New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-30
pIFTY NOT IN DECADENCE,

THE REV. DIR. JOHN r. PAXTON IN I'D visa
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH "
Tho Roy. DR.. John Il. Paxton, pastor OF the
oct presbvteran Church, in Forty -secondst oppoi
reservoir SQUARE preached yesterday morning, '"A"e
80 .v from LIKE xviii 9 Nevertheless, wheh '"o
his TEX Nm o coaeth. Shall he find faith tie earth
Tbcse words said the preacher. are very s2u- ~
sigh of discouragemSnt, h aome hurting Christ
,noce than usual ~ ,, Ilsr and peSrnaI mind
SSoess IN force such