New-York daily tribune., 1842-12-07
II HE TRIBU NE.
Parker,s Sixth and bnst scrnaon for the
Times.
Correspondence of the Tribune.
HosTox ner A tal2


mems for tie Times on Monday evening by q
Discourse On The APPLICATION of Religion 10
Life. The Chapel was crowd-d, if possible, even
more than on former occasions, and the attention
of the imaense multitude was most marked, from
the beginning 20 The end Of the services
MIR. P. took for text the words of the apostle
(James ii, 49, : I will sbew thee my iaith by my
works In the previous lecture ne heu o"ei'
nae;nlv y,on the Internal or Subjective influence
Of Religion: he proposed now to speak OF It's
e,e,rsl or ob;ec,iye Influence or IN other words,
oe ;,s Annlica,ion to Life-by which ne meant the
entire conformity of the Man, IN all his Relations,
y, mrs Ideal Of Religion. This could result only
from Love to God existing in the heart and sending
forth. as from fountain, without ipsernisoion the
cry.,sl waters of perfect Obedience and pure Be-
neyolence The Soul would thus be brought into
perfect harmony with the will Of Him to whom it
owes allegiance it would consecIate all its time
and powers TO his service; thus leading divine
and holy life and finding perfect happiness in the
performance of Duty. No one would contend that
such an Application of Religion TO Life gen
orally or even frequently made in midst; in
deed it was SCARCELY regarded as a possible attain
ment. But. notwithstanding this Religion has
exerted and is still exertng vast influence in
New-E England. II was Faith in God that led our
Fathers hither to establish nthe wilderness free
and religious community. We see the fruits Of
that Faith in the holy reverence for the Sabbath
that blessed institution for man and for beast
which 50 extensively prevails in the Churches
every where found on all our hills and in all oul
valleys; in the concern for Popular Education; in
the attention paid to Theology; in the moral char
acter Of the peoplc-low enough, indeed, but still
far better than that of many others in the ef-
forts 80 extensively made root up sin even at
the ends Of the Earth in Missionary Societies
in the efforts made to extend blessing hand to
the poor the intemperate, the criminal, the slave.
We sec its influence, too, in laws, that even
the statute-book testiGes to its existence. Still,
our Religion is not what it should be- its progress
is vastly inferior to our advancement in Railroads
and other physical Improvements. We are grow
ing Worldly and Society is corrodea by a spirit OF
worldness and sclfshness inimical to Religion.
But, not TO dwell longer on generalties, he pro-
posed to speak Of the Application of Region:-
j. Politically, to nations in their intercourse with
each other, and in the management of tEeir owl
internal affairs; g To companies and associations,
of Social character, not Political; and 3. To the
Individual
: l. OF the Application Politically. The action
of Political bodies is twofold on other bodies OF
similar character, and on themselves. No one
will pretend that Religion regulates the intercourse
of Nations. Look, for example,. at England,
France and Germany; what selfish intrigues and
bloody conflicts have marked their course towards
each other True, the wondrous alchemy of Pro-
violence educes good from all these manifestations
of human sel6shness but for this our thanks are
due to God, not to man, of whose design the good
forms no part Suppose now that Religion were
applied to international intercourse. What
mighty revolution would take place Humanity
would be substituted for Patriotism the national
flag would be flag of truce ; Commerce would
lose its present pralical character; War, that
monstrosity OF barbarisnl, would be outsrown; the
brazen cannen, instrument OF slaughter,
would be transformed to bells to summon the peo-
pie to pure worship; and our arsenals would be
tsrned into stalls where innocent sheep and con-
tented oxen might feed unrnolested. The poor
might then at least eat bread in the sweat of their
face, instead OF starving, as in many instances they
do. True, this last is evil, not felt as vet
to any great extent among US; but it may come al
a future day. as it did long ago in the mother
country.
Il is often objected that one nation alone, by
carrying on the principles of sound morality, while
all others regulate their conduct by the ever-vary
ing standard of Expediency, would only make IL
self q victim of cupidity aud selfshness. But sup
pose robbed und spoiled, while setting an
example Of Righteousness as nation; would that
be any mo than we are liable to suffer under the
present evil system! Look at The history OF
France from 1885 to 1915, for an example of what
the nations have endured under that system. If
the experiment of regulating national intercourse
by Christian principle mad been tried, and but
fraction of the terrible evils under which Society
has groaned in consequence of its Sias had fallen
upon us, that experiment would be universally re-
garded failure. 1t was tried once, and most
successfully, too, on a small scale, by William
Penn and his noble companions; and while Others.
acting on the principles Of Expedieacy, became
victims TO the retaiatofy spirit of the untutored
nations, not drop of Quaker blood redeemed the
IndiaH scaiping knife An honest nation in the
present state of the world might be like the Chris
tian in the midst of rogues and sharpers bu, shal
nation, more than an individual, wait for all
others TO be honest, before it becomes so itself
As we'll mis- ht Jesus and his disciples have waited
for the Scrbes and Pnarsees to forsake their sins
before attempting to give out the principles of the
gospel.
Suppose nation instead of confnins itself
to the low aims which now govern political
communities, were to set before itself the task
of developing the powers Of the human mind
and elevating the race; what an ideal would
then be presented to our young men How diff
ferent would be the preaching of Sunday and
the prayer of the week from what they are now {.
A high.souled nlagnanimity would pervade such
nation, Instead of coveting the lions share of
benefits belonging alike to all, and endeavoring
TO escane lh. ,nil which ,har ,Ya..a .anIox -