8
TUB CITY PULPIT.
RITUALISM:
lit Origin, Cam, Care. A. Sermon
y Rev. Dr. Wto, t the ChuroH of
tbe Atoenaet, Seventeeutfc d Sum
mer Krtid. lt Kvenln.
' . Jobnl. l7.-For the law wm lven by Moaes, but
, f2n truth came by Jesus Christ.
L The two parts of tula declaration swrn to be
.eftbe one overact the other law
WAS ffiVCTl DT MOSeS, OUl. fimo
JT" m Chrtit." (The word ''but J
"he ordinal, but the sense of the whole strongl?
Implies Tit; 'and so our translators undcretood)
KSTwmwm faithful in all hB house, m a .-er-vint.
for a testimony of those things which were
to be spoken alter; but Christ, as a Son, over
His own house.'' What can be more evident
than tbat the first ceases to command when
the authority of the second begins f. What can
be more evident than that the business of a
witness Is over when hta i testimony hai i been
riven In? Moses was faithful in all his house,
as a steward, while the heir and successor was
yet absent. But Christ is the Bon; and He
ominir, the steward must depart, or sink to a
enbordinate position. Elierer.the steward of
Abraham's household, was his heir, until Isaac,
the promised seed, was born. Moses was for a
testimony of future things: but when those
things were accomplished, by the coming of
Christ, Moses must stand aside. "He takctn
away the first, that He may establish the
PC corbel
But what law docs the text refer to? It has
been attempted to be shown (by what some
esteem as high authority) that the law thus
superseded by Christ was simply the moral law,
us the condition of our Jusiihcatlon with God,
leaving the ceremonial, to some extent at least,
in force; just the opposite of those undervalues
of the righteousness of faith who say that the
moral law jet standB, the ceremonial alone
having been done away. But from the view
lust presented, must it not be the whole law
that has been either abolished or absorbed in
Christ? Of the entire sjstem which was thus
denominated Mokcs is declared to have been
the Mediator; therefore to it, in its entlrenes9,
reference must be made when it is said, "The
law was given by Moses, but grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ."
The law, in its moral provisions, passed away,
us a Jaw, ween cnnei came, Decause tuence
forth justification was to be no more of works,
but of grace. To this so many of the Inspired
arguments of St. Paul are directed. Against
this he so often holds up faith, as the means and
condition of our justification, the law, in which
we were once held, being now, as he says,
"dead." Not the law, but grace and truth, as
coming by Jesus Christ. Grace, as that Divine
favor by which sinners were accepted for His
Bake, and truth, as distinguished Irom law, as
that power by which they were to be governed.
There is a vast distinction between law and
truth. Law is a compulsion from without; truth
an influence working Irom within. Law is an
obligation, whether we acknowledge its reason
ableness or not, a force pressing upon us, and
demanding obedience. Truth appeals to the rea
son and the conscience; it convinces and per
suades before it obliges; and then the power is
an inward one, from which obedience flows
voluntarily. The law says, "Do this, and thou
chart live;" truth reveals itself to the soul
in all its majesty and beauty, and
taking possession of it, turns the principles
ieto the way of life. That truth was first the
revelation of the grace of God in Christ, and
then of the character and will of God, in all His
relations to His earthly creatures. Ho doubt
many of the provisions of the law remain in
this new aspect, as the truth, and so are of
force in the Christian system. But as law,
they do not rest upon the Christian, he to
whom Christ has come, as his Redeemer Irom
ln, and the Author and Giver of everlasting
lite.
The law, in 11b ceremonial provisions, as
'the shadow of good things to come," passed
away when Christ, "the very image of the things,"
appeared. Indeed, the whole Epistle to the
Hebrews is taken up with the exhibition of this
truth, the resolving of all the rites and cere
monies of Judaism into Christ, and their com
plete abrogation by His sacriticial death and
f;ioriOUS meuiuiiuu iu ucuvcu. ojujuuiiujuj,
he overthrow of the Temple the only place
where those ceremonies were fully enacted
was significant of their termination, never
again, in any aspect, to be revived. As it lies
in desolation yea, as the very foundations of it
have been ploughed up so has that gorgeous
ritual, of which it was so long the theatre,
passed away, a departed glory, to linger only in
the memory of the world.
Now, I have not the slightest doubt that out
of an obliviousness of this truth the whole
system of that which is denominated Ritualism
lias sprung. It arose with the corruption of
the Church, with the development of that error
which St. Paul so largely combated, as show
ing itself In his day, the error of theJudaizing
teachers. They insisted on circumcision and
the other rites of Moses as necessary to justifica
tion: respecting which he asks bulievets:
''Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the
jrudimenls of the world, why, as though living
in the world, are ye subject to ordinances?''
