The New York herald., 1872-10-28

A1W4O8s
Our selection Of sermons to-day embraces. a.
usual, orthodox and heterodox, denominationAl
and unsectarian utterances. Protestants and
Catholics have an equal voice in publishing
their theological doctrines to the world through
our columns, and what they said yesterday to
few hundreds we repeat to-day to thousands.
Though the living voice may be lacking tho
living Spirit may be as present with His truth
in the columns Of the HERALD as when the
same truth is uttered from the pulpits of our
city. And in this light the press is doing AZ
much, if not more than the pulpit for the
spread Of the Gospel and for the evangeliza-
ton Of the world. Among the noted watch
men of Zion who yesterday raised their warn
ing voice was DR.. Newman, of Washington,
who preached an able sermon on charac-
ter-Christian character its value and
importance. And this he did in the cradle
Of American Methodism in John street, where,
one hundred and four years ago, Philip EN-
bury, the carpenter first proclaimed the truth
as held by this denomination The Doctor
described character in its threefold aspect
namely, natural, responsible and evangelical
The first is inherited, but it forms the founda-
tion for the other two Responsibility may
come at any age, from five years upward; but
whenever it comes there is the line Of demarca-
tion The evangelical or Christian character of
a man is based upon the regenerating power of
Gods grace on human hearts, and has for
its elements moral state and life patterned
after the Lord Jesus Christ's. Happiness and
purity are inseparable, and hence holiness ia,
demanded of all men. God is the end of man;
consequently man should render himself
worthy of so magnificent an end. The Metho-
dists were further represented by Rev. DIR.
Taylor, i9 Willett street church, who eertaiGa,J
has Very poor i: appreciation Of the power Of
truth if hs gould intimate, much less assert,
that to drive the Bible out Of the PUBLIC
schools would be equivalent to destroying the
Bible altogether. We have no such faint view
of God or of His Word. If progress were
backward instead of forward then this might
be the case; but, in our opinion, the very fact
that any community in this day had shut out
its holy teachings from our schools would only
enkindle the desire to have it more thoroughly
read in our homes, where, if it were read moro
with it in the schools. But these institutions
are looked to to fill up our Lack of diligence
and Of duty toward our children. Persecution
never yet injured good cause, and it certainly
is not going to destroy the Bible. But as
necessary complement to this fearfulness Of
DR.. Taylor he would insist in having the Bible
read daily with note and comment in our
coNo 1o Sc o:.A e
agreement between the Catholics and the Prot
estants, and DR.. Taylor would widen the breach
instead of making it narrower. Love for truth
should never lead US into bigotry, for if it does
the end we aim at is surely lost.
"Visions of heaven are always delightful
to contemplate or to behold but to those who
are striving to reach beyond the vision to tho
reality the thought is not very encouraging
that heaven is nothing more than vision;
that it is in the far-off future and whether
man will ever attain to it is doubtful. This
was Mr.. Frothinghams theme. But we are at
o loss to know upon what principle of ethics
or morals any man should reach out after q
vision or dream, with the full consciousness
that there was nothing substantial in it. That
the dream is always rich and enchanting is
not sufficient inducement to us to strive after
it, if, when we reach it, it fades away like the
mist Of the morning Mr.. Frothingham's
illustration Of the paintings on our walls
serves the orthodox view Of heaven far better
than it does his, for the reason that the paint
ing is the representation Of something which
exists or has existed, something tangible
and real. And SO the Apocalyptic painting
of heaven is q vision, but it is more. Il
is representation Of something that is. We
may call such visions puerile and sneer in our
scepticism at the processes Of getting to
heaven but while in our human conscious
ness and by faith we see beyond the vision the
actuality the world will strive after il, for this
knowledge makes it thousand times more
enchanting and rich than it would otherwise
be. This vision is made real, too, to the
Christian heart ere he leaves this world by
the indwelling Of the Holy Ghost, Of whom
and whose offices and power Mr. Schermer-
horn spoke yesterday in All Souls church
This Divine Spirit is o Being peculiar to
Christianity. There was according to this
authority, no more mention of his influence
in Judaism than in Islamism or Buddhism, or
any other Of the great faiths that have held
sway over the minds of men. While we can
not describe Him we feel and recognize His
influence and power upon our hearts, and We
cannot grow in peace and in knowledge with
out Him.
Professor Hutchings, the once famous eight
ming calculator" Of the old Museum, having
answered to his own soul that proposition
in arithmetic made by the Saviour centuries
ago touching the comparative value Of the
human soul and the world, is now trying to
instruct others how they too can calculate the