The New York herald., 1877-10-08
MASONIC HALL.
THE uNBELIEF OF THE AGE-sERMoH DY REV

THE uNBELIEF OF THE AGE-sERMos DY REV.
O. D. FRoTHINauAM.
Tho religious services at Masonic Hail. Sixth avenue
and Twenty street, under the auspices of tho
Independent Society, largely attended yesterday
morning Some excellent singing by we'll trained
quartet preceded reading OF tho Scriptures after
which Rev. o. B. rockingham offered o fcrvent
prayer to tho Creator Of the universe, in
which he alluded to the ignorance super
stiton that bcset the human mind and lead
the souls of astray, and acknowledging the desire
OF those who. with the limited power at their COM
mand endeavor 70 lift up those who arc bound down
by ignorance. After some more singing the reverend
gentleman entered upon the themc OF the day and
preached sermon the unbolicf OF the age 1t was
more general he said more intelligent, earnest
and less aggressive than It used to be- He could not
furnish statistics to show the extent OF this
There the unbclief OF far-sghted mea
and also Of short-signted men. There was refined,
elegant lofty, dgnined unbeef, and tnorc was also
rude ana violent unbelici How could they describe
its origin? Some Of 1t originated from science, some
OF II from intellectual doubts and again good deal
originated from ideness and indifference Ncverthe-
less the spirit Of the age. that very age which
iu OF seekers after wealth. and OF that Of ours,
when men care moro ascertain tho truths
OF terrestrial affairs than seek the mysteries
of divine matters, In this age wncn
put forth their strong hands Tor possession rather
lief marches along in spite OF all learning and all
philosophy. Tho reverend gentleman then stated
that there were among unbelevers quite numbcr OF
aggressors who continually fought against instituted
religions They were determined men, who saw
clearly and struck hard blows They considered the
Church the enemy OF progress and opposed cccesiast
cal institutions founded upon fraud, con-
sidered the Bible as tissue oi myths
and iull of fasohoods, assailed all religions
divine inspiration. These mon were antiChristians,
anti-crecd, anti-church. Though some Of them were
0f ham Gin nlnPIV
isn. Tney were iu of humane feeling and deter
mined to emancipatc mankind from superstition and
error endeavorlng TO give the soul wings TO
ny iree tho whole Intellectual realm. They
should be respected ana honored and all should be
gad TO serve them. Only thor method was open to
criticism Philosophers and scientists wcrenot IN SYM
pahy with these men, and this Tor the simple reason
that they forgot that there Is always grain OF truth
In things erroneous The human mind when search
ing Tor light through ages oil darkness did not go
wrong entirely, 1t did, indeed, find some good. Few
OF these pugnacious unbelievers really understand
their task. They forget that every superstition had
day and place, they forget out OF what state OF
n.Ind these supcrsti,ions proceeded 1t was imposs
things should not at all judged BY our
STANDARD OF truth. Disbolieve them II you
please, but do them justice. There was pal-
ation for the horrid superstition that
fingered over the domain of human intellect. Tho
unbeevcr should remember that the realm OF rc-
ligion is not truth but poetry. If religions wore to
be pulled down then let justice be done 10 all that
has accomplished. IL IS futile to critc:se too
sharply. No sensible man should be too critical
THE BIBLE.
Take tho Bible, Tor instance. Its most religious
part consisted OF poetry. No man believed to-day
truth Of Genesis when comparing u with tho doc
trines of Tyndall and Huxley. Nevertheless, tho
Bible was hne picture TO anect mans
imagination People then knew nothing about
the earth's CREATION nothing about evolution All they
tet was the immense majesty OF His creative power
that brought order out chaos. Take, again, tho
flood There such vessel AS N0ah's ark.
Omnipotcnee coud not get all the animals there II He
wanted. Of the smallest rchoolboy could pick
all the flaws he wanted in Noah's ark. Nevertheless
tho meaning oil The story had beneficial cffcc. 1t
meant that evil like flood OF destruction. would blot
peoples from the face carth and that the seed OF
righteousness and forgiveness would SURVIVE all Hoods
and all caamities 30 OF tue story oil the angels visit
to Abraham Ii meant nothing else than that II people
were only patient ali good things would come 10 them.
Now, continued the preacher IN ths age OF ours we
are conservative not destructive IL is our aim aud
purpose 10 build up, not TO destroy II rs the mission
OF unbccf preserve. 1t is question whether
We believe IN ono God thousand
gods. We must preserve the good we mud
and dismiss 1t Is FOLLY to assail
everything at once, for 1t must be remembered that
this religion which assai Is tho creature OF a
day, II has grown TO bc part OF peoples me- Every
thngart, politics. society, scencc--is imprcgnated
by It, Only that should bc preserved which Is really
lot 40 M be rnwn m IA