And then adds, by way of caution and denun
ciation, "Touch not, taste not, handle not,
which all are to perish with the using." Those
of a later day, indeed, did not insist on Jewish
ordinances as such, but they substituted sacra
ments and a priesthood in their place, and then
adapted the eld and abrogated ritual to suit
them. For just as the Jewish ceremonial clus
tered around the Sacrifice, so the corrupted
Christiana clustered around the Lord's Supper,
Which they delighted to call the Christian sacri
fice. And here I take my stand, that the
foundation of this system Is perverted views of
that Sacrament, regarding it as a sacrifice, and
its ministers as priests, who offer thus a propitia
tion for the sins of the people. Hence comes
that superstitious veneration for the sacra
mental board: the bowing before It the reluc
tance to touch it, even in the attitude of prayer
its prominence in the sanctuary the placing
of lights and crosses upon it the decking it
with flowers and symbolical embroidery, and
the term by which it is designated the Attar.
Hence comes the elevation of the elements, or
the nearest approach to it that is ventured on,
and, by childish scrupulosity, of their profana
tion. Hence the gorgeous robing of the officia
ting ministers, and the estimation In which they
would be held, as separated frum all others by
the awfulness of their functions. Against this
last, how decisive are the words of Scripture:
'Let a man so account of us as of the ministers
f Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God ;"
understanding by " mysteries" (which is its
only sense in the New Testament) something
which, having been hidden before, is now re
vealed to men. And where do the Apostles ever
epeak of ministers as priests or a priesthood f
Christ is the only Priest, and they are but ambas
sadors for Him. Against the others our own
Church has sufficiently expressed herself when
8 he speak s simply of "the table," and orders that
it shall have "a lulr whi linen cloth upon it,"
eaying nothing of altar-cloths of various hues to
vmholize the several seasons, of which the
JKitualisls and Eccleaiologists make so much; of
placing it indiscriBilnateiy "in tne Doayot me
church or in the chancel," neither decorating it
with flowers, nor lights, norcrosses. And forlho
apparel of the minister, that he shall be "de
cently" (that is, becomincrly ) habited in the pub
lic exercise of hlsotlice. Howguardodly, Indeed,
does she introduce symbolism at all, as in the siga
of the cross In baptism, leaving it optional with
the pariies interested; and in the consecration
.In.. n m av at olumanti Hl.cAMnntli.minia.
ter simply to break and lay his hands npou the
bread, ana to tase iuo cup, in toiteii oi meir
being set apart to this hallowed use. Bo, aaiu,
in thA nroression of the ministers In the church.
Only in a single iustance does she prescribe It
tY& nniipfrtinn of chuiches: and there its
Htilonesg is so manifest that I doubt if
it .n ntriiek: anv as superstitious, or tend
ing to superstition, A building is about to
be taken possession of for religious purposes
in the name of Almighty God. How fitting
that the service for it should be be"? at. Its
very door I And so it is directed that the Bishop
shall bo received at the entrance by the wardens
and vestrymen; and then tbat be and the clergy
THE DAILY EVftKiNG TELEGRAFn rniLABELPnU, MONDAY,
who are presont shall go tip the aisle, rrpeaMnir
alternately the appointed psalm, it has been,
urged that many of the ceremonies in use before
the Reformation were left standing by the
order of Elizabeth, which retained the tirst Book
of Edward and set aside the second, la which
these had been abolished. Be thin as it may,
that Princess did many things for national
agreement, and to conciliate thos who but
loosely held the Reformation principle'. But
in gaining them, it 1 well known that she
alienated others, whose disaffection In the course
of a few years became so widespread that the
result was the overthrow of the Lstaollshment,
and the revolution of the nation. But suppose
that in England, by the letter of the law, these
usages still stand, what is that to us 1
The Praycr-Book tbat we use is of the Ameri
can Church, made our own by aetual adoption,
and after deliberate revision; and that, a'ad
that alone, is the law and the testimony for us.
What it allows, that we are bound by; what it
docs not, can justly have no place In our public
worship.
But higher yet is our appeal to the Holy
Bcriptuies. We have seen tbat the lav, cere
monial not less than moral, moral not less than
ceremonial, had been abrogated In Christ.
What, then, do we find in tho New Testament,
bearing on the subject? Hear Jesus Himself.
Speaking at the well of Samaria, be says,
"Woman, believe mo, the hour cometh when ye
shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jeru
salem, worship the Father; but the true wor
shippers shall worship the Father in spirit and
In truth; for the Father seekcth such to worship
Him." Observe that all holy places, specifically,
are by this word abolished. And what a shock
must tbat have given alike to Samaritan and to
Jew 1 Think of all that David had written of
Jerusalem and Mount Zlon psalms which the
devout Israelite bad sung from age to age, and
which had moulded the national mind and
heart. How rude, then, must have been tho
shock when it waB declared that the time was
coming when the temple at Jerusalem would bo
esteemed no longer sacred, and when prayers
oil'cied in it courts would be no more espe
cially acceptable to God. But if not there,
then nowhere exclusively; but throughout the
wide world, in every spot trodden by the foot of
man. where the heart might go up In aspiration
to Heaven, there would be, for the time, a sanc
tunry of the Most High. Houses of worship
might, indeed, be erected and set apart for man's
convenience and edification, as being adapted to
Human needs, but not as implying any sacred
ness, In view of Him to whom prayer is made.
Moreover, He tells us that they who worship the
Father must "worship Him in spirit and in
truth." What does this mean, iu connection
with the abolishment of sacred places, except
that an acceptable worship must be divested as
much as posr-ible of that which is merely
outward, which appeals to the senses, and
through them is intended to afreet the heart?
