The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-06
TALMAGE'S TABERNACLE.

IIOliness-Sormon by Rev. DIR. Newman.
"Without holiness no man shall see the LOrd."
Such were the words upon which Rev. Dr. ]. p.
Newman, chaplain to Congress, discoursed for one
hour yestesday morning to an audience of 5000
people gathered in Mr.. Talmage's tabernacle, in
Schermerhorn street. Character, he said, Is the
condition for everlasting life. God is respecter
OF persons, and II we accept this statement
as fact we must look behind and within
the person for the conditions OF everlast-
ing happiness. This condition cannot inhere In
human physique. The beautiful Circassan, tho
dusky African, the dwarfed Esquimaux, the large
framed Patagonian, the filthy Digger Indian of the
Sierras anu the dainty American are physiol0gi-
cally Identical in the structure Of the body. 1t
cannot nhere in mental capacity or in intellectual
culture. The mind of the savage and of the philos
opher are identical in structure. The difference
s In culture, which IL accidental and incidental.
This condition cannot inhere In social conditions In
education, in wealth, in reason, &c. All these are
as fragile as flowers; as transient as day. We
are, therefore, justified in saying that
CHARACTER is THE FITNESS FOR ETERNAL LIFE;
it Is the aggregate OF ones self. And herein Is
seen the wisdom Of God in selecting character
the test OF fitness for heaven. Nothing is so uni
versal or enduring az character. 1t is immortal,
and this thought is suggested by the text and con-
Of the ancient worthies-the great cloud of wit
nesses by whom we are encompassed-and then
comes down to chastisement, which he declares Ia
designed to produce in us holiness. The Doctor
then explained the expression 'See the Lord ~ and
continued, saying that three things are important
to consider in this OnnectiOn-namey, the neces-
sity for, the power and the Joy Of holiness.
1t Is an inherent right of governments to pre-
scribe laws for the conduct of subjects Law IL
the governmental expression Of how acts shall be-
n N fol in
straight lines, the nOwer to open its petals to the
sun and grass and bud to prepare themselves to
natural law was next compared with the CIVIL and
both with the moral, and the Doctor declared that
in governments. To destroy this right is to give
loose rens to passion and appetite. And II we ad-
init this right to civil governments shall we deny
the expression OF legislative will, and the
moral moral, law Is the expression OF the
said the speaker. shall act in this world The term
holiness implies absence OF sin, purity OF character,
obedience to that law which is holy, just and good.
But the term when applied to the Creator has q diff
ferent meaning from that which attaches to 1t when
applied to the creature. The Doctor here explained
does doe not imply conformity to law, for who Is Je
hovah'sl lawmakcrs There Is no such law in this
case as that which causes the sun to shine or the
fire to burn. In the Almighty 1t Is that which Is
essential and mmutAble In man 1t implies motive
the embodiment OF the divine mOtive-and Jesus
Christ as teacher came to show us the beauty
OF holy life, but He went back. Of the motive
and declared that
BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART.
This Is a description, not OF a motive, but OF q,
state of the heart in which the will at all times,
whether passive or active, shall be in condition oil
obedience to the divine commands; the conscience
the affections and the passions also In like state
He who is thus pure Is never surprised The Doctor
said he had among his curosties two bottles OF
water from JOrdan-one filled and the other not.
Though coming from the same river, one Is cearan
beautiful. while the other Is muddy and dark. They
nature Is Uttered BY the sanctying grace
of Christ, and the other IN whom the cor
nc OF s bn II e sde ons Is
be 1t ever so little, the mud which lies at the
bottom will rise mp and blacken MS entire char
acter When he (Dr. Newmanl was In Greenland,
a year ago, he saw an immense Iceberg noaung
majesticaliy against the current toward the sun.
When he inquired into the philosophy oft he found
that its base went deep down into the ocean and
met current which was stronger than the surface
current and FASTENED y onward oa, t0Ward tine
happy is the man whose base Is SO aeepsuown; tnat
the currents Of grace shall wait MIN onward to-
ward the warm CLINE OF GODS presence nfs
dominion Of sin is destroyed by grace, but grace
is not Omnipotent. Time Is also necessary
to break the dom'n 1a holiness Of heart rests
upon two things-a command anu ntness. me
Doctor cited Scripture texts 70 sst G tn,s propo
severity toward sin and the recognition OF charac-
ter. This purity can. be attained not by rites and
cieanaeth from all sin. The man who has this,
Everything he doesis acceptable to God-his laugh
ter inst muCn rs MS prayer. Inc DOcCOr next
showed the difference between devout life and q
HOLY life. The Mohammedan lives devent life and
makes pilgrimages to Mecca, buhhe is ready at any
moment to rob and to murder. The Papist Ia
devout, but he, too, Is ready for a spree. Away,
then said he, with that holiness which consists In
creeds and garments and ceremonies, and give us
rather sancttfed motives and holy lives. In regard
to fitness the doctor showed shat man was designed
for
CoMrANIOSsHIP WITH GOD
for moral friendship with the Deity But identity
OF purpose, harmony Of win, community Of motive
are needed There Is, therefore, q fitness. As the
eye OF the eagle is designed for the sum- and the eye
OF the owl for the darkness, Is man designed for
companiouship with God.
The Doctor next Illustrated holiness as an ele-
ment OF power, and gave instances OF moral hero
ism drawn from the lives OF Polycarp, Ignatius.
Luther and others. The power to overcome evil Ia
personal purity. some men have 1t to such de-
gree that nothing affects them. Virtue Is repro
ductive. God never does thing on stingy plan.
but on the most broad, liberal and generous prtn.
ciples. Illustrations Of the power OF holiness
over the human soul were given from the life
and death Of Lady Jane Grey, John Wesley aad
others. The great want Of the Church to-day
In personal Chratian purity. The Doctor closed hn