Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-20
The Churches.


 At Other Churches-Rev. MT. Harris
 Concluding Discourse osl Judaism.
 At Center church yesterday two discourses
 morning and afternoon--were preached by the Rev. Dr. Newman Smyth of Quincy Hi nois. There were large audiences to hear him. He is the author of books which have placed him among the prominent orthodox thinkers of the day. and, speaker, his
 utterances engage the close attention of his
 hearers being characterized by reverent
 earnestness clear thinking and scholarship. His text in the morning was Hebrews 7th, 2d, First being, by interpretation king Of righteousness and after that also King of Salem, which is King of peace" The divine rehearsed briefly what scripture reveals rela- tive to Melchisedech. who appears for mo- 1 ment 8 shadowy form afar off in the horizon of biblical history. What manner of man was he :? An unknown man without father or mother, without having either be- ginning of days end of life. He as sud denly disappeared from sight as he appeared. There is strange significance in this meet ing of Abraham with Melchisedech and the manner in which, centuries afterward, the apostle in Hebrews refers to the appearance of this strange personality as no uncommon event. The speaker referred to the speoula- tions which have been indulged in by way of explaining the import of the scriptures on this point Some thought or supposed that in this person, who brought forth bread and wine,-the very emblems of the gospel-there must have been some manifestation of Christ, who was before Abraham. After speaking upon this point the speaker deduced two es- sential truths, which run on unbroken through all ages, which rise above groping religions and outworn moralities, truths which grow in power and beauty ill the light of the perfect life of the Son of God. These truths are righteousness and, after righteous ness, peace. As Dr. Bushnell said Long be, fore Socrates reasoned of justice Abraham had learned the power of the principles of righteousness, and that they were immutable.
 ''Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ?'' While the Orient was saying his devotions to gain resignation for his last long sleep, the Psalmist had sung out of the full ness of his heart of the joys of righteousness.
 While Homer sung of the heather divlnities, Isaiah was singing his grand glad notes to
 
 in the midst of the gathering gloom over Israel, takes up the same su- blime strains through his lamentations. And Malachi takes up the refrain and sings of the sun of righteousness arising with healing in his wings, and the apostle stand ing in the sunrise of the revelations of right eousness in Jesus Christ tells of the fruits of righteousness and that he is faithful to for give us our sins. The Bible knows of no salvation except by righteousness and there is no promise of happiness from Genesis to Revelations but the peace of righteousness. Consider what word for character this revelation of righteousness is! The very word righteousness takes us out of ourselves, away from our own passions, and leaves us the conception of right as something commanded-a something man can neither make or unmeke-a principle in- imitable and fixed as the throne of the deity. Righteousness is a word which measures us in our personal position. Righteousness is word which has the ring of genuine manhood. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness-not merely good nature, nor kind heartedness, but righteousness. If our souls are confronted by this biblical concep- tion of righteousness and peace, we find it lies above the plane of human nature. The best of men seem to have reached but the easier slopes of the ascent. The unapproachable righteousness of Christ humbles our goodness and dwarfs our high est virtue The only way of peace is the ] narrow way of righteousness.
 The speaker next spoke of the growth in righteousness and of the final attainment of perfection through Christ-spirits of just men made perfect-the attainment of the best society of all ages and generations in the presence of our God. Following the speaker made a few practical remarks in fur ther enforcement of the line of thought pur- sued. The heart of righteousness is peace; the heart of selfshness is unquiet as the sea. NORTH CHURCH.
 At the morning service more than the usu- al number of attendants listened to Rev. Dr. Hawes' sermon from the text in Prov, xx., 9, ''Who can say have made my heart clean, am pure from my sin 2'' SeIf-exani- nation, the obtaining and retaining correct es- innate of one's true character regarded uni versally as a disagreeable task. Who of us has made his heart clean and pure? This inquiry of the text implies that none ever have. None can do it except by divine help. Truly desiring purity of heart, we pray to God for it. The sincerity of our prayers is attested by the efforts made to attain this most desirable and exalted state of mind and heart. The earnestness and strong effort sure to know the truth of proposed earthly good and worldly advancement was power fully shown by the speaker in contrast with the slight and insincere trying to know the truth as to our own hearts, how clean and made pure from sin. To overcome this aver sion to self-examination, and humbly to seek divine aid for our infirmity, was urged upon the hearers attention as the true way to salvation by purity of heart. The dis course received close attention, and had marked effect for good. Rev. Dr. Todd, of the Church of the Re- deemer, preached at the afternoon service, taking for text the last two verses of the third chapter of First Corinthians-Paul's impassioned, reproving utteranee of the cath
 o1icity of the truths of the gospel: "Whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life or death, or things present or things to come, all are yours. ," The last three words strike us, said the speaker, at frstsas too great reward for Christians, even for the best and most worthy but rightly interpreted they but faintly tell of the joys of heaven and only rightly assert the birthright and possession of every true believer in Christ. The different styles of the apostles and the different parts of Bible truth portrayed were graphically set forth and the lesson of the text most aptly and eloquently illustrated and applied, as like the rays of light from the sun
 
 separate colored picture, yet all converging together made the white clear light of truth itself.
 Service at St. John Street M. E. Church.
 The St. John street M. E. church was liter ally packed last night with the largest audi ence probably that was ever gathered within it's walls The announcement that the pas tor, Rev. C. E. Harris, would deliver the last discourse on tJudaism and the Messiah and answer objections that had been sent to him, and give the reasons for his renouncing Judaism, brought together the large assem- blaze Among the number were many Is- raelitish brethren who had attended the pre- vious sermons on Judaism After singing by the choir Mr. Harris in 8 fervent prayer in voked the divine blessing, praying earnestly for FFhis own people.'' After the prayer the objections were taken up in their order and answered to the evident satisfaction of the major portion of the audience at least while everyone present listened intently to the clear and forcible statements of the speaker In concluding Mr. Harris gave touching account of his conversion from Judaism to Christianity and of the trials and persecu- tions attending his early ministrations
 At Wesley Chapel
 Those who had the privilege of listening to the sermon preached yesterday morning