On this principle our own Church has certainly
proceeded. For where in all her services is
there aught that Is in conflict with it? in them
all there being nothing but the words of prayer
and thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
From beginning to end it is the mind that is
addressed, and through it the heart engaged.
Neither pictures, nor lights, nor incense, nor
robed processions are found there, nor such
music as Is designed for a sensuous or
theatrical effect. But turn agam to the page3 of
the New Testament. Is baptism to be ad
ministered ? The most circumstantial account
recorded there of Its administration, is that by
Philip of the Ktutopiaa eunuch. And thus we
read: "As they went on their way, they came
to a certain water; and the eunuch said. See,
here is water, what doth hinder me to be bap
tized? And Philip said, If thou believest with
all thine heart, thou mavest. And he answered
and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand
still. And they went down both into tho water,
both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized
him." How simple all, and how Bcant of mere
ceremony 1 Is the Lord's Supper to be adminis
tered ? In all the circuit of the inspired writings
there is nothing to lead us to suppose tbat it
was accompanied by aught tending to awaken
feelings of unusual or preternatural awe. It is
only related, for instance, that "Upon the first
day of the week, when the disciples came to
gether to break bread, Paul preached unto
them;" and tbat the preacbintr was the most
considerable part of the exercises, is evident
from the fact tbat "he continued his speech
till midnight." Look at St. Paul's re
buke of the abuses connected with its celebra
tion in the Church at Corinth. Theso abuses
were learlul ; but they show us that so far from
the ordinance itself being regarded as some
thing awful and mysterious, and made as much
so as possible Dy tne manner ot us celebration.
that manner was so simple that it was not diffi
cult to glide from the right to a wrong and very
loose way. Again: With reference to the
Fiublic service generally, we are simply charged
Mtt ts fnrcola ilia aoanmliliricr r f nil fjal una
together:" and in such assemblages "not to be
?artial among ourselves, not to say to the man
n goodly apparel 'Sit thou here in a good
place,' while we say to the poor man. in vile
raiment, 'Stand thou there, or Bit here under
my footstool.' " Indeed, the whole idea of wor
ship, at mat period oi tne Church, was such as
might be engrafted on the ordinary Synagogue
service, xne Aposues were content, at nrst. to
go into the Synagogues, as they went from city
to city, and nreach Christ. And there Christian
ity would have stayed and worshipped if Christ
naa Dcen received, insensibly moulding tne ser
vices which it found there in accordance with its
own spirit and principles. But, being rejected,
what was to be done ? Establish a rival service,
in which that of the Temple was the model ?
Nay; but in withdrawing, to set up a Christian
synagogue, as 8t Pauldldat Ephesus, "disputing
uany, lor tne space oi two years, in me bcuooi
of one Tyrannus." In truth, the Jews them
selves, whether in their own or foreign lands,
never thought, in those assemblies which con
vened every Sabbath day, and with which Jesus
and His disciples so often worshipped aever
thought, I say, of imitating the elaborate ritual
of the Temple; which was confined to Itself, as
being alone the place where sacrifice was
offered of which, as I have said, sacrifice was
the central thought. Nor did priests serve In
the synagogue, but only ministers and elders.
II tt u re to yourselves that religious service in
which Jesus participated in the synagogue at
Capernaum. He enters; and although no ac
credited minister, a roll of the sacred Scrip
tures is given Him to read, ne turns to a
prophecy relating to Himself. He rehearses it,
and then sits down. The solemnity of His man
ner drew all eyes towards Him. And then He
began His instruction by saying, "This day is
this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." Doubtless
prayer hud preceded, and probably the recitation
of the Psalms of David. And such was the
basis of all the public Christian worship of tho
Apostolic age.
How unfair, then, for the Episcopal champion
of this movement, In our day, to seek his autho
rity firft in the law ot Moses, which has been
abrogated, and then in the Church of the fourth
and fifth centuries, already full of corruption;
leaving untouched the whole field of facts which
lie in the Apostolic era, as exhibited in the New
Testament Scripturesl
To this present evil, over which we are now
mourning, and against which we are setting
ourselves, the Church has been drifting for some
years past. It began in the Oxford movement,
which laid lta foundation in reviving in the
popular mind mystical uotlous of the sacra
ments, the ministry, and the Church. As to the
last, in confounding the spiritual with the ex
ternal body of Christ's people; us to the 6econd,
in exaltiug it into mediators or intercessors with
God, and confining its validity, and so the effi
ciency ot its ministratlous, to an uninterrupted
succession from the Apostles; and as to the first,
by making the sacraments, instead of signs of
grace and of God's good will to the recipients,
the only authorized channels and conveyers
of it, as if our spiritual life began in bap
tism, and was continued by the Euchuristio
bread and wine. Theso superstitious views
natuially prepured the way for whatever would
seem to add pil'ect to the devotions of the
sanctuary, and awe to the persons and acts of
its ministers. This is the nhare thai nigu cuurcn
men have had In it: while low churchmen
have contributed their share, by permitting the
introduction of Jlowera into their churches, and
of a kind of muau'. borrowed from the world.
