIT ut the feet
Of that truth whose end s only 10 create and 10
destroy.
WHERE RAroNALIsTs AND BELIEVERS AGREE
Let US see said Mr. Hcpworth, where those who
are called rationasts agree with those Of who be-
lcve IN Christianity Inc chief end OF man, first Of
ALL Is TO ind out what God is and the way IN which he
governs unverse that Is the end Of all invesga
tion. Gods laws are initiated BY us in our human
laws; they represented as copy, AND, perhaps,
are but shadow of the divine law, but still are mod
sled upon Il. The character OF Godslaws decides tho
tendency Of mans Lie. II we are assured
Nor.o me vsdom What We tnpK Of Cod decides
pur destiny. IL of the next importance
find out something concerning man and his capacity
for good anu evil what conduces 10 the formation OF
opinions; what clements OF nature are 10 DO sub
jccted and what enthroned. Up TO this point
the nationalist and the believer are agreed. How we
reach this important inior Is the matter
upon which The nationalist and the Christian differ. The
believes that tne Bible Ia the authority and tho
ratopast believes that The authority outside OF the
Bible Mr.. Hepworth then inquired whether mans
reason sufficiently strong to discover tho funda-
mental facts OF Inc character OF God and oil human
lilo Was human inialiblc that we could
trust pcitly all the great emergencies OF oY
Was 1t so entirely trustworthy that We could place
confidence IL when are In perplexItyY Ii we
could not trust our own reason or that of our religious
teacher, whose reason then could We trust After
general reference 10 the wisdom OF antiquity as
shown in the history of Greece and Rome Mr.. Hep
worth said IL had settled question OF morals
religion had settled nothing beyond pcradven
iure. Before every age there came the questions Of
The starting point, and the destination OF the human
ii OF these rationalsts were asked AS to the
former, the answer was that We came from the ape.
TO believe that TO be robbed Of our manhood,
and better TO believe IN what the rationalists
call our deusion, for that delusion bids aspire,
by that aspiration brought II to the sur
face. II we turned TO another nationalist for
Information, and asked him "What am n" no
would answer:-"You're chemical retOrt, and the
gases that consumed within you during their com.
buslon decide the tone Of your character and your
purpose. There is no soul Independent Of tho body;
there Is mind acting Oh the brain as the maker oil
. machine acts upon the machine. Mind and soul are
only typical forms oil matter When the body Is dead
then mind and spirit are dead, too" Mr. Hepwortn
said he did not beeve mat, because he believed in
. revelation, and II he were wrong that he would
cling with the tenaciiy OF despair 10 what the ma
terialsts said was mis- deluson. Mans high
est purpose in lile was TO educate himself.
Our TO be best and to do u.
The way which 10 90 1t to have ideal TO
struggle Tor its realization, and TO subject every
every motive to the attainment OF this high end and
In that statement The nationalist ana the Chris
may IDEAL be reached that the divergence com.
menced. The nationalist said that there help
10 be had, and that the man must decide himself
The Christian said that he had help nj all tines and
that could call upon the supreme God
INSULTS OF THE CHRISTIAN BELIEF.
The Christian certainly had the advantage as to ro-
suls aud he wrong The Of the ages
showed that II he were on lower plane OF reason
that Tar results were concerned II wore better
allan htvhA
work this problem oil lie alone and
without any help. He not so hard taskmastcr
Of progress without moral standard 10 measure our
affections and our thought until that standard Is
lurnshcd we are rooted 10 our place in the scale OF
existence. The moral standard could not be tho re-
suit OF our That standard must be fixed out
side Daturc and our own feeling. The
illusions OF our reason depend very much upon
our temperament, upon our faculties and upon
Climate, ana was therefore most uncertain
Thing No better results, upon the whole, had been
produced than those that had been the offspring OF tho
influence OF the Christian religion. In all the depart
mens OF legislation OF civil ie well OF private
character there could not 30 printed single instance
10 the history OF mankind where had reached gher
point than that winch bad attained under the Chris
pan religion. The testimony OF the centuries sup |
ported tue believers IN the Cross Men that Tho
Church iu oil hypocrites. That granted: but
the Church the only place where ny pocrtes were
ound7 Was 1t one oil the natural results OF belief in
truth and & od that should be a villainp There
was q hypocrte and a villain among the apostles but
a,d Christ approve OF the vilapyY DID Christ sane
lion ny Was that hypocrisy the result OF com pa
snip with Chrst2 Did II not from the terrible
iact that he was stranger 10 Christ even when he
was nearest to Him?
AIR. Hepworth concluded by a strong appeal 10 his
congregation TO takc tho Bible as tner guide, and SAID
tbat II men were surrounded by temptation II pro-
tectcd them; IL told them what armor to put on II
IN sorrow II gave them comforts that were enduring
and Of their departed friends IL said '.Not lost but
gone before"
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
80, .v,y .~r.apa on Mrnrr.r1nS ,xn er,y