New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-16
UysAFEYEss OF ATHErsTIC MORALS.

UNSAFENESS OF ATHEISTIC MORALS.
TN R,r. W. r. yiEocat at th> Church Of TIE Coven1"t
AT the Church of the Covenant, Park-aye.
and Thrty-nttst the Rev. Marvin X. Vincent preached
Yesterday TIC selected the following as his text:
Aud the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth
and why (. thy countenance fallen II thou doest well
shalt thou not be accepted And If thou doest not WE'LL
sin eth at the door And unto thee shall be his desire
and thou shalt rule over him." Genesis, w.; and
After speaking az some length as to the secret ana
crafty character Of SIM tho preacher SAID: How much
evil moreover makes its way into and into our so
ciety by virtue OF association with good And one oil the
worst manifestations of this Is the social currency
which IS given 10 OF loose morals, ami VINO hold
theories utterly subyer5yo OF social order ald domestic
peace on the ground OF their Intellectual eminence
Certain Christians and hOughtful influential Christians
are in part to blame for this They anxious to
show these men that Christians con ap-
precate intellectual excellence that the Cos
pei Is not the strdght-laced system which 80 many
suppose be, that they praise and httar them with
out sterny ami percmptOry challenging them on the
side where they most vitality affect society For man
urinary relations to society are hs moral relations.
The question which most the safety and peace
and order OF society is not How much does the man
I" bit us hc good and pure = No intellectual
power cmncnce compensate for the lack OF this.
The more a man knows the more power he has TO do
mischief If he be a bad man. thinker il power, and
thing wnig it society to know is how that
power gong to act upon public morals; upon domestic
sanctity upon the great fundamental institutions OF
religion. And care not how transcendent tho intel
ectual power how brilliant the literary achievements
how enchanting the social qualities Of man. If he sets
his face against the principles of Christian morality
and by his practice dees them nothing ought to pre-
vent the Christian press and Christian society from
branding him as a beast at the door Christian
sentiment wants toning up on this point
Atheistc morals are not safe. How should
man who recognizes no God DO expected 10
have any morals want our reading and thinking
young men to their guard here You are fascinated
by the brllliancy Of OF these modern thinkers
You are impressed with their views great questions
OF history OF finance OF political economy; and this is
all well only be careful what they bring to you along
with these Follow down their philosophers to whore
they touch your common life and If at that point you
detect the mark OF the beast upon them If you find
them crouching there for a spring upon religion and
manly faith and womanly honor and domestic saucty.
draw bolt and bar upon them forthwith. You cannot
afford TO give yourselves up 10 such leaders as these
Still another phase OF the secret ana crafty nature OF
sin appears IN the false imperfect ideals OF goodness
which il helps create, and tins we see specially Inns
trated the that many persons have negative
selves by what they not rather than Oy what they
nations OF many men, We should doubtless find them
making up their moral account somewhat in this wise:
" am not Incorporate am not dishonest or mean IN
my business. am not wanting In outward respect to
5 heS the poor a May no my Conscience be At
resti Do not my ways please GodP' answer, are you
satisfied with such account OF your fellow-man
Does a man commend himself 10 your friendship be-
cause he has never stolen or edf DO you think man
eligible partner in business because he never failed
or cheated mis- credtorsi DO you select literary
panon the ground that he never wrote anything i'm
ali these relations. You want to know how much tact
enterprise and capital; what attractive social
minds are possessed by these candidates for your
condolences. And the who arc living securely under
fha moth nf w ut hey hay
done thus far under the power of the beast at
the door. God wants 10 know what you are. What Is
the positive quality OF your Inanhoodi Put your ideal
beside the Gospel IDEAL perfect man, to the measure
Of the stature of the tansss Of Christ" aud how IL is
would have to-day upon the worlds homage or love or
loyalty il he appealed TO It merely on the ground Of
what he not and did not de.
And closely related to this truth Is that other upon
weh can Se n % How o
these crouch unsuspected at the door How many men
sum up compacently the catalogue OF their II dongs,
left undone.. III thou doest not WELL sin lieth
about those WHO should come up In the last
day and. who should be condemned on the
nasmuch as ye did il not unto one Of the least OF
thesep You will be surprised TO find how much stress
virgins we're excluded for emitting to provide oil for
their lamps The holder OF the talent was punished
but merely for not using it, aud close viii
reveal the fao that terrible share OF our msdeeds are
1 make compromise with the emascuated modern
theories concerning Satan understand the Scriptures
TO teach the doctrine Of personal devil and that
the devil is only the evil magnings Of mans own heart
If this were so then Christ when he tempted was
tempted by his own evil thoughts and consequently
not without sin, as the Word declares him TO be. He
WAS tempted We tempted by personality outside
OF himself, an evil being who commands aud Yields the
enormous machinery OF evil so far as God permits and
who burns with hatred toward the souls for which Christ
died. What he was In Gains time he In Peters time.
who marked him for Gil time to come your adversary the
devil as roaring lion wsketh about seeking whom he
may devour" But thou shoudst rule him." Once
aroused to the vigilance and intent OF this cunning
adyersary the instinct OF self-preservation tells
something must be done. And that because this life
question. II IL not whether the beast Ut the door shall
come In for moment II Is whether he shall come IN
and make den OF the human soul and bring oil its
noble furnishing into the service Of his beasDes Bin
seeks to the human heart that AZ rule there
aud surely as 10 10 not ruled 10 wili rule. But
thou shouldst rule over not only because It's rule Is
fatal not only because the OF sin Is DEATH but
because 1t 10 essentially uniting that man made IN
Gods Image capable OF performing divine behess, aud
OF enjoying heavenly pleasures should be subject 70 the
low bestial rule of Men the name OF Satan
lightly TO point their ess They form their notions OF
HIM from a literature which represents him rather u
tricky clown than awful power But the Word OF
God does not treat him III this II sets him forth
q formidable adversary. I'VE wrestlo," says
Paul, against prncpaities. powers foroos, rulers