which was intended to make the services of
God's house attractive to the world. Against
the toimer, Bishop Bloomfleld of London no
prejudiced authority, certainly cautioned his
clergy many years ago, as a practice borrowed
from the Church of Rome. And yet here we
are, after the lapse of these years, adornlns our
churches at Easter after this manner leautl
ful In itself, and seemingly appropriate, but
dangerous as an innovation and a practice m
tbat communion from which we have been
called out, as we believe, by God on account ot
her abominations. As to the latter, do not mis
understand me. I do not object to the service
of praise being the best tbat we can offer. I
only object to its being of such a character as
Is designed to please worldly people, and to
render the service of the sanctuary attractive to
such a plea under which the whole para-
pnernaua oi ritualism mignt as well
be sustained: its bowing and intoning and
theatrical displays being equally successful in
drawing a gnping crowd. Let us not do evil
that good may come.
II. And now we may well ask. what we have
done to draw all this upon us this i-ad innova
tion on the dignity and sim pliclty of our worship,
over which every true lover of his Church
mourns, and from which he has so much to fear ?
Here I can only suggest. But it seems to me
that if the Church were pervaded with a true
and healthy Christian life, we should never have
witnessed what wc now see. Can we imagine
Ritualism springing up in the healthy organism
of the Pentecostal Church, or the Church of the
Reformation ? Can we imagine it entering into
the thoughts of those whom the lethargy of the
English Church precipitated Into Methodism ?
or invading that truly Apostolic Church, the
Moravian ? or as the result of a genuine revival
in any religious body?
It was only when the zeal of the early Church
had waxed cold, that it found a place in tho
ecclesiastical usages of the fourth and fifth
centuries. And so, we believe that it is becaise
of the prevading lukewarmness of our Church
at this day that we are now suffering from it,
that God has permitted it to come upon us.
Now, a true and healthy Christian life is mani
fested in holding the Head, in following the
Head, and in self-denying efforts for the Head;
and so far as it departs Irom or falls short of
these, it is unsound and unhealthy: there is
lukewarmnejs.
1. Christ is the Head, the Head of the bodv.
the Church, and of every soul that looks for
salvation through Him. Have we lost sight of
this in any measure as a Church, or have we kent
it steadily in view? I will not now consider those
w ho avowedly hold the sacraments to be the
means and instruments ot our justification. I
will confine my view to those who hold the
evangelical doctrine. Now, though there Is
among such much preaching of justification by
faith, yet, as the result of my observation, I
fear that I must make the assertion tbat there
Is not a corresponding knowledge of it aniontr
profef sing Christians. There is a vagueness in
their minds as to what faith is. and an unsteadi
ness of view as to the connection between faith
and Christ. Take St. Paul's declaration con
cerning himself, as the standard, "I live, yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me: and I live by tho
faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me." Here was the experience of
a true Christian with reference to Christ. And
this I call holding the Head, and holding it in
earnest, with a living grasp. Is this the religion
of Christians in our day, in our own Church,
even in what we believe to be the better portion
of it ? Alas 1 I have too often seen, after all our
teaching to the contrary, men believing that
they are Christians, still leaning upon them
selves, and still halt trusting, at least, to their
own endeavors for acceptance with God.
Tbey will not believe that Christ is the One
Mediator, iu whom they are to live and
move and have their spiritual being. They
have, indeed, some notion that His blood
cleanses from sin; but that He is "all in all" to
their ruined souls, of this 1 fear that they have
but little heart-conception. But yet it was this,
and this alone, that kept St. Paul from ritual
ism, that drew him out from the ritualism of
tne uewisn unuren, ana maae mm hate and
trample on all ordinances when they came, in
any way, to overshadow Him who is the Head.
Christ, and Christ only this should be not
only the tenor of our preaching, but the anchor
of your hope. Christ, as the Head, vividly,
vitally, experimentally held: this Is the word
of truth,-and the gospel of our salvation. And
so far as we fall short of it. we are Buffering
from lukewarmuess in our religion, and laying
ourselves open, therefore, to the inroad of
every error, in doctrine or practice.
z. nut (jurist nam left us an example, that
we should follow in His steps. '-For me, lite
is Christ," Bald the same great apostle to whom
we have lust referred, so fully did he realize
in his own existence what Christ Himself
spoke, "of His dwelling In us, and we in Him."
He could 6ay, "The world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the word." Which of us can begin
to say as much ? If the world is not enthroned in
our hearts, do we not at least allow it to steal in
and encroach upon the dominion which should
be Christ's alone ? In our amusements, iu our
business, in our daily intercourse, how little does
Christ rule, and how much the world t But few
are deterred from rash speculation because of
its Injurious effect upon their religion; but few
from exciting enjoyments for a like reason. "All
seek their own, not the things which are Jesus
Christ's." Worldliness is death to all spiritual
life, and yet worldliness is the great sin ot the
Church in our day. And in saying this I do not
retcr only to those worldly pleasures in which
luribnaii indulge, ana winch are generally nrst
thought of when the word is spoken, but to that
world-spirit which enters into all our life, and
nas tne mastery or us instead oi ttio spirit ot
Christ in its transforming and renewing power.
