New-York daily tribune., 1842-11-29
THE TRlBUN N E..
parker,s Fiftl, Sermon for The Times.
Correspondence of The Tribune

eligible seat remained unoccupied, SO great was
the desire to see and hear to advantage My own
position was very unfavorabe one for note-taklng;
but will endeavor to sketch the speaker lead
ing thoughts.
His subject was, Tile Development of Religion
as an Inward Life. This, he said, was wei.
CO me theme; and in turning to it from the un-
grateful task which occupied so much of the pre-
vious Discourse, viz: exposure Of the false
Theology of the Times, his feelings were like those
of the mariner, long absent from his native home,
when, returning from dsagreeable and perilous
voyage, he caught glimpse of the land made
sacred by all the tender and delightful associations
of innocent childhood and guileless youth.
Ifit were possible said Mr.. P, to trace the
progress of Religion in the worst human SOUL
what revelation would be presented of that di-
viae mercy and goodness which never leaves nor
lorsakes the meanest and lowest of accountable be-
ing, and what an experience would be spread
out before US to confirm the great truth, that the
will Of God is manifested directly and constantly
TO every man Here and there were persons who
might be styled religious genuses-anges: to
whom Duty was easy, and on whom Con science
imposed an easy yoke They serve the Lord with
glad hearts, without reproa ch or blot; doing the
work, but knowing it not; and, like Jesus con.
founding the Doctors when but twelve years OF
age. These men, few indeed in number, wonder
at sim they need no priest por outward oracle to
teach them the Divine WILL for they find it written
in their souls They called of God even
before their BIRTH and they take to Religion
naturally as the lark to the air and his morning
song Such men, In the estimation Of Pharisees,
peculiarly dangerous they receive Gods
truth TOO easily and the doctrines of too
hardly
But leaving these extremes of human character,
he proposed to speak of the Development of Re
lgion in common minds. There were three stages
Of this Development, viz: Fear, Hope, Love-
There might be objections to this classification
bat, if not absolutely correct in itself, it suff
GENTLY so for all practical purposes.
/. The Religion of Fear, or the state of mind in
which Fear prompts to theperformance of Duty. In
this stage the mind has given only cold intellec'
,ual assent to the great principles by which it is
bound. IF one in thi. state fergives another man
his trespasses it is because he fears that his own
sins can be pardoned no other condition. 1t be
folews the path of Righteousness, to some extent,
in hi; outward ife it is because the opposite path
leads TO He'll The appeal which God makes to
his Affections is not responded to. Such man
ma, have the strength of the Law, but he cannon
have the Love of the Gospel He is too prudent
not to invest something in Religion, and he would
fain persuade himself that whole page OF the
Book of Life is devoted to record of his acts OF
outward obedience to law he does not lake an
his heart He serves God as slave serves his
master, for fear of the lash as the wicked man
refrsins from his wickedness from tear OF the
hangman's cord This is kind OF Religion
which goes to Church on Sunday with grave and
solemn pace, and pays it's pew-tax with strict
punctuality but what bargains it will make on
week day, and with what remorseless selhsh-
ness it will devour widows house, or clutch at
her last mite And when the deed of wickedness
is DONE and Conscience begins to mutter her MUIR
muring thunder, and Fear comes upon him like an
armed man, with what trembling haste ne Will
send for Priest, and with what supersutious ear
nestness he will put up his prayer to be saved
from eternal damnation Church composed OF
such men will contend sorty for creeds and forms
its pulpit will echo with awful denunciations OF
those whose doctrines are not according to the
standards 1t will picture the Father of all man
kind as stern and dreadful Judge, delighting in
sacrifice rather than mercy Its faith is mixed
with gross supersttion 1t does not silence the
raging waves of passion but furnishes channels IN
which they NAV roll on their turbulent flood, under
the outward show and forms of Piety Such a
Religion insults our manliness by its absurd and
slavish dogmas, while in practice 1t must be
loathed by the truly obedient SOUL
Q There is another stage, in advance OF that just
now considered, where Hope in great measure
supplants Fear. The religion of a man IN this
state is bargain. He serves God because he Is
convinced, on the WHOLE that something IS to be
gained bvit He hopes for Heaven more than ne
fears He'll. If he refrans from open SIM he Is
continually, like the Jew of old, longing tor the
leeks and earlics OF Egypt. He is careful not to
have any surplus goodness, and intends 10 be just
righteous enough to get to Heaven. His ever
lasting life is not the spontaneous fountain which
gushes forth out Of The truly obedient soul. In
Church stamped by this charac,eris,'c Morality
IN proper sense, is not preached. Inc pest
actions are done from the meancst moivesi and
when it prays THY kingdom come = 1t always
means my Kingdom, This type of religion Is thai
which most extensively prevails. Its Heaven is
all in the future and it leaves the present life TO
be consumed by Mis-acorl9liness akin TO the su-
perstitious othernoridliness peculiar to The state
where Fear is predominant. To Judge Cnrisueh'
yby such 'ceunterie, presentment Is as ul-
falr as 1t would be to Judge of Art by the rough
and uncouth iombstone or of the sublime concep-
tons of the Orator and Poe, by the silly pratte OF
the copceited school.bol!
g. How different from these is the Religion of
Love! Goodness here is pursued as a life, for its
own sweet sake. With such man Reason and
Con, cience have their righ,tul place, and hev cav
be proved Divise 10 him by nothing Diviner than
themselves To such man God is not mere
abstraction, but being near at hand: present in.
deed in the very dust he treads beneath his feet:
and 10 be loved Father, rather than feared as
slave fears his master, Religion is not one bu,