Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-12
AT TIE CHURCHES.

/ kAloIecHL hetnOdiStIi ISsN. W II. AANi4N''
will be dedicated Ga that occasion
Bishop of the church will be present, and
a numb,r of the clergy of the church con-
ference that is to assemble in few days at
San Jose. The exercises will be engaged IN
also by the Protestant clergy Of the city gen
orally.
No visiting clergymen were in the city
pulpits yesterday. At the Fourteenth-street
Presbyterian Church Rev. A. Il. Croco
preached in the forenoon. The reporters
book shows the speaker took his text from
| Ezekiel XII, 80: And | will take the
stony heart out of their flesh, and will give
them heart Of flesh" At certain point
he began, the tourist in one of our mountain
! ranges is stopped by his guide, and called TO
! look upon a wonderful scene Not far OH
aud below him his eye will rest upon forest
of desolation foresf turned to stone
| trunk, branch, twig-all pstri6ed, cold, mo-
1 tionless, lifeless. As he gezes he must be
I compelled by the scene to reflect upon It's
| cause. What awful CONFUSION of nature
| here struck dumb and dead the very forestsof
the mountains? What mighty change
worked this petrifactiou What great
upheayal of nature laid these 81
ents low and converted this once
lovely forest glade into q desolate
waste 1t is heslthful to reflect upon such
scene it is heslthful, too, for US to let thought
I go further on and bring US to reflection upon
/ the great commissions, the wonderful changes
/ that have taken place in the spiritual condi-
/ ton of man. What changes, startling
changes, he has 10 truth undergone since MS
/ primeval condition of purity and the lofty mo-
/ bility Of innocence. 1t is suggestive TO reject
1 upon these changes which have brought about
! the condition Of things limited at in the text.
| As man in thought dwells upon his condi-
\ ton, OF the uphesvals that have taken place
! in his moral nature, Of the primeval Nights
/ Of high morality and lofty spirituality from
which he has fallen, he may well call to mind
\ the text as describing his mora. nature of to.
| day-a nature stony, cold, frigid. The
/ nature in which he once took delight
/ to walk with his Maker; in which
1 It was Joy to obey His commands and run
in the way of His precepts, has deprtec,
and to-day bis heart is stony or callous, anu
/ all bu. impervious to the touch OF the spirit
of good. But the reflection he may thus in
! dulye in will bring him naturally to ask,
"Can there be no reSuscitation OF malSs
| spiritual nature, OF those moral powers once
| so strong. now so weak Can there be no
/ upbuildins of these things?" And then there
will come 10 him the blessed recollection of
| the merciful promise of such possibilities,
/ thanks be to God, aad he will know that
I these things hoped for in his question may
/ indeed be. But the man who has this knowl-
/ edge will also feel his own inability to bring
/ abou. the resuscitation 80 much desired. The
I laws of hydrostatics, that teach him water can
rise no higher than its source, are not more
| certain than the conviction as to this our in.
| ability to accomplish the wished-for end. It
must be done by God Himself. God has
! promised the remedy-that He will take cut
Of man the heart of stone and give him in
/ stead heart of flesh. But for this God
! Himself is the efficient cause. He pre-.
| scrioes to Himself ths high Office of accom-
| plishipg this thing. Let US review His
scheme Of salvation. gather strength from
| HIS promises and the knowledge of His
power To any condition we may be in He
/ is able and willing to respond. Does our
| spiritual nature need resuscitation? He has
| said, a. will sprinkle you with pure
water and make your cleap." Are
our hearts stony? Then he says, !" will
take away the heart of stone and give heart
Of flesh" Is our moral nature as dead and
dried bonesg He says, " will breathe upon
them and they shall live Is our condition
| that of one cast out and without pity. for.
saken of men and despised of all and without
hope of mercy? God says, mime eye shall
have pity" Is our condition that of one sur
rounded by thick darkness, that we see not,
\ and seeing, being blinded, cannot understand
our surroundings? Then says God. ~ will
shiue 10 your hearts," Is our condition such
as is represented by one of the inspired writ
ers-that like unto death Then comes the
! blessed promises of regeneration, Of resurrec-
! tiop and that those dead in trespasses and sins
may be raise1 up to new creation. But
| some NAV reply 1.-THE old c3rnal nature will
resent it." When God undertakes it, man is
powerless to resist. Regeneration and resus-
citation of spirituality into peace and har-
mony with God, is not OF the flesh, or Of
mans will, or Of mans striving to save HIM
self, but is of God. 1t is His work to trans
form mans whole moral nature. But"
say some, ''this makes man mere machine.
