Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-03-21
REV. NIX. DowNEYs GOOSE SERMON.

How the Brethren of Broad Street NJ. E.
Churcn "Set Up" a Committee.
Philadelphia Record.
There is trouble among the good breth-
rem of Bread street NJ. E. church, and it
| is all about "goOse sermon" Three
years ago the Rev. Mr.. Downey completed
full term of service at the church and
was popular among the congregation.
He was a go-ahead preacher, with
4 head full of common sense, but
his ideas Of the new gospel Of sanctlG.
cation were not quite progressive "
enough for few of the members.
At a special meeting of the brothers who
believed that they had experienced the
fullest blessings of holiness, one of the
sanctified in a condition of ecstatic salts.
faction, exclaimed: Brethren, my soul
is full of joy. feel as all who are truly
sanctified should feel-like man who has
just finished dining 20 fulness upon good,
fat, juicy goose" Amen" was the fer.
vent response.
Mr.. Downey heard Of this good brother's
striking illustration, and the goose simile
proved too tough entirely for his theolos.
ical digestion, and in q sermon upon
Holiness " on subsequent Sunday he
called the attention of his flock to the
manifest incongruity of comparing the
exultatiOn of soul filled with the un
speakable delight of the special blessing
of the Holy Ghost to the carnal and gross
pleasure derived from belly full of fat
fowl
Although this sermon was not generally
unpopular, it cansed q good deal of quiet
Christian cussedness among tho sanctified
brethren, as it has pretty nearly cooked
the Rev. Mr.. Dowpey's goose, SO far, al
least, as a return to Broad street church
is concerned.
A few weeks ago the question Of new
dent desire on tho part of the church
members to ask for the return OF
MIR. Downey, who in tho meantime has
been filling the pulpit of Ebenezer church.
on Christian street. A call was issued
for meeting of the official board. The
opposers Of "the goose sermon preacher
as he was called-sO it is claimed
by number of the trustees-submittcd
without protest to the passage Of reso
hutton for his recall, but quietly " set up ,
the committee which was to be appointed
to wait upon the bishop, and succeeded il
slipping an anti-Downey majority on it.
The matter cropped out, however, ana
one day last week, at special meeting o.
the official board, the committeeman were
set aside and a new committee of Downey
men was put in their places. Since then ;
remonstrance paper has been gotten up
and some show Of opposition is made t.
his return. This has been presented to
the bishop, and it remains to be seen wha
will be the result. The situation has been
complicated by the declaration of eight o
the nine trustees of the church that if Mr.
Downey is not sent back, they will resig,
and withdraw from the church.
| Entertaining General Grant.
Elaborate pre- parations have been mad,
by President Arthur for the entertain
ment Of General and Mrs. Grant at The
White House, where they arrive Tuesday
afternoon. On Wednesday afternoon a
private dinner party will be given in honoi
of the distinguished guests in the private
dining room, at which covers will be laiC
for thirty persons and the menu will COM
prise everything that can be procured il
the market of New York, Philadelphia
and Washington, The Marine band has
received instructions to be present, and in
order to prevent repetition Of the hitch
which occurred on former occasion it
has been ordered to report at the White
House hereafter whenever told to Go SO by
the president or any one else in Authority
at tho mansion. Although it is the sea-
son of Lent number of parties will be
given General and Mrs. Grant, and the
week that they remain in Washington vii
be a noteworthy one. The reception OIL
Wednesday will, it is said, surpass in ele
gauce anything hitherto given in the man
sion, and the artists in charge of tho affairs
have been instructed to spare no expense
in carrying out their designs.