Year: 1871

Sermon on the Forgiveness or Enimies and the


Bravery OF Christian Life.


Mr., Hepworth's text was taken


from st. Luke xiii, 34-''Father,
forgive them; for they know not
what they do.n


The text, said Mr.. Hepworth, indi-
Gates an act Ofsupreme heroism. There
are different degrees, as there are diff
ferent kinds of heroism. The kind
and degree of which Christ illustrated
while on the top of Calvary has made
the cross the smybOl of faith through
out the ages. It is not because q good
man died thereon fol his principles
that we value the cross, but because
the Vicegerent of God was never more
God-like than when suffering most,
that we press the symbol of His tor
ture so closely to our hearts. In that
last concentrating moment we see
the nature and quality of Christian
heroism. The sufferings Of the Lord
define the word. Some people risk
self for self and yet we admire it.
The military hero, for example, rush
es into the thick of the fight, exposes
his body with utter recklessness TO
bullets and wounds in the hope of
winning the fight and thus compel an
Applsuding nation to put him on the
throne. It is in some sense the trans
action OF gambler. He is playing
for


A TREMENDOUS STAKE,


and he risks heavily. He even
throws his life into the chance Of the
game. He is willing to risk being
nothing in order that he may, II
chance favor him, become everything.
1t is either q grave or a throne. He
takes the chances very much in the
state of mind in which a gambler
throws the dice when he knows that
either great wealth or ragged poverty
will be the result. The world admires
even this. There is something grand
about such towering and ambitious
seIfshness- But there is another
kind of heroism-a loftier type and
far more inspiring-it is that which
loses sight of self entirely, which hides
all personal interest and is willing to
sacrifice everything for the good OF
others. This is ideal. This Is won
derful. The martyrs possessed 1t
when they suffered for the truth.
They could gain nothing for them
selves, but because the world would
gain a great deal when they died.
They will have


MONUMENTS IN HEAVEN.


though no image of brass shall record
for the admiration of the ages their
grandeur and faith. Now, | am in
clined to think that the heroism of
which history hears record is of the
poorest kind, would not underval-
ne it, for ] know the inspiration that
comes of il. But cannot help feel
ing that in common ranks of life as
Iofiy deeds are daily achieved as those
which honor kings and build thrones
Poor Marie Antoinette died bravery,
and the whole world has wept at her
sad story. But in those very days
many brave daughter Of the people,
with unselfish purpose, went to the
guillotine for her country, and many
a brave peasant died behind the barri-
cades whose story will never be sung
until the angels sing it in the New
Jerusalem. want to say that there
is a heroism which the world takes
note of because it is seen in high
places, and that there Is a heroism
which God takes note OF, though the
hero or heroine may never be known
to fame. In our ordinary lives there
is ample opportunity to show the
highest qualities. A mother waits
upon her sick child, hardly knowing
how to buy bread, and yet wearing
herself out by night and day without
a murmur, Divinely unselfish, she
sacrifices everything for her child,
and


WHEN THE DAISES GROW


above the soft bed on which she has
laid her only one, she feels still Gods
presence, and through her lonely life
She walks without a doubt of her
Fathers goodness. That quantity OF
soul is regal. / have been reading
some accounts of the Western fires.
l don't believe the stoutest heart could
read the description ofthOse forest fires
with dry eyes. The raging element,
like a fiend with a cracking laugh,
comes along his victorious path, lev
elIing the forests and sweeping whole
villages into one common ruin.
Then mothers forgot everything, ex-
cept their babes, and rush into the
burning house, determined to die
with the cradled babe rather than
live Without it. Husbands dig holes
in the ground for their little families,
and fight the devouring element un-
til the very flesh on their brawny
arms is erisped by the fire and drops
to the ground in hot cakes. The
noblest elements Of manhood and
come to the surface. We
are proud of our brothers and sisters. |
We thank God that human nature is
made of such noble material, and we
feel like transferring something of
that f-forgetful spirit TO our own
lives. The trouble with most Of US is |
not that we are not capable, but that
we are not willing.


WE EsUCCUBIB To CIRCUMSTANCES,
instead of fighting them. We ought
to learn a lesson from the old rhyme !
of our childhood, which tells how a !
very wise man who happened 10 |
iump into bramble bush and scratch |
ed out both his eyes, instead of sitting
down and claiming the pity of the
world by having q printed placard |
hung from his neck, saying am
blind, graped about bravely until he |
found another bramole bush, and
then, with tremendous leap, scratch |
ed his eyes in again. 1t Is cOwardly
to sit down and pine because you do
not get on as you expectto. This her
oism, which I would have you make
your own, is the result Of faith. You
must believe before you can be brave. |
Christ trusted implicitly, and so dared
everything. Nothing harmful could
come to Him so long as He was ia
the hands of God, and Hefelt Himself
to be always there. If you and can
feel that we are Gods children, and
trust His providence is round US by
night and by day, We too, can be he
roic.


Discourse By ReT. DR.. Chaplin, on individual


RESPONSIBILITIES.


Chronieled, catalogued and charter
ed as the Church of the Divine PRter-
nifty, but popularity known as DR.
Chapin's church, is the edifice of the |
neutrality-suspicious. at the corner of Fifth
avenue and FOrty-ffth street. To say
that there was a large attendance
there yesterday morning is only to an
nounce what is the case every Sunday
morning when Rev. DIR. Chaplin, its
popular and eloquent pastor, occupies
the pulpit. Another, though a late
feature OF largely attractive interest
connected with the services at this
church is the intOped brilliancy of
the church music through the aeces-
sion to the choir of a new and won