The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-09-09
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
Conversion Is Something More Than
Mere Reformation.
RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS.
This Is an Age of Very Great
Performances.
ST. GEORGES CHURCH.


day. the rector, Rev DR.. Walter W. Williams off,
GATED, and preached upon the lessons OF the
prevailing epidemic In the South. His text from
Psalms, xcl, 5"Ths pestilence that waketh In dark
ness the destruction that wasteth at MONDAY" TIE
reverend Doctor commenced his discourse by calling
attention 10 the wonderfully descriptive character oil
the words OF the text applied the present state
OF things In tho stricken cities OF the SoIth; how
shroudcd in mystery to Its origin and progress In
this epidemic; how 1t conceas itself from human
scrutiny, ana treads noiseless step IN its work
OF death; how 1t pervades the atmosphere, and yet
NO analysis can find its cause. 1t decmatcs
nations and vet no search can unveil its starting
place ltwalks inhe darkness Of the night and
In the MONDAY; spreads over city and sometimes
traverses n continent; it marches along rivers and
leaps over oceans; 1t has swept away millions OF tho
race and yet 1t remains an insolube and nscruta0s
mystery Well docs the psalmst name It 'the pesti-
lence that walksth IN darkness" Never shall ior-
get tho occasion whom this expression had terrible
vividness Of meaning for me, said the preacher. II
was a summer afternoon, In N orfolk, In the month
Of August, 1855. was IN company with a friend
walking street Of the plaques stricken city. We had
reached point where could the beautiful har-
NO sound TO be heard but the splash OF the
water on the sand. Around silent
streets and deserted houses; cool, refreshing
breeze was swelling in the trees and the perfume
Of lowers nled the ar; the sun was gradually
sinking TO and sdging the feeey clouds
sou and gold, ana the bread expanse OF the distant
bay reflected It's changing mirrored back the
glory Of The sky and yet the balmy air laden with
the noisome epidemic, and the bright sunset was
lighting up scene OF woe aud death; whole house,
holds sml.ton down ana not one able to succor The
others or ilt cup OF water to their burning lips;
homes OF wealth with their dead unburied; collins
containing dear ones laid upon the curbstone, be
taken up ny the dead cart IN lis hurried round;
enough could not be mad; food getting all
avenues OF supply cut.on-such was the condition Of
week the dread monotony OF death went onI II must
DO seen TO be realized in ali lis horrors.
THE GREAT HISTORICAL PLAQUES
The preacher then turned from personal impress.
Gons 10 take broader view Of the SUBJECT beginning
with few references to tho great plaques recorded
IN history. Pestilencc he said, occupies very
prominent place in tho annals OF mankind 1t has
not the grandeur and glory that belong to war;
docs figure SO largely in the pages the historian
but IN It's destructive effects 1t scarcely
rlbie. War might be denned ''carnage adorned by
heroisn - psstilence Is .carnage without heroisnu
II too painful Tor history to dwell upon; It is the
monotony OF death and desoatlon. History there
tore snuns IL andonly touches here ana there upon
It's ravages But the place 1t occupies history does
not represent Its real place. either in It's extent
elects. Pestiisnce fills mighty place in the economy
age TO age and even 10 the great plag
that have desolatsd the world would moro than oc-
Impression OF the magnitude OF the subject, 1t only
necessary TO recall lew OF the greatest since
ravagsa all Europe. In Rome alone. when at lis
height IL was estimated that the deaths vert ut
least myriad (l00O0) day. Again, century later,
the whole Roman Empire, from Egypt TO Scotland,
was swept over by single pestiience. G,bb0n cal
culatsd that hall the human race persisted from y.
Passing over great number OF intervening plagueA
another general pestilencc went coursing back ana
forth through Europe and the world Tor period
Of hty.eighL years, between A. d. 542 and A. u.
$40, limited TO no climate, no season OF the year,
no mode OF communication, but coming ana gong
A. pleasure, with little respect e,lhsr to means or
remedies. Some cities were lett without an tnhab-
liant Passing again over whole centuries marked
by destructive plaques, We como to the middle OF the
Uaorl Va han In lAnna Had
The 'biack DEATH" extending from China 10 Ireland
ln many cities nine out OF ten oil the inhabitants per
don 600 persisted. veuics lost 100000 OF nor In
habitant. In Spain two-thrds OF the population 10
pestlence desc a,ed Europe. In Naples 100000 out
OF go COO people died Genoa 80 600 out OF 000
Fy years aiter another plague broke out and swept
over Europe Tor nine years, and century later the
Cholera marched around the world on It's mission Of
GoAth.
