The New York herald., 1879-02-03

lead the way to reputation was to put Christ to an
open shame.
SENTIMENT AND sENsATroSA1IsM
II was the glory of the doctrinal preaching of the
past generation that it's aim was conscience. If its
mighty lever to work upon men, andi produced
lts erect AT the present time there was
q. great deal of sentiment in religion.
IL was emotional, but there vast
amount or moral teaching that could be only ad-
dressed to the imagination 1t had not the strength
but had all the weakness of the past theologes No
fault was to be found with sentiment in religion.
unless II was of the diusive kind that accomplishes
no good in men. 1t might throw iridescent hues
upon the imagination, yet man might sit thou
sand years under such preaching and 1t would have
no more power to strengthen his good impulses than
the moon has to better the harvest. 1t was beaut-
fu thing to shine on lovers when they were walking
and talking in the evening, but it would be poor
business to read by its light Sentiment in religion 5I
ment 1t can do no good. 1t only pleases.
Sensationalism was another feature of modern
religion. Much of the sensationasm attributed to
the pulpit was really created in the newspapers. 1t
was quite in the power of reporter to sit i'll con-
gregaton and when preacher in the glow of his
subject forgot his grammar and struck out right and
left to take notes of just those fervd odd extrava
CANT or humorous utterances which strike most
forcibly. 1t not the sermon which appears in
print the next morning 1t was as If a man had
picked up beetle and had presented it as speci-
men of summer in North America. 1t was not
the breadth of the DISCOURSE, its direction
or its power that was given. It was easy
to pun out plum hsrs and pa@
and set men laughing Who the sensationalist? !?
1t was not the man who misrepresented. but the
man who misrepresented him. There was not unfre-
quently another variety sensatonalism into which
the preacher was forced by the pews. That man
orthodox who attracted a great many listeners and
who made the silver ring in the hat and he was
rather q weak brother who could not raise the wind
Something must be done to pay the interest on the
the sensationalist-the pastor the people?
was it both of them together? On the other hand
the pulpit was not to shUs as to to ts
Church. The true test not in the ex
terror; it was . question of bringing forward the
truths in such shape that it should break through all
FORMS Let the preacher take such means to lift his
people to q higher plane shall be agreed upon be-
tween them 1t was no other bodys business 1t
impertinence in any community to go into church
and dictate to the minister what he should preach.
Woe to that system of preaching which attempted to
had right to differ from his fellow men, But while
individuality permissible in the pulpit, the
what was vital. The preaching that only awakened
transient pleasure was bad, II 1t were exciting
and unconventional, and even worse if it
chievous to excite the deep feelings of congregation
without giving them some channels of operation.
On the other hand there in great many pulpits
more irregularity than in agrave. You would just
expect the dead hands to move about and tsi
cuff or all the heresies in this world none was like
death in mans life. What men needed was vigor-
Gus help and the courage to do right.
MANLY CHRISTIANITY.
men, consciences don't reach the standard Of duty.
they still like to the ideal held up before them
They know that they are passing on to
death and Judgment, and there is a chord in
every heart that will respond to the earnest
ness and fidelity of every teacher. The Church
could not live and present low tone. 1t must stand
before the world upon ground where it can invite
the challenge and scrutiny of every man. If those
who far from the house of God wereweighed and
found to be better than those who were within the
what would be its end i? The public
timent of the Church should make morality the basis
of confidence and create law which would raise the
tone of honor. No man had any right to belong to
the Church who did not mean to rise from height to
height in that respect Godliness that did not pro-
duce manliness was q sin and q shame.