The New York herald., 1872-09-22
Herald Religious Cor
respOndence.
A PREACHERS SOPHlSM.
Virtue a Duty Without Regard to a
Future State.
Why Seek intercourse
with Spirits?
LIGHT WANTED ON the SCRIPTURES
Ministerial Changes and Move.
ments.

Ministerial Changes and Move
ments.
Services To-day.
Elder Bowman, from South Carolina, will preach
at the Cooper Institute
7. G. Forster lectures In trance at Apollo Hall.
Bishop Snow will speak about cleansing Goods
Sanctuary" at the University, three P. M.
Rev. p L. Daniels will preach at both services ut
the Berean Baptist church.
Services will be held at the Evangelical Lutheran
church.
DR.. wedekind holds forth at the English Lutheran
Church OF ST. James.
Rev. w. T. Egbert will preach at Wainwright
Memorial church.
Rev. A. r. Thompson discourses at St. Paul,s Re-
formed church.
Rev. G. s. Narrower speaks at st. Luke's Metho-
dist Episcopal church
Rev. w. @. Dawson breaches at the Christian
church.
Bishop Quintard will deliver a sermon at St.
Thomas church.
Presbyterian church.
Rev. DR.. Fagg will preach in the Church of the
Redemption.
Rev. John Weiss, from Massachusetts, will preach
In the Church Of the Messiah.
In Grace chapel, near the Academy OF Music,
there will be services in the forenoon and evening"
Rev. w. T. Clarke will treat the important sub
iect 'Does Religion Pay ~ in Unity chapel Harlem'
Rev. c. A. G. Brigham will preach In the Catholic
Apostolic church, Sixteenth street.
st. Ignatius' church will be open during the day.
Rev. DR.. Ever will be there.
The Church Of the Incarnation is open for divine
service.
Rev. Henry D. Northrop will preach in Twenty
third street Presbyterian church.
There will be divine service in the Orthodox East
Fftieth street. at eleven O'Clock this morning
Free admission to every one.
Light Wanted on the Scriptures.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
lam very much interested in that part Of the
Sunday HERALD which is devoted to the free dis
cusson of the religious question, aud notice that
your correspondents are men OF intelligence and
education and, apparently, well versed in Scrip
ture. 1t so happens that am not blessed with
high order OF intellect and have little or no educa-
tion, and consequently find IL impossible at times
90 make sense OF some parts OF the Bible. Will you
kindly permit some OF your correspondents to ex-
plain one passage to which take the liberty OF in
viting their attention
Mark, xvi, Is, "Go ye into all the world and preach
but he that seevstS s Ssnc ha
1t seems that the qualifications for salvation are
two-beief and baptism, therefore Mr.. Brown, who
believes and has been baptized, will be saved The
ticket for damnatlon is unbelief; therefore Mr..
Smith, who doesn't believe will be damned; but Mr..
Jones believes but has not been baptized therefore
he cannot be saved, as he is lacking In one Of the
essential conditions. He cannot be damned, be-
cause damnation is the result OF unbelief and Mr..
Jones believes. Since he can neither be saved nor
damned am curious TO know his fate.
A Preachers SOphism-virtue n Duty
without Regard ID a Future State.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HBRALD:-
'Deny that a man lives beyond the grave and
there is no reason why he should be good man."
Thus said minister Of the Gospel on last Sab
bath evening in one OF our prominent churches.
His text was the question Of Job, 'lf man die
shall he 1--we again9" During the discussion OF the
subject he stated that Job had no clearly defined
views fthe of the body In other words
Job spoke with reference only to this life. And said
myself the preacher has not well said. He has
gotten the declaration OF Job:-"If sin then Thou
markest me-" and 'If be wicked woe unto me-"
He has also forgotten the words of the preacher
who gave his heart to know and search
out and who reached the conclusion that
lone thing happeneth to ALL" For he declares
that God giveth to man that Is good in His sight,
wisdom and knowledge and JOY; but to the sinner
He gveth travail" and "If man live many years
and his soul be not filed with good an untimely
birth is better than he" And said further "Let
the sun and the moon and the stars cease to shine
and to gladden. and cheer the earth and all nature,
because they are not to exist eternally.' And the
sun and moon and stars said nay. However short
our course let us send all the heat and light and
would be darkness and sorrow and desolatlon. Let
US rather do all the good we can. And said to
the beasts OF the earth and to the fowls OF the air.
and to the fishes Of the sea- death Will and
you cannot live beyond that therefore, rebel against
man, who holds dominion over you" And the
beasts and the fowls and the nshes said "true we
cannot live beyond death; but what gain would
there be that we should refuse TO do what OF good
we can to cheer and gladden. the heart OF man by
DONG 10 MN whatever OF good We can while we
40 nve ~ And said The sun and moon and stars
and the beasts and birds and fishes have no reason
and no knowledge, and therefore disposed TO do
good because there Is no reason in them They
know no better" So turned me to man as the
only being who had reason and knowledge and
judgment, and SAID TO man, "As there Is no reason
nor knowledge nor device In the grave and YOU
know not what Is beyond 1t, there is no reason
why you should be gOod.n And he replied and
said TO me- ln the dark corners OF the earth and in
the habtations OF cruelty earth's benighted
ones may think and act; but as for me- let me
go lorth early and late, like the sun and the moon
and the stars, to do, even while life may be spared
what OF good can-to raise the fallen, to cheer the
disconsolate to ala the needy and dependent to
visit and minister TO the sick and the diving and
thus to do whatever OF good can no wever short
existence may be-" And so said to myself, al the
sun and moon and stars, and If the beasts and the
birds and the fishes, In their places and without
eternal existence before them, do all the good they
can, even If Tor only time-and IL seems well even
In the very nature OF things that they should do
so-perhaps there may be a reason why man
shouid also do good, even II he live not beyond the
grave And as | thought upon the want and
wretchedness and misery In the world that might
be relieved by man In his efforts To do good, even
thOugh ne i've not beyond the grave, said there is
D reason why man should do good and the
preacher oil the Sabbath Evening" is wrong
Why IL Is Wrong to Seek intercourse
with spirits.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:--
II needs but the light OF reason, Illuminated nv
revelation from the Lord, TO enable US TO see why
~ should not seak omen intercoursa i,h au,.,..