and with nothing to do; God does it all"
True, in the act Of regeneration God does do
it all But He has appointed effectual means
that Srecede His own wcrk; necessary
means He has appointed certain prepare
tons that lesd up to this grand change. 1t
is said in Gods word how shall they hear
except they have q preacher: how shall
they understand, except they have the word
of God how indeed shall we understand,
without the spirit that goeth before as two
/ edged sword. Conscience, the approaches Of
which the highest are not above, snd which
the lowest and most abandoned cannot
escape-conscisnce that is hemmed, almost
siIe6ced, when the truth enters into it, will
Quicken and speak and be alive. If he comes
| Illuminated by the entrance Of truth, and
1 then comes conviction, the man remem
bers the reproaches of conscience when he
| first broke the law. With this enlightening
| and conviction take place; there is to be on
the part of the man a complete forsaking OF
sin-a change, living up to the laws
of good in fact and in spirit, and the use
OF the means OF grace, prayer, repentance,
and then possibly will come conversion. The
! old iiyines preached that men had to sit still
and themselves do nothing. They SO empha-
sized Gods grace, and so belittled mans part
that he was TO sit quietly until the spirit
struck him with its vital force. This was
mistaken view of Gods plan. God says,
HE that seeketh shall find; to him who
knocks it shall be opened he that asketh
shall receive" When the antecedents re-
ferred to are rightly employed, can we not
trust God that He will do His part? His
! Scriptures must be fulfilled. There is such
thing as doing Gods will to know the doc.
trine tie secret of the Lord is to those who
fear Him and walk according to His CON-
mandments. There are evidences that
follow regeneration, conversion not to
given to man by God, there will be signs in
which he cannot be deceived. There will be
a change in tastes, desires, anticipationa.
hopes and delights; q change of spirit. II
we feel these things, in themselves almost in
| describable, we can assure ourselves that we
have passed from death unto lie, ard know
1 that the old stony heart is removed, and the
new one given. They are simple tests and
~ may know them. Ye who are uncon-
va ted-here is your part to do; Gcd will do
| His. Here are tests OF your faith and of
| Gods accomplishment uader promise He
who begets us to new life will sanctify you
and glorify you. The work must go on to
the final end; we will be saved by grace
through faith.
At the First Baptist Church last evening.
tie Sunday.school of that church held Sun
day-school concert. There was very large
attendance. The exercises were exceedingly
interesting. especially the singing by the csil,
dren There were rectstions by masters and
misses, brief address by Superintendent
Wells, and semi-dramatic representation Of
| the parable Of 1.-THE Ten Virgins" which
was sung and acted very well. The most no.
ticeable of the features was O recitation,
" Nobody's Child" by Miss Mabel Williams,
vho SO moved the auditors that they INDUCED
! in loud and long-continued applause, demand
ing an encore 10 the most pronounced man
ner, until Rev. DR.. Frost interPosed and re-
called to the peoples memory that it was
! Sunday evening, and that they were in q
sacred ediGce. lie had no doubt that they
felt like making a noise, and if they really
must. he would givs then, an opportunity
land he greatly desired always to oblige
iriends). The boys would soon pass around
the contribution box, and the auditors would
be privileged, for the benefit of the Sunday,
school, to make all the noise they pleased
with their contributions, for if there was
anything he loved to hear, it was the jingle
of coin going into the contribution box in aid
Of q righteous GAUGE
| ~
SERIOUS ACCIDENT yesterday afternoon
about o'clock. as Adam Andrews and Fred
Williams were riding in buggy the horse
SHE'D at pile Of mortar which lies in the
street at Sixteenth and G streets. One OF
the wheels gave way, and the occupants OF
the buggy were thrown into the street. MIR:
Williams escaped with few scratches and
bruises. but MIR. Andrews suffered a severe
fracture Of the left leg, between the ankle
IL nrrrh no