The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-05
ALL SOULS CHURCH.
DIR. BELLOWS ON SUDDEN CONVERSIONS AND
DANGEROUS DOCTRINES

DR. BELLOWS ON SUDDEN CONVERSIONS AND
DANGEROUS DOCTRINES.
Rev. DR.. Bellows preached yesterday morning,
taking as his text the Book OF Ezekiel xii, 90
'4Her priests have violated my law and have pro-
famed mine holy things: they have put no diner.
ence between the holy and Droane, neither
have they showed difference between the unclean
and the clean.n This is part or the reproacn
which the prophet brought against the priests OF
his own day, that they handled the clean and the
unclean. Certainly this cannot be reproached to
the priests OF to-day, Tor they are apt to quarrel
on small matters. And we remember the severity
OF Jesus Christ against this splitting hairs on
tecnnlcalties OF religion instead OF studying the
heart of 1t. In our CIVILIZATION we are some
what prone to do this. lie with an OATH is no
more than lie without one. One Is simply per-
jury against Inc law the other is against Heaven.
Ii is dangerous to make so many distinctions be-
tween clean and unclean, SAINTS and sinners.
CHRISTIAN AND NoN-CHRlSTIAN.
n Any are a n ha no psra aTe aaa
differences II you mud man Just, public spirited,
high IN nonor and feeling, you are apt 70 trust
profession o religion 10 you. But the Church does
not take his qualities into consideration. She
asks, mas he been baptized f-lS he Christian
The Church calls MIN unregenerate. But let an-
other man say he has been converted. ne mas ielt
the influence OF Goo upon HIM, and he can 40 al
most anything he pieiseS aud there Will oe thou
/ sands oil re- good Christians to uphold hun and
/
knew good man once, a Clergyman VINO thought
he would be lost and lost because he could put
| mis- finger on the moment of his conversion. Far
| be it from TO look lightly on sanct1caron ana
! such feelings. Like burst oil spring IN mldwinter
| there are men who have these sudden CONVEX
| sIons But In spite OF this the majority OF good
worthy people don't have these Drusque changes
some little imaginative mystic experience wnich
/ they tIke Tor sudden conversion. But you must
not forget that people VINO have these feelings are
4 often lacking In the moe soiid spheres OF duty.
1 They lean 10 the precepts OF Jesus and accom-
pisn the law. IL ls better thing to keep the CON-
mandments Without being conscious oil it than To
be conscious and let rynody else be conscious
OF IT. II those WAC are the subjects Of these ex.
periences are not positively benefited Dy them
they positively injured. In SUCH cases
there Is apt 10 be an END OF all faith II the fire Is
not Kept constantly burning within py some ex-
traneous means. The world Tor years has been
believing tuat 1t is better 70 pray aloud IMAM to
make it a private practice There ale many VINO
make long prayers anu roo the widow, VINO place
offerings on the altar and privately cneat their
nelghpors. what sort OF worship is This :
THE WORSHIP or THE SLAVE
to q power lie lears ana seeks 10 make offer.
ings assnage It's anger; put Goo is not the
ings 10, so that ne may De merclInl There Is only
one class worse than those VINO make little ais
tincuons-Jnose VINO make no distinctions at all.
Good men do weak things and wrong things. 1t
is true that bad men do good things sometimes;
and June has an occasional frosty one no one VIII
say summer and winter are one. Two ships goIng
IN opposite directions may travel Tor some sme
on the same tack, but the navigator can tell The
distinction between their destinations. The
goodness OF the good man Is not
policy, 1t IS principle. Even the world
takes long time to put the good
IN his place. There is long pI ooatlon be.
the place Is given him 10y general consent. Joseph
surfaces are not numerous, let US nope, but they
do exist liz Is "A long ZINE before the word gives
a man It's confidence. ThIs Is why the election OF
judges works So BADLY IA the city and so well Ia
the country. In the latter place every body knows
the man; partisan attacks cannot nurt MIN, Tor
all are acquainted with ns record. la the clty IL
different anu the people are not TO blame. IL
Is only the man who Is entlreiy good VINO can con-
Quer the man VINO WORKS IOr goodness There IS
no more dangerous doctrine than that men are
neither good nor bad, but what circumstances
make them. There Is nothing In heaven nor earth
to compare with the good. but nothing Is so am
cult as consistent goodness.