, 1876-12-04

Nttll AVHhCl W *'!nu VISA" ,a'
bread alonc. VIC cannot. Thcro Ia whole
great life In him that must hnyc something
incrct Tho history Of mankind "a teaching S;h,!
ts acw syery ysnr t1pss' ,a9y T. by w. ns
strong, benutllul l,cght Of noblest manhood by
fatth; mud II tsac!,cs y by the great mass 81
common worldly liic whisl kccps, trying, ono
our mighty American and English cities, When
argue about what religion Ii to .mnt, am
roite ts ,Sn" Snonfh rsn t. tssG tnhx hn m''19ns
ioll they Invent 1T Wl,ut do they caro- alont.
the clu,rIlIcsi What nte tho controvcrsics Of
tho day to tlemi Faith IL sentimental n, ,,e ,elu;
sion for e esrsly CLASSES, m aab1e nd ,S Teile o.
reality reasoned ont Of them by FREQ discussion,
or knocked out Of them by 1ife'a ftcrnest facts.
That Ia the tono Of the dlcttnnti philosophy Of
s s snR Ssy S ssa g, os%n i
they huld thctr little intellectual coterfcs and
scttla their mild, supcreiliuua skcpteisms
sse9rding to tho .c,a Latest or ,'asny aSSssISn
tat uro not so Ear 1adSanccd, and eit like Tcnny-
sot,'s personitIcatEon of puro art
holding reform ot creed
Bnt contemplating all
and think that 50 !" tho riddle of This .ratnful,
earth ~ Is empttod Of its divine mystery AID
everlasting awfulncss!
And hero come these great waves Of religion;
s5snt sa h%SYg % snesp sS9 II sstsH ro m m.es tsni g
tlnllcl, hardened souls, awaking torpid c.t,-
seicuess, touching deeper feelings IN nnItitudcs
thnn they eyer thought they Ind in thcH, max
tic awful realities that thoy arc, md lifting up
| crushed nnd cartll-stalncd and hopeless hoarts
into tue 10y Of experiences which, i they arc not
IA lasting az they hope, arc yet 5li1npscs Of the
| Your lfttlo systems are ahtycred lntn atoms by
tho touch Of thcsG mighty movements md long
ings Of man's nature. These arc The great nc
ccssitics! You cannot sec tlcm. Yoi! cannot
touel. them. Yet, ago aftcr nGe, the, they Keep
rcaeacrting themselves, ns tho most tremendous
factors In mana hcinE aud lifc; and never. do
they rcasEert themselves with moro startling
power than wen, nt te toel q son,S rsvlyal
| they burst forth With n passionate caEer'iess
that may be short-liycd, bit Is Intensely rcaIl
The real, wholesome, beautiful answer t" this
t%hat % rclIgio, Of Jesus Christ, Christianity IN
that holy, loving simplicity in which, is !
sl,cwetl last Sunday, He Himself went nbont
prcact,tngit IL. But what r. to l'c tug witness t.
holiness and purity In the four Gosncls,-al,d
| my ono can buy those Gospels for a few cents.
