New-York tribune., 1880-01-12

weary lcdl from TIE branches at the eNpulSVe power OF
teuSer' holier and more positive deyotcmeD "rh-I
say then II We walk in the spirit ye shall not fulfil the
lusts Of the flesh"
SOURCES OF POWER TO MEN.
The power Of man himself aud his power
others accrues TO him by virtue OF his positive attitudes
And this want to illustrate by u to his
moral principles (2 to his religious creed and
uon. First, his moral principles The only staunch
morality is positive morality, positive In the of
construction positive in the Of consisting III
loyalty to right principle instead OF in autipathy TO
wrong principle. There is difference between doing
right and not dong wrong. The Bible acknowledges
the fact OF difference when It uttors its two
sided injunction to do evil, learn to do WELL"
Peter phrases it, Eschcw evil Ohqt Ia, avoid evill
Eschew evf and do good" One Is turnug our
back what is wrong, the other is turning face to
what is rght. Viewed upon the surface, the two may
seem quite alike; considered more narrowly, they are
to be very essentially distinct. Evidently it Is
thng not to be poor ar1 another thing T. be rich II Is
thing not to he fool and another to be philoso-
pher. II is thing rot 10 be a coward, and another
thing, and a much finer and more substantial one TO
he hero. The man OF whom you would think
II sufficient description To tnat he is rot
coward T. not the y0u would pat IN the forefront
Of The battle his muscles are limp; the hero his mus
ces are taut You the dicrcuct. On every battle
ground OF Whatever sort the victory is 10y virtue
OF the splendid thhE lhat Inc c'WpalaEtr are ana not
by virtue cf lhc IGn0uhnIou- thing thly rrc not.
70 he moral p,icle ~ 6r"csty T,rc are two sort.
OF honest men m the world one sort < OF those OF
described d,inciued TO be unjust To the other cns
you done justice Only ~ describing them as SUI
five OF Constellation to ali HAT is nst in thought
word or dealing Now Tie latter Il the only sort
GS honesty Laj IT is ,tc to GG IN tc cf me SSly "i sS @ Ia
ia positive and constructive the honesty not that leans
wo,nips before hGiy lnincp,c hat tniis ana knots
Itself about an idea, and is icycn and I"dlani Nlih
brave ououc to govern mIn'S heltt ana deains' ihe
only honesty that is powerful Cnou&h to com
Inc Of integrity; thc only Goucs'y That we
really have any heart 10 admire Indeed, 1t IS iust
the positive, constructive seii-IoNpt ncnt tnat
r s1i,,cntou. 1i,"oa.ity We admire posiveucss and
We cannot help IT, There is certain magnucence about
NolTr Short ~ nm srciancci iol incws enough in
Him to degenera,e into M arclGerd. Tie sulendor
mak YOU IS not the GcyIl,ry, Tut ia TIC whOlchear
edncss Of the ccmmitmcnt lie devil IN the positive
OF the attitude, In tine airmatiVcncss Of tho pos
turC. THIS prncc OF honesty Is oi course "Nl one uI
many. One great secret Of In" moral disasters con
st.nuy occurring, tho saipwiccAs of character
that each daiy issue Of our paper brings TO oar
morality. These dcfaultcrs, frauducui cashiers and
ticasulc5 tha an un0aptz d press cnoyi db. sns a7
tenGcut- are not men that bceyeiu unught'onsness,
but there Is 10 posiuyeHcss or alfmoutCnc's IN the
positively prncpcd enough to ho willing 10 dic Tor
thcir principles. II man o.cshi ihnk enough OF hi-
NAV become eutinCed IN the mcshrs o. somebody cs's
vil. Ifa man doesn't think enough OF bis principle, To-
become en- shared in the tolls Of self interest and
morally consumed 10y tnc Willy snaFe-sctIcr. .-
Vow there young men iu nis cpWf unity thdt are
iu,, moyiog ont INTO The active responsible tc End pe4
o. o. tteiI inoaai'5 is CA bnHcLc,fd To- tdt snhta1co
less crldal ncsallon hundreds q tmes, ana the man
who stands, or rather, les IN that loHnou j. on the
air line his own sctiocorGahcd and there 10 pre-
te air-iae to his own selioIcOrdained destruction. u
is so. always has been so. and We can understand
Wien the wind comes blows down. Tho vessel nmcug
goes TO pieces; and barren uegaion. the empty al
scnce Of wrongd"nc. can no moro hold man upon h'
feet under tie assault Of sharp tempt ttion thnn man
can plunge his head IN Il vacuum and have hts lungs
impregnIted with vital breath Ana 50 IN MI iii"ndi-
and interested ealncsiuess let me e)on II upon
You abandon tis negative morality or IL y proper TO
speak OF abandOnins a negative ana dIopph. a
yacuy)-1bandon ms negative MORAL ths itfosYlut9
sdiug OF from what i~ wrong, ana crowd You sOu ana
saturetc your heaycn-bon energies win tfencliant
principles that have about them substance enough 10
sustain YOU tenacty enough to anchor yoe auid lhe
Our young men are perlsHng, aiIuE teIoTe inc &c! o
wrong but because tacre Is In them no spirited devote
ment TO what is good
AN AGE OF LANCUID UNBELIEF.
