The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-20
FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH.
JESUS AS PoET-sEEMoN By REV. DR.

Rev. Dr. Armitagc preached on tho subject .'Jesus
as a Poet" taking his text from Matthew vi, rs,
"Consider tho lilies OF tho held Tho idea that tho
poetic spirit. said tho Rev. Doctor, entered into
ChrisIs nature, may at FIRST appear crude from the
act that He has left US poem known such. In
framing other religions their authors have been
laureatcs OF hymn and music. story and song,
according to tho demands OF human nature, SO that
tho spirit OF poetry breathcs through them all
Persia India and Africa have poured forth countless
burning numbers In tho nro deity, Bramah and Ma
homct subduinR and Wild, noated from their on
genius fan tho fires oftheir affairs spread their
systems 10 glory for which their doctrines did not
qualify them AS poetry Is classic OF the heart, both
address and response, they have borrowed for
Ises ana II would be strange indeed II the doctrines
u truth should not The natural shape OF
parable aud poem in winning the souls affections TO
he God OF truth. Since Jesus born Ho has por.
Bonaly been tho subject oil tho submcst poetry
has flowed through the lie OF consccraed genius and
humanity. As winds pass through tho Clouds max nc
;hcir vapors alive with motion bending the tops
the mulberry trees TO the voice OF their going
humanity for nearly tonscore centuries has been
prrcd Ia the poesy OF It's inward heart to tho music
III the child born or tho sobs OF the man Of sorrow. 4
In mis- respect she history OF Christianity has been
but strife between men OF power, eagor to vic with
zach other by tho gorgcousness OF conception by tho
ireams OF Imagination, by tho hfc OF reality by the
ldjuncts OF beauty and by all the vibrations harp
lute In tho expression OF that true poetry which
has crcpt ovor their souls under the spell OF Jesus
Hts charmed name. And If all these, with m IL
tubes OF others in the Old World and the New, have
offered their poetic contributions to Christ would IT
not DO passing strange IT, aftor ALL IL should turn out
that there 10 no poetry In Jesus Christ himself |?
golden harvest must BIO fonnd IN Him.
THE NATURE or TRUE POETRY.
That You may the better understand what is meant
state the nature of true poetry. II has sa i'd that
reason speaks through prose, while poetry Is tho
lodges in tho groat thought which Isbors to maze
Itself known by any form Of words which may be In
harmoay with It's greatness. The usual poetic form
10 IN verse or measure. with or without rhyme. But
OF tho highest and truest poetry existence Is
found 10 the form OF prose, because IL cannot DO
crippled by tho mechanism OF language Its life
Is not found in words, but In tho copiou sness
oil Imagery and tho warmth OF sublimty which
cndow forms OF speech with autocraiic license. Our
claim for Jesus in everything which relates TO tho
poetic spirit and which accords to Him the common
aud place Of the infinite poot Is founded In the fact
that IN The grandeur Of vi conception IN the terribly
sublime height OF Hts moral sweep and tn tho pro-
unditv OF HIS expression lilo is uncquaied and mex.
haustiblc. No such types Of purity, dehcacy aud
souiiie havo fallen upon tho OF mortal those
OF hts unique Inspirations.
You nnd not their soul and substance In the dress
which clothes them, but In their ideal and divine in.
waroncss. They bring to your perception tho hidden
o. , Inc S,dns Snd Inc
brings his conceptions TO your eye BY colors
HEROIC VERSE.
There ID q sense In which stern human events,
shcthcr they take the shape Of personal national
uruggcs, when downfall arc their issue, convert
into real poetry, because they noursh lis
.pr,t and nrc Its animus. heroic docds become his
lory aud history flowers into poetry. Such history
has become the epic poem OF all ages Aud IN the Same
scnsc the person OF Christ, His teachings, His TRUTH
His acts md HIS life have bcen the seed poetry OF tho
world ever since lie In II, and suprc me ascr
bard has sung for 1000 years without singing Him.
lie became only the divine mystery the solemn
wonder OF the universe, not only tho living poem OF
heaven and earth, but tho ono eternal poet OF both.
Jcsus tho poet priest, the poet-prophet the poet
nrincc is His own original Other poets are truo,
iorcelul, fresh; but Dante, Milton, Goethe are
rays IRON His star, while He Is God and Man, truth
ana force nrc thought and feeling, lilo and worus
relied together like quadrupio star mover July
yealcd, hence never exhausted Nothing moro de-
gbls tho truc poet than to sing the praise true
poetry. Phiip sidney calls the poet 'fhc monarch
n All sciences.n There can DO no true poetry without
ruth purity, nature, fdoty ana liberty. Falsehood,
immunity, imitation unfaithfuncss and oppression
Are not tho materials ost Of which genuine poetry