New-York tribune., 1895-12-16
HIS TWO ANNIVERSARIES
THE REV. DR.. CHADWICK breaches HIS
lG00TH SERMON
HE ALSO COMPLETES Ills THIRTY-FIEsT CoNsECU-
TIVE YEAR AS PASTOR OF THE SECOND UNI
TARTAN CIIURCH-'T1IE FOOLISH
NESS OF PREACHING"


NESS OF PREACHING"
| The Rev. John W. Chadwick preached yesterday
morning his thousandth sermon and completed a
continuous service OF thirty-one years pastor OF
the Second Unitarian Church at Clinton and Con
gress-sts. The morning service at his church was in
the form of anniversary celebration Of these TWO
| occasions and the venerable pastor was warmly
congra uated by many OF his parishioners and other
friends He suffering slightly from cold con-
racted Saturday al the cornerstone exercises Of the
new museum OF the Brooklyn Institute. where he
read an ode written by himself expressly for the
occasion.
Mr.. Chadwick read yesterday morning poem OF
remembrance and thanks written by himself in rec
ognition Of the anniversary. lie was the author Of
all the hymns sung at the service yesterday. His
sermon The Foolishness OF Preaching was in
part follows
preachins has been away from the tralilioha, al
, with steadily increasing emphasis which has been
much disguised for many by the increasing fa-
tonality OF their own thought and the amelioratior
OF dosmat srn in the churches which has conclded
with the course OF my Brooklyn ministry. Further
every year am much nearer every year than
used to be TO the administrations oi that orthodoxy
late. simply because they have been steadily ap-
OF things and am much nearer than used to be
TO many precious friends. who have been moving
stationary by any means) that they think 1 am
going back The purely natural and human char
Nazareth. / have expounded with all possible sim
plicy availine myself OF no suberiuges or eduiyo-
SouiG ! eTsggerate the change which has taken
regard TO these positions, twenty-five years ago /
stoutly. in the teeth Of much opposition and
abuse. Now the minority opposing them ne NJ is ar map
them as the commonplaces Of our thought
shf baye been EVEN more remarkabe
Hundreds OF preachers and thousands Of the laitE
,onaI orthodoxv OF the great confessions now than
were ever the Unitarians generally thirty years
Substantially agreed in Their opinions logically IN
volvlng the dsintesration Of the traditional thsoI
mcnt is the development. at once intellectual and
moral. which involves a wonderful increase OF -. ID-
cipe that men cannot all think alike, that honest
particuiar opinion The DEVELOPMENT along these
lines has been something marvellous. ana "onder,,
Ty sgee' "a ana orSodox and Hbera believers
everywhere in evidence OF the great and happy
@ and Other changes hayg lnded1sa % 11y hagf aY
imagining that all these have borne the Unitarian
me- Of taking 10 myself any appreciable degree OF
credit for the changes In which you ana so nluch
been AZ least a fv upon the mighty wheel whose
revolution has brought so many good things 20 the
glad tha; have been working in this yineyard an
day long. that came in al the eleventh hour put
with the morning light and that many VINO then
aoutad my foonshness have since and ranged
themselves with me and mine
Mr. Chadwick then said that the attempt to set
I'D the church in defence OF the Bible is absurd
zone has only 10 know a little OF the infallible
councils and the infable popes 10 understand that
the ONLY ground on which man OF SOUND lntehl-
gence can believe in infallDle church Is thAt
safest OF all ground which Tertu,lian planted
himself so confidently L believe because II Is i'm
possible Even the classes that are most CON
Viuced OF the fOoishness OF preaching In our time
are generally self-deceiyed II is not preaching
they object to- but the average preacrhiIng or some
particular kind of reaching. DR.. Talmage may
not attract them. bat Dr. Ader-they cannot sei
TOO much OF him Colonel lhgersoll-they would
even pay something to hear him. DO not name
these two together because they are anything alike
some Of our best and finest men arr aienaie from
the Church because they not eng aged in enter
prses OF concrete reform. Preaching needs no
! apology but that doesn't help my case. stand
on my feet