"r or worldliness,' as one has said, "is distinct
from sin, and the denunciation of it is peculiar
to Christianity. It does not consist in distinct
acts, nor iu thoughts of transgression, but It is
the spirit of a whole life which hides all that is
invisible, real, and eternal, because it is devoted
to the visible, the transient, and the unreal. Men
who find their all in the world, how can they,
fevered by its business, excited by its pleasures,
petrified by Its maxims, see God In His purity, or
comprehend the calm radiance ot eternity?"
And the only opposite of the world is Christ;
"Christ, our Hope, our Pattern, our Life; Christ
in us, the light which Is in every man subjec
tively; and Christ, the light which, shining ob
jectively in His Lite, and Death, and Resurrec
tion, daily incicases, as we gaze, the light of
Christ within us." And where is the Word of
God iu these days? Manufactured by millions,
and disttibuted for and near, we know; but to
each Christian is it the Book of his heart, to
which he returns as to his necessary food, with
an ever-increasing delight? A b, ray brethren,
are not these sad symptoms of the Christianity
of our day? And are they not bearing their
bitter fruit?
3. And then as to the matter of doing for, and
giving unto the Lord. How few come forward
a nd consecrate themselves to the ministry of
the word, especlully from the hieher walk of
life; and fewer still to the missionary work of
the C hurch! How few, again, of those who have
reached mature lite are found In our Samlay
Schools, breaking to the young (many ot whom
find these their only religious Instruction) the
bread of life! Our Church is expected to be
rich. Do our contributions correspond to that
reputation such, I mean, as are strictly chari
table? Alts! the cost ot a single church edifice
sometimes exceeds the whole amount which is
annually contributed to Foreign and Domestio
Missions.
The truth, I fear, must be told there is but
little sell-denial in our charities. Wo excuse
ourselves Irom giving on the score tbat our
living is so expensive, rather than curtail our
expense ot living, that we may give the more.
We feel at once that St. Paul could never have
said it in commendation ot this Chuich, ' that
the abundance of their joy, and their deep
fioverty abounded unto the riches of their
iberality," as he might well have said
it of i another Church among us (to
which , reference has been already made),
which, with fewer members and less wealth
than any, keeps more missionaries In the field
than all the Moravian. Looking at these things,
1 cannot bat fear that the exalted Jesus, from
His throne above, mignt send to us His rebuke
of the Laodiceans of old : "Because thou say est,
I am rich, and increased with goods, and nave
need of nothing; and knowest not that thou
art wretched and miserable and poor and bjluid
and naked. . As mar.y a 1 love i rcbike and
chasten."
But, if those things be bo, how perilous is our
condition I To ourselves, possibly, wo may bear
the Lord, as He walketh among the candle
sticks, saying: "I know thy works, that thou
art neither cold nor ht." And threaten
ing our rejection. Has it come then
to this, that we are even now in
danger of extinction, as a pure and Scriptural
Church? Alasl the signs of the times are tear
fully ominous of it, seeing that they show the
Church is drifting towards that gulf in which
all that is worth having in a Church sinks Into
oblivion the deep and awful gulf of the Church
of Rome.
III. In such peril, what are we to do, we who
tee the evil and fear the danger?
God. in ills good provwence, has given to our
Church a Li'urgy which we nave been accus
tomed to regard as the glory of all liturgies, and,
as a devotional expression of Scriptural truth,
unrivalled. This has been a great blessing to
her, in all the vicissitudes through which she
has been called to pass. It has breasted the tide
of Romanism, ere this, as well as of indifference
and infidelity. Though Rome might speak from
the pulpit, or a heathenish philosophy, or a
barren morality, this has always sounded out a
clear and clarion note of gospel truth. It does
bo still; and we believe that, under God, it will
eventually drive out all the hooting owls and
unclean birds that now hover about our altars.
The truth that is in It will assert its supremacy,
and compel those of "another gospel" to feel
that they are but acting a part, and that a false
part, in using it to their ends. To their own
place they must ultimately go, or the liturgy
itself cease to be what it 1.
But while the truth which is in the Liturgy
is thus a bulwark of defence, we may weaken or
strengthen its effect by the way in which we
u?e it. The Ritualists affect unwonted reverence
in their conduct of public worship, and by its
appeal to both the eyes and ears of tho wor
shippers. What can we do to meet them? Only
make our service a living service, as it was
meant to be, and we want nothing more effec
tive, at least to an intelligent people. Can in
toning be half so Impressive as correct and
spirited reading? Aeainst sing-song the plain
song may easily oe pitted; Dut against a manly
and dignified delivery, it is but a pitiful contri
vance. And nere we ot tne ministry nave been,
I doubt not, at fault in not giving that power to
the Liturgy of which I believe it to be capable.
Let the exhortation be uttered as it real; let the
lessons be read as if we felt them to be a Divine
word: and the nravers be offered with all the
tenderness and unction ot genuine devotion;
ana our service win ncea nothing to aid lta
attractiveness, drawn from the dramatic per
formance of a sensualized worship.
But the people have their responsibility also.