THE CAUSES THESE PLAQUES
The preacher thon proceeded 10 cousidcr the
objects OF these terrible vsitalions. As certainly
as COD exists said he, certainly does GOD NAM
tam perfect government over the world and there
fore ali events must have some definite ann or pur-
pose. We cannot believe Tor an instant that an
agency ike pestllence, operating on SO wide scale,
and with such srlkl uniformity In tue economy of
The world, has no end or purpose to perform. Adj
hitting tnat pestileLce Is physical fact, under the
eonroi of unknown but constant laws. does exist
Tor tseli or has II, under the government OF God,
moral ends TO subservef In other words, has God
brought this fearful agency OF pesthence into the
world without = purposef Is 1t destruction merely
for the sake OF destruction, or has II higher and
moral purposes In view 10 justify and explain It's
istencef
This latter question the preacher answered in tho
Affirmative. He believed that God, In tue appoint
ment oil 1.-The pesiencs that waIketh in darkness and
the destruction that wasteth at MONDAY" meant TO
invigoraie the stock oil race. has two elects
on the physlca aud the other the moral u ~
ture, ana they act aud react each other ST. Paul,
IN tho irst chapter OF Romans, depicted the mou-
str0us vices OF tue heather world OF his time, which
rendered necessary the pursing OF It's blood by the
great pestence Of tne following century. In n simi-
tt,.As
great epidsmics 30 many struggles tor life between
Tho lower aud higher physical types OF mankind, al
ways resulting IN the victory OF The latter and conse
lusnt benefit 10 all succeeding generations He rc-
ferred 10 the origin OF the epidemic In Africa as
proof OF the unny OF the race, winch should carry
conviction TO those VINO have denied their Kinship
with The dusky tribe OF that continent.
TRIBUTE TO REDDISG.
Alter an eloquent appeal Tor charity TO the str cken
ones oi The South, emphasized by his personal reco
lecons oil the sacrifices AIDE by Northern
ana women for the relief OF Norfolk In 1850 the
preacher selected the OF young Redding tho
HERALD correspondent at Gronada-a touching GU
lopy The papers oil the past week, he SAID, tell OF
u case when, Tor fearless courage high sense OF duty
aud sublime heroism deserves to be remembered. IL
was young man, Just twenty three, the telegraph
operator nj GRENADA, MISS. When the lever 1rst
pearsd thore he announced his determination to stay
At his post and Tor time his dispatches came,
d,ssas. increased and tho scenes OF suffering and WOO
chilled mis- heart but. he stood al his WORK, flashing
hour after hour the names oil new victims 10 It's fury
aud telling In graphic words how the little band OF
VOL ones was daily Iessening. Presently came the
daily despatch with apology at the foot saying he
could not write coherenty, as tho room winch he
wroe contained four persons down win the fever and
. corpse. The four persons were mis- wife, his mother
and his Two sisters; the corpse that OF
his child Two days more elapsed and his
dispatches came aloug AZ usual, only the
woiul picture drawn In them Increased In
Its dark colors There was no hope At Grenada, but
young Rcdding sti remained unistering IN the lace
OF despair. Then two moro days elapsed ana there
was nothing IRON Grenada. The Office could not be
reached by wirca The town seemed TO have dropped
out Of existence. The next oay the wire was opened
again aud with us opening came the message, "Red
uing IL down with the fever" the next day another
message, "Reddng is dead" Inc hero nad died ~
hir post And many such there are. Memphis, Now
orleans and VicksDurg nave to-day this NOBLE army
o. martyrs and glorious company OF saints laithiul
Iound 10 this dread hour Of danger aud DEATH laying
oown their lives IN seeking TO save and succor the
smitteD. May their devotion stir our hearts and
ther example quicken us TO generous gifts
Notwithstandiug the smaiiness Of tho audience a
large collection was taken up
CENTRAL M. Il. CHURCH.
sT. PAUL's coNvERsros-sERMoN BY THE