, 1873-05-19
- -
PROF. SWING.
Ills Sermon Preached Yesterday 1lorn-@
ing at h1cYicker's -. ::
H. Theatre. :: i:
A Discourse Suggested by the Deaths Of
Chief Justice Chase, and =: :, e:
John Stuart Mill. .::r:- ::--..- +;


excellence possible to human life never reveals
di7ide itself up into fragments and to parcel but
these fragments to the care Of different hearts.
~As a. kind father, surrounded by dutifnl 1chil7
:dren, coming at last to the end Of life. makes 4
final will ana testament. dividing tup :his I'M
mense estate to the dear children; so atieach
has part, thus nature rich in all the Hhapes Of
genius, talent, and virtue, portions out her i'm
mense fortune, and many children beloved come
away from her presence carrying some precious
gift: ~ :; =. - - : q Il
The soil TINT grows men iamuch Like the sol
that grows plants and flowers: This literal soil,
lying in it's blacknass beneath the sun, is ready
to produce an oak or: -1oso, clamberins- Vlne
. Or violet. Often: VIC find in June by some
I: stream q rich spot, which with rare pfouleanty
has cent upward whole bouquet Of species, ana
tolors, and perfumes. The soil that grows men
.is such. They emerge from it with daerent
!; shadings of intellect and sentiment, and taste
The illustration OF Paul, that one star differ
eth from another in glory, finds an increased
=. meaning in the modern time, for astronomy has
discovered that some Of them are suna:: that
shine with pink, or emerald, or amber, light:
And hence, the planets around these SUNS are not
bathed in . white light like our day, but
in food of pink, or gold, or amber. -:
The human soul presents this variation OF
glory, and hence fills the spectator with sn OUT
look that never wearies with any motony. Thou
sands of minds come and go surrounded with
any sending forth their own peculiar light. -
II Won YouId realize this truth you need only
look upon those who have just gone from earth,
for. there is always something in the word death
- that causes the peculiar tint or color Of s soul
to flash up suddenly before Us. The solemnity
and sorrow OF the tomb arrest both our atten-
ton and QUE sympathy and, for the first tfme we
See the image Of the soul that hns gone hence
The grave, though full OF literal dArkn,ss, Is
full Of spirit light. The soul becomes most Wis
ible to us wheu it has entered that great
shadow. The recent months hare afforded us
, frequent opportunities for this full view OF great
eouls in their'5ricll variety Tho hunger for
empire flashed forth in the spirit Of Louis No
'poleon. 4 worship Of the common people and q
wonderful industry and information wasVlsible.
in the memory Of the great editor: who died
last autumn in the SORROW. of defeat. : A noble
form Of Christianity, perhaps, one Of the best
enbodiments it has enjoyed in our genera
lion, nnay be observed now in the pale image
;of Bishop Mc1lvaine.: Uprightness and modern
i;hon, and devotion to free principle are evident
ia the character of Chief Justice Chase. while
:tall that Was most intellectual, and digni1ed,
and powerful in tho human mind; shines forth
nuw from the nano Of John Stuart Mill How
these stars differ from each other In glory!.,
Il has long been the custom OF iour land
pulpit also, to draw whatever lessons they could
from the great soldiers or politicians that pass
in pa1t from the: public benefits that descend
idirect from such men, and from the absence OF
lsuch characters as the world now laments II the
- name Of Stuart Mill. There is no evident reason
: ,Why we should all speak Of q great soldier, or
great editor, OF great Chief Justice, and pass m
!, silence man great in his acquistio:s in his "a
:tional faculty. in his humanity in his morals, in
Ibis disposition, and In. his domestic hfe. II
would not be fitting this sacred day shouldI
speak Of this il1ustrious man in his relations to
logical forms and political syste-1s, and meta
phyBical inquiries, for mankind has set apcrt SIX
days OF for reflection and all toll inthese
departments OF thought ). but it will seem be-
coming the hour If shall recall to your. minds
eome Of those points IN the life and character Of
Mr: hill, at which he came into contact with the
world Of religion. Into the world Of Ohr.stlanlty
:. proper he never entered, but il the sp1endor Of
an intellect which revealed divine origin in bis
devotion to his brother man, in h1s elevation
aboye the worlds vices and etfifes, IN his 1oge
Of truth. and in his domestic life, he Illustrated
powerfully the ideal humanity pictured IN the
pages Of the New Testament :. - -
The scriptures aro full OF delineations of char
acter. From the w1lt1ngs Of Solomon to the SCR
mon upon the mount, and to Pauls letter to the
Romans there is perpetual effort to paint a
human character in such lines that society may
not mistake the good God has set before it, and
in reaching which it will find its perfect su1cees
= and happiness
: after Solomon bnd exhausted his 1na1inas,'
Christ came saying, Blessed are the pure
in heart, the mefciful, the peacemakers,
And then Paul comes with nnny q chapter
Of summing up OF human virtues attn'naoio In
: this life. The reader Of the Bible will see that
character is the object Of all these earthly years,
: The thing to be sought By ali alike from. King
to subject, from philosopher to child: Such
- being the lIe-work of man, be may well gaze
upon any beauty and lmpresslveness OF. charac-
= ter, come whence it may, IN politics or phlos9
j If Stuar: Mil stood nomina1ly outside Of
The Christian religion, yet there is q sense In
which he stood, not by choice. but BY necessity,
within the boundaries Of the New Testament.
The special doctrines Of a religion but Il that
x. religion has moulded his country for. centuries
In al it's morals and aspirations, then each indi-
.si5ual born into that atmosphere 10 colo1ed with
cardinal dogmas in after ife., It is possible for
4 free viii TO- e1patriate ones sen from cne's
:: country, but 70 where he may, he will always be
the EngliBlman or American Of hls formative
yeazs- Lady Hester 6tanhope tried to escape
her country, weary as she WAS Of its political
= giats, but IN the mountains Of Lebanon, in
T. Arab dress and with only Arabs around her, ehe
was stn only an EngiBgwoman. In Christian
lands Christianity, Besides being set Of dog
mas' i also an atmosphere aad hence zdnes those
tons most difficult Of belief continue still the
children Of the place, and il they DO not carry
4 the public baptism upon their foreheads, they
:: bear the Christian character in their heart.
. Hence, to find beautiful character outside the
Christian Church may YET be to find good Illus
trahon Of Christian ideal and Christian destiny:
for the ideal becomes q public Inheritance, and
flows beyond the walls OF: the church, as the
Light Of the cottager'a lamp pou1s out Of the win
dow, far away from the loved family group.
ct this eminent man a. prominent pas
non was his love Of truth To =. know
the facts in the common affairs OF life |as SO
deep wish in his soul that it became . passion
- 60 strong that all other passions died around it
a. the shrubs Of the forest die when the oak be-
gins to overshadow them. In lis, writings re
perceive heart without enmity, without pa1tl-
tanship moving along in the vast seaeof truth,
occupied wholly in search Of shore habitable by
The pilgrim humanity. One Of cur OWN leading
. statesmen, having been asked why he never b.
e1me angry, replied that he could not afford IT..
y. ldfe nas too short to be consumed In part by
such passion. --'.-' ..
= Mr. Mills style is the picture Of sincere In