What "muttering and necninor" do we sometimes
hear for responses that ought to awaken the
echoes and make the arches ring 1 Oh I I feel
ashamed tbat so noble an instrument as God
has placed in our hands should be used bv us
so unskilfully so unskilfully as often to appear
out tne mocKery oi worship, is not our service
a common praver for people and ministers alike ?
Why, then, will not the people assert their right,
and with their loud aniens and full-voiced re
sponses In every part, whether Confession,
Litany, Creed, or Psalter, make manifest its
"glory and beauty," and thus demonstrate that
It needs no additaments from an; quarter, much
less such as they would give ns who are now
"disturbing our peace."
1 believe that the cone relational singing of
God's praise would also have Us weight in couu
teiacling these innovations, even as I believe
that much of the church music now in vogue
had its, in bringing them in. On this, how
ever, I cannot enlarge. I will only say that
music is a great power greater than many
of us seem to be aware of; and that if
it be of a worldly character, and such a
the people have no interest in, save to
1 ut en to luxuriously as an enteitainment, it
cannot but have a snious influence in vitiating
devotional taste, and so preparing the way for a
sensuous ritualism. If the church can be turned
for the time into a concert hall or an opera
house, why may it not bo into a theatre, for the
display of religions histrionic performances ?
To sing God's praise "with the spirit and with
the understanding" is the nibllmcBt act of a
human soul. Why should Christians allow it to
be taken out ot their mouths, only to have Its
travesty poured into their ears in a style too
olten unbecoming the house ot God, and incon
gruous with the tone of a holy and spiritual
worship? Not such was the Apostle's idea ot it,
when he exhorted the FoheBians to "dueak to
themselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and malting melody in their
hearts to the Lord."
But most of all, my brethren, if we would
avert this peril, we must stand in our lot as
Ewnqelical Christians, holding the Gospel in its
simplicity. Nothing is so powerful In breaking
down the strongholds of Satanic device as pure
doctrine, truly preached and truly followed.
And of all doctrines none is more powerful
than that with which we opened our
discourse, that all law has been fulfilled in
Christ, and that now He is the one Justifier ot
the ungodly. Jesua Christ the Reconciler, the
Lawgiver, the Lord of all this Is the Palladium
ot our strength, it we hold Him in the integrity
of this Gospel, there will be no fear of our
being tossed to and fro by the winds of corrupt
doctrine or practice. And thus holding Him,
men will say to us, "We will go with you; for
xA tiova hoarrl tVtnfr fin. A la nfltK nrn mlilln (Kn
itw wniv uv ttu iiiuv wu nivu jsu ivuiitj mi;
encouraging word of Christ Himself will be:
"rear not, little nock; lor U is your Father's
gooa pleasure to give you tne Kingdom." Let,
then, this truth take a deeper hold upon us; let
it take 6uch a hold as will manifest itself iu a
growing Christ-like life; and a remnant must
remain of those "who have not bowed the knee
to Baal." "Be blameless and harmless, the sons
oi uoa wnnout reouKe, in the midst ot a
crooked and perverse generation, among whom
ye shine as lights in the world."
Brethren, the Scriptures tell us that "in tho
last days perilous times shall come, when men
snau oe lovers or tneir own selves, beady, high
minded; having a form of godliness, but deny
ing the power thereof." Is there not reason to
tear that we have tallen upon such ? Are not the
signs of our limes both indicative of their
belnir "the last days," and "perilous,"
as well ? All the foundations of religious faith
are out of course men drifting hither and
thither in search of something besides the
simple truth of God, as revealed in His Word,
on which to rest. What, then, is our duty, as
those who know and hold that truth? It is to
abide in the ship, the Ark ot Jesus; to look
upon that Ark more steadily, and to cling to it
more earnestly, as a place of refuge, the only
refuge for a perishing world. Make Jesus the
very life of your life, the thouirht of your
thoughts, the inmost centre of all your being,
and you shall stand forever saved yourselves,
and made by God the glorious instruments of
saving others.
WOMAN.
Discourse by the Hev. John Chambers
at the Broad Street Presbyterian
Church Yesterday Afternoon -Subject i
Whe Civilized World Moving tor the
Degradation of Woman."
The very Bultry weather during the fore part
of yesterday afternoon, and the sudden bluster
aud bodingsof rain, deterred many from attend
ing the church at Broad and Sausom streets, to
bear the pastor (Rev.John Chambers) rrencb on
the above subject, publicly announced. Neverthe
less there was a fair attendance, aud the dis
course throughout was listened to with rapt
attention. During the morning and afternoon
services, a collection in aid of the destitute
families occasioned by tho calamity which so
lately startled and suddened the community, was
taken up, and resulted, from what can be
learned, in a handsome donation. The passage
of Scripture In connection with tho subject
announced, from which the discourse was drawn,
was:
'Verily, I say unto you, that wheresoever this Gospel
(hall be prvuohed In the whole world, there shall
this that this woman iiaib done be told lor a memo
rial ot her." Matthew xxvl, 14.
The reverend gentleman remarked that, in
taking up this subject, which might in the ex
treme be considered difficult, he occupied ground
that might be liable to censure by some, many
JUNE 17, 18CT.
would excite Opposition, while others would, by
their conduct, view tho truth of his argument as
lallacy. But being a minister of religion he
was responsible to no man or set of men, but
was amenablo for his doctrines, and the pro
mulgation of his beliefs, to God alone, his
I sra opposed to any Interference on tho part
Of the male population with God's arrangement,
and to spoil the glory and honor of women.
