Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-09-07
The Letter and the Spirit. "

mt IAtN' H. -. 'NViN, itNt'f 81 -.
Johns Episcopal church, Chicago, thus
discourses on THE Letter and the Spir-
it :"
Let a man who begins to appreciate the
august meaning of Christianity, who sym
pathises with the agonies of world con
fused, blinded, skeptical, and diseased, and
who sees what might be accomplished if
the glorious gospel Of the Son Of God could
be brought with inspiring power to hungry
hearts and wretched homes-let him, say,
contemplate the attitude and endeayors of
those who with furious clamor exalt some
insignificant formulary to the place of fun
damental principles, who fritter away their
strength and time in beating the air with
useless scholastic principles and legal in
terpretations, and who seek victory in the
technicalities, and the sight shall ill with
dismay, and grief, and shame. There Is no
life here, nothing encouraging to the hopes
of the philanthropi,t, nothing cheering to
the heart Of charity, nothing that com
mends a single Christian virtue, or speaks
Of sympathy with the spirit and cross of
Christ. Who that is terribly in earnest in
reference to the highest welfare Of his race {;
who that has glimpse of the hell Of their
sloth and sensuality and wretchedness ;
who that behOlds the white splendors and
the celestial beatitudes to which life may
be lifted by the grace of the Gospel can for
moment think that he does God service
by pressing the mere letter in such wise
that Christ is concealed, his kingdom mis-
understood, and his holy discipleship deri-
ded? 1t the spirit of the Master that we
are to illustrate, in lOwliness and humility.
Arrogance of assertion and authority are
inimical to this. 1t were better for him
who puts stumbling block in the way of
Christs little ones deliberately that a mill
stone were hung about his neck and that
he were drowned in the depth of the sea "
Look out for Him.
For the great adversary who always
aims at the open point in the harness. A
shrewd writer says:
Does not Satan attack US in our weak
est point? How he suits his mode of temp
tation to the disposition of the victim
Are you vain? In how dazzling lustre
will he place the pleasures of this poor
world before you. Are you ambitious !
In what splendid honor will he make the
great things Of man appear. Are you dis
cOntented? In what exalted light will he
place the advantages of others before your
eyes Are you jealous? In what strong
contrasts will he place the Kindness of the
person you love towards another than you
Are you of an i'll temper? How he will
make you think everybody hates you, neg
lects you, despises you, or intends to slight
you! Are YOU indOlent? How wearisome
will he make the slightest effort for anoth.
er's good seem in your eyes Are you toe
active? How useless will he make the
quiet hour of prayer, and thought, AND
reading, seem to you! He tempts us tC
what our nature is most inclined he suits
his allurements to our inclination. If We
are of quiet temper, he will not tempt Us
there ), if we are only ambitious, he will
not take care to make us jealous; if we are
too active, he will not tempt us to be idle
He knows US we'll; he drives our inclina.
ton to its far extreme.
The Intelligencer remarks, for the en-.
enlargement Ofits ministerial brethren =
The grandest mistake that mortal man
has ever made, after assuming the respon
sibilities of an ambassador for Christ, is in
suppOsing that he is dependent for any
thing in this wide world upon an ungodly
enemy of his Master, or that he is ever re
quired to withhold the plain truth of tn,
gospel, or to be afraid to speak it in love
and in the fear of God, lest this man or tn,
other should take offence. Nine times on
of ten no such result follows, and the pew
whose occupant has been shaken will senc
greeting to the pulpit, and these very mel
will say to one another, and will have rea
son to say, Thank God, our minister is no
afraid of US"
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There is a decision in Gray's Repor