The New York herald., 1878-12-16
NEW YORK HERALD MONDAY DECEMBER e 1878 TRIPLE SHEET

the redeemed. whose happiness was to be crowned
TSis NJ was the general belief in the Middle Ages
and IL continued down almost to own day
SO Jonathan Edwards said. THE God who holds yon
over the pit of hell much as one holds spider or
some loathsome insect the fire, abhors YOU
His wrath toward you burns like fire. God will have
no other to put you to but only to suffer misery.
And listen to Spurgeon: :-"In fire. exactly like that
which we have on EARTH thy body will be, asbestos
like forever unconsumed Every win be string
which the devil shall forever play his diabolca
tunes of hells unutterabe lament"
With the incoming of the modern era. the diffusion
of knowledge and the spread of humane feelings
there began process which from the first des-
timed TO radically change mans conception OF hell
process which is only i'll our generation, showing
itself clearly. Human growth is slow. The
ignorance of the dark ages has only
slowly yielded to popular intelligence Super
stition powerful witness the revival of
absurd miracles in our own day. Inhumanity has
been even slower in disappearing. Until our century
were conducted with atrocious horrors and the
slave trade held its own. Slavery has only ceased
IN IN the he. freest land in r,. our generation Grafton
what the council system has been. The Church has
expressed this ignorance and cruelty. To-day even
she disavors liberal studies and would crush science
if she could. Romanists and Protestants alike have
prosecuted each other down TO century ago without
shame. In this modern era the Church has murdered
myriads of poor wretches witches. As long
ignorance superstition and cruelty hold sway the
heather hell will exist. Yet increasing intelligence
Is scattering superstitions. knowledge of other
religions is separating between the ethical and the
accidental elements Conscience, growing juster is
viewing God more truly The OF law is ruling
out all arbitrariness from retribution. knowledge
OF the potent influence OF heredty and environment
on character is dispensing Judgment toward mercy.
The experience of philanthropy is showing that sin
ners are not all evil Penology-the science OF pun
ishment-is proving that punishment to be true
must be corrective. and that the worst may be re-
formed.
SO to-day. like some iceberg drifting down from
the regions of night to the climates of the full
sun, this old vision of hell is crumbling away The
churches of the unculured classes still hold it, but
the progressive churches are shaping new dogma.
Swedenborg has essayed paraboiic vision OF hell
needed according to natural law and his thoughts
eavening theology Hope rises and formulates itself
in the dogma restoration and gathers a church
round it. So while dare not dogmatize breathe
freely in hope The future will not lose the belief in
retribution will hold It as it holds hope Of life
to 1t will grow certain as law and ''mournful
as law but it will remain vague. Certainty in Di-
vine punishment. as in human mercy. will replace
cruelty.
FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH.
AN OPEN HAND TO THE PooR-sERMoN BY REV.
DIR. ARArITAGE.
The Rev. DR.. Armitage preached on the subject Of
can Open Hand To the Poor taking his text from
Deut.. XIV. 11-"Therefore I command thee,
saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto
thy brother, to thy poor and to thy needy in thy
land" The doctrine Of both public and private char
ity to the destitute said the reverend gentleman
outgrowth of revealed religion; hence. such thing
State charity. by which the relief Of the poor ia
made part Of the public burden much as the ju-
dietary and other departments under civil CONTROL
has never been known in any nation ex-
cepting those whose ethics, common law and
constitutional principles have been borrowed
from revealed religion. Further. just in
proportion as the inalicnable rights OF man
and the authority of the Word Of God have
had free scope in the practical workings Of the State
IN that, bava fho las of
been the more humane. comprehensive and sacredly
guarded. Wherever heathensm. abstract despotism
atheism have been in the ascendant there poor
have been neglected crushed because they were
poor. But wherever the Jewish Christian religions
have entered into the spirit and supreme law OF q
people there the humanity, justice and the equality
of the Bible have shaped the national legislation
for the relief of the poor. Whoever saw needy Jew
begging for bread. even in modern times? While in
the theocracy Of Israel mendicancy seems to have
been unknown till after the nation had been demor-
allied by the Babylonsh captivity While it remained
under the direct kngshp and legislation Of Jehovah
Gods poor were amply shielded. Seven distinct
provisions formed the code OF poor laws for that
people, and the Lord of Hosts enacted them.
THE JEWISH POOR LAWS.
Under the Jewish law sixth part OF the harvest
field, called 'the corners of the hed, not to be
reaped, but left for the poor. No farmer at lib
erty CLEAN his field .the gleanings OF the field
ing to the selfish and disobedent. The gleanings of
the vintage and the olive left for the poor. The
trees OF the olive yard must neither be shaken
beaten with rods. nor the vine inspected when the
crop is gathered for any clusters closely hidden in
the tangled branches. These must go to the poor.
All clusters of grasses which fell to the ground while
gathering the vintage reserved for them. All
sheaves left in the held through forgetfulness went
to the poor The entire tithe of every third year
appropriated to the same As all these
would not aggregate sutciency for their proper
lief they further aided by various contributions
such contributions being imperative under
cumstances, while others were voluntary; gave
q ffth, but it was scandalous to give less than
tenth.
Although our Lord Jesus established church it
did not take the form type of nation. conse-
quently He ordained no formal code OF poor laws.
Nevertheless, He not only recognized the principles
which those of the Mosaic economy enacted,
but Incorporated them into His religion in all their
spirit and pushed the obligation to obedience by
tull force OF His example and the highest order
OF compassionate prcccpt. First OF all. ne divided
the whole law of God into two great departments
love to God and love to ncighDors and under the
second of these He dealt with poverty in its various
phases. He, however, dealt with IT practically and
not in speculative spirit As to It's necessity or
him needing aid under all sorts of misfor-
tune and He treated the fact He found it.
The text says:-"The poor shall never out of
the land" and in harmony with it He said. ''The
poor ye have with you always" All that He added
was, "whercsoever ye will ye may do them good"
the only step to be taken in the Then He did
not recognize those poor who in full health,
labor and wages, because they had enough for pres
ent want But He regarded those poor who
in absolute need Yet He did not reproach the needy
as shiftess and waste in the fabric of society He
regarded their condition ordinance Of humanity
which could not be properly met, but by the emo
of pity tenderness sell denial and charity,
most beautiful virtues of man.
REMEMBER POOR.
Can better close this address, said the Doctor
fcelingly. than to .'open your hand wide to the
needy OF the land Winter is upon us; many heart
if they have any chill chcerlcss; their fuel
low all gone; scanty rags cover their shivering