The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-27
ST. STEPHENS CHURCH.

THE EFFICACY OF FAITH-sERMoN BY REV.
DIR. M'GLYNN.
The lessons of the gospel of the day were brought
to the attention of the congregation at St. Stephens
Church by Rev. DIR. McGlynn. The story Of the
leper who healed by Christ and that Of the GEN.
turion at whose faith He marvelled told by st.
Matthew in the eighth chapter of his gospel and are
the preacher thought full of suggestiveness the
Christian. The hopeful confidence in the mercy and
goodness of Christ shown by the poor stricken man
who was shut out from all communion with his fell
lows by his dreadful disease and the great faith
and deep humility Of the centurion afford us
two of the most striking examples of piety
that are to be found in the sacred writings
1t is a comfort to the Christians Of to-day
to find 1t recorded that amid the sneers of the
learned and the condemnation of those reputed to be
holy and reverend the divinity Of Christ shone out
so brightly that Roman, centurion, man &C.
customed to command, was impressed with n sense
OF His power and majesty and came to Him saying,
Lord, am not worthy that thou should'st enter
into my house; say but the word and my servant
shall be healed" The lcpcr In the most pteous
plight that man can fall into Afflicted with the
most loathsome of all diseases. and outcast from
the confines of human society he the Saviour,
and. trusting i'll His mercy, he came to Him and
asked a boon-not some ordinary favor; not the
sort of request he might make of an ordinary man
but miracle. lie asked his cure-a reversal of tho
order OF nature. And Christ said, THY faith hath
made thee whole" What heavenly assurance this Is
to the lowly the outcast the diseased with snl
He began His work with OF the lowest the race
and showed the value that He set on this common
humanity of ours that He himself assumed. In spite
of sin and degradation man is the child of God and
Christ recognizes in him a brother. The leprosy of
the text according to the typical language of the
Scripture. the representative OF sin, and the healing
of the sufferer represents the of penance
600 show yourself to the priest" said Christ, and
that IN what lie says to the man diseased in sin.
Go show yourself to the priest with real faith and
trust In his power and mercy and the Saviour will
heal you. matter how foul the leprosy of sin may
be.
Mass was celebrated by Rev. Father O'Calahan
just before the sermon DR.. McGynn alluded to the
such members of the congregation as had not already
done to contribute at early day to the fund for
its liquidation.
ST. AGNES Or. c. CHURCH.
The festival of st. Agnes. tho youthful virgin and
martyr. celebrated yesterday tthc Sunday within
the octave) in the handsome church in East Forty
third street of which she is the patron saint and
of which Rev. II. A. Macdonald is pastor.
All the pomp and spcndor of the Roman
ritual lavished upon tho functions at
the high mass. The singing was noticeably good.
Tho sermon preached by Mgr. Seton. 1t
was an eloquent picture of pagan Rome in the days
of the infancy of the pcrsecuted Christian
Church. He showed the civic and military
virtues to which Rome owed her greatness, and
the vices and weakness which undermined her.
After vivid sketch of the wealthy parician girl who
scaled her faith with her blood under the reign OF
Diocletian he passed To show how the gods before
whose affairs she refused TO burn incense had passed
away, while Rome itself soon passed under the
mild sway of the Lord Jesus Christ. With glowing
description of the great church OF st. Peters which
reared upon the spot sacred to Christian martyr
dom. the preacher drew his sermon to close by
affirming the truth Of the words of the Lord that on
the rock of Peter He had built His Church and that
the gates Of hell should not prevail against 1t.