National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-17
SCRAPS OF SERMONS.
SOME OF YESTERDAYS DIscoURsEs.
Rev. DIR. Paxton's Eloquent Sermon on Life-Rev
DR.. LanaIan on neutrality-suspicious.
Gibbons at st. Patrick's Church
DIR. Rea Against Papaey.

DR.. LanalIan on Imm0rtallty-Archbish0p
Gibbons at St. Patrick's Church
DR.. Rea Against Papaey.
The usual discussions of the Thought E!
change" at Talmadge Hall, was somewhat enii'
ened yesterday afternoon by the appearance of
number of representatives fthe church militan
who put in an appearance to discuss with the sta
wart unbeleyers who mostly frequent these gail
eringS, the question "a What shall do to be saved
The debate was opened by gentleman whose pc
sonal appearance was decidedly clerical, and VIII
spoke at considerable length, contrasting tn
achievements of Christians and infdels.
DR.. Slade the noted spiritualst, was then Gale
to the roStrum, and after stating the question sal
that in his opinion it could best be accomplishe
by working more and praying less, or at least Il
allowing good works to predominant to great ez
tent over merely sanctimonious expressions. Ii
alluding to attack by the first speaker upon tn
principles laid down by Colonel r. G. Ingersol, b.
| said that that gentleman was condemned becaus
| he taught the greatest and highest code tina
should govern human life: "Do the best you cal
to and for your fellow men; show them sympath.
! and Justice and teach them that God is
| God of love and not of vengeance anC
wrath" He acknowledged the existence of a powe
| higher than mana spiritual power, called b!
many names that was ever striving to lift us to {
| higher sphere; but no matter by what code o
| ethics man might square his life, unless he fol
| lowed the example of the lowly NaZarene" anC
dared to do right toward his fellow man at al
| times, mere professions would never save him
when we do this" said he, "we hear the ange
footsteps about us, and realize that they striy
ing to open to us the doors that bar us out from
| higher knowledge and higher life'
The next speaker lwho was also addressed as
Doctor y took up the question from the stand
point of philosophy, and with cold, logical que
ries and deductions made the eXordium of the first
! speaker his chief point of attack. He was fol
lowed by gentleman who possessed all the air OF
a student of divinity, and who had evidently been
waiting for an antagonist worthy his steel. With
one fell SwOOp he demolished the glittering soph
iStries of the Doctor and showed how, upon his
statement Of the conditions and elements com.
bined in man, he had endowed him with the in,
fdllibility of a god and claimed that the non-eX-
iSCnce Of truth i'll nature and in the heart of man
was proof positive that it existed in personal
God whose teachings and commands pointed out
TO every man the way of salvation.
After number of others had expressed them
selves on both sides, quiet-lOOking man i'll p0-
liccman'S uniform arose and took up the gospel
side in series of illustrations drawn from his pro
fesSiOnal experiences At the conclusion of his re-
marks a question was sprung on him from the
Skeptic side as to whether he found the majority
of laWbreakers to be Christians or atheists. The
interrogatory was evidently regarded as poser,
but after moments pause he somewhat demoral-
lied his queSiOner by retorting that he found the
majority of those who fell into the hands of the
law were those who disregardcd the teachings of
Christ.
Taken altogether, it may be said that the discus
sion was decidedly more interesting, and certainly
more evenly divided, than at any previous occa-
sion in the meetings of this peculiar institution.
DR.. PaxtOn's Discourse Oh Life.
Rev. DR.. Paxton preached last night to a congre-
CATION that filled every seat of the immense audi
torium of the New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church. His text was from the General Epistle of
James, iv:14. What is life? asked the preacher.
Onits brefstage man plays many and various parts.
Fashions change, and we change with them, but
our identity never changes. What, then, is life?
Your life is your own. 1t is that which you can
not share with another, Pigment of the universe
committed to your keeping. 1t has use for which
you are responsible, and none other. 1t is a force
entrusted to you. Nothing of force is ever lost
God has no atoms out of order-all space is occu-
pied, that some good may come out of it. Let us
consider, then, the significance, the mission, the
goal of life. Life varies in quality the stars In
no two men is it alike Some men are all life
others are scarcely alive. If you touch but the
hem of some mems garments good comes of it,
and never feel the quickening of a passing
emotion through them. Life varies in volume
and quantity. The man that has the most head,
heart will, courage, faith, here is better than
others less regally endowed. Life is short and
never sure. Though short, it is long enough to
build up a new earth and new heaven. Though
uncertain ii is a flash of life grander than the
blaze of the central suns. 1t was short and not
sure with Homer and Moses; but those dead vet
sceptred monarchS still rule our spirits from their
unknown graves. We live in deeds, not years
Every true man is immortal until his work is done
Time is not TO be measured by years The intense
heart throws centuries into hours. Life is long
enough TO do Gods work in. Now, the vital
question is What are you going to do with
it? Life is a composite aggregation of COM
pick forces 1t is composed of varied
elements. 1t has body, mind, a soul or spirit
1t is compound, as is most things III nature. Now.
whose life is the most harmonious, the truest?
Doubtless he who does not starve his body 20 feed
his mind, who does not dwarf his spirit TO develop
his body, who does not degrade his mind for the
sake OF body spirit. He who cultiyates only one
side of his nature is mOnstrosity. Thus St
Simeon Stylites and st; Francis d'Assisi were
moral m0nstrOSitieS. EOltare, for example. was
an intellectual monster. Let us draw the veil over
those mOnstrOSitieS who cultivate the sensual at
the expense of the mental and the spiritual God
forbid that any one OF lis should live only to cult
vate side Of his life. Man should cultivate all his
powers all sides of his nature equally Life is an
eternity begun for us. 1t reaches up 10 heaven or
slopes gradually downward to hell. Life has its
or mysterious side, with one foot i'll the
finite and one i'll the Infinite; that Is the reason
you are unhappy. Hence life docs not not satisfy
you here. This life is not enough for you. by in
stinct intuition, desire and hope, well as by the
revelation of God, you know you are immortal.
God never disappoints an instinct. We are
eternity begun You cannot perish: only the beast
dies. We defy he'll to destroy our Immortality.
Let us therefore live for eternity as well as for
Without Him there is a darkness behind and a
horrible darkness before. Some days dark,
some are bright: some are a prayer, some a curse.
commend you to Him and to that blood which
washes away sin and prepares you for better and
hOlier things.
DIR. Lanahan on Immortality of the Soul.
Rev. John Lanahan, of the Foundry Church.
preached TO a large congregation yesterday morn
ing, taking for his text a portion of the second