The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-11-05

could not religion do II deas honestly aithf ully
kindness, Compassion, tenderness. and should not
dread philosophy. It has seen one system alter an
other r'so ana reach IT'S zenith, and they have all
which tends TO purify our human life
FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH.
SERMON BY REV. DIR. ARMIrAGE ON cHRIsT's
DESIRE FOR THE PASSOVER.
The theme OF DR.. Armitags yesterday morning was
Jesus desiring this passover, taken from Luke kill,
l5 which roads as iollows:-"with desire have de-
sired TO eat this passover with you before suffer-"
One wide distinction, said the Doctor, between
Christ and other s that they live In the past,
He in tho future. While they dream OF tho bygone
He peers into the vista OF the forthcoming eternity
They stand dallying those from the crown
OF thorns which marked the verge Of sacrifice. while
He draws the veil and lifts up the aiming torch
discover the many held in waiting for
Ace consummated .For the joy that was before HI m
He endured the Cross" Not only did His far-seeing
eye LOOK down among the s.rilos tho convuoions and
the revolutions Of the future, but He read the grand
results which would flow from His mission on
earth till His heart throbbed In . flame OF ecstacy
All through the wondrous years OF Hts ministry He
desired 10 throw sweet glimmer upon tho hearts OF
His followers that they might catch glimpse OF His
deep inner antic pations Hence He said 81 have told
you before 10 pass that whom it comes TO pass
ye may believe" The words OF my text express that
He felt divine earnestness an ardent and Intense
desire "suTsr" for tho completion OF HIS work, and
hence His wish 40 cat this passover with you before
suffer-" Let rs examine a few Of the why He
cherished expressed this burning desire, why He
longed TO eat that particular passover with His
disciples Are they not there Because '.this pass
over" brought that great typical figure to close on
the eve OF finishing the redemption which IL foro-
tokened On the night Of Israel's dcliverance from
Egypt the sacrifice Of the lamb which commemorated
IsraeltOs, had established typical form OF Chris's
redemption, and year by year, from that time forward,
that emblem had been standing prophesy Of an atone
msnt by Christ's death. The faint outline OF that
old shadow from the pnschal lamb had cast its form
the threshold Of that supper room, ana there It
faded before the teet OF the and living
substancc-"thc Lamb Of God who takes away the
sins the world" SO that the old passover then
and there TO give place to The new, which from that
night should become perpetual celebration. After
the bread and the wine OF hat night The true passover
to extend It's sphere universaiy-the sign should
be seen nil skics the sacrifice should be hailed in
all lands. No wonder that there such sweet depth
ana dvlne pathos in His words, "With desire have
That ardent desire arose above anguish that
Aight; Il burned brighter tnan any passover ire
upon the affairs OF the temple for II was quenchoss
love impatient to beQueath to man one univcr-
sal and ndivisiblc paschal doverance and lsstivty
He earnestly onged Tor thu passover. because II fur
nisned Him with sad but sweet solaco In the con-
temptation OF his redeemny work. The sun had SET
and last time before He suffered He could
converse with those whom He loved much. This
earnest desire shows how really human He was when
He inverts common way oil speaking just 10 give
. view Of his reai heart snklngs and there TO ex
hibit the soul support which He received from all
those refreshing acts connected with His last supper
Among His bosom friends you would have expected
Him have spoken Of their eating this last passover
with Him instead OF His eating u with them But Ho
revcrses that order de desired the privilege OF eating
Win !ne Inc .os,r The ,nonsnt
stares that He should sock solacc from such
. source AZ such q moment
THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST.
Such yearnings oil humanity, however. are inter-
woven with His whole life. THIS na.uralness brings
Him very near every ono OF He is about TO
enter the dark His agony and boforc the set
ting moon. whose beams wero then shedding them
selves through the lattice window Of the supper room
His broken crics would DO drowned in Ihe struggle OF
wonderful anguish. 3d. before He 10 enwrapped In
the darkness OF that cloud He seems 70 say 10 Peter
my broshern To John-"Ay bosom friend, let me
clasp thy hand IN the desperate darkness which IL
.My soul Is sorrowiui, even 10 death the irightiul
solitude Is already gathering; iecl the chill OF lib
shadow upon me even now; clasp my hand, and let
my iainling spirit lean upon you when ! am weary
and weakn All, He Is binding His lolns by the girdie
OF human sympathy, borrowed from a few men who
tomorrow are TO be left orphans
We have all had great partngs, and we all know
what the last night ~ before II comes. The anticl-
pated departure Of tomorrow Ia going to shake the
very foundations OF house and home. The grip Of
the parting hand Is intended 10 s0Othe. and yet the
very with which It Is extended almost breaks
come IL 1t mustn but we shut our Dyes and cannot
look into coming lace AMI the Two great
OF life which are saturated through and through with
perfect sweetness and perfect sadness are the human
Iarewells and deathbeas where kindred spirits have
blended in q common devotion-sucn umes draw out
all the tenderness and love mans nature, as they
did the Savour's No doubt the i'm penetrabIe
mystery OF ''ths passion" Its bringing Him 10 tho
threshold OF death, had much TO do with tue ave-
stricken condition into whchHc was plunged at dIercnt
times H0 oresaw the sharpness Of death which He had
undertaken 10 endure and because could not BE- turned
aside He had become impatient 10 meet IT, This is q
feature OF human nature at Its best estate for the fear
OF death innocent affection, natural shrinking
from pangs winch must suffer from the death
struggle And because the beginning OF death was SO
near its END could not DO lar Of therefore Jesus
earnestly desired 70 eat this passover with His dis
ciplcs bciorc He suffered. That word 'suTern must
have sounded strangely on their ears In the rst
tcnce which fell from HIS lips In the supper
They must have rcmbled when they hcard II, for 1t
filled their hearts with sorrow ana crushed their
highest hopes. Nevertheless lilo longed Tor tins pass
over with all It's foreshadowngs OF bereavement and
death, because though 'ye nov have sorrow Will
yoa again, and your heart shall rejoice and your JOY
shall no man take away"
SEVENTH STREET M. Z. CHURCH.
POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS INToLERANcE-sER-
MON NJ THE REV. J. S. WILLIS.
Az the Seventh Street Methodist Church. tho pastor
tho Rev. j. s. Willis, preached from Daniel, vi, 81
"Thcn said these men, we shall not lnd any occasion
against this Daniel, except We find against him
cerning the law oil MS Cod" The reverend gentie-
man dwelt particularly upon that period OF Daniels
life that was passed the OF Darius where he
was tho chic, tho three presidents the people,
Daniels record as a public man pure and stead
fast ana his political life successful because
had implicit iaith in God and, strong in that
faith, was above corruption or deceit The
mon who hated Daniel because OF his superior
intelligence and goodness wishing TO put him away
from the public service, could ind nothing either in
Of his public or private lie upon which
charge might be founded. The conspirators thcm-
selves acknowledged that they could nnd NO occasion
against him except concerning the law Of bis God !"
Intolerance OF ali kinds has existed sad the preacher
Tor years. and In Daniels time Il was found nee
essary TO persecuto him account OF his religion.
Even Christ was born under state oil Intolerance and
denlh by intol sYanCe. TleY