The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-08-06
LESSON FOR fHE BAY.
SUGGESTED BY THE TOPIC OF THE
HOUR.

70 just uOh dSlIAte1 DE all lnQulr
o into the moral character of the mo.
: conspicuous preacher Of the age. Re-
: serving all expression Of opinion o
q the merits OF the case for aDOthe
! time, We have a serious sermon to de
; liver, at least great Inference {
draw, in the midst of the melanchOl,
proceedings.
The relations into which a pasto
is brought with members OF his fiOek
and the power which he pOssesse
when he has inspired them wit
strong personal affection for him as
man, place him in circumstances de
} manding the utmost cireumspeetiol
: and discretion. The Roman cOnfes
} siOnsl is sing Of iniqaity the pro
posSl to Introduce All imitation Of
: into Craneh Of the Christian ChnreI
; is sn aOjmiuSttOu, aud the establish
ment Of such relations between a tsas
tor aud his nJck as shall secure fol
him that Intimsey that Ought 10 exis
only in the domestic circle, is als evi
OF fearful tendency aud unspeakssbl,
uangrr- Ministers are ceusurault. Z,
a high degree who encourage thei
people, men OF women, TO eome 4
them with family matters or seere
SORES Some men are LhemSelve
gOssips, anfi delight 10 get ani gi We al
they ca0 Ot social News. and tile m jrs
secret the richer the prize. rhey ea-
courage reveiations When their ears
should be deaftO everything apprOacn-
ing 20 scandal. All jddiciOu4 pastors
discourage familiarity Oh the part of
the people, especially Df the fem lle
denomination.
For this way lies the danger. A
silly woman, piOus, perhaps, bat very
soft aud shallow, hears the stirring
words Of her eloquent pAStsr; Is rOus-
/ ed, warmei, sUOthed, ex4iLs,t-she
thinks edifed-and straightway she
believes him the man sent TO do her
good. She goes 10 his study to tell him
so how much enjoyment she finds
in his words or size writes him let
ter aud pOurs out her little sOni fun
OK twaddic abjut her grAtitu ie Tor
what her dear pastor has d.Jie far
her; how she i'is lifted up" by his
instructions how she loves him as a
friend given TO be her guide and cam
fort and 50 on, and SO on, mUre aud
worse, running into 3 InSwkish SEN
timentality, q sickening m4n-wur-
ship, disgusting 10 every sensible per-
son, but very nectar b vain, world
ly preacher who seeks only t. make
bis bearers Steel good" Sucli people
never go to their pIstor 70 ask "what
they must do 20 De saved ?1 1t Is to
tell him how good they feel /;
how he IS "exAitinx" them, Hilling
them with joy, peace and love"
We cannot go into particulars with
out offending the tastes of every read
er. We make our meaning plain.
We wish 10 be understood as saying
that what worldly preachers and sem
timenLai women C tlI "com mmuniou Of
sOuP' aud "kIn'ired spirits, mutual
help" and ''hOly sympathy" and
words in the same strain, is not re-
ligion-it Is not even religious. Itis Of
the eart:I, earthly. Il Is ''cIrnEl cIn-
eeived In sin." It is simply the lower
nature, the human passion OF one
creature toward another. God Is not
in it, Cid never lei q man or wo-
man to desire forbidden fruit. "Let
no man say when he is tempted,
am tempted Of GJi; every man,
when he Is tempted, is drawn away
Of his own lust aud enticed. Tnen
lust, when u hath cJnceived, it bring
eth forth sin, and sin, when 1t 10 fin
ished, bringeth forth DEATH" It is in
lmmediate connection with these
divine teachings that the inspired
writer goes on to say: Wherefore
lay aside all fiithines4 ami superfini-
ty Of nsughtiness aud receive with
meekness the engrafJed word which
Is able to save your souls"
These are the truths that underl.s
all moral character. rney cJndemu
everything that Is earthly and sensual
and forbid the delusio1 that sinful
Tyearning after affinityif which sacri-
fices the obligation of society, family
and honor, is anything ever akin to
love. It Is an insult to every pure
emotion that humsn or divine nature
ever feels, 10 call this guilty passion
by the sacred name OF toUe Lust is
not love. Desire is not love. Love Is
OF God. God Is love. 1--we ia to be
gratifisd, for all it wants is lovely,
pure, and right. II never seeks any
thing else. It binds .he family and
society and all the good In golden
chains Of pure affection. But It tnever
inspired a sinful desire In q human
breast. No woman is drawn t. anOth-
er woman's husband by love. 20.
A man who is drawn" toward
woman whom he has no right To love,
. woman ".irawu" to man whom
she has no right to love, may be more
sure than II they heard voice out Of
the skies telling them 50, that they
are not "drawn" by divine grace, or q
holy purpose, or any geoi motive
whatsoever. The devil has II bid Uf tile
rope that draws.
Religion IL not a passiJn. IL is q
principle. Religion does not consist
ia feeling. Religion is the Intelligent
belief Of truth that leads to right do
ing; the very meaning OF the word Is
"binding or drawing back" to God; re-
ceiving such views as eonstrain the
soul 70 obey God. He who adopts
views or has feelings which lead him
to do wrong. TO cOvet another mans
house or his wife or anything that is
his, Is not q religious man. He may
be priest at the altsr, but he Is not
religious And woman whose "heaTt
goes outD after another, and turns
away from her husband to lind "sym-
pathy" and support" In the society
Of her "beiOved pastor and writes
him siekly notes and letters revealing
her thoughts aud trials, and declaring
her 'ardent attachment TO him as the
friend whose words are such pre-
e;Ous revelation to her thirsty SOUP
such q woman Is on the verge Of ruin.
There is not thought In her heart
that God loves.
A very large part Of the fiction Of
our day encourages this morbid senti-
ment, In many modern novels
story Of impossible ''lOve'' is the
groundwork. Parties who cannot be
lawfully joined in marriage are made
the lovers Of the book. The intrigues,
crimes, soul-suGerings, and ultimate
happiness Of the guilty are wrought
up Ia the exciting pages Of the novel
Women read these books more raven
ously than men. They feed upon
them. Their effect Is evil and only
evil, and that continually. They
stimulate passion till it Overrides
reason, and conscience and discretion,
sets latent lust on fire, and makes the
human heart a pit with exhalatiOns OF
foul desires offensive to purity and
heaven, IS ByrOn's hell
HWhose every wave breaks on q living shore
Heaped with the damned like peboles."
The number Of ministers who have
brought disgrace upon the pulpit and
religion by vice fOstered In the pages Of
fiction which weak women and young
people dsvOur with q morbid appetite
Unsuitable As the grave, is the evidence
Of an enormous evil that demands the
best wisdom OF philosophy and the
highest virtue OF religion To arrest aud
remedy. But IL there were not a nov
ell In the world, though the evil would
be less, 1t would not cease. Human
nature would be what It Is. And Civ.
en- the same circumstances, similar
consequences will result The warn
ing Is to ministers aud their z,imiring
parishiOnsrs. There is a line, clear
. sunbeam between right and wrong.
In Christian community there is no
ignorance so blind As not tO see il.
Conscience and common sense reveal
It Experience shows its value. His
tory ancient and modern, sacred and
profane, Is full OF illustratiOns. On
the other side Is secret pleasure, re-
morse, shame, blasted households,
tears that God never wipes away. and
damnatiOn just and eternal.-N y
Observer.