Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-11-23


shalt love thy ncishbar, and hate thine enemy
But say unto you, love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them who despitefully use you
and persecute you" This was Christ's teaching
This was Faith and Charity combined in its most
beautiful essence. And Christ concluded this mas
terPece Of love and faith and all these virtues, by
saying, "Be we therefore perfect; even as your
Father which is in Heaven is perfect"
have said that Paul describes Charity as the
greatest Of the three Christian virtues; but that he
put Faith first. And there is not-thsre can be
no practical example Of Christian charity without
Faith. If you have not Faith to believe that Je-
sus Christ was the Son Of God, and came into
this werld to save sinners and to teach the doc
trines Of Hin that sent him, you cannot have
faith to believe the law which he teaches and
then you have adopted the miserable law and be-
lief of the heathen-an eye for any eye and tooth
for a tooth.
Can it be a matter Of surprise then to you as
Christians that Paul should lay such stress on the
value of Faith that he should declare that the
whole duty of man was swallowed up by Faith in
these three thing.:-
l. Faith in the belief in the existence of one sa-
preme God.
ability to God in a future world.
g. Faith that Jesus Christ was the Son of Gsd
and that should yield implicit obedience to his
commands.
l shall not enquire about any other articles of
Faith, but these three
l. Faith in the existence of an overruling God.
2. Faith in the respon sibility of man to him.
3. Faith in the Divine mission of Jesus.
These cOnstitufe the true oh Of
faith, and belief in these is necessary to constitute
Christian. The belief ia God and hereafter is not
confined to Christians. The belief in a Supreme
God was the crees of the Jews; belief in a multi
tide Of gods the faith Of all the nations of anti.
guilty. But their belief was not entitled to the APP
pelation Of faith. 1t like what we are told by
James who says that the devils themselves some
times believe.
Idiscaim all idea Of controversy; l discard all
the conflicting doctrines of the will as governing
faith; and the accounts Of our hrst parents their
transgressiop, the atonement and suferings Of the
Redeener, all these, and how far they be be-
lieved, and in what they are to be believed
The Christian faith which desire to implant in
your breasts consists of,
l. Faith in God.
2. Faith in the immortality Of man, and his re-
spensibility TO his Maker in future world.
3. The divine mission Of Jesus, and the necessity
Of obedience to his commands.
This faith is the foundation of all the other Chris
tain virtues which Paul says form the whole duty Of
man. And if men have not this faith, they will not
hold themselves bound to obey Christ's righteous
commandments Faith, therefore, is the foundation Of
all Christian charity; and il is the greatest Of all
Christian virtues, because it is the consummation
and practical demonstration Of all. And this faith
once fixed in the soul becomes powerful lever and
impulse to all good actions.
have given you the most remarkable proof Of
faith in profane history; and the one mos. celebrated
in Sacred History is that Of Abrahams faith in God
promises and goodness in the preparing his son
Isaac for sacrifice. Rousseau says that Alexander
faith in the virtue of Phillip great; Alexander
staked his life on that faith. Abraham staked upon
his faith the life of his son! The faith of Alexander
firm in the belief Of human virtue! The faith Of
Abraham was firm in the belief in the goodness Of
Almighty Gsd. Alexander might have been msta-
ken, Abraham could not!
leave all speculative theological controversies
to others. have chosen two great examples, enc
from profane and from sacred history, to illus
trate that faith in both of these was founded
an act Of the will, both 'cere founded on belief in
rirtue And in all instances where the judgment is
capable Of mparting any certain knowledge Of the
facts faith must depend upon the operations Of the
will For il faith is inseparable from act Of the
will, then in both these cases there was no conf
dence reposcd either in man God. This reli gious
faith is indispensable to the salvation Of the soul
and the rame Of in6del is justly given to every un
believer in the doctrines Of the gospel
This is the creed OF Christian faith which
desire to impress on PAIL who hear me. In thai
single word Faith is composed all our duty tc
God and to man-to the creator and TO the creature
All religion is but " Faith in Cod"' All morality is
but " Faith TO man" Faith is to the moral univ
what the sun is TO the physical-light and life.
My young friends, ! arm aware that lecture on a
less grave subject would be more pable many
Bat / gave this because I see In the signs Of the
times spirit Of wild extravaganza and speculation
in business in politics. in religion and the morals Of
the community II is safping the foundation Of all
religion, under the base and hypoertics pretenson
Of religion itself This spirit Of the remark.
able importations from Europe after the French Re-
volutisn; il then bore its banner the flaming
false catch-words "Lberty, Equality, Fraternity or
Deathp' II re-appcars after the lapse OF fifty years
thirstng for blood and CRASHING it's teeth for vic
TINS and all under the garb Of religion. II first APP
peared in the naked and CHASTITY form OF Atheism,
and preached that death eternal sleep. In the
midst Of this moustrous Of man with his Maker,
Rsbespierre, the cattiger Of his time, smoothed it
by causing his associates, in the name OF the
French people. to acknowledge Supreme Being
but the hypoerite fell beneath the Of his own
guotae.
This frightful spirit was only laid by Bonaparte
shooting down his fcllow-men by thousands, like
dogs in their own Streets and then an iron desgot-
ism succeeded to a golden democracy. This was
succeeded by the restoration Of the Bourbons who
foolishy acted the belief that the age ofmonarch-
cal and legitimate tyranny was restored, and this
again hurled them from the tn rome.
Now, the crown of France has been transferred
TO junior branch Of the Bourb,ns who has no right
to II whatever. lie did not get IL by the right
ar<d L. 4.