, 1875-01-24
Charity.
Dr.. Leeds the Coming Man---
Clcrgymen's Salaries.
Hrs. Van Cott's Story OF Her Pro-
longe0 Fast.
Opinions Of the Religious
Press.
Notes and Personals at nomo and
abroad.


A LAY SERMON.
.1Cf TEE dgEAIEsr or THESE Is cHAn1TK"
It s quits \ Common custom with clerical
sernoni1e.s, when they have selected I psrt OF 4
yesse or ss1teoce \ text to read s. explana-
tori thereto the context. In humble imitation
OF my reverend co-wotkers, will give the sub
stance Of the verse from which my text il taken.
There reuA:ueth7 therefore, these three.
FAITH Hope, and Charity. But the greatest OF
rncse is Charity" These three" have been
.oHs known a. the three Christian grsees, hut
lie LAST mentioned Is the crowning one OF al,
xnd. when fnily comprehended in all its heighth,
breadth, and depth, will BE- found to include Ill
the others.
Charity 1s by many supposed to eonsist in
giving aims, in feeding the hungry. and other
wise nlnisteung to the necessities ct the poor
and destitute. To be sure, this is one Of the
attributes OF charity; brt It is not the thing
1tsel., fer little further on wo read, stT1ough
distribute Ill my goods to feed the poor, and
sivo my body to be burned End hare not
charity, 7 An as sounding brass and tink1ing
czusheL" Among The qualities Of this transcend
eEt Christian grace are enumerated these:
..Cha1ity eu1creth long and il kind; ia not
pulled up; saunteth not itself; thnketh no
cyl." etc. ''
What, then. is trua Christian charity7 There
ire many questions which can be better answered
~ negatives than by aitirnahons aud shall
inst a:te1np. to eEou what charity is, by show
.ag nhat it is not
t1rs1- than: i il not religious enthusiasm;
indeed the most noted instances Of religious en-
thun:..n recoided in history are characterized
H. ". s1,sa,,o. - .h.r;4,- u .-.s -o,,c,o,. ..-
- - ~o0oN@o ot et@', - "A0 49," 1.4:.
>hosaasm "n1cn eausea tne cries OF CrucaS
Him cruelty uim!" 1t Has religious enthusi-
Asu that caused the 1ua1tyrdo1n Of thousands
a:,,p7 .ha a.r,r ,entn,;a. ~ tn. rh,;s+i.n er~
=. -. .~.1.~;s.. -s:.,. s..~-;.1s.a 49,
~ woe 1en6iooe eo~-1.nAaS' ".t'ea 314 .tsaeo @1e
impetus OF tic Crusades; and, anspreo BY the CITY,
t'Goa wills it !" thousands on thousands marched
to the rescue OF the Holy Sepulchre the maiori-
~ nr ,vbo,o ,s.t +ba;r hooaa tn b1s.rh on tha
49, r. ~s,;.,o,,- ss+..,..;..,7 ~1.;s, =.
aeoe's' ~ "aD teAsious e'suoH.aen "n4ea o.
.ah.1lhed and maiutalned the 1nquisition with
iis untold horrors. 1t EAa religious enthusiasm
that hunted to the death the Waldenses
III their mountain home, tbs Co1enanters
in Scotland and tho Nou-Comfornihta in
Enr.and In ehnft ali the 1nijona
WHO nave been butchered roasted, and tortured
III the us.ne Of thn Princa Of Peace these last
eichtoen hundred years wero victims of 1el1e-
ioua enthusias1n but we look in vain for any-
thing supruxi matinr to Christian charity in a1f
1hie fearfuI catalogue.
Our own countt7 hns hsnpilv heen comnsra-
ri1ely Tres ftuu bloody porAec,ltions and vet our
record mas soma dark biota upon its pages The /
:a,Lo,s manifested itelf in thar persecutiou OF
Ouske.s and Baptists: it drore Roper Williams |
.n.a the wilderneas as an outcast and pus to |;
death helpless old WOMEN and othera who we're |
tho sanity Cotton Mati,e1, the abIest ciereymsn
IN Nsw England in Ala day and generation. This
fesrfcl liet of the fruits Of RELIGIONS entfusiagm
might ba extended .lmost indefinitely, but
enough has been cited to .1betantiate the truth
CT tho proposition that religious enthuslssm il |
aot charity. On the CONTRARY, they more nearly
provo tuat tho two are almost incompatible.
In the eecond place: Religious zeal for the
sonveruion OF sinners il not always Christian
shs1itg. That there bnye been manv Who. ia d.
ro,ing their lives TO this work, wera actuated hT
ftnnine charity. there can be no question: but
Ehen We look 1T the Burchards, the Maf6tts.
Ind the Knapps Of the past generation, aud tue
Eam1nonds Of tue present daY, Vie ind = p,ent-
:-aoes and 60 We are forced TO the conciusion
sLks there may be fe1y zeal in the eo-called
work Of converting sinners, aud set An absence |
al true Christian charity,
JAird-A strict adherence to orthodox creeds
e not charity. This proposition ia 80 we'll sub
in our own times and our own city
that 1t is needless adduce specific evidence. It
Is one Of those sef-evident truths that require
:1el.her proof nor argument. One has ouly to
,:al to m,nd some Of the church wrangles and
ecclesiastical trials which hsve occurred in our
midst during the past TWO or three years to be
convinced that one NAV be sound to tie core on |
zhc thirty nine articles or the 'setven points,"
ard ret be full Of uncharitabEeness; bonert and
si1.cere, perhaps, and yet miEtakipg \ parrow
bieotry for ITS exact opposite Christian charity.
Fos4raiy-Tle giving OF large auns to erect
purchase organs, nay the salaries OF
ELOQUENT preachers and artistic eipcers is not i
,tsIity, but too often re know that those whose t
subscriptions to theEe objects are large and seem
liberal .-e prompted solely by spirit OF pr1de t
md rivalry that is wholly foreign to that charity
which s11urteth uok itself " and .sis not putfed
IT,"
WHAT IS cnanrrY2 !
answer hfi1mat1yely: It is love. love t
fIich recognizes the universal brotherhood of !
,.x. - 5.3;,l,4. -, a.su~ rnol - III .u:tk.-4