National Republican., 1878-05-27
Sermon by Rev. Lewis Hay.

| M inNtTtstlnk tHu StEHon' Pof-
ticularly adapted to the times, was preached
by Rev. Lewis Hay, pastor Of tho Church Of
the Reformation, First street southeast, near
| c street, yesterday morning, from Zephaniah
l., l2.
And 1t shall come to pass ut that time that will
| search Jerusalem with candles aud punish the men
that are settled their lees that say IN their heart
The Lord will not do good, neithcr:will htio evil.
Tho discourse commenced with a reference
| 70 the present condition of our country. II
| our country, said the reverend gentleman, be
utterly under the management of blind
chance, according to the doctrine of Atheists
| and Epicureans, we certainly have great reason
to be apprchcnsive, for the wheel of fortune
has begun to turn against us. II all our Of
fcrs be utterly dependent upon natural causes
and wholly subject to the power and pleasure
of mortals, 1t is
TINE FOR Us TO TREMBLE,
for the arm of flesh has been against
us. But IL our land bo part OF
Jchovah's empire; II all natural causes bo nc.
tuatcd, directed, and oyerrulcd by his super
intending providence; If all our affairs he un.
der His sovereign management and all onr
calamitics private and public, be the chastise-
nents of His hand II this bo tho case In fact,
as every man believes and wishes, then II Is
high time for us to acknowledge 1t and be
deeply troubled and solicitous to inquire how
we have incurred tho displeasure of our gra-
cious and righteous Ruler that we may amend
our conduct and labor to regain His favor.
The cause Of our present calamties he be-
lievcd to bo the general insensibility and
practical disbelief Of the providence Of
God that prevails among us. This
was the epidemical disease of the age
likely to prove fatal without a timely
remedy. The people had come to Say in their
hearts the Lord will not do good, neither will
lie do evil" The blasphemy was whispered
in every corner of the country, ave have
I ~ =. 4
and earth combine to produce food for us, but
what hand has He in all this ?"
Manufacturing Is not romunerative; busi-
| ness enterprises and Investments are unsafe +,
confidence is gone; fortunes suddenly fly
away: trade is stagnant. We have tue strange
anomaly Of plenty OF money and plenty of food
| in the land and yet the masses struggling
against stsrvation-bcggars swarmng as
thickly as in the overgrown cities Of tho Old
World. The cry for work, that most pitcous
of all appeals from the manly, honest, and poor,
sounds on our ears everywhere, only to be
turned away to that .Gllen, awful despair
, which gives birth to
CoMMUSIsTIc MoBs.
And so on through tae long catalogue of our
national troubles, to say nothing of any por-
tentious clouds in our political horizon.
, He then proceeded to show that not only
! the sacred writings but the most eminent of
, proianc writers had recognized Divine
; Providence in the control Of the affairs of men.
Plato, Socrates, Horace, Cicero, and others in
. their writings all inculcate belief in su-
prcme Oycrruing providence. Ii was Cicero
who after the defeat Of tho Catilino conspir-
4 acy, said to the Romans: IF ! should say
that 1t was that defeated the conspiratOrs
n should take too much upon me, and my AFRO
q gance would be insutierablc. II was the Su-
\ prcme God II was He that defeated them 1t
. was His will to preserve our capital, His Will
= to preserve this city and these cmples'
. lie next proceeded to examine the evidences
Of u secret aud practical disbelief in this Provi.
: dcnco on the part Of tho people of our country
pointing out the immortality of tho times, the
| open disregard of tho sabbath, and general
lukewarmncss and apparent want Of faith
among protesting Christians. The aggravated
sin of such disbelief was viyidly portrayed
and most earnest appeal made for q more
= grateful recognition Of divine power.
DIR. Patton's Baccalaureato Sermon.
Yesterday afternoon the president of How
ard University, Rev. W. W. Patton, d. d,
, preached an eloquent baCcalaureate discours,
. to a large and attentive congregation in th'
e college chapel. His subject was, Tho Vita
Nature of Moral Character" He took for th,
y basis of his discourse Titus |. Is: unto tn
pure all things are pure, but unto them tina
r. are defled and unbelieving is nothing pure
Dut even lHcii OohoClchco uc
y filed"
The Doctor commenced by saying that thes
, significant words in the text relate to fact
il. which evidence the vital nature of moral char
actei. The apostle calls attention TO q ccrtaii
d common attribute Of good and evil character
to wit: that each IL persistent amid surround
ing circumstances, and draws increased lif
from its environment. Instead of changing +
the nature Of that with which 1t comes in con
tact it assimulates to itself whatever it touchc;
gathering 1t up into Its own life. Character
r. seen to have the organic and appropriatv
-. function Of life After showing that life SC
10, lucts and discrimnates, appropratcs and rs
~ Stimulates, builds matter into organic unity
ie pcrpctuates itself where there is proper cil
p virOnment, he logically maintained at grca
n. length that moral character has vital nature
-, In conclusion the Doctor said that the lif
ns of the human soul may be said to reside pre-
h cmincntly in character. In II are the grand
III est possibilities. To its production the power
d. and susccptibilties tend as the rivers run I
III tho ocean. Whatever we do or forbcar to d
Ie affects its growth. More than all clSo CON
ID binod, it stamps our personality and Is our
selves. The seeds OF being and future harvest
of action and experience ure gathered With
5 it. 1t stands, then, US the nOblcst result q
human endeaYOr rs the truest wealth whic
rewards the industry Of liie-iar above mcr
riches, or fame, or honor, or political power
u or station, or genius, or learning 1t Is tn
al ono thing t. be- had in view by tho parent /
81 the training Oft the child, and by tho tcachC
- In the education of tho scholar The schO.
or tho university which does "A: make thi
~ aim supreme, fails 10 understand its true wOri
ye The student who finishes literary COur-
Ir without having made the forming of pur
Or character chief fcutue in his educational idCp
a. has omitted the Prince Of Denmark from hi
~ "IIamlrt' and has failed to prepare himse
T. for coming life. The fact which imprcssoS tn
W thoughtful mind is that character, whuthC
!" good or evil, tends 10 pcrnHnCnce. II has !
~ 1t the gcrminul organic pcrpctuativG life M
r. turr. When fully developed it is Us iInInOrti
Il. as the soul itSof. Indeed, it Is none Otht
id than the soul in lis central sclf-dutorInini
tiOn; in its fixed commitment to II suprrul
Mo- principle of action. Hence when we CON
~ into the spirit world, where character is II
that survives over earth experience, 1t may h
that destiny shall accord with pcrInansl
A. character.
N 81. DOminic's.
nj At St. DOminiCs Church, Right Rev. Bsho
or Gross, Of Savannah, Ga, delivered u fno di
ry course at tho high mass. Ilu selected his tcN
r, from tho gospel of the day, and drew the a
~ tcuton Or his many hearers to the subject
SO "Puyrr," as described in the inspired writin
~ IA Nl..I