The New York herald., 1872-09-16
LYRIC Hall

-
ligious Edinces, Built by tho Few snd
Tor the Conscience OF tho Few, Arc Not
Sacred, Nor Arc They sanctuaries.
The second service following the Summer vaca-
ton OF the Independent Society. Rev. o. b. Froth-
ingnam, paster, was held In the audience room Of
Lyric Hail. on broadway, near Forty second street,
yesterday morning. large and appreciatIve
audience was In attendance, the female element
predomnatng. The services were opened by
voluntary on the organ and an anthem by the
admirable quartet choir, under the leadership Of
d. W. J. Hin. Following the usual religious exer-
cises, the reverend gentleman announced for his
text Psalm lxxxiv., 1-"H0w amiabe are Thy
tabernacles, Lord OF HOSTS" He said:-
1t s impossible to enter freely into the sentiment Of
the ancient Hebrew towards his place OF worship.
To him 1t was the house Of God, the home OF his
traditions, the Holy OF Holes, where kept the
Ark OF the Covenant, representing the visible pres
ence Of the Deity. His temple was the work of
ages and the great-the mighty from all lands, had
contributed to its construction. Here perpetual
worship was offered, incense was always burning
and sacrifices always made. Its physical character
was an index to Its spiritual and the two were 80
intimately blended in his mind as to be scarce dis
tinguishabe. For him to enterit once In lifetime
was necessity, matter how great the effort. 1t
was place OF meditation; the priest was always
steal aside from the heavy cares which beset him
and pass time In communion with the
Deity. Such q church was in itself q faith.
Toe speaker then proceeded to show how
this feeling became reduced in contemplation of
the church edifces OF the present DAY. They are
built by the wealth OF the few, for the convenience
Of the few; no reverence attaches to them; as oc-
caslon demands they are torn down and others
crested in other localities In no way do they con-
stitute an expression OF faith; they are opened
but one day in the week and cesed for the balance
OF the time. There is no sacredness attached to
them, and they constitute
NO SANCTUARY
where needy men can forget their trials and trbu-
this feeling reduced when, instead of church
building. refuge is taken IN such hall as this.
speaker then enlarged upon the Identification OF
religion with its home. so general In the human
the form Of service and inclination to apologize
Tor doing sos The Roman asks no such questions;
in Institution not made I by Or amenabe to cyza
ton; the Church is OF God; special condition
apart from society," always the same founded on
grows Old and through all changes his Church re-
mains. object that he is In the way OF progress
no not ' ans%eraSle to civiizaton The priest oirers
no apology, NO excuse. me Protestant too, never
no IT, On
it, aud 1t has been tested for 1000 years Talk OF
philosophy, and he responds Of the faith once de-
he repeats the same story every year amid every
variety Of time and circumstances But suppose
the Church human institution needing to change
in order to adapt itself to the condition OF man
kind perhaps to
o formal creed devised by man and doomed to
modification In order to answer the questions
we must go back Of the form to the idea: The
great Or small, bound together by common Ties,
proceeded to consider two things necessary to
stttute Church, brotherhood and faith, feeling
a vital principle Of every Church It's existence
among the primitive Christians amid every suffer-
Ing and persecution, was .s esOqnently portrayed: p %
at Rome and Ephesus; and yet, with our faith, our
q oWes
hood. Members Of all degrees-rulers and serfs
floor equals before God. The Roman Church is pure
democracy, and every member can aspire to be Pope
as the American citizen to be President. The
beneht Of this sentiment was Illustrated by refer
to other and the necessity q Its Sya
also the necessity for providing
A SPIRITUAL HOME,
one Of the strongest needs OF our nature for the
peculiar character Of the city remain strangers
He styled New York social wilderness-a spiritual
spirit~a vast caravanserai True but lew have our
Views and purposes, but that few should be looked
AFTER. TnOugn small, D CnurCn Is q CnufCn. ana
brotherhood brotherhood, and should I'LL the lst
principle Of its character. Spiritual homes should
be furnished for those who have left old creeds,
doubters, skeptics, atheists II YOU WILL for oil have
human sympathies, and are welcome here II they
be homeless.
The reverend gentleman In commenting upon
the second idea, that of faith, announced It as In
the supremacy of man above all modes Of faith,
form or institution. The
SUPREMACY OF THE HUMAN MIND,
the dignity of the human character, the suprcm-
acy OF reason. He referred to the history OF man
oo1 In dnU In hn ha cQv vinN nj
Jesus and Paul illustrative of his Importance.
He recognized supreme merit in man. whatever
his origin and his destiny. Whether his history Ia
to be 10und in Genesis or the writings Of Darwin,
1t matters not, He is at the top of everything and
must Judge everything. He referred to the fact
that mans supremacy had been cl0aked by the
doctrines OF total depravity, but it has been always
recognized; he denied that 1t is their mission to
pull down all that the world holds In reverence.
They say yesi u thousand times louder than they
say mol It might be admitted that image breaking
was their province, destroying those idols OF the
heart, which have been held up to represent Deity,
but It was also to preserve everything sacred, rev.
ercntial and of good report.