New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-11-06

~ ant to DO short-livcd and purely ono
tional, oven when it does not give low views
of religious truth while Others just IA earnest
and devout esteem these two men eyangelists
as truly as were tho apostles, aud regard the
fruits Of their abors as little inferior III the
power and manifestation OF Gods spirit 10
that of the day OF Pentecost.
There il n common sense view to be taken
Of this matter as Of every othes. In the hiSt
place, why should We sncer because large
part Of the multitudes cr0wdiDg into the
Brooklyn Rink are drawn there only by curl
osityl SO they were when they followed
Christ into the streets OF Jerusalem OF the
wilderness; yet they went to the healing oil
their souls. Or that still larger part already
profess Christianity, and believe all that
Moody and Sankcy teach There is not ono
of them who will not he the better for niue
auickening Of his faith, and, we may add OF
his movements too. In the second place, WIN
regard to the men themselves, there can, we
think, be but one opinion as to their sincerity
They are not money makers; they arc not char-
latans. Decorous. conservative England, which
reprobated both their work and the manner OF
il, held them in the full blaze of scrutiny for
motive which was not pure. Earnest AMI SIN
cere men are rare in these days; Is 1t not
worth our while to give to these Gispassion-
ate, unpreiudiced hearingf Thirdly, with re-
gard to their message. They preach no new
doctrine. no dogma OF this or that sect :;
nothing but Christ, and the necessity among
rs of increased zeal in His service. Which OF
us will controvert that truth If the Chris
tan religion is not the one hope for or indi-
yidual and social life, what is
And lastly, with regard to the method OF
these men in presenting Christ and his teach
ing. Men of high culture, or exceptional SEN
sitrvcness of taste, shrink from the famlii-
aIity of words and ideas III which subject
they hold as reVeront and sublime beyond
expression is set forth to the crowd. They
call il vulgar and debasng to the truth. Grant
lug that their opinion is right from their point
of view, what is TO DO done with the crowd
They cannot all be men of fine culture or
exceptional constituencies they arc not moved
To believe or trust in Jesus through phllo-
sophie arguments or contemplation OF Ma
ture, or logical conviction, or appeals to
their aesthetic senses by classical music,
stained glass, or church architecture they
are plain, busy people with ordinary
minds and tastes, yet certainly as Christ
died to save them il is necessary they should
be brought to Him by some means and per-
suaded to live cleaner, higher, more truthful
lives. Christianity is not matter OF grammar
for libraries and drawing-rooms, refined taste,
delicate sensibity. 1t was not to the cultured
classes that Christ himself preached, but to
the working people, tho pubicans, fishermen,
tax-g,atherers, and he used the words and
illustrations which would appeal to them most
forcibly. If Messrs. Moody and Sanizey OF any
other teachers bring Hin directly home to
mems convictions and lead them to amend
their lives for His sake, let us thank God for
the preacher and let his taste and grammar
take care of themselves.
When Whitefold went ZIP and down England
preaching, tho wits and macaroni and fine Ia
dies of Georges court called the little man
commonplace and coarse. Bat many of them,
when they heard him, were driven by his fierce
earnestncss as by scOurge to the foot OF the
Cross. and became, like him, faithful servants
of Christ, and were not ashamed to live hum
bic and godly lives in the most corrupt court
that England ever knew.