The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-23

saviour all preparations had been made for the
announcement. How Is 1t nows At SO remote Q
distance from the age OF miracles ana external
wonders and apostolic advantages OF fresh iacts
II would seem impossible for the Church OF to-day
MINDS and manners OF the world as the disciples
did on that great day OF PentecOst. But what does
our admission amount tor Does u allow tnat the
Church to-day has no corresponding elements OF
vitality with that OF the primitive Churcn! MUST
we look upon
that blooms after a century OF preparation ana,
exhausted In the production OF Its gorgeous
nower, withers and dies, No. Christ is the y. stalk
civilization which We call Christianity. IL bears
still It's own peculiar blossoms OF art, literature
ceremony, theological speculation and spiritual
experience. We live in an era when the glorious
blossom has not yet lost It's blooms not cropping
germlnal epoch The golden morning Of the Gospel
may have passed, but we are approaching the
matured midday or afternoon glory, iulness,
richness and triumph. Heart OF fire, mind OF
light, soul OF zeal, trumpet tongue OF elO-
q1ence kindled with Gods own Inspiration, we
have these stlil, and pentecosts are near at
nand II this age can present no miracle
in support OF Christianity. the moral experience
external evidences in the world that religion Is
tact OF most human sort, helpful and Godllke.
religion are not OF a demOnstrative external
order. They appeal to sentiment and create faith,
and that Is more than the mere play OF miracles
around the senses. Spiritual conviction cannot
be produced solely by historical evidence. Reiig-
ion consists not in the knowledge OF what God did
IN times and lands remote, but in the feeling OF
what He Is ana does within each Of our souls to-
day. Religion Is personal contact with and per-
sonal experience OF God, and evidence does not
impart that. The work of Christ and His disciples
in the first century was in many respects inferior
to His vital power in the world to-day. This is the
addressed the senses and through them quicKened
the soul. He wrought cures on the body, thereby
dimly shadowing the soul's cure. the power and
function Of Christ now embrace the spiritual nature
and moral interests OF mankind.
THIS is THE AGE or SPIRITUAL PENTEC0sTS.
The sublimer action OF God over the soul cOnsti-
tutes this age higher fundamentally Tor the
work Of Christ and His Cnurcn. What an arrav OF
subjects, OF healed hearts and refined souls and
not present to you miracles wrought upon the
morally dead and lame and sick and wandering
triumph ana efficacy OF our religion only let us De
certain that We know what IL Is and how IT works.
1t is OF God, and means lie and peace for every
man. Presented and preached with Intelligence.
JUNCTION and representative force 1t i'll make itself
felt in dead bosoms and culver IN many bruised
breasts; it win take voice aud language Of
each and every soul, and the listening
heart Will hear its own language spoken.
tongues OF ire, spoken utterance OF the supply
winch the Gospel provides for every man. SYM
patny with human nature, perception OF its needs
and instincts and a delicate application OF
to humanlty's wants and weakness
this Is the glad miracle Oh men hearing every
man, the language OF his own nation and oiOOdl
Here | see one melting at this message and
up all his energies OF spirit to do In
ward battle against q thousand cherished mper-
tections. And look, hid away from your eyes and
mine, there are souls here deemlng themselves
wrecks OF humanity who are receiving the
cOpious baptism. And mercy visits US In d.
vine voice, cIeaving down our dark despair and
Tits US to sweet and certain hope oil
purity and perfectlOn. In the sweet privacy OF
home in the busy routine OF outward enterprise,
in the wearyIng hours OF trouble, in the agonIzing
when the soul was awakened to realize
It's dreams broken, its highest lie buried the
saviour Is with US in HIS Paradise, as III Dest,
days OF generations OF old. He thrills
one with look; touches another, and with that
touch takes the weary burden away; comes down
and stands between US and our moral unrest and
lie is to-day. Pentecost Is not bygone wonder,
but present fact The disciples and early Church
had their sunrise; We also want and have ours.
They drank in OF the dew or the morning, and our
sous also are athirst Tor the same celestial
beverage. While the natural earth has ner seed time
and harvest her blossoms and fruits, we may be
quite sure that the spiritual experience OF man
will not Iail and that the Church's junction will
prove itself equally bOunteOus IN It's gts and rult
u their returns 1t may be that are not in the
afternoon OF Gospel light; grant II you Will, that
we are just now at midnight or midwnter; use
any type or figure that you please to express the
condition OF the Church, and Nature wall give you
earnest in her beautiful symbolism that we are
likely to have recurrent times OF spiritual ere
Ireshing''-that as her daydawn awaits the night
and her spring succeeds the winLer so W II our
moral darkness disappear in aurora spiendOr and
our spiritual desolatIOn be superseded by pente-
cOstal lie aud light and vernal beauty.