The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-02
Whit Sunday Thoughts Of the Preach-
era.

Whit Sunday Thoughts Of the Preach-
Yesterday was Whit Sunday, the season CON-
memorated by the Christian Church as repre-
senting the descent of the Holy Ghost upon
the little band of believers who had gathered
in that upper room in Jerusalem. Outside of
the Catholic churches and few Of the Episco-
pal churches very little attention was paid to
the day or the event which it serves
to commemorate; and of those who did
notice it not one has measured up
to the grandeur and importance of the sub
iect. In the Cathedral Rev. j. J. Kean related
the circumstances of the Spirit descent some
what as the evangelists narrate them, and then
contrasted the boldness and intrepidity of
the apostles after they had received the
Holy Ghost with their fearfulness and trem-
bling the days and nights before. The Church
has great reason to rejoice in this last and
best gift of the Saviour, but woe unto us if we
remain deaf to the voice of the Holy Spirit
The Day of Pentecost was the birthday Of the
Christian Church in its sublimest sense.
DR.. McGlynn, on the same subject, pre-
scented the beautiful analogy between the crea-
ton Of man and the establishment of the
Christian Church. When Adam was formed he
was q mere mass of inanimate matter until God
breathed into him a soul. In like manner the
Church, though formed before, was soulless
until the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy
Ghost descended upon the disciples in cloven
tongues like as of fire. The Doctor recon-
mended his people to pray that the Spirit
would lead the wandering and erring sheep
into the true fold, intimating at the same time
that the Catholic Church is that true fold. A
fair Interpretation Of the words of the pastor
of st. Stephens would imply that goodness
and truth are confined to one Church and
one set of men.
Rev. Dr. Kirkus, on the descent Of the Holy
Ghost, advanced the idea that the ecclesiasti-
cal polity, the rituals, liturgies, ceremonies,
ssterhoods and hierarchies of the Church had
all existed from the beginning, and Christ is
the chief corner stone Of them oil. But is this
truth? and does the Word substantiate this
statement? We had always thought that
these things we're an after-growth of Christi
anity and some of them, indeed, of very mod
ern times. But Dr. Kirkus is an LII. B.
as well as d. D. and ought to be posted, and
he declares that they oil existed from the be-
ginning So that Jesus neither made nor I'M
made them, but merely became corner
stone, upon which, of course, fitting temple
of rituals, ceremonies and sisterhoods could
be reared, instead Of a temple Of saved souls
DR.. Partridge, of Brooklyn, saw in the de-
scent Of the Comforter the doctrine of the
Trinity clearly indicated-the Father send
ing, the Son entreating and the Holy Ghost
descending. 1t is great mystery, but the
mysteries Of the Godhead ore as jewels in o
beautiful casket which cannot be broken or
opened by human power, but must remain
sealed until God, who has the key, shall
open it. The Doctor argued against the
idea that the Holy Ghost is mere attribute
Or essence, and insisted that He is divine
person; and because of the light reflected by
Him Jesus Christ belongs as much to our time
as to the ancient days when He was upon
earth The very same power which quick