, 1874-04-06

I whole way .nlong through history, and henoo
could not accomplish much with q sword in ono
hand anl Easter lowcrsin tho otlior. Tho poot-
| ~ Of religion diod In tho long oonilict.
In, the Joy aud gratitude Of this day, our
l,earts should not fatl to DO thankful that tho
world haB 10 advanced in tho enlightenment
mont of Christian brotherhood, such Tint, at
| Inst this dny comea baok to our sanctuary and
excltes no ill-wi1 no bitter momo1ry of popo or
Bishop but only d B0crod remembrance Of tho
yorsal is 40 omptied Of old animonlty, that tho
Protestant Churches rojoioo, bolievp, to join
| this dny with tho Catholio world in confcssing
tho religious worth and boausy Of tho hour, and
| In Joining them, though at aoparato nltars, III
this worship Of joyfulneaa.
III coming up to Buol, day as this, wo havo
| not encountered n kind of accitont IN the ro-
lgion OF jesus, but hayo como to its innormoHt
OF this religion declares that lIir yoke Is easy
and Ills burden light, We may accept Of tho
words o. covering al tho days of this, pilgrim.
age. Whom looked at from the standpoint Of
wrath, and too narrow for olthor Nro or donth
whoBo confines wore single nation, whose
religion was au extornal offering Of tlools. aud
whose whole emblem was d Sinai covered with
With It's perfection Of reaaon, md with its ro-
1omption Oh the croBs, md With Its forgiveness
and brotherhood Of man, and loving prosonco OF
God, becamo easy, and His burden light.
US that wtoovor would follow Christ must deny
himself and take up tho oroFa, 1t would
aoem that christianity woro Hent forth npou a
mission Of sorrow; but much OF that lan-
guage WAS dfrocted to 1thoae immediate times,
WHOM to follow Christ waa to movo in faitli
which led to martyrdom. II was necessary for
st. Paul, md for toms Of thousands around hts
gravo, to turn nwny from the paths of carth1y
Happiness, aua, budding farewell to friends, to
look death calmly in tho faco, as tllo fato Of d
m
over tho martyra Of Piedmont paaBos beyond
his horizon, and becomes fnll Of awful aolcmni-
| ty when breathod over tho first four eenturieg Of
our Lord, -
Who were thy sheep, and In their ancient fold,
Slain by tho bloody plodmonteso that rolled
Sss ss y aassu
Their mnrtyrea blood and ashes sow "
Dor ell tho Itatian fields.
In view Of thoHe, dark agos, whose fury. II
seems, vas not wholly to die away for n thousand
yoars, Christ handed to Ills children the en-
bem OF tho croes, to 60 with thoa, tho onablom
of many Borrow and many martyrdom. Thus
fool that most Of the half-molanoholy words
buttons that would follow, md exhausted thou1-
| solves upon that apeoinl Bhoro leaving Ills
broadcast and everlasting declaration to bo that Of
the text: MY yoke is easy aud my burden il
this or TINT period. or this or TINT honrt, but Us
general truth, embracing all lands nnd all hui
manity, Christianity is tho most abundant foun-
tain Of hopp!nosa Of whose watcrs the human
this world, it ought to DO found in tho obedience
OF etloh morals aa aro wl1tton in the Sermon up
on the Mount, aud In such d life OF broad love
and charitable faction as are scon in tho lifo Of
through Him, md in that hope Which there bursts
upon tho vision beyond His open tomb.
II should doolare that, apart from tho fear Of
martyrdom, there i8 no crosB to be borno,
should overlook q certain solf-denia1 which does
indaod belong to this religion. But 1t Is almost
good aelf, but Of q wicked self. We are not
asked to deny eolf anything TINT belongs to tho
broadeat and highest development. but II thero
invited to cut OF that form Of human energy.
Tho solf-donial Of religion so,Sns to be 10 deny
ing tho hoart tho privilege OF it's own disgrace.
II not to steal bo O. aolf denial II not to bear
inaensible to tho wants of our foilow-man, aro
self-donlna then Christianity is full Of 1t. But
il VIC pass by IN unworthy natura as being somo-
thing whose qualification is d simple disgrace,
os sna for Of 9ay oh4sanv o so and e h S
denial, but q solf-lovo and disqualification.
Much Of the self-donial which lingors in tho
Christian philosophy aud practice, has boon
:hioh rssiea adsaneed 'ss; aineiod 10 |Dee1kh VEG
tho horrid ideas Of Pagnnism. IA tho
Hindoos try to please their goda BY hoop
and by thruating lot irons through tho ileeh, 50
tho scmi- Christian times, lmping on tho borders
Of Pagan darkness. have had their sainta Of
pillar and of cavo, and as the children Of Bongal
hayo for thousands Of yoars run fartfor to SEQ
the faklrs coming into tho village, cutting their
own bodies with knives, 60 have the Christian
villages in Europe followed, in wonder and
reverence, a procession OF 1agellante marching
to; q chorus Of whips, and with feot Hprinklel
with blood. =
Both thoso oscenes-onofn India, under Vishnu,
f,Aa t., -
OF the samo human heart, living in native
ignorance which was still bringing to boar upon
the new gospel a folly Of logic and Of soul
that Lad boon producing tho same deformitics
ba Fl ha9ng the TIE N and the
self wherever Christian has worn girllo OF
thorna; whorovor a Christian mother has
tried to, loyc her child less that sho
inlEht. l !, love ' her e. :, God j. more; wherever
that ho might dwol only In tho light Of God,-'
there all these woll-meaning ones hnve revealed.
not the import Of Christianity, but tho dark
shadow OF that realm away from Christ, whore
where strong mon hayo, in tho name Of God,
bold up their right arm fill 1t withorcd or have
gazod ut the sun TIL thoy became blind forever. :.
My courage has failed undor what 1t called tho
cross, but which was indeed only folly. When
Madame duion resolved that sic would not feel
sad when hor children should die. but should
!ay .y them e., IN ne grave as she had put them in
tne cradc at night and when Wo perceive that
this sho actually did, and shed no teare, but
smiled on them dead as eho had smiled on them
living, wo must not be betrayed, oven by hor
ranA Or culture, or fortune, into the belief TINT
ahe waa unveiling any Of the. mysteries Of our
religion, but must confous that :hor groat
m mind and hoart woro touched by
that shadow OF inlnisy which has
thrown Its darls limo acroaa al tho intellocte a
which haye over lived, however groat or humblo,
Every soul born Into tho world Is born into MIS-
takoa Be the INTELLECT as lofty. as that OF De-
moethonos or Matthew Hale be tho genius de
divine as that OF Dante or Shakespeare; bo the
heart aa sweet as TINT Of Feuolon or .Oowpor,
across 1t aomowhere vii fall q dark line, the
Is mono good but God. Escaping from this in
tlucnce Of innato intirmlty, and OF surrounding
barInriBu, aud coming up faco to faoo boforo tho
actual religion Of Christ, NO seem bound to con-
fess that its yoke Ia easy, and ltB burden light.
Tho escape from q low life to u higher ono, tile
refuge from sin found In tho riftod rock, tho now
lovo towalu oil mankind. md toward. God, tho
better readng oflife'a aignitlcanco and tho per-