The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-10-04

uon owing 10 tne extreme lnciemcncy oi TIC
weather the attendance was unusually limited. The
reverend gentleman took his text from st. Matthew,
x, 7-"And as ye 60, preach, sayn2,the kingdom OF
Heaven is at hand" He could almost hear the
echo OF those words sounding through centu-
ries. pointing MS to the proper standard and pnr-
poses OF the Christian Church. The WORK OF the
minister was practical. not doctrinal-to heal the
sick and the lepers and above all to tell the truth
The truths were needed to-day as they were
needed yesterday. 1t was time that we
held our own lives and our own souls
up to the unseen light that we might know now
strong and how weak we were, Take down our
spires and the moral standard Of the community was
lowered. illuminate the Sabbath with its influences
and holy thoughts and the vitality Of society was
Sapped. SO they came TO ask what was the relation
OF the Christian Church to the community What
was the work, the legitimate work OF the Christian
ministry and how could 1t best accomplish its mis-
SlonY For the last three hundred years the Church
had been an ecclesiastical institution. 1t had been
speculative In its tendencies. It had tried to form
had failed. There must needs be denomina.
lions and secs varying like the hues OF the rain
bow, yet all tending to make one perfect Christian
doctrine. 1t had been trying to tell men how TO get
away from the world and not how to 1--we In 1t. The
Catholic Church had accomplished this most liter
ambition. The Protestant Church, unable to go on
and accomplish that work by sitting In the midst OF
the world for six days and then insisting upon It
that within the sacred walls OF the Church no
worldly influence should come. Catholicism had sue
ceeded where Professionalism had failed. Now since
we could not get away from the world that religion
was best and truest which told US how to 1--we IN
It honest and pure lives. Az water folds the naked
form Of the bather 50 the world enyeloped them in
It's atmosphere. They must preat4e IL; they
m inso contact Hs ws u thoughts a with '0 tue
ence; and that Church was true which told them
how to speak the truth. how 10 preserve their con-
sciences pure; The true Church. II he understood It,
frhn 10 Wi n IN fa va
the whole OF human kind. Where was the use OF
talking OF tie various propositions OF Calvanism or
spending precious time in irving to prove that one
dogma was more true than the otherY While human
souls were crying for faith human feet were slipping
into the grave; while human homes were shadowed
and backened with crimes of perdtion while the
city shivered and shook; while the great nerve
throbbed and every brick in the city felt its place
insecure as though an earthquake came; while
the community was so startled; while the
DackYeodsman heard the cry Of anguishi while
illinois saw his nut tumblng into ruin
because of the uncertainty here at the centre; while
by little until men were driven wild with frenzy
81 Us IL q aOSSs rd as
darkness and vice and uncertainty, Though The
quicksand the truth was obvious should the Church
not dare e Genoanss wnat was false ana point on,
over winch no wave should come; while there were
dens In the city where poor human souls lost their
moral strength; Wnle There were ten t1Ousauu
cradles to-day unrocKed by mothers love, ten
thousand children whose only hope IN the future
was in!amy, whose only education came from
the drunken ana profane lips OF those who
should be fathers and mothers, should the Church
dare to keep slent should 1t talk OF the difference
between the ideal and the realf There was the cry
OF human misery. and If we were true to ourselves
and true to the Church we represented our voices
would be loud and strong They would sound like
who sat in darkness. Shame on the Christian
Church that dared to spend so long time about
cussed theological points. He cured lepers and
raised the dead. The reverend gentleman concluded
eloquent discourse by calling upon the conRrega
ton to hold fast to that great religion which disse
menated virtue and condemned vice and lmlh0raity.
The minister and the congregation must work with
one object with one hope. Both must trust each
other.