The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-13
HHARKEN TO PROPHECY
A Sermon by DR.. Stoddard
Which Democratic Lead
erS Might Well
Heed.

The Rev. DR.. Stoddard preached an in
structive sermon last evening in st.
Johns Episcopal Church on Summit ave
nue. upon the Eternity of Gods Word. 4"
He took for his text selection from tn 6
Book of jeremiah, and prefaced his re-
marks with the statement that to most
people Jeremiah appears to be melan-
choly person, and his book one of doleful
writings. But jeremiah beheld the great
immortality into which his country had
fallen and foresaw the misery and ruin
which its sins would bring upon it.
Mr.. Stoddard then pictured the corrup-
tion and sinfulness into which the king
dom of Judea had fallen in those days. 1t
had violated Gods word in more respects
than one. had turned deaf ear to the
warnings of His prophets God COM
manded jeremiah to go TO the king and
ca IL upon him to forsake his evil ways.
So fearlessly and outspoken was Jere-
miah in showing the king the enormity of
his offenses that the monarch became ex-
ceedingly angry, ,.and ordered Jeremiah
threw into prison. Still the prophet did
not cease his work. but from his prison
cell he wrote letter to the king, in
which he foretold of the destruction of
Judea and the ignominious death of the
king; how he would be dragged out of the
city and buried like beast. This letter
was read before the assembled mobiles of
Judea, and when the king heard it he
tore it into shreds and cast it into the fire
in spite of the, remonstrances of his
mobiles. Nevertheless all that Jeremiah
predicted came true. Judea was over
thrown and tie king was so detested by
his people that his dead body was thrown
out of the city.
Mr.. Stoddard than proceeded to show
how Judea fell because the people had
become corrupt and did not heed the
word of God. Any nation, he said, which
became corrupt would fall. He said tnat
this incident of sacred history taught that
Gods word was eternal. Though it might
be burned or destroyed in other ways,
yet it lived on and nothing could over
throw it. He also showed how the minis
ters of that word fearlessly proclaimed it
at all times and in all places, in spite of
persecution, imprisonment or death.
The word Of God he declared was
directed to those or to day as well as it
was to those of ancient times. 1t warns
us to forsake our sins and seek the for
giveness of God. Mr.. Stoddard closed his
discourse with an eloquent exhortation
to his congregation to heed the warnings
of that word.
The music which was rendered by the
large choir of the church was excel ent
aud contributed m aterially to the i'm
pressiyeness of the service.
Temperance Coffee Houses.
The Rev. David Mitchell preached a
timely sermon last night in the Scotch
Presbyterian Church. He is deeply in
terested in temperance work and social
Improvement. While announcing the
subject of self government for last night,
yet when he heard of the steps being
taken by the Woman's Christian Temper
ance Union to establish coffee houses, he
resolved to devote his sermon to that
important matter. Choosing as text
Rom. xii 81, ''Overcome Evil with Good -
he preached an interesting and practical
discourse upon the principle of self sacri-
| fice-overcoming evil with good-as ex-
emrlified and enjoined by Jesus Christ,
and founded thereon practical and pow
erful appeal to the Christian community
to aid and encourage the ladies' benevol-
ence. He could speak from experience of
coffee houses as paying their own way,
and thus furnishing working men at the
close of their labors with a place where
they could have good book, or innocent
amusements, or music not necessarily
sacred but always pure. They would be
engaged indirectly in drawing men
within gospel influences. and of building
up temple of humanity through which
the glory of God would shine.