Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-07-31
Moral Teachings for the
MaaRAa.


Lord Brougham, in his Discourse or
Natural Theology, considers that tht
power of mind displayed in the effect O
eloquence upon an audience is the mos
perfect proof, by induction, of the exis
tence Of Supreme Being; and the
highest proof which Jesus eyer offered
of his Divine mission was that by il
''the poor have the gospel preached to
them" This thought was well illus
trated in a recent address by Prof
Park. Plato and Aristotle never rec
commended addresses TO the common
people. They hoped much, and chang
ed much the whole course of thinking
by writing. But there is something
more divine, subtle, hfe-like, in speech
and in speech addressed TO the eye and
ear aud heart of the great multitude,
uniting them into one body, and car
rying them along by one purpose and
thought, that the best of sll things
illustrates and proves the divinity of
christianity. The thoughts, the ad-
dress, the style that are ineligible to
the poor are always so to the rich, yet
the same cannot at all be said of thst
address only to the rich and educated.
Rendering the highest knowledge
plain, clear, ineligible, and every way
accessible to all, is a divine and pecu-
liar feature of true Christianity. And
whether it be costly pews, or the fine
dresses and eXclusiVeness OF the audi
ence, or the style of the dress itself, it
needs and must be reformed. or it soon
ceases TO be Christian. In this sense,
Religion is and ever must be democrat
ic, popular, binding heart to heart, and
family to family, neighborhood to
neighborhood, high and low, rich and
poor, bond and free, in q common
brotherhood of worship to God, and a
humanity and aim of life
The efforts to bring out those great
principles of religion that can touch
With new and living power the great
heart of the multitude, both in Eng
and and in this country, whether it be
by theatre or by tent-preaching, or by
laily prayer meetings. not only prove
low deeply God has placed religious
impulses and instincts in every human
heart, but in proportion as they assist
he development and culture OF those
ceilings, they also prove the presence
,f a divine power, which God has in
ended TO prevail, and guide the mass
IS of men increasingly.
The fact is that the poor rule society, |
S shown in Dr. Parks addresses to |
theological students. Influence works |
Upward. If we would enrich the IA
or and luciousness Of the vine, it must |
,e by first enriching the soil that nour-
shes the roots. If we want a warm
louse, wa must commence heating in |
he basement, not the garrett. And if
re want an intelligent, virtuous, or
community, we must com
aence with the poorest, not the rich
st because they form the most nu-
lerous class. The civilization of every
alton will have IN future especially to
e estimated by that of the lowest,
OF merely the highest in the social
,ale. Truth ascends upwards through
be cottage into the palace. Who form
ne bulk of our richest merchants to-
ay but those who begun life poori-
nd the greatest number of the most
of our men of science,
reat discoverers, poets, philosophers,
Iwyers, preachers and politicians have
1rung from the poor. Elihu Burritt
egan from the anvil, as William, Carey,
le founder of East Indian scholarship,
as from The last of the shoemaker. K
Nor is it less proof of the divinity
the Christian teaching on this point
latits superior method of preaching
} the poor operates through the chan
el of natural law and means, though 8
Ien often fail to see this. Guild we
lly see the water changed into wine, {
ley think, they would believe in Di-
ne power. The water is changed in
wine annually, as the summer rains
e converted into the ripened cluster. 8
nd, to thoughtful mind, these daily c
iracles in nature are revelations to US, I
rough science, of divine power, at
ork in nature, just as other miracles I
ore sudden and striking.
It has been said that now, as people v
come more educated, and refined G
ID rich, there must be one kind of ,
esching for the rich and another for {
e poor. But this would rob Christi .
ity of its best evidence, and morality II
its only safeguard and protection.- P
le poor will and must have the Gospel '
cached to them. There it will find 9
best friends, and exhibit Its best c
aad evidences of truth g
lbhe Ledger. 1