Dut Is that witness enougili Mol No beautt-
full sentiments OF, 4 printed pnge can apenk to
ty needs. Mankind Is mt saved by. books, but
BY men. I feel TO come nrurer to the heart OF
what Tho Apostles meant by speaking Of Christ
"a "tl'o word made ~, Nssl'," when :. sec ,,,
s.mado acsl, u; tho hirh truth, the divine
Thought, llRs always to he translated Into life,
| wrought out IN living manhood atld woma1lio0h
And that ought to be tho living significance Of
all these Christian churches that rcar them
selves III their calm beauty In the midst Of man 8
cager, lnurrying life; They ought not ta stlnsl
and they ought to stand fur Him, not by tic
creed they suggest III their maine, or cmb01y I'll
their rulea, but by tie spirit which thaso who
uphold then, aud belong to them arc honestly
n6tbing moro beautiful III this world tlu'ii
women, touched by. that beautiful, SIM
pic, nerciful life ,of Jesus Christ, drawn
trying how 1sear thuy can como to llisspiFit, Nntl
how nearly they eau reproduce u. a hand Of
ChristIun people, touched by. the sense Of His
!nonght aud t;eclg ;aag towards towards ao nna nan ~,
together, week by week, to try to get clcaIer,
more realizing scnsc Of that thought ard iccinQ
OF His; and, III the light Of tfat, looking VI
ons py %st tu tn tegstet sa' t kss wot
. saving and blessing tho world all about them
md going back into the worlds common way'
md dofngs, with purcr l,carts, and strengthened
, purposes, and atnrtlier hpl on duty, mud |
fcndercr, kinder feeling TO NIL whom they hayt
to do with. That Is the true Idea Of Christian
Churcfl That is what every Church u Chris
ought to meuil. That is what this Church o
, every church In this great ethyl What q blcss
faa "f' sP s! sa sy wsrs ts ass pastet
ly, but II this was the main spirit and purposc
II this was tlic idea that those who build tlicI
nud those who carry them on.-thoso at th
before themselves and their fellow-1nenHbcr
aud tred for With sR'st %9Tthy Sa I Of suGl tt
ClMysostom used to soy that "if tho Christian
@ Church wcro but for one day what It ought t
fs,i b. tls e.. Tol' world would 10 converted 1''oF
i but ull, what u humiliation to turn from tllca
tloughts-and they are the slinplc trnlll-t
! what CIrlst's churches ought to be, to think {
o whnt they actually arcl Il Beautiful outward
:. Which thy churches were more richly 4t'orIe.
! Dc object TO that, Ia Itself Not /! a
!. ways lIavu maintained thnt the buildings v
rniso for our worship Of Cod, and for wlnnin
/ Savior, should bo tie most 6eautlful that q,
= hcnrts can devise, aNd that It Is an object wllc
q deserves TO ba goriled with everything L
+ which ut or music ca,, atlruct, rest. glas!lel
= il tho grandeur and .nagrlnceneo Of the el.urcl
es is only another branch Of tlie ostentattol
extrayaguneo which y ssapp!ng tug SIMPLICITY a
honesty Of modern lifes Wtlat II these cost
y but for tho glorllcatlon Of their builderst Wl'
II thoy arc tho outcome, not Of humility delIgl,
lug togivo The very best aid most 1t can for Go
~ but Of pride wnntng TO outyie the rest
~ churches rounla What II they arc the outeon
not Of giving at all, either from humility
T. pride, but Of borrowing, what 70 giycu bolt
I about enough to build q p1aln, substant
" church, nnd tho extra amount TINT Hoes Il
grandeur and alornment being mot anybody
70 Eift, but 4 graat borrowing speculation in Il
II hope that It may draw In Crowd, and he clenrt
b, OF eoMo time! Aud what If this cheap borrowe
v ,nagn0cenee, nsteal Of drawing people IN, keel
t1cIr Inv fnnl,nr fhH f,1ei m feNntnE H. ii
u too grcat for poor or struggling people 10 tal
c" thcir shuro l1i; end, Instead Of cnllobliDg II
h Church's lifc, utterly lcl!ttles tt with 70
m stant worry Ut euro ubout Its debit aln afra
fl that 1t IL so; don't say everywhere, or alt
:" " gcther, but that this element entcrs Into IL
10 churcll-llfu III this city with llight!ng al
nj .deadcninR power! And It Is misvll!eyois !
n round; for 1t not only keeps out the poor, b'
Ut It keeps out ,nultitudcs who would repel sn'
n an cpIthct, and yet WHO DO mt like to loln
y. y. burtlcncd and struggling cause; aud, worst.
ut ull 1t uxIalats tho ze4l aud working power tn
ut ia wanted for simple, loving. Ghristiui, work.
= uArt1, tuFt 1Rl