yWe Will consider this principle N tho second place. IN
its relations mems religious creeds The present age
die from the ono batprecedcd itand differs also prob
ably from the one that viii after II, IN respect of
the s,urdncss of religious CONVICTIONS skeniicls not
I'm ITS primary sense Of healthy inquiry. but IN its SEC
ondafy sense OF diseased uncertainty IS the charactcr
ing portion Of current thought Men used to doubt as
means Of reading conviction and now they doubt for
the sake doubtnG aud with larger number than We
think pcrhaps not 10 believe is their only crccd
The point Is not that men positively dispeieye
that would Imply ha!cness and heartiness OF
tone that does not prevail Non ask al
most any Inan you meet the street II he believes
that specific doctrine supposed 10 lie taught In tho
scriptures is tue; he says "Do'! You ASA him II he
believes II is false. "Wel DON'T know as can say
that exactly; don't believe much about IL anyway
II is not strict disbelief but langud mochef; ana OF
the two strict disbelief is far lcs7 Gncut 70 deal with
and MAKE available For II a man has moral earnest
ness aud intellectual determination enough positively
Viii he likely to stimulate him 10 boicye
some othcr doctrine For tremendous disbelief WITH the
thought fixed in one cton Is labe 70 1c clna tc
mendous belief when the thought - iuIued I'D uiHeIrh
direction Disbelief is Ony u" diverse OF dochh 3ni
bu barren unhelief. oOsejointed ana limp-nbed lke
a OTpld pdTaytc, cannot 90 CoIuteu up"n 9, i"i "n9,
thing II IL sort Of malaria that is abroad ~ inc WOFd
aud in the Church to be unponouuced IN religious Qpin
ion aud good men are drawn undcr tho dehc@ Oh 'ho
tendcncy III conference meeilns lHey lHey I.' nun ID
selves down {" the Ievei OF uI'9-rIneI5 - O htr
bcarsing tncr own uUDcllef ana pAradlh4 Wclr
own instability and indeterminateneasi In tte
dcnoc OF negative congregations Ny oa!hk t'll % U%
ais Diacs with ncsatOLs The conversation oI poo9c.
especially OF he younger ard middc-aged portions OF
the community, betrays leaning toward ana prefer
ercc that mode ~ presenting the iraih ~ Goa that
Iu and save it, character ind pgercve IT, eqWlibnu1
Popularity the pulpit and In the religious press u To
rgs OF doctrine, aud win caocu Winning. ihcinr-
cal iuGpiSy putting that iudetcrmnatehe's OF doc
Now believe in d liberal theology. and In broad
platform ava You are aware thnt the broader pat
iorm c NOR. timber there has got 10 Dc bdit Into 10 IN
order 10 s,ein the larger weight 10 bc pat upon "
and o. i;st because believe IN broad IlGtiOim, Dr.
ilrvc 1 hntng It formed Of colossal beams hewn from
tEe sturdy poSitiyenrss " thC rtrcs ana oysrl"d
,y uiaurs spiked with the Bibles url nclnE allrmG-
tivrndes Vow we are not pleading that man Should
have positive opinion about eNtTtnhs We
only urrc that he should be a mau % Opinions
man chaIac:cTizcd by n certain determination
"f conviction, and that as Christian nc
must bayc about hD certain determination OF
rcioioua conviction Religion u thihg that II pos
se.scd no; only puts new stamina IL Inans puFpohe,
md new (crvor N his emotions, hut new tension III ms
fhougltS i not only makes his heart more h9"iY Dnt