The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-10-18
CHURCH or the HEAVENLY RESI-.
Sermon by Bishop Robertson, Of Missouri
IdOlatry, Ancient ind Modern.

Sermon by Bishop Robertson, Of Missouri
Idolatry, Ancient and Modern.
At the afternoon service yesterday in the Church
Of the Heavenly Rest Fifth avenue, Bishop Robert
son, OF Missouri, preached to crowded and fashion
able congregation. His text was from the general
Epistle OF st. John, ", 21-"Litle children, keep
yourselves from idos." He said it had always been
a difficult question to ascertain why men attached
themselves to idols. 1t was not due to ignorance
Nations which mad penetrated to the depths Of the
most abstract sciences, people who knew the polar
ity OF the needle and the mariners compass were
devoted to idolatry. Even at this moment the
Chinese are abandoned idolaters, though their
enlightenment is SO marked that the first
European countries have been glad to copy
many things from them. Nor was 1t a
want Of knowledge which made the Jews
set up false gods The distance between them and
God was shortened Their leader-Moses-saw God
conversed with him. Mysterious interpretations had
been made in their favor. Yet Heaven had to
tune, temporal and eternal. God had to shake their
bones with fear because OF their proneness to gods
OF wood ana stone. Philosophy, history and psy.
ChOlogy lay bare the causes OF this unhappy blind
ness in man. His nature bears q fixed relation to
the objects he worships. AS worshipper OF q
God great III every attribute his ideas become en-
Jarged-almost as illimtable as the Almighty. His
nature, moulded on his ideas, becomes spiritual
Ted But when the creature, ceasing TO LOOK up to
to worship the human mind IS at once
contracted, and gropes in the dark in
the most melancholy manner Fear and
terror and ayarice and all the silly ana mean pas
sons OF the soul take the place Of reason, which is
dethrOned. Thus 1t was that the jews whose
sollcitude about life and spirit OF acquIsltveness
have been In all ages notorious on abandoning Gou
set up IN his stead a golden calf They loved
wealth. they lusted Tor power they coveted the good
things OF life. Hence the calf OF Rold-the calf
representing abundance OF fat things ana the gold
the power which, as the prime moverlof the world IL
possesses Tie sn'rndor OF the stars fascinated
the Egyptians, and they took their deites from the
considerations. Baseess as these systems were
they still found millions of blind devotees who went
from darkness into darkness.
But now, even in civilized Christian communities,
there Is much that is dolatr0us. Tne lust for
gold; the love OF pomp and show and dress; the
hungering for what IL merely dssipatOry,
dstracting and vain IN life; the anxious desire to
know as much as possible about man who is re-
puted millionaire; all these are developments OF
idolatry. or persons who prove themselves by this
spirit 1t may be said, ''Their God Is the wOrld.''
Their SOULS which can never find peace but in God,
they prostitute to mammOn and It's surroundings,
and the soul thus demeaned ana prostituted fear
July accuses itself. 1t was by Its waywardness
and wretchedness by its volcanic passions: by It's
head recklessness, when duty and reason point
out the path to be followed clearly, and by its wild
despair when it has played out all the hollow pre-
fences OF material unbelief. With the apostle the
learned preacher exhOrted his brethren to beware of
idols-especally referring to the id0atry Of modern
habit and practice.
The service was performed in an impressive man.
ner by Rev. Dr. Rowland, rector Of the church.