The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-05
CHRISTIAN UNITY.
Discourse Preached Yester-
day by. the Rev. Dr..
Sloddard at St.
Johns.
REFERRED TO UNION SERVICES
Other Ministers Express Theil
Opinion of DR.. Stoddard's Ser
mon-Not Observing Lent.


continue nightly until Easter. DR.. Stoddard
has spoken of them to his congregation on
several occasions, and always in tones OF
highest approval. He said in sermon
which he preached week ago yesterday
that they should be an example to all church
n-Episcopalians that these should
keep Lent this year as they have never kept
it before so as not to let the other churches
outdo them.
DR.. Stoddard has custom of telling his
congregation of their shortcomings and
reading desks of the church. He generally
does this while giving out the church an
nouncements Yesterday morning, after
making the usual announcements, he said
REV. DIR. STODDARD'S SERMON.
II am going to preach on Lent tonight, but
will say word in passing now. You have
all been attending receptions this winter and
will attend them with pleasure to the end of
life. say reverently that Lent is Gods re-
ception. I speak with no sense save that of
deepest reverence when I say that during
Lent God is at home Not in the sense that
you may be at home ON Mondays through the
year. This corresponds to our Sundays, the
ordinary usual time for worship. But there
are times when you specially receive and
cards are sent out and you are at home
Lent is such time, when God asks to receive
you to call YOU from the world, to talk to
you, to comfort you, to help you, aye and to
let you talk to Him, and learn to love and
follow Him. Make such a Lent of this which
opens Wednesday. Make it for yourselves
and especially for your children. I wish
you could have my experience in
getting children into the confirmation class.
[ sometimes think that I could more easily
get the children of the king of the Cannibal
Islands into confirmation class than some
children in this parish. And l can contrast
that with another class which your children
are interested in, your dancing class. A
dancing class is all right, it teaches grace,
politeness, and gives a healthful physique.
But | notice that in these classes you are
profoundly interested, you are very careful
about your childrens dress, you see that they
are regular, you go with them, you watch
them, you sit through hours of movements.
But when the call comes for religious lnstruc-
tion. when the church reminds you that you
promised at baptism to see that your child
should learn all that was essential to a
Christian life, you are careless, you postpone
it, you pooh pooh it, and your child sees
it-for child can see such
matters as well as bishop.
"He sees that you are profoundly interested
in his heels and that apparently you don't
care a fig for his SOUL and your Indifference
does more harm to a church than if you were
to go out and throw stones at it and swear at
it. For no sword no bludgeon, no armed
battalion can ever injure the church, but a
chilling, foggy Indifference can and will de-
stroy both the church and him on whom this
icy fog decends.
CHRISTIAN UNITY.
$50 keep Lent for your children's sake.
Keep it also because remarkable thing has
happened in this land hold in my hand a
card announcing that nine Protestant
churehes-not Episcopal-have united to
hold service every day from Ash Wednes-
day to Easter. Now, what are we church
men going to do about this! These are not
distinctively revival meetings. The Pastors
of these churches are to unite and preach for
each other. 1t is an answer, and remark
able answer to the prayer which has for ten
years been going up for the unity
of Christendom. Here is practical
unity before our eyes. Don't look
churches are coming round to u.s. Take a
larger, wider view. Say:-Here is an old
custom which we have held in trust,as we be
lieve, for the rest of the Protestant world.
Here and now the Protestant world has
united in saying, 1T is good thing, at least,
to try Now what a responsibility this
throws upon us. We have had our prayer
for unity in so far, answered. 1t we ever
wish another prayer answered, let US be
worthy of this answer. Let us unite in
spirit, and if we can, in act with these
churches who are using our holy season to
find God in. Let no churchmen say this
year as dear friend in Brooklyn used to
say to me on Ash Wednesday :-'Parson, |
am going to be Presbyterian till Easter
You can't be a Presbyterian this Lent for we
are all going to keep it together. You will
have to be a good churchman or else be a
Mohamedan, or Buddhist, or Cannibal, for
there is no church here who will have you.
We are all together for at least one holy
season"
THE UNION SERVICES.
The nine churches referred to are:-Ber-
gen Reformed, Summit Avenue United
Presbyterian, st. Johns German Evangeli-
cal of Fairview avenue, Emory Methodist
Episcopal, Bergen Baptist, First Presby-
terian, South Bergen Reformed, West Side
Methodist Episcopal, Claremont Presby-
terrain Thinking 'twould be good idea to
get for the readers of THE JERSEY CITY
NEWS the opinions of the ministers of these
churches on Rev Dr. Stoddard's remarks,
called on some of them.
found Dr. Brett, Pastor of the Bergen
Reformed Church, getting ready to leave his
home to take charge of his Christian En-
deavor meeting. He said, however, that he
could spare few moments, and I read to
him copy of DR.. Stoddard's remarks. He
said that he is glad that DR.. Stoddard takes
the broad view that he does of the matter,
and dictated the following as his reasons for
observing Lent
DR.. BRETT'S OPINION.
'sIt has long been my opinion that the
time selected by the Roman Catholic and
Episcopal Churches for special religious OBJ
servances, and which is popularity known as
Lent, is the best time of the year for such
services, as a stimulant to spirituality in the
Church. People have had a chance to ex-
pend their energy in gaity and are ready for
religious gatherings. 1t is a convenient
time in business circles and offers q season of
leisure for the gathering of laymen. Hence,
while we feel that there is no obligation in
lenten observance, if we are at any time in
the year to devote ourselves especially to the
work of the Church, this is a good time to
do it.
II say amen to Pastor Stoddard's prayer
for the unity of the Church of Jesus Christ,
but / believe that that prayer will never be
answered by the conversion of Christendom
to any one of the existing denominations. .
WHAT REV. MR.. GRANT THINKS.
saw the Rev. w. d. Grant, Ph. D., pas
tor of the South Bergen Reformed Church,
after his evening service, in his cosy study,
which is situated over the main entrance to
| the church When he heard what DR.. Stod-
| dard said he appeared greatly surprised and
said that he had thought from what he had
heard, that DR.. Stoddard's views were en-
| tirely different. He said that it was very
nice of him to speak in the way be did, and
| then gave his explanation Of the reason foi
all the churches keeping Lent this year. Hs