The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-09
MASONIC TEMPLE.

LOVING ONES NEIGHBoRs THE FIRST RELIGIOUS
LEssoN-sERMoN BY REV. o. B. FRoTHNG-
HAM.
A president of the Sanhedrim said Mr.. Frothng
ham yesterday who the last in that position be-
fore the coming of Christ. and who the founder
and head Of liberal school Of interpretation has re-
lated that on one occasion Hebrew man asked him
what in word was the substance of the law. The
answer was:-"Whatever thou art not willing to do
to thysef do not nfict upon thy neighbor. This is
the substance Of the law all else is but interpreta
ton" Toward the close of his life sceptic ap-
preached Jesus and asked very similar question:
What the great commandment? This is what
was said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy
mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it: thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets"
NEIGHBoR LOVE FIRST.
with these teachings as his text Mr.. rockingham
announced the proposition that not only is the love
of our neighbor made equal . requirement with
that of God but it anticipates and precedes it.
The love of man is first and then comes the love Of
God. The first lesson in religion is brothery kind
ness the last is worship and alteration. But this is
the usual method. 1t is usual to begin alof and
to reason downward; to begin with distractions and
afterwar to facts to begin with ideas and talk
later Of performances. The theory that we must
love God FIRST and that the love Him the
more we shall love man. think that this is unrea
SON 1t is inevitable that If begin at any concep
ton of the Supreme and reason down we will come
out at small aperture instead OF at large
Religion thus started becomes despotisIn bgotry
or hypocrisy.
And now let us reason the other way from below
upward 1t is not natural for people to love
another on the contrary it is natural for them not
TO love one another. Men who are thrown together
in society do not seem like company of brothers.
They greedy adventurous Hell is simply an
imagined reservoir for the eternazed rancors OF
their hearts. But just soon men begin to serve
and love another just soon will sweetness
and goodness enter into all their conceptions Of the
Supreme. God will be father and the gates of
heaven will open the four quarters of the world
The devils will be expelled from religion and.
instead of demons there will be angels coming down
to teach and enlighten mankind.
now GOD REALLY APPEARS
In answer to the objections made to the doctrine of
loving man first Mr. rockingham said IL have
mind to show God in unlovng light. But judge
Him by His deeds, as we judge our neighbor by his,
and what becomes Of the exalted attributes Of justice
tenderness and which are associated with
the ideal of the Supreme BeingS Look upon nature,
and what do we sceg Famine. pestence. serpents,
beasts. mysterious diseases. which fall upon
the innocent and agonize their lives. Was il good
God to allow all these in the uniycrse? We say that
God is true: yet far know it the appearance
of nature is all deusion All superstitions. all
our old systems of credulity, simply misreadngs
of the Deity. Can you demonstrate that God IL true
world that is full of deceit? All that have
man. There is more love in the world than is
shrined in human hearts. Conscience is organized
Of justice earned by upon ages Of thought
study. suffering and sacrifice. Laws Jurisprudence
and courts the attempts Of to realize justice.
Man has made religions and he has not always made
them well. There never has been finished revela-
ton People adore above n mystery that which
they despise below in man. 1t was theory among
the mystics OF the early Church that man is fallen
angel; that however depraved he might he there
at the bottom of his being God. This not
altogether unreason. Every man and woman has
within himself the germs Of divinity and capacity
so divine has been guessed at. Mr. Froth-
ingham thought that even domestic economy not
too low stage at which to begin to fulfil the second
great commandment The temper Of mankind de-
ponds more upon the way that their food Is cooked
than upon the kind Of religion they have. do not
say that he is not greater who go without his
dinner than he who demands 10 have il well cooked.
But do say that men and women arc constituted.
the condition Of their hearts depends upon their
dinners than upon their detics The religion
would do most ample justice to the ideal side of man
kind but in order that 1t should not be all an
cyanescence and an empty dream we must begin at
the beginning and study how men may live together
heir