New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-28
TILE NATURE OF SIN.

The Rev. Cbauncey Giles, pastor OF the
new church CSw edenbOrgan) In Ihirtyhtnst between
Park and Lexingon.aves preached yesterday forenoon
on "Sin; It's Nature and Origin, Forgiveness and Pun
ishment" His text Ezekiel. xviii, a: The soul
that slnneth it shall de-" preacher said in sub
stance:
What is SIM II TO be an easy question to an
swer We feel its effects within u.s. see IT'S terrible
consequences all around US. The history OF the word Is
a record Of It's direfu nature The whole course OF
human life backened and blasted by IT, These are tho
effects of SIM But what sin ITSELF The Lord tells us
that sin is death The Bible is filed with revelations OF
It's character and consequences and the means which
the Lord has provided aud used to oppose
i and to remove It from inc =, uh ln e.
presented terrible effects rather than In It's essen
fal nature The question wish TO address ourselves
il Is in itself what the OF all che direful caam
tiles OF Indebtedness and woe which make human
Sin has beer dedued .any violation Of or want o.
conformity 70 the law Of God" So Is But what law
What kindof awi An arbitrary law Ike an act OF the
Legislature edct of sovereign Orls OF the same
KIND a. law OF nature acting In the same way az l1o
which regulate the functions Of the material Doaf Tue
difference bet ween these kinds OF law Is 50 great
that accept one as the Kind OF law which ma nag
siuued In breaking shall come 10 very diHerent1
not opposite conclusions upon the subject 10 s wnoe
scope from what we snal u We accSP , drce fo
the doctrines which have generally been entertained
upon the s0Gec1 ths a wb,nb man violated
aud by his diso6edenee brought sin ana death INTO zoe
nature and grow out It like the law of his relation to
food air and light 1t an edct OF sovereign Inc
Lord created aud then gave him certain laws iOr
the regulation Of his life. The laws good and man
would fnd his happiness 10 obeying theul bu' tney
had their origin the Lords sovereign VIII ana not 10
mans nature They to say an afterth0u2ht oil
the divine mind, and were imposed upon msh Hom tine
to time, human exigencies required Inc nrst law
gwen as simple test OF mans opediehee Ihe
Lord placed man IN paradise, and told MIN ne mlgns
eat Of the fruit Of every tree but one That one lie
forbade him 20 touch under pain of immediate death.
In the day thou thereof thou shalt surely die
There s4e Ta so the
destructive TO human ts The prq@I 6 was npts
sovereign had right TO subject man TO any test lie
The idea Of the arbitrary nature Of Divine law. which
fatal all true knowledge OF the DIVINE character.
OF relations to the Lord runs through the whole
scheme of theology it has been taught and believed
first Christian Church. The conditions or salvation
and the whole doctrine OF the forgiveness Of grow
out its fruitful and fatal root II the Lord could
impose an arbitrary law upon man ana alI an arDl,
which He would remit the penalty. He could do lt
from mercy, act OF elemeney' or He could pun
Ish a substitute and let the guilty go free Inc whoIe
scheme OF vicarlous atonement Is based on this IDEA
The New Church takes the other idea of law Sin is
the violation of laws OF mans beng-of the order
and form OF his nature These laws nhere IN hs Icing
ing the order and harmony and perfection OF his me.
In whatever form the outward Srndns o o
life inhering in the constitution OF mans nature, and IL
tegrity. The Lord did not forbid man TO eat
OF knowledge OF good aud evil from caprice,
10 u
obedience He knew whether would obey not.
He did not ax the arbitrary penalty OF death He for
1t was deadly poison, and the effect of eating It would
be DEATH Mans spiritual nature was SO constituted,
aud relations to the fruit OF that tree that he
could and live just mans steal nature
constituted and 80 related to arsenic that he can
not eat 10 and live. This idea OF law through
all the doctrines OF the New Church, aud quality
and form to them Spiritual laws are OF the same pa:
and method OF the Divine operations, the in which
the Lord works. They the relations OF the
Lard Xl ar
by mans nature They inhere IN tue nature aud eons-
II the organs OF touch and taste are delcately
formed, and exquistely adjusted to material objects
them how SURPRISINGLY sensitive must the will aud the
affections be, aud with what infinite skill must they DO
fitted to every quality and motion OF the divine me- 10
receive such deep. peaceful and exquisite joys flow
pure ana ardent love Love is life. It's Joys are
the most interior and the first effects OF the inflow OF
the divine life into the will aud its deriyatve affections.
The will bears the same relation to the spiritual body
body. It formed receive life from the Lord az
the heart receives blood and TO give 1t back TO the
Lord, and to give IL out to man. the heart gives the
blood to all the arteries ard through them to the whole
body. The primary and central law OF life and II,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart
and thy neighbor thyself." Mans whole spiritual
law as the lungs were organized 20 breathe the air.
When lived In obedience TO this law his whole be-
and hber In his responded the infowng life.
and was moved into consentng harmonies which came
goodness the divine character and the besedness of
interior joys All the forms OF his nmost being opened
thrilled with the inflow OF the divine life as the
pipes OF perfect moved by the nbreathng air.
III man had renamed In this condition and maintained
these relations TO the Lord which had been established
by Infinite wisdom his being would have continued TO
unfold, he would have received larger measures OF life
and happiness, his whole being would have been in
accord with the Lords being the Infinite Gyer aud tho
finite recipient would have lived harmony with each
Other Man would have eaten OF the tree OF life only,
and there would have been no death.
The Lord gave man the power 70 receive life In It's true
order that IT, TO pass back 10 the Lord and 70 his
fellow man, to withhold II and turn 10 himself lie
than the Lord and the neghbOr He turned his atten
ton 10 himself; he began TO think OF himself and 10
claim life ana the blessings OF life his The Lord
gave him his he In such manner that seemed 10
looking to the Lord, he began TO look down TO nm
self.
This resulted 10 the gradual change OF his spiritual
organization. Such must inevitably have been tho
spiritual body IN different manner from what II
created 70 DO used without char ing its FORM and IN
juring IT, We proofs OF this truth day Iako
some extreme examples, In illustration. The hand MAS
posed 10 try II Will lose his hands In the attempt Inc
eye not made 10 receive dust. Tue
least particle OF II, Ills IL with PAIN aud In time would
destroy IT, The lungs not made TO receive 1000 OUT
sunOcation. Every made 90 act IN speeino
manner receive from one direction ana comnnnl-
another Every organ is also made 10 act IL -
created by thar action which we eau growth ana ~ ~
maintained in existence by action. Put bandage
chlds eyes and IN few years IL could not see az an
time IN generations, the eyes would dlsdp-
pear. Fishes have been caught IN the Mammoth Cave
which had no eyes. II man did not use his mind no
would lose II, Is the great de-
gree III some savage nations. .
Now, apply TINS law TO mans Will. lie began 20 use
IN a directly the reverse from what the LOru
formed be used. The inevitable result change
IA N, l.OI