The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-09-25
.2ELIGION I'M FLUSHING.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
Self decentralization to Know Ourselves
TouchstOnes of Charncter-SermOn by the
Rev. Charles Hoover.


Self decentralization TO Know Ourselves
Touchstones of Cl,arncter-Sermon by the
Rev. Charles Hoover.
FLUSHING, L. l., Sept. "a, 1871.
The pastor of this church Is still absent from his
charge. The pulpit chair to-day was filed by the
Rev. Charles Hoover, q white haired preacher who
speaks with tremulous accent that lends certain
charm to his earnestness and occasional eloquence
The text Of the sermon was taken from the First
Eplstle OF john ill., 1s-19:-"My little children, let
us love in word, neither In tongue, put in deed
and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of
the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him."
Every one who reads the Bible, said the reverend
gentleman, with care cannot but notice how often
1t insists upon
THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING OURSELVES.
Yet there Is hardly any duty In regard to which
those who pay any attention to religious subjects
are more In the dark 1t is SAD to think there are
many VINO cannot in truth call themselves Chris.
tians, yet who have a sort OF underlined, uncertain
hope and in their state Of luKewarmness alternate
their days between c0mplacency and doubt neither
enjoying the work of the Church nor having uncon-
Germ. One reason for this Is that they do not bring
common sense to bear on their religion. Men have
no difficulty In deciding whether they are good or
bad in their different vocations; but when they ask
themselves whether they are good or bad Christians
they become anmNu
and are 80 envelOped that the sun OF righteousness
cannot find way to warm their hearts, They fall
Into state of uncertainty and gloom that units
them for Christian duties
We are by nature children Of the world. Christ
asks US to cast or It's bondage and look to Him.
The evidence that we have complied will only be
found In the tenor OF our lives. We cannot analyze
right BY Knowing that we like to do right Now VII
tins be SO 1t is obviously absurd TO attempt TO read
the heart as 4 with we @
ever did or ever win see his own heart except by
studying the irult Of It's impulses and the habit.
pose wife should ask herself whether She
loves her husband. Perhaps she thinks that she
hours during DAY when he Is not In her thoughts.
Sac proceeds to examine her heart, and through the
ton for not Giving her whole hour. 70 Si, with
dread that he VIM discover tins fancled dein-
quency, she loses all enjoyment OF
THE DUTIES OF WIFE.
There is plainly an end Of all the cordial, sweet
pan'ons. She grows more severe IN condemning her.
self and more miserable and useless than II she mad
Strange 70 sas This e as
to examine themselves. They have been 80 in
and drag them forth to the light. But il makes
them more spiritually broken and more In doubt 1t
inncts injury on the spiritual health and strength
had q disease to indulge IN morbid thoughts until
lie became burden and tne disease was really en-
to be Of some use in the world and thus forget ali
thoughts OF self.
He mad sometimes thought that the spring might
be made
A DREARY SEASON
If the robins and bOb0links, and thrushes examined
themselves TO see what were the motives OF their
wooings and chlrpings and warbllngs. BuS the
little eathered oraces had an instinct which saved
them from this ordeal. They had no mind to be
anything but singing robins and thrushes and bObo.
links. Instinct leads them in the way that God
meant, and prompts them to the acts that I'LL up
the little measure OF their lives. 1t Is the will OF
God that the love OF Christ in the Soul should
prompt and move the lives OF Christians, just as
instinct prompts the birds to twlter. to soar aOft
and To live for each other. 1t ID most certainly q
duty to examine ourselves but hOwY Not by going
down into the depths Of the soul; not by Weighing
every excitement OF feeling. every gush OF Joy or
shade OF gloom; but by taking notice whether we
delight to live and do good; whether we love to
do what Christ Wills or not Our every day conduct
answers this question. Every moment we are CON-
PEELED TO show by our action whether we want to be
like Christ
THE ToUCHsToNEs OF CHARACTER
are many, 80 conclusive and 80 surrounding that
one cannot fail to know himself, and we can only
know ourselves In the same way that we know
other men. 1t would be happy time when we
should know ourselves and our fellow men 10 be
Christians, not because we and they profess to be
SUCH but because our lives show It, The Church,
instead OF being filed with spiritual invaids, would
be band Of COnsecrated labOrers for God,
SOWING PRECIOUS SEED
by all waters and thrusting In the sickle while the
day lasted, returning to Zion laden with rpened
sheaves.