The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-04
MASONIC TEMPLE.

THE ETERNAL LIFE-MR. o. B. FRoTHINGHAM
DEFINES IT AS THE LIFE OF LOVE, OF SWEET
NESS, OF PRINCIPLE
Mr.. o. b. rockingham addressed large audience
yesterday morning at Masonic Hail. Fine weather is
always favorable to piey, and the clear, beautiful day
no doubt attracted many who would otherwise have
stayed at home Mr. Frothngham's audiences rather
different from those of most OF city preachers.
There decided foreign elemen-a sprinklng of Ger
mans, French, Hungarans, and representation of the
tree-thinkers, woman sutragiss and others depthod
with advanced thought which gives it quite peculiar
character His theme yesterday was the Eternal
Life which he defined that of higher beauty and Of
noble purposes and painted in the most deastc colors
THB MuTABLE AND MMuTABLE
1t is large theme, and which may scarcely dis
in full Ny aim will only be to throw few pebbles
into the water and to show you that there ocean
there "The Eternal Life there is an inhnitude of
meaning in this The corresponding term in the
Greek Testament has been rendered both into "ever-
lasting" and "eternaL" Everlasting means that which,
to our comprehension, never to end !;
eternal signifies that which has nothing to do
with time which is out of time which tran
sends it. Eternal things are contrasted not with
everlasting things but with things emporal-namely,
our bodies our houses dominions, treasures.
You cannot think of any OF these worldly things with
feeling that time changes and annihates them
there things which time cannot anect-pure anec-
tions, sincere purposes, profound convictions How
long does it take to conceive a noble thought9 Who
tell how long 1t takes for beautiful dream to take
possession of tho heart? These things conquer time
IMMORTALITY AS CURSE
The Greeks have beautiful story of Who by tho
favor of the goddess OF Dawn privileged live
immortal life upon earth. All those he loved passed
away before HIM, empires banished, civilizations dlsap-
peared-but he lived on, haggard wasting and he
finally impored the goddess to take away the of
everlasting life He had forgotten ask for youth
along with everlasting life, and without what could
it be but a curse2
What is the " eternal God " Of whom we speakp Let
us go far thought will wander when the eternal
heavens shall be rolled up SCROLL when the stars
shall have died out when other systems OF creation
shall have suppantcd this-anu does that give you
adequate idea of the eternal God No. it is only
when you think Of that truth which holds sway gener
alton after generation of that ineabe kindness and
mercy which will blot out niquty-it is only
then that you conceive of the eternity Of God In
the 'nferno of Dante read descriptions of eternal
punshments and the poets imagination is taxed TO the
uttcrmost to devise eternal means OF torture But
the tragedy OF 'Macbeth" and read the scene where
Lady Macbeth reviews the guilt Of the past. That Is
eternal punishment
ETERNAL JOY.
Do we speak OF eternal joyY According to the Mo-
hammedan creed the disciples Of the prophet will enjoy
all the luxures of the flesh in Paradise will be attended
by the most lovely hours, and safety will blight
their rapture Is there any thing everlasting about 1T
1t is only the everastingness of the swine There is
an old beautiful story OF pious monk who listened in
q wood TO the enchanting warblng OF nightingale and
after his revery Of song he returned to the monastery
But the fences we're all broken the edfce decayed
ottering figure met him and greeted him as the long
forgotten Brother Bernard who had been away thirty
years The music Of the nightingale had made him
obvious Of time-hs pleasure was truly eternal
CHANGING MORALITY.
Morals differ in every community In one place It is
wrong TO drink at all in another it is deemed wrong
not to drink good deal Qaughter.) In Springfield
Mass, you are not gentleman If you gamble; in Mo-
naco you are not gentleman unless you patronize the
faro table. Thus man OF morality may change but
man OF principle is ever the same. He believes that
idle speculation is wrong that gambling is an intamy in
ITSELF that the appetite for drink like every other
be curbed Do We begin to the difference between
the everlasting and the eternal2
MMoRTALITY OF BEAUTIFUL
man who, according to his ability, sees and pro-
claims the secret mystery OF life Is poet Lowly,
poor afflicted yet he IS not cast down, sights Of cees
tal beauty gladden. him and nstil into his soul purest
joy Take the artist who beauty in every flower,
in every face The touch OF Raphael OF Tintoretto
is not for to-day nor for to-morrow-it lives when
Beethoven at his toneess piano, he is
deaf, but he feels out with his imagination
the beautiful harmonies that come surging
to his soul and as long as there is any for tho
sweet, sad music Of humanity Beethoven will be
Of the eternal OF the world But you will say this
eternal life have painted Is only for grand poets paint
ers, musicians for men OF genius Nay. Is there any
woman who has not some time caught glimpse
of this life, be it so feeting resolution TO help
your kind of the dignity OF life and OF the
sacrcdness of the human persons Perhaps II may
come when some very dear TO US passes away. II
is what Wordsworth tries TO describe in his Ode TO I'm
mortality There instincts before which the NOR
tai man trembles in surprise.
A woMAss CURIOUS EXPERIMENT
The eternal life is very real very earnest thing
which TO OF all creeds to all those who keep
alive the longing for something beyond And Is II not
our duty TO keep alive this IongngS Last summer |
met woman who said she would bring up her children
word religion, the Scripture-the word God. But
what She substitute for these grand old symbols
May she not deprive them also OF reverence
and faith2
THE TRUE ETERNAL LIFE
The revivalists who are TO will say,
"Have you considered that in few years all mortal
things shall have passed awayf" And they Will appeal
TO your terror of the future destiny TO convert you.
beg you remember however that these men will only
talk OF the future and not OF the present OF the external
and not the internal. suppose these men would warn
you against panic, and suppose that on the strength
Of that they would advise you to get out OF the way
would il DO honorable2 Would II not be more honora
Bile advise you not leave the sinking ship but TO
hold ns to it2 Would II not DO more honorable TO say
to you that you must not fee but that you must brave
the dangers and help others tooY Was II honorable
for Americans before the to fee TO England and
there enjoy their possessions in peaceY much better
thing preach OF sweetness OF light, Of love- Of dis
interested sympathy and kindness. OF one thing you
may be ccrtain-that there can be no eternal life with
out these.
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