Tbe subject for discussion is one of solemnity,
brtnjr ot the greatest importance, and involving
the interests of the world for all time. No living
man, nor child, nor woman thsre is that has no '
care, that is not interested in the character and
the condition of tho female portion of the
dwellers on this earth. The world's weal or woe
centres in either the moral or immoral standing
of the women. Her responsibility is tearful
in tbe extreme, and It is because of this that the
important subject as to whether or not the
civilized world is moving for tbe degradation of
woman is presented for your attention and con
sideration. And it Is tbo civilized world only.
with sll lta boasted learning and progress, in
tellectually and morally, tbat is working and
fast moving for her degradation.
And it is our duty to f tana up tor me rignt.
Anv delay or the least hesitation will at once
Bho w us that tbe wheels of the chariot will be
broken and scathed, the horses will struggle
with the waves, and the great canso of ritrht
will be engulfed in the sa of immorality. Tho
nation will emit, ana mo women win iau irom
their btgh estate to rise no more. All efforts to
remove woman from her rightful sphere, her
legitimate life-calling, tend to the disruption of
society. Mark well this thought woman is the
Daiance-wneei oi tne mental ana morai ma
chlnerv of the human family. Woman Is made
the custodian of the uninformed and the unde
veloped mind and form of the child. Whether
legitimate or not, it matters nothlug in this
case. God says, "lake thia living crcaiure tnac
now lies helpless upon thy boBOin and bring it
up lor me." That is tne direction oi uoa tne
r ather, the Kuier ot tne universe.
Look you, it is no simple matter to do a
mother but rather to be one who shall rear
tbe young, and have it in power to place them
in paths of usefulness or roads to evil and
shame, is of infinite Importance. A godly
charge it is for woman to have put into her
hnnds the plastic form, and left to mould tbe
mind and character of one of God's creatutes,
likened unto the image of the Holy One himself.
Shall she perform her work as He would have
it endeavoring with anxious care and
motherly watchfulness to judiciously ana wisely
arrange the child's life? or shall it be that, by
her mismanagement, tho youth shall fill the
world with thunder clouds of moral pestilence
and ruin?
Since this is the supreme duty of woman.
with which God has vested her, her sphere of
work is home, that place which Is the lounda-
tlon from which spring all happiness aud joy.
xne peace ot our nomes, over wntcn our wives,
ahd mother!", and loved sisters preside, engen
ders the peace and happiness of our nation.
The mother's place Is with her children; to
sbine in the circle of home relations; to feel that
her Maker has placed her in that gaiden lor the
culture ot His dear ones: to know that she
wields a mighty influence for good which may
lead to the elevation oi those around her moral
ly, and be the laboter in God's vineyard a
worthy servant that may lead to the salvation
of many souls. Her avocation is a great, an
honorable one, yet many times onerous. There
is no mother on earth who has not had enoueb.
cares, that would have bent au angel's back, laid
upon ber.
But from the fact that her Master has called
her to this work, she is content to labor, hardly
with a murmur, but borne uo with the undying
love and interest with which God, hi Ulsantlnite
goouncBS, seeing tbat she would need more than
enrtbly stimulants, has specially endowed her.
And from her youth she throws aro jnd her that
solt, refining influence which draws the hearts
of the young to her, making her the fit instru
ment for their moral, spiritual, and physical
1 raining for God.
God has embned woman with all that tender
new and purifjlna love, beauty, and grace, and
tiled her soul with those ennoonng qualities to
counteract the roughness and the manners of
ber male companions. She is made to shine in
society, to give it an elevating tendency, to in
crease Its morality, and to cast upon it a lustre
of holiness.
None can fill a mother's place no help of
other bands, no words which others sneak, look,
or act, can suffice to fill a mother's place. You
may transfer your little one to some pleasant
dill, where surrounding scenes, you think, may
wean its affections; but, ah! the little one knows
full well that its truest friend is dead.
You may unlold its tiny hands from the cold
corpse now shrouded in death so white! so
cold ! and give it into other care, it may be of
kind and endeaiing friends ; but mother's hand,
mother's words, and mother's caresses will be
sadly missed, and tbe little, wailing cry will go
up, "Mother!" "Mother!" You never can
replace a mother's band or a mother's heart.
Young men, listen! You will have but one
mother, and when her silent form Is passively
laid in the tomb, the full force of tne truth,
which many now may think but little of, will
rush upon you in your desolatcness. Young
woman, God never gave you but one mother,
who should guide and direct you with all that
love and tenderness which only a mother
knows. Let us, then, take these thoughts, and
ponder solemnly upon them.
A glance at tbe nhtory and biography of the
world from the day when first a note was taken
of passing events, will reveal the glorious posi
tion tbat woman has held, and the mighty influ
ence which she has swayed. None can sum up
tbe amount of indebtedness the world owes to
ber. The earth is indebted to her; heaven, for
its many angels, owes her an obligation; and I
had almost said that God Himself was indebted
to her.
