New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-11-16
ORIGINAL, SINFULNESS.

OF original stu In man,
e.. 8: For by grace are ye saved through flith aud
| that not OF yourselves 1t Is the gift Of God"
The necessity OF divine revelation or teaching said be-
has limitation which goes far TO determine tho method
| Of instruction In every age. There can be no other
Teaching except such as is commensurate with the
faculty. the Intelligence, the moral condition OF those to
whom the teaching Is sent. Experience also shows mat
| in teaching men their ideas. their Institutions. their
customs tie relgning philosophers Of the time have
much to do determining the manner and form OF the
instruction We this not only TO be so. philosopl-
cay viewed but historically this Is tho mode In which
moral truth has been developed. Is has coniormcd
ITSELF as to methods to the receptive power Of the age
| In which 1t was given to men.
In the most ancient times discern mode OF teach
ing very different from that which obtained during the
period Of the prophets and the instruction derived from
them Is very different In Its adaptation and methods
from that which given by Jesus Christ, Insensibly
and almost without recognition different nations In df
ferent periods have their style Of thought, and
sprnging from this fact Is tho necessity OF adapting to
according to s mode OF thought the great sub
stantal truths which have been held In the Christian
Church. At time when royalty expressed the highest
conception Of dignity and beauty there was derived
from royalty certain IDEAS that would be ntclighlc to
those bred under such institutions and in sympathy
with them but what Is there In the glory OF sovereignty
that IA sweet or agreeable TO bred up In demo-
cratic NewEDeland or America We have been trained
by our political Institutions not so much to center the
glory OF the State in its representative head. making
him magnificent for the sake OF the glory reflected upon
u.s. as TO give power to tho These principles Of
translation what make preaching necessary and
what lead every intelligent preacher to adapt himself
and the great truths OF the Gospel to tho wants OF the
time in which he lives and the requirements Of tho being
he teaches.
We are living in transitional age. Everybody IS
saying that old institutions are relaxing customs are
changing habits OF thought developing differently
new PHILOSOPHERS coming in. science occupies rcla
ton to education that it did before the study OF
ma g. conducted upon entirely dircrent principles, and
20 20 on in simply the old language Is not to
teach at ALL 1t ia to teach falsely. Now IN our time
aud age however much men seek 10 caver mp these
que stons such IL the prevalence Of Intelligence among
now of discu in the magazines spapars
all great questions, ard sch especially Is The dlhisi0n
OF scientific knowledge That the Investigation or mans
physical social and moral nature, the conditions into
which comes the influence OF condition upon him. IL
going on and this Ugh study ofhuman s
going to stop. 1t i dised among the common people II
vail on that saiect aud insists upon tho old terini-
oogy AMI shuts out the light OF common knowledge,
what will be tho result II will bo that won't go
20 church or they do it will be for something besides
instruction They NAV 90 10 church as certain sort OF
cnarm kiud OF compliance that kind mys-
ferrous vir;uc IT, while they will underneath carry
their thought aud feelings, aud there will be
division between mems beliefs aud their conducts. It
is great deal better therefore, that the great truths Of
the Gospel shall receive an interpretation according
to the condition OF the generation IN whch they arc
But is truth ruta forever. aud the same No.
it IS not Suppose were to say Of agriculture that IL
changes from day to day. What! does nature changei
Was not agriculture In the earliest period In Rome,
Greece. or nedeyal Europe down to our Day subsan-
tally tho samel Yes; there were certain laws or
ture development OF those laws was so different
that the description IN one case Is not description OF
other IL has been taken Tor granted tnat men were
sinful Are they 1t has been sad that they were uni
were depravod totally Are they These fair ques-
lions and questions that are very largely debated Some
men-lnd they esteemed the most Orth0dOx--hod
that men are polluted, and sinful in every par, OF their
nature. Others speak OF the dignity OF human nature
belong 10 the first class believe that all mankind
is sinful, and yet cannot say that men are totally de-
PRAYED. Speaking in the language or emotion and feel
s as OF SfH p ShS % say ' SHAH
we say that because lam and Eve sinned
manded that their whole pOsery cursed, and that
this God wisdom and love has been pouring ont that
OF their first parents with which they had nothing to
dol don't wonder that that scheme was held in those
framed as % philosophical explanation before mems
rights we're known. Tna scheme is not TO be covered
But IN our day teach IL is to blaspheine the OF
the Highest. We have been educated IN the spirit OF
the Gospel Our ideas have been enlarged as to what
man should be, 10 what magistrate should be.
can worship god that has In transcenden excellence
the noble lore and care OF my father and my mother;
but TO cothe God IN those traits which have been in
history the attributes Of Nero and CalSu ana to put
IN the DIVINE Government that which we deest IN all
human governments, Is TO lead men down the broad
road 10 inf ielltv. IL teaches men what they revolt
FROM in the best part Of their natures IL makes man
leave the church through his best impulses and though
called in1ie perhaps. he Is much better man in his
But the other hand, II you set aside this scheme
what nave you to propose in Its steadl don't propose
anything except simply what see think whatever
may DO mems theories or PHILOSOPHERS, the facts or
history with oude- and clearer emphasis that the
human race to the globe at an exceedingly low
level. I say that men were created az tue very
minimum point Of humanity, as near zero as # Is
possible be- and that historically their unfolding has
been very gradual The Divine scheme has been 10
take men at her seminal point at the alphabet ana to
spell out civilization BY gradual Instruction until the
present day. How are men brought into life There
viii be before the sun goes down thousand children
horn
came here this morning. They will be pushed
into life without faculty or function. bringing
In vita them the accumulated traits OF their
dfinking sleeplng-nO;hing more. AS they grow q
little larger they surrounded by circumstances
winch bring selfdofeDse aud the other lower forms
OF faculty. Dill these children fall from original rghte
ousness They created simply bundle OF eapac
Ties without idea TO be developed by the crcum
stances that shall surround them, the men that shall
Won upon the world as God has made it-not 40
cordlng TO ycOnstrued texts, not the theo
loglans talknow do men come Into this iei Do they
come In nobles heroes saintsl Are they sprung from
the Divine mint, shining like silver dollars ready for
universal circulation Tue whole creation DeDOlds
man born into life ut low stage aud subject TO deye
saw first that the sinfu IS often used In
vague and general a sense thai 10 dont bear to be
measured with any literaness hold men were born
life withous what called original righteousness
IL defined In the CatechIsn one OF the signs Of
depravity yOu say 1t Is ono OF the signs OF inferorY
agree. They born not only without original right
he feels. Just In proportion man Is honest and JUS
In proportion he has IN him the ideal standard OF
accuses himself and says, am sinful" He don't feel
that he Is guilty OF what Adam did and Of the things no
could pot help Ii his father had the govt and trans
mitted 10 hun, he don't say AIN guilty OF IT,"
Wheu therefore, salvation offered to the human
race is the salvation that be offered to
ignorant KImscnaIkan. for Instance We are nchoed
~ ..Is N