The New York herald., 1876-02-21
MASONIC HALL.
REVERENCE AND REVERENCE SERMON B


REV. o. Z. FEoTHINGHAN.
There the usual large attendance at the services
yesterday morning At Masonic Hail Rev, Q. 8 Froih
ingham dscoursed Reverence and Irreverencc."
Reverence, he began, is the mother Of religion Do
none worship pu. tools, or none Sueel but dos' lg
norance Is the mother OF devotion Must DEVOTION
then DC universal Ignorance belongs TO the human
mind The qualify Of the devotion VIII depend on the
quality OF the ignorance Sweet aspiring ignorance
will show corresponding devotion German philoso
phcr, the LIKE OF whom there VIII not be thousand
years hence, said, 'Two things inspire with
awe-the starry heavens and the Of
moral accountability 10 man" Can .hcre DO
conceived two greater mysteries Tho majesty OF the
eternal is seen both. We raise questions thar
we answer Tho universe simple TO savage. but is
Il 20 a sage who knows all that is known We feel
weakness now moro than ever before New hight is
dawning upon US wo have to wax with EXTREMIST
circumspec,ion 70 slip on. Ignorance IS mystery
We are in the dark more less. The evil mind peo.
pies the dark with EVIL SPIRITS The and beau.
urul mind peoples the dark with angels Why Is II
that primitive people have always worsnippec In
forcsts' 1t is because there they most feel the
rREsxxcR OF ISTixGrE
The whispering brcczcs the tall trees ticking OF
insects cracking OF the leaves, the long vistas-
all these things reach the Imagination and get bold OF
the fancy. How Is u when We stand by the dcadf A
few moments ago that form was animate with q soul
and the soul has now gone How Is Il when we stand
by the newborn babel few moments ago there
not lite and soul IS here All this envcoped 10
q cloud OF mystery There nld jewish temple that
has not been cleaned for centuries from ea of crasng
from the roll The name jehovah You cannot enter
Mohammedan temple without taking on your shoes
You enter modern temple and you remove your hat
All this shows superstition Look at old cathe-
drais whose runs alone remain. standing In
them one Is profoundly impressed wife the
power o. vcncra'on Aud yet 70 Is sad 10 think
4 that such noble sentiment should be debasoc into
pucrriucs some one has SAID thers three kinds OF
revereneeOLe fer thi above US one tor that on the
level With ns anu one or that below US There are
thrce rrcvcrenccs We the world-the rrevcrcnce
OF the sensuast the l0w-ived the degraded the vuL
gar, LOUD mouihed, which at nearly every cor.
OF the street Such trreyercnt ones know MOT
what they say They have never been taught 10 bend
the knee Obsceuity aud profanity only phrases 10
them unmcanng. To another class OF !rreVereut ones
religion seems only poverty Of heart Religious
people have much 20 account for Tor this religious
reverence The good round oath Of the New YORK cart
mar Is not halt wicked rs Tie confession Of some
Wha, shalt wo say Of tho .rrcvercnce Of iutollcctp
Sucn say that religion Is we'll enough 90 It's way. that
churchcs sort OF police force that priests aud pas.
tors blind people. that Jesus Is myth. and All that
Or Charr!ng read hymns wth an emphasis the 70.
yyafst reads them matter Of business He SAT
With Charles Bradaugh shortly before the latter sailed
from this country The man did not expect TO live
He looked on his past then thought Of his wife and t.
llc ones Gar away and yet no Tranquil and he
au atheist TO this man there was no future Tho
pons man can give full biography Of God
Nc can tell why Joseph was sold; why the Egyptians
we're overwhelmed IN the Red Sea; Why
the jaw bone Of an ass was 50 ei-
tsetuai weapon In the hands Of sam
! sSSa bs can Isl uh rear RVR aisd; why this