New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-02
CHRISTIAN POLYTHEISM.

daned by Bishop Potter.
CHRISTIAN POLYTHEISM.
ne Rer E. d. Washban< D. D. al Calvary Protestant hpop''
Church
The services at Calvary Church. at Ninth
ave- and Twenty frstst.. yesterday morning were con
Quoted by the pastor Rev. Il. A. Washburne, d. d.
The sermon was upon real worship Of the true God
The text was taken from Exodus. 25th chapter "a ana
"a verses 1" am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have
no other gods before :" and Matthew, eth chapter
path verse: " We cannot serve God and Mammon.'
The law of Israel begins with this belief in one
persopsl Iawgiver 1t came from God and bears the
image and superscrpton OF Its author This law was
the most wonderful OF uterances IN the history OF man
kind. 1t evidence that except among the heore"
people, there were who believed In tho one COD
AS far back In the twilight of the past as we can trace
we find the worship OF the and the hosts OF Heaven
throughout the East All this form OF polytheism,
passing through every form TO the later ldOiary OF
time an idea of holy being. There were undoubtedly
tunes when purer idea existed, but u was glnnei-
the truths Of revelation. Now consider this on soii
tary example 10 an ancient people Israel heiu Denel
tits made the of their commonwealth andi
this truth which them from the other nations OF
who deny revelation say the Hebrews learned 1t OF
Moses from the priests OF Egypt No trace OF such
SSined the crocodile and other animals. 1t has been
said that fad in the Old Testament traces OF early
doary among tho Hebrews, or that their only IDEA OF
their deity that OF one greater than the others
| Truth ike this could not have come from a
| people SO low. The minds of men OF science
| today can discover nothing but primary force,
not God. The faith OF the Hebrews was the slmpes,
OF Justice and perfect holiness whom they worshipeI
| All their statutes the uterance of this divine
spirit Looking at the question OF Poytheism It seems
TO marvel 10 see these nations OF the past iVing IN
onorance for ages will not touch upon the statement
that polytheism was st In the Thoughts OF man. There
is 10 me stronger evidence that faith in the one God
his original inheritance and that polythelsm Is one
Poythesn is in its roots the deihed passions of
They that make gods like them. 1t ID not the
Religion .that makes the character, but the character
thaI makes the religion. We accept this sublime truth
stone of religious faith. But this belief IN God is not
than for the early believers an abstract
doctrine. We accept. beyond the Hebrew belief
second text, The mammOn Of which lie
believe In one God We don't worship the dees Of the
heather. We look with wonder and scorn at the
ignorance OF the poor dolater. what do We believe
The unity of such being may be to us an article OF our
creed, while tits really denied 1t may be purely
negative idea which does not affect us AZ all what IS
faith Is 1t simply mental proposition which
makes all the difference between Christians aud
heahonsi This is law OF our Master, Christ That II
anything which has our devotion more than our
The God we talk oils Que spirit The God we worship
Is the CHERISH The conception that every mind
takes OF The character OF God the exact image OF LIS
| own moral character The athes3 rejects Him The
superstitious man always paints Hun to his fancy IN
and In that way Christianity is transformed into
| poytheism. Where is the difference, If be worship
Venus god OF drunkenness. Where is the difference
between tine man who kGeels at the shrine OF Pluto
| not st. Peter whose toe is worn with the kisses
his1votariesimuch the same as the Jupiter Of an
earlier temple. 1t may well startle us when how
| ike the modern refinement Of Paris and NewYOrk Is
that OF Athens, In our modes OF amusement, In the
! losing OF our regard for the marriage bond. ia our
licensed prostitution In the growing increase OF the
population which is living its folly. We have not the
gladIators and our Oaths III the OF the
Pagan gods, but our religion seems sometimes TO have
only superficial difference. Apply 1t 10 our
| dsilv NJ traveller
the place OF the teachers art TO oil time. ne
walks aTst OF all to tho AcTOpos; which
Imagine then SOME sage OF Athens reyistng our world
and WIN the same feeling which leads US to the
Pantheon makes hs may 10 the greatesst christian
the pie whose gilded cross points beavenward. 1t is
Lent, He the Threshold. gezes on the carved
ers Of the priest wander among empty He thinks
this must be the temple OF some less deity. He pauses
He cannot understand the tongues but he the talk
lug He hears of the chief ana the OF
doubt the temple OF the Christian Deity And if the
heather should mistake Exchange for the temple of
our God he would only mistake as 10 what we worship
! in name ASK how much we spend on our marble pal
and how much on our Christian education and on
real beuevoenoe Think OF these things ana le Inc II
they are worthy 81 the regard Si amen
/ have seen a Turk turn scornfully from
Christian who would lie and steal while he worshped
does not soon embrace religion OF which he only
from those who did not practice It, what does matter
|
not have virtue enough In the national conscience to
obey simplest law Of God in regard TO our integrity
and purity il Judges rich and our counseors
the COMPANIONS Of thevesi This is the poly heism
| may practice. Yet idols in our hearts may be
| a. burtful In HIS eyes though they were
| carved Of gold stone. IL may be that
the Pagan standing by the side OF the Christian, and
sayiDg not blessed by Thy TRUTH" may receive
| a much more mercful reply than he who heard the
words Of Cod Turning TO the prophecy OF Isaiah, we
fnd IL was o moral atheism which rendered the religion
OF the Jews farce. Turning TO the early ages OF re-
giop at It's Acknowledged center when the doctrine or
the Incarnation OF Christ was almost lost, you see
Mobammed in the name OF the one God striking Chris
| tiauity into the dust.
| Examples enough there are OF this, IL you have
eyes TO see them. The periods when unbellef
prevailed have been times OF stagnatQn IN the
Church We talk Of intdelity our threatening ev,
and OF The alarming growth OF fasehood In science but
IL 70 deeper that we are TO trace that ev--the
features Of modern life care not what theories of
God and the soul OF science may draw, nave
no fears that the doctrine Of evolution can touch
the spiritual truth. IL is not in that denial IL Is the
| moral denial have most TO fear. Let there
| DO with us that real faith In God, In the
| purity Of the household and In the spiritual life
Of those who proiessed members Of the Church OF
Christ II keep the virtue which preserves people
| our Christianity will endure III an age OF selfish
wealth succeeds II our freedom becomes only license II
the love OF humanity becomes cold. II our gospel be no
longer the soul of al moral duty, II these be thy
gods OH Israel IT makes little difference how many
Churches are rased the name or Christianity cannot be
got that God is the God Of truth and love.