New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-05-15

suffering, of those wretched beings be should only say
that he did not sympathizs with bis emotions MI '"
concluded 10 an earnest appeal 20 the audience anu
esneciav % the youth 10 come up the aid Of the hun
bred and fifty millions OF perisning SOUS 10 IholA anu
said they were not 70 look upon themselves a. nome
missionaries foreign missionaries, out a. ihoVouai
members of the great family Of man. The great Gues-
ton for them all What viii the Lord have me 70 90
Odsyi
The congregation then sang third hymn.
The nert sneaker was Rev. BTSRT W. BEzcszR Of
indianapolis and bis address has not been surpassed IN
glowing vet most forebe eloquence in all the exercises
Of the week We shall not pretend TO follow the rapid
and npassoned speaker In all the turns Of bic expires
sions or TO give every sentence tina, flowed from MS
lips We shall think ourselves happy enough we can
1--WE the frame work Of bis discourse oulosing me
Iiberaty and vigor Of its spirit the breadth 'ody
originality Of its thought When be came forward be
was received with applause and spoke as ioAo"'
hope the ConTregAuon will share such maniiss's-
lions Of good feeling and express i In some better Nsy
oese ,hs, The ability of the Missionary Society
IN eject ia work depends 70 very great extent On tn
operations and feeling Of the Church sna o'ly a.
home And wherever open or latent oill..i'-s' 80
b scceleraton Of that work requires hst lhey snouu
- .o,axed am spprehensive that dlrcuiues nave
,is,ed In great many minds and tnat thoughts hAVe
been cherished OF permitted which have leo mem 10
stand neutral with regard 10 lhresPecl % tn.s ei
se and 10 ali RELIGIOUS enterprises there are t"o as
r., cissses Of persons One class have such uu sno
,borou Oh faith 10 the declarations Of the Boe
out question they yield to every one o. rs prsesP
ana dictates They have no hesitation ana no reserve
The other class depend on their undersAnolns. LOT
Guidance they require 10 be convinced OF the uotn OF
All that comes before them sndesnnot act on snytnus
loss than such conviction. These men are most FauA
Ne When their Understandings are gained, their ear
ne,tne,s and force is commensurate to the magnitude
"a nnortance of the truth 10 be defended OF lived ou
When once they are enlisted tney are hfesisuO's i0'
they do not move In vain
Now among such men this question has often ARISEN
with respect TO the Missionary enterprize 10 TINS "ofS
Of Fyspgeizing the world q divine WORK 10 tue
work which God now lays upon his servants ana "h.n
His providence never ceases 10 care Tor II 20 ~
sbal we explain the vast hiatus between the n1hcuoh
and the time Of m accomplishment IT'S no" ieOO
since God expised the lives OF man ana ever sLce lnl
time there has been hanging over the word tne com
,nandr,ent Go We into all the world and preach tne
Gospel TO every creature And IN the hsn9s o. We
Apostles this injunction seemed 70 oe oDeyeo' anu ahu
sgainsta all opposition they discharged h-ir mission
Vefors them Ola supersttOns and institutions quaKtl
and disappeared were stirred up 70 new ne ana
the Gospel was borne abroad radiant and creae ss 'he
Sumner air and light But since then we see not these
things IL is said There Is no longer that power anu
snt and victorious energy and the Church and her goy
droops az droops the declining sun How IS this no"
il il that her might has depared How hAppens that
her servants ike snais when before tney seem
"a IN 90 Ike lions Does God forget his promise OF Is
II that the Gospel is periodical in ia euoTts Ha5 s
long lapse of time been only the time OF "siung ior
another food of the tide Has il been sleeping Tor hese
centuries and centuries again 10 wake 70 new hhu
wider copquess its efficacy departed 10 ea'e ian
gushing Has the past been barren desert Iruues
and ever 10 be frutess marked only by mans depravy
and st destined 70 be 90 there marks OF oNbly
in the history and progress OF Christianity when sho"
that God has not left the earth out OF his keeping ana
will not leave These are solemn quesuons Know
,heir 3iHculties have struggled with them myself
have sought through their mazes with doubt and anke
But believe there s and an answer Whlcn
can leave neither anxiety doubt This answer
shall now endeavor cursoriy and imperecty to give
| shall seek TO show that since the hrst dawn oil lhe
Christian dispeDsston the Gospel oil Christ mas nor
slumbered In the world. but has steadily advanced 10
ward its true supremacy, and ia stl go advancing
shs aim also 10 show that the times OF the Aposues
were not wholly unlike the present IN the power ana
efficacy Of Divine Truth ~ is generally supposed
First will remark that when the Gospel OF Chrlst
was in its first period when Christianity was first set