Our Lord Jesus hath said that "for what she
hath done it shall be as a memorial of her."
A glimpse of some of the ancient lights will
reveal how boldly the women of the Old Testa
ment stood forth for clonous and holy deeds.
Look at Sarah of old, whom we cannot help
but honor, since Abraham, her husband, was
tbe father ot the faithful.
How pre-eminent are characters of Re
becca, Rucbel, Hannah, the mother of Samuel,
tbe "man of God," Naomi, Ruth, and hosts of
others, w ho, by their deeds of good, and their
religious zeal, have reared a monument to their
memory not a pillar of stone, or polished
marble, iron, or brass, nor of other mutable
thinffs of this earth, but a memory borne high
in history and graven deeply on the hearts of
posterity !
And in the New Testament what a monument
of imperishable materials, what an eternal me
morial hath been erected to the memories of the
Marjs, and the Marthas, aud ot the woman who
eave her little all, timidly coming into the
marble hall thronged with the rich, who were
dropping their gold into the box. and giving her
two mites! Of ber tbe Saviour hath mid, "She
hath done what she could." Would to God that
it could be said ofall at the present day I And
of our own history, long will the memories of
Harriet Newell and Mrs. Judson, who on foreign
shores labored lor years amid constant dangers
and sorrows, aud with everything but encou
ragements, and finally, with her husband, rave
their lives in the missionary cause ot Christ.
The great object which the civilized world is
now agitated with being forwarded by those
who attempt to be popular is what la termed
the elective franchise: to have woman enter
Into the political world, and exercise her right,
as they teim it, by the ballot. Already ha it
been mooted in the most dignified bodies of
men throughout the nations of tho earth. The
British Parliament lately was agitated with tbe
?reat question as to whether or uotj woman
should leave the place where she had become
so highly honored and revered, aud enter iuto
the political strifes with an avidity which
marks the most energetio politician; and but
seventy-eight votes, out of three hundred,
favored the movement.
In our own country, within the walls of our
supreme legislative body, the samo question
was initiated, and, with the exception of a few,
all turned their influence against it. Shall our
sisters, daughters, wives, and mothers who
have each such a holy lustre aud bright influ
ence around them in the home circle be drawn
into these sloughs of filth and corruption? It
is well that thPgrcatet portion or our fathers and
brother keep tnerd from cnssglng in the work,
except when duty and love of country require
it. But what It our mothers and sisters should
verge into that state of political excitemnnt
which, in the male population, has such wide
fjjread eway? Shall it be because there are a
"tw blatant women, who clamor for their rights
as women, that the female population shall bo
draw n Into such a slough of despond?
Shall the fair fame ot woman be wrecked be
cause a few of their number, aided by a few of
the opposite sex, cry out. "There Is no danger,
let woman have her rights." Too soon would
she discover, were uca so Innovation to bo
inaugurated, that her untarnished fame was
fast losing lu brightness. I am glad that bo
many of our wiveg and mothers have that moral
strength to set themselves avainst such a move-
mnl and 4a A l .. . .u. , i . v . .
ucvuuc iuhi ner amy snail oe
alone In what can tend to tha happiness of her
home and circle of Irleuds. But a few of their
number, from a mania to become more mascu
line and manl y, are tanning the brand, endeavor,
ing to raise a flame that shall work to the fulul
ment of their wishes. Discard such a move
nVv ? ,DCC for tne APO"le James says:
klndlolh!" gfeRt m,lUer 1UUo
If tbey succeed, and woman la to be brought
from her fireside, domestio circle, aod maternal
walks, to participate in this right, as it is termed,
which bas such a deleterious effect upon many
of our fathers and sons, then farewell to all that
toy which she alone could cause. On the great
days set by authority for election purposes, you
will see her near the polls In her handsome car
riage, or wagon, or mingling with the crowds
to cast her vote I to hear the oaths of the de
praved, to listen to the vile talk of the de
bauched. Is there no extenuation, can she not
escape all this?-col no! she must needs push
her way through the mass, surrounded with
men ol every clas., sober, drunken, vile and
bad. She will have to rough it with the
roughs I and her nature, once eo pure and
blight, will rouRhen with the evil contact.
I pray God that the day may never dawn
when it shall be said that women shall vote
and mingle with the crowds that assemble
about the polls. Let not their fair fame be tar.
nlnhed by such an evil contact. Instead of de
creasing in the scale of usefulness, may they
ever go onward, attaining brighter laurels for
their holy labors in caring for the interests ot
home, and the salvation of the youth. May It
never be said that a mother or sister has given
nv 4VtA vtmttlf ftf Vv tv Ufa inllim -v mm, I.IL n j
has assigned her for the performance of that
the casting of a vote, which must needs entail
upon it the varied evils we witness every day
which cannot elevate her, but instead, draor
her down, down, until she la eternally lost.
Glittering Teeth.
Not only does Bozodomt Impart the whiteness
ot the purest porcelain to the teeth, but lta
polish too. They glisten, after being brushed
with It, like tbe Inner surface of an ocean shell,
and the effect of this peerless dentifrice Is to
render tbe enamel as hard aud iudeslvuolibla
as adamant.
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