The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-24
LYRIC HALL.

"Vhc Iuea OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. by the
Rev. John Weiss, OF Boston, Mass.
The Rev. John Weiss, of Boston, took the place Of
the Rev. o. B. rockingham at Lyric Hall yesterday
morning. All the seats were flied, and chairs had
to be placed for those who came late. His subject
was, "Thc Idea OF Hereafter" What are the ele
ments Of our idea of hereafter? he began, We de-
rive our notion OF time from events. The Infinite
knows no succession Of events. All events exist
at once to the Spirit that did not begin and that
has no end. Mankind could not have got the idea
from God. The stomach was the first timepiece.
Man labors until the evening" but eternity dis
penses with 'until." The ideas OF time, space and
place are necessarily human. Your body is not so
big as the whole outside Of and 1t may be at but
one place at time. The idea Of place becomes
joined with that of time. 70 one man this earth is
vast hunting ground while to another 1t Is ce.
lestal tract,
SwARMINd WITH SOULS.
Not one Of these Ideas could have been derived
from the Infinite. You and l provide places.
There was no heaven, no hell until man began to
have sense Of justice. Where did 1t come from,
for we are incapable of creating it9 We can make
distinction between elements because they exist
Do you think God set up heaven when man
became good and o hell when he became bad2
They are the conditions OF your moral state 1t Is
very plain that these conditions have crystalliZed
into ideas and accompany the human mind. SO far
as the idea Of hell Is involved 1t Is alarming. How
many individuals have become impregnated with
this savage idea OF hell But barbarism has yielded
to culture. The heretics OF science and religion
may expect to be under the bane OF the majority
Yoa must have noticed how this idea Of
There can be neither time, place nor space to tae
Infinite; but we are Unite. 1T Is useless to under
ing ideas OF our consciousness. The cause Of
punishment seems to be natural sense OF justice.
Asa
COLONY OF MONKEYS
will grlmace and throw down cOcoanuts at you, so
will great criminals break through the law and
crosses we deem 1t no dishonor to let loose upon
him some higher power. What is our sense Of
merely CARBOHYDRATES that some tnp are ire useful
then you would dread the future. When dog
disobeys his master he breads the near future
OF his dog life, for he knows punishment.
is coming with it. How does 1t happen
that man breads future lile9 conscience
tributOn that causes us to dread the future.
What queer notion was the Eastern idea concern
different forms Of animals Why Should they be SO
placed II their dement's were local Plato said
this idea might have been advanced to account for
the different an!mals-the want of consciousness
without check attached to it, one without the
dread OF being eventually Overhauled. II con-
SERIOUSNESS has o physical origin it is not infinite,
sense of being depressed. The people OF city In
Italy are compelled to leave their houses and flee
fastening 10 their rescue, while
BANDS or PILLAGERS
are Ovcrrunning and sacking the houses. Even
your dog will watch over the Pile OF deserted goods
but no animal Is intelligent enough to maraud. 1t
takes o man to be beast. Here is another
dilemma for modern theology. Here are these rob-
bers. Suppose that the fear of a hell should re.
press such people, and that they acted as decenty
as the average man and were quite as capable OF
engendering an eptaph. Remove the fear of he'll
and the decency would vanish. The other life
would be forced to organize sys stem for keeping
the peace. He'll should be place of retrbution.
II that be perfect justice no nor woman need
be afraid OF hereafter. Throw all these things
overheard Do not frescO our ceilings with imagi-
nary clouds or paintings on nat surfaces, or try to
grasp the stars rom their svcry paths,
The colors OF the solar spectrum are
not the only ones In existence. On one
end they deepen, on the other they rise. Vibra-
tions sink to unlathomabe tones, ana you cannot
see the extension OF the laws OF vibration. The
highest notes OF the orchestra that could reach my
ear are all could hear My delight in listening is
edged with a
PENUMBRA OF DISSATISFACTION.
We detest the notion OF extinction. II Is hor-
rible to become clod. There comes to us the
tender and overpowering moment when we are
separated from some kind beings. We cannot give
them up forever; we must have them again.
Dead The sod Is dead, but the soul Is not There
Is not tenderness accredited to the human
heart but has tried the ears OF people before the
pyramids. David Gray, O Scotch poet, dying in a
London garnet, - d, "God has love and have
faith" The idea that we are to be eXtinguishcd IL
wrong.