The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-01-30

One Of the most effective aud eloquent preach
Tnr SEw YORK Sun. The correct ana script irai SS
rosnnuay appenfiss 10 it, columns have occasionsG
not a little surprise aud much comment The conclu
sTS IS not PreScher he must. Ike Tr MOODY. sleep
between the llds Of his Bible Lutheran 0tseirer
There should certainly be no lack,
here in New York, OF instruction in
practical religious principles, that is, in
those principles of religion that are re-
ducible TO practice. We have IN this
city 45s churches, many OF them large
enough 20 contain thousands of worship
pers. They are to be found in all parts of
the city. In all of them, with the excep-
ton of few Jewish synagogues, the
Christian religion, Protestant or Roman
Catholic, is constantly taught, expounded,
and enforced. They are opened 10 the
people every Sunday of the year, and in
many of them there are services on secular
days or evenings of every week. The
voice of the preacher ceases not, and the
incense of the altar is ever ascending.
The great array OF clergymen in charge
of these churches are men specially trained
for their work. They have studied sys-
tematic theology, the learned languages,
b blcal criticism, the Bible itself, and
ecclesiastical history and polity. They
have drunk ut the fountains of religious
knowledge under the guidance of distin-
guished theological doctors. They have
studied the methods of divine service, aud
the art OF preaching. They have been
taught how to operate upon the mind OF
man, and how to acquire that mastery of
human nature which will enable them to
control their churches. Their college
course, including classics and divinity, is
longer than that OF physicians or that of
lawyers, and embraces branches of study
than which there are none deeper, higher,
or greater. In short, the mental and
moral discipline OF clerical students, whore
properly ordered, is of a kind that ought
to be specially advantageous to themselves,
TO the church, and TO the community at
large. Then, when they become clergy
men, they are able to give up their whole
time, and all their powers, TO their rei-
gious duties. Their salaries relieve them
from outside labor, aud from the thousand
anxieties about tho means OF life which
torment the lives OF so many other men.
Now, then, behold the great array of
trained religious teachers of this city,
working ceaselessly in their churches and
among the people.
We must also observe that the multi
tudes 90 family flock 20 the churches for
religious guidance aud instruction. Many
pastors address thousands OF hearers every
Sunday, and there are few of the ass
churches that have not Il fair show OF at
tendants. These people are DESTROYS of
knowing the truth. They believe IL is con-
tanned in the Scriptures expounded by the
clergy. They have confidence in the clergy
who expound these Scriptures. From this
point OF view, what unequalled Oppor-
tunities OF influence the clergy have. No
other body OF men occupy such position,
or exercise such authority In the COM
munity. Esteemed by their people, they
stand before thom In consecrated place,
holding Divine book, the precepts of
which they apply to their minds and lives.
We next observe that, though these
clergy are OF many creeds and confessions.
they all agree in accepting, on one ground,
the great principles Of practical morality
laid down in the Scriptures for the guid-
anoe Of mankind. Whether a clergyman
belong to the Roman Catholic Church, or
TO any OF the many denominations OF Prot
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