, 1874-01-19


aw to some higher generalization until 1t reacll-
oa tho ultimate forcos and there confeHnos that
Il FOOLS tho pulsations Of The nniyersal mind,
whose operattoua VIC call tho Holy ep.r1e. must
that loos not look for tho supreme light, and
strive to adjust tho actlona Of men, as far as
poeBibio TO conceptions Of absolute truth, JUS
c and rgnt mat ineyt1oy ,n into
and pleasure Will, its paltry bill Of fare. Tho
iitc. .6oom and froshness Of art, poetry or liter
ature cotnos from tho dow and SUNSHINE OF hope.
aspiration, and faith. 1ts mission is tointorpret
tho futnro The poetry or art that nanst acek for
models aud tbo1ncs In tho decay Of dead olvlza-
liot, tho dchria Of ancient thought, life, and
manners, 1las numbered It's days. and may as
Of M Homer, virgil, Shakespeare, Dante, Milton,
'Nficlaol Angelo, or Raphael, is, tllat more tlRn
my OF sl,e!r eonternnoraroH thcy. dramattzed IN
words. stone, or on lie canvass tho tdoas feel-
inea, paasions, hopoS' aud aspirations Of their
age. ....
All tho life Of political thought comes from tho |
future, from the faith OF people in tho poto1l-
tiai powers and possibilities they possess md |
hopo to roallzo. AL ovor the earth, tho nations
.h arc .ngp gsewng tna n1s seT sFg xg0s sa j. $
mat mated by idosale Of lborty equality, man
hood, wealsh, and power not yet fully attained.
Tho Church that does not coin its theology
consciousness Of mon, aud hclp thom in their
present doubts, struggles, aud temptationB, has
accomplished its miaslon, aud. whatever good IT
may have done In tho past iB now only the
for ,1s to remember that tho spirit Of any time
largely creates tho creed nnd belief OF that sine
Mover was thore so great q folly o. to contend
TINT any set of men, however wiso, good, Or
trinoa tint ahould bo authoritative for all coming
ttmo No statement Of Christianity. however
exhaustive for ono ago, onn meet tho wants OF
all ageB. we hear many juet now complain TINT
the bread in tho Church is stale and mnsty, ls;:,
and cheeao in the field under the open .Bky aud
by tho roar Of the soa. And is it any. wondor,
when tho. breozc that turns tho wcathor-Vane
npon go many church h-steepleB biowa up. out o.
tho dark agcs2 Angels git BY tho tomb doors i[ o.
Christ, Ho Is rsen, and goes beforo you down the
ages, incarnating himself In Its ideas feelings,
laws, and civilizations. Tho doom OF Sodom ia
upon tho Church TINT loohs baok md docs not
fool tho inspiration Of tho presont and read tho
| prophecies Of the future. When Pastor ROBIN
| son proachod to the plrims on board OF tho May-
howor. about to sail In search Of more liberty,
o1presaed the belief dv that = m2To lg4t woa ,Soa
great thought for the time. It IL well Tor na 70
Rood the iaot thai Christianity 70 not some
thing finished and perfect, and laid away
in an ancient book, but Is . loaxen ~ INA thas
]
making human history sort Of holy scripturo.
and tranaiguring art science: culture, ana man
ners withth spirit Of Jesus. Tho Church OF Hope
looka for tue golden ago III the future. enc goes
~ looka for the goldcn.ago IN tho past, and be-
| comes pillar OF salt.
But I wish to give few individual applcaa-
tious Of this law Of growth and development.
| mind with usetul knowledge, iB to petrify. Many
talk as il nArure was plonum, something TN
iahed and that God had closed big account with
it, and ever Bince had been resting and cou-
good that It could not be improved. Bo this as
It may, it is ati true TINT man Ia still III tho pro-
cess of making, and has not received, and IL moi
lkoly worry soon to receive, tue bonedlotion Of
completed work. His naturalattlt.sde is ehat Or Q
perpetual seokor. IL he would live and thrive
he should over SEQ before him some new powoa
Lo noods. and hurry forward md try to overtake
it. When ws weigh tho body, 1t Is its presen
weight in ayordupois VIC aaok, but When VIC try
to Weigh the mind it is not what it knows or ha'
done, but its prcsumptiye value, Its potontia
, powors. the amount that may be made OF 1t
tuet we desire to know. And, now, We grow on
ly 30 far as We are anxious to ontor upon till
ideal estate como into tue o"ner6n1p oil on ny
, grow only 30 far as uebocomo diBcontentod 'S't
the Act1nl. and sock to draw froBler water frou
the aeep wells OF tho Possible. !" Caro- ~ taken,
says Goethe, that tho trees DO not grow int
must grow into the sky aud pnBh out i
boughH into tho finest ether Of thought
or become q dead tree dropping with deca!
This ia why soooty is 10 much like Barnum'
museum, crowded with statueB mummieH, M
, wax-iigures. Instead Of . wide fold Of ments
activity wheeo every one, according to hia cil
cumstanceB and ability, was trying to harvot
:. all the knowledge he could. Tho doom is upo
us all to 80 forward and gather finer Hover
aud fruit than NO haye yet done, or turn to pl
lars Of salt, We must think. or indicate tt
power Of thought. We must think in tue dire'
ton of something now aud {resh or ceaso gro"
ing and come to mental paralysis. -..
You know that In climbing prec1plce or sou
steep ascent that 1t is dangerous to look dowl
for the Load may grow dizzy, the baud rola:
and then all may be loBt. So+too, in our str1gE
aftoe moral worthincss to cherish the habit
ooking hask md mourning , oy9r tue yp1 nrns o.
fatal to growth. Lot tho doasi past :, bury Il
dead. What though that past be all "ablaz
i. with sl,a,no and regret, aud romorso burns ~
soul with 1crcer fame than that which Icked Y
T. the citiesof sodom and Gomarrah:' @ can you p ?.
j t out that lre by turning round to J. loon at II
i Help comes from tho rebound Of the consciont
' from the staggering blow it has received, plan
Ing itB foot more firmly to meet the neat q
Bault. Very much that 10 called repentance
merely sad looking buck and poltlng onea 30 70
!, IL W forgetting ot those things. whit
:, are bohipd ' and q reaching forth uni
those things which arc beiero. sa!vsslon ~ ~
!, of failh and hone. born on tho bright dawn {
/ tile future."t We have iii dono wrong, strange
j and foolishly gono astray. ana the best wuy
show that heartily ashamed Of It ~ y no nos
q do so again, aud meet tho temptations OF sho Il
d ture with more zeal and courage'
4 some religious teachers make great q
= about what they cali tho duty Of solf-examin
tion, or interviewing ones set in order to 1a A.,
d evidence Of ono'a religious state; That eFo
|
:. work on tie affections for the purpose Of bel
,, Ing people ploualy inclined thus to analyze q
j dissect themselves. It ought to be called
ie trouttBe on tho morbid ANTONY o. tue .nl MN
Il the diareu ct people who oyory day kept tally
% their frame oi feeling, g,nnd verify bolieve th
v It is Just about tie driest aud most unwho
& aome kind Of reading one can find in religlo
D, litorature. There il no way one klls more anle
h tllrs cnuBtnr,tl4 handling them. How can 9