New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-12-26

terrs OF I|e To u me peace ui TIE irolh'i il
is tle victory Of tie dying. Without DO. chsrsc
trr would DID, more be- developed o- harmDnloas
ban an eye without sympathetic nrrvos, .r q
BODY without heart.
Bot we must MAINTAIN Eegs0n also else u here
ls tie refin0 OF the eye where - me rf0i" o..
the body That should recOsuze mlsteues
does not Iupy that we should not see clearly. Tie
exe-cis ffsith "a not inconsistent with our know
ing why We exercise IL Faith itself must be- the
expression Of reason, or II is not true faith The
creduitv of the ignorant, unretiectng. super
stiflous mind. Is very different thing from Che
sublime trust OF tie dcyOut intellect and the enc
fghtsned heart We feel the necessity Tor faith
lar more impressvely under the open Shy and ile
uur0.led pOmp Of the armament, than beneath the
tramp ut thunder and the fantastic efOiutilns Oi the
clouds 50 far is reason from being hostile % faith.
then that il is absolutely essential to faith
The clearer our definite nOwledge. the more
VIVID our sense Of the unknown. and Of realities
that We can apprehend only by calm trust, and
for the complete furnishing OF Christian character.
must not only have a reason Tor our faith, bsi a
reason Tor all thingsa reason for .Ove and ior
our worship, Tor our opinions, and or urday con.
duct.
Christianity itself J., peculiarly o rational re-
-ion Thanks hrst 20. all, and supremacy % God,
Who sen; such a Revelation. clear from all puerIe
claims and supersttious adiuncts free, bright con-
viuc.ng, r0uslng mp the intellect % kcenest scrutiny
and % uObest effort, making II strong byits Wrrst-
ling with difficulties. and sharp by rs search Tor
meanings and having thus founded is evidences
in individual conviction, firm as a wall % ada
mant, 10 has qualified that intellect 70 grapple with
the morbid devices Of superstition and D shatter
tine weapons OF sOphlstry as With mace OF steel
Thanks 10 the Saviour that be- always appeal j
% the JujQmeat and left his beautiful truth 10 as
arbitraton-that even his miracles justified them
selves 20 reason, by the purposes ior which they
were wrought aud by the spirit that pervadef
tnem-that even his Beattudes fell upon select
souls. not arbitrarily, but by the necesstle, of logic
Thanks 20 Pau who throwing aside the neshcs
of Jewish Journalism and heather error. bade -
stand fast in the liberty u Christ, aud even boo
prison indicated that lOiterireed0m which cha'ns
cannot hmit-the freedom of individual reason
Thanks % every moral hero who has remo' ID
from the Gospel the devices of ages.-the devices
0i error and slavery. and who has spoken Tor the
rights of mind for always has be- referred 20 that
Gospel rs the primitive charter of those rights
And beautiful is the harmony OF these two.
Faith and Reason but, alas too often are they
separated We distribute them into different
periods of life. Childhood appears peculiarly the
dge of faith The spiritual world and It's mysteries
So not seem incredible then. We do not act as
though they were incredible. They open 90 us
all fresh and real upon the wondrous pages OF the
Bible and beside a mothers knee Then
tread as though knew God heard US, and Int
up our ewes as though we felt HIM very near
as Oh often, In future years, among the rough
contacts Of the world, when our early dream OF
perfection has faded in the glare OF STA and the
GLOOM of sorrow, and when our hearts have been
made callous by many TRIALS II would be well %
we could cherish more of the simple trusting faith
of childhood and sit before the mystery OF the
the universe as recipients rather than actors.
But the child grows into the man, and then
comes too exclusively the age OF reason. We be-
come suspicious. We have seen and. perhaps.
tlourlt much We have been deceived. Our
a. hoc tourlt ID Ice
ate We are ashamed Of exhibiting too much
emotion. We turn aside 10 weep; and of nll
things dread the charge of credulity aud the shame
OF being tricked And with that brood Of winged err
rors that syarmed around our childish ways vanish
many things that were fresh and true Beside. our
pride has grown active. We have taken sian1
We have built around a brist.lng array OF syllo.
gisms aud hypothesis Nothing can approach us
bui logic or the far more potent Instruments OF
sarcasm aud ridicule. And thus. separated from
the sphere of childhood which contained our Jaih'
We occupy the sphere OF manhood winch IS the
sphere Of reason. donbt, controversy system PHI
losophy .
Rnt Is it not obvious that We should exhibit the
true development If we would carry the ready iaiih
of childhood into the sphere OF maturity, and cause
each 10 temper the other keeping the reflect
inc head and feeling heart, opening no door 90
false iancies and umid conceits setting uo sea-
upou generous trust and eushins affections Thus
should w bee thinking and LOVING prudent
and generous men tree and believing men
Seeing. then. hoW necessary the fall develop
mont OF each, and the Harmonious blendins of both
these eloments-t alth aud Reason-are 60 per
lection Of character. ! need not dwell upon the
same fact as illustrated by Piety snd Morality
The one IS that worship of God. that secret com
muui0n with Him, that life within which IS the
essence of an spiritual growth, OF all holy iNine
the other is the manifestation OF spiritual lie Do
everyday cOnduct-the ideal made pracuca-the
evidence of our communion win God seen ih our
dealings with men--the discharge OF the smallest
duties aud the most common virtues. These can
not bc lawfully divorced.
Communion with God is necessary to true mo
raiitv. on the one hand and, ON the other II We
neglect to DO good 10 our fellow men, we cannot
attain that knowledge which Is essential 10 divine
communion We should So live that We can pass
from the closet prepared tor the rude contacts of
the street and be ready 10 retire from the street
into the inner chambers OF the soul. Men commit
mistake concerning religion. They coniine 1t o.
devotional exercises They make It constrained
and formal. They commi, mistake concerning
morality They think that it consists merely in
charitable and honest life, without GOODNESS 10 Oh"
heart These, repeat must be combined ii We
would have a perfect character
Tins We see the essential UNITY, the necessity.
th, beautiful harmony cd these iouriold elements
IN individual character Faith Reason Pety.
Morality. We see the deficiency aud the deior-
vii be an implicit follower Of the literal and
the established. His understanding Will be
come dwaried and inactive. \ man all Reason
will be bold spectator. a uarrow and empirical
philosopher without cOmprehensiveaess OF nature
or warmth Of heart. \ man all Piefy VIII be q
morbid recluse perhaps an ascetc, absorbed M con
temptation. \ man all Morality viii be almost
wholly secular, lifting no thought or affection
above tins world
Be ours the receptive heart OF aith. the clear
intellect of reason the vital element OF piety, the
blossoming beauty of morality
He that receives the seed into good ground IS b.
that beareth the word and UNDERSTANDABLE II which
80 besreth fruit ana oringeih forth some an hundred
told some sixty. and some thirty
Having thus considered these four elements 100
relation 10 individual character. proceed 10 the
second division of my discourse to consider Their
DEVELOPMENT in The hisfOrg Of me Church, ana !"
anplv my remarks in statement OF the position
aud work of Liberal Christianity.
observe that the history of the Christian
Church. thus lar may be divided into two erss
the one the era of Fam and Picfg, the other the
era OF Reason and Nora'ng l do not OF course
pretend % say that these distinctions are exact
or that we can draw precise limits. As IN lndl-
,idual character there is never an entire absence
nf any one nj those northumberland TRAIT running