The New York herald., 1878-11-18
MASONIC TEMPLE.
AND surERNAruRALIsrs- -sERMc

NATURALIsrs AND OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
BY Mr.. o. u. FRoTHINGHAM.
Mr.. o. B. rockingham discourscd in Masonic Tenn
pie the subject of Naturalists and Supernatural
ists" In the of his reasonings he said that
faith must rest basis. ground foundation;
otherwise 1t is illusion. The substance Of
Christ's belief was faith in Himself as
person scnt-tho elect Messiah. the chosen
of the Lord-for special purpose. He
had faith that through Him was to be re-cstab-
lished the kingdom of Israel BY the aid Of His own
faith He able to lay down His life in the assur-
ance it to the world. But the basis of His belief
has crumbled to dust beneath the foot of time His
faith was not true; He not the Messiah through
whom the of Israel was to be again built up. In
less than hundred years after His death Jertsa-
lem in ruins Yet. while literally untrue the
substance of His faith has left behind a belief
which marks strongly the progress of the age. The
substance Of His faith that the perfectly Just and
pure God had chosen Him for His representative on
earth. But the setting OF the gem Of belief as fur
nished by Jesus, valueless; yet ii noble adj
mirable all but universal, sentiment to which good
and noble men and women could respond. 1t was n
something belonging to the heart, but not resting
fact.
THE OLD FAITH AND THE NEW
1he difference between the old and the new faiths
s that while the former rests sentiment the latter
rrcposcs on knowlcdge The former is feeling; the
latter indcstructible faith. The new and cardinal
articles of faith go down TO the very root Of things
The nrst principle is faith in nature The word
mature In used often In the most vague and con-
hictng senses. BY faith In nature the speaker
meant faith in everything natural opposed to the
supernatural Faith in nature is opposed to n faith
that wants to beat nature down-to opprcss hcr-and
TO have faith In something above nature. The Chris
tans dcnouncc faith In nature being no faith nj a
being faith In the devil The late plague in the
South had regard for persons conditions yet the
Christians explain that IL all came through the
fault of the dwellcrs I'm the afflicted districts while
the naturasts show that the disease came on through
want of sanitary precautions and account Of bad
drainage. or irregularities In living The Christians
attribute the Chinese famine and other affections of
the human TO godcssness while the naturalists
attribute them to over population and bad crops.
MuRPHY's INsprRaTroN
There IL n man preaching crusade among us
against intenperance God bless it, The super
naturalists say IL IL tho Lords doings that have
moved him; he Is raised by God and works through
the Holy Spirit. The naturaliss merely remark that
powers have been awakened in him by perfectly
accountable means. Nature causes the desoating
flood and at the same time supplies materials to
build bridge which to II nature makes the
tide 10 how and the Tibcr to its banks:
nature sends the and the cure that banishes
III nature is at the "bane and antidote of all
our troubles. Everything have acquired
or gained through faith In the capacity of
nature 10 and women from the error of
ignorance is so much saved from the misconcep-
rely upon nature, and the triumphs of the past shall
be defeats when compared with what shall be done
In the future heaven and new earth, new society,
and habits whose beauties shall seem to put this age
of ours into sackcloth BY faith In nature, the
preacher went TO say, he meant that which Is op-
posed 10 affectaton, deception which may be inno-
cent but which nevertheless ia demoralizing. People
Hay that we must be affected; for to tell what
think would be TO split the world into pieces. The
temple would be rent In twain from bottom 70 top