forth 10 the world it had work 10 perform when
scarcely enters into the conception OF most men Ihst
work was much extensive than the exercise oil an
immediate influence upon individuals The business oil
the Gospel was only TO convert men but 10 convert
the world that all mems laws. customs governments
practices Institutions social fabrics should be trans
formed according to ne principles. Whatever men had
made was 10 be baptized into the new tpirt not only
were men to be transformed themselves as individuals
but the whole structure OF society and the whole cur
rent of thought was 10 be transformed Such WIS the
work of the Gospel work not 10 be done IN dag or mn
hour but reaching through ages. But because IN lts
very nature IL and is gradual progressive WORK
men fail TO see il going forward at all times aud All
points They look for II 10 burst forth a. once Is II
monday could burst forth upon the dawn Because II
is not go active before their eyes 10 compel them 10
behold IT, they suppose Al periods II IL hardly active
active al all because il lie like the lcsven put into the
three of meal working persuasively etsurc
~ they think II is asleep But 60 aud put the leaVeh
into the three measures Of meal and you will not see
! spontaneous combustion so Is the progress OF the
/ kingdom Of God 1t was declared by him VINO Ger
tanly ought know the genius OF his own INSTITUTION
Ia be like eaven Let US then LOOK al the preparations
for the introduction Of Christianity and glance Al the
/ action OF this leaven Of humanity.
What was the condition OF he world when Christ
hal IfTF fort nFIF
thousand wears in existence upon It's bosom la 50 long
growth they had advanced from the lowest and rudest
forms of life something better For this period their
progress, interrupted as at times may seem 10 nave
/ been was steadily upward. Little by little they had
been developed At the time Of Christ they stood where
the progress Of four Thousand years had brought them
Savage habits laid aside; from feeble creature
man gained strength unarmed before he had now arm
ed himself with the implements OF industry from des-
utution he had created the means OF physical comfort
and Of outward life which might be called mum
All this had been done in four thousand years ana men
were ready for the Redeemer The iullness OF Tune
had come. Suppose the Gospel had been sent out into
the world at any early period OF us history, do you
think could have been received and have taken root
What nation of was prepared FOR III DO you
| doubt thsf Wen. let us have an illustration
Go into any dssipated village or into the worst part
of this City and select one from its Inhabitants gel
before him the truth OF the Gospel convince him oil II
him let his heart be awakened 10 the utmost
OF Its feeble capacity TO religious mpuses-but leave
him in that community. Let All the radically corruptng
to act II may be that he will stand but II he should IL
would be wonder such as no traveller ever saw Men
cannot be converted alone. The gospel OF Christ to
have its true effect must work on numbers together II
must influence society in which each disciple can
siren gthen and carry forward the other.
God In this matter works by miracles, II would have
been easy for him obviate all necessity Of this long
march Of preparatory progress. He might have made
in their conditan at the very first stage Of
their existence But he not by miracles, but by
natural BY the universal law OF Nature from
which nothing In this world is exempt to which nothing
forms exception The change of the whole world, by
means of the gospel, is work Of time.
II any one st doubts this | should Ike 10 have him
20 down the most debsuched neighborhood Of New
York Let him find there a boy say Of sixteen years
old born in niquity and brought up In utter evil
and debssement trained TO vice I'LL II hiss become a
second nature Let suppose douber 20 be the
head Of family Of standing and wealth Let him take
this boy and wash him and cloth him. Let him take him
10 his home and make him al appearance OF the
circle Of ths, house and let the boy promise 10 forsske
his habits, and say will be your SON ls the boy
changed by this Ia he not still under the influence OF
ths habits he has acquired Does he still need 10 be
taught religion versety, delcscy proPrety Must not
the whole sphere OF his life be changed And can his
friend bring about such = change by giving him 4
lecture At nine o'clock At night Would not the man
look more wisely for such change 10 appear after
years Of care II he out the Of his
mind by the time be Is twenty would he not have
10 bless GOd that the work done quickly .
And II would be difficult 10 tske such boy and
bring him into state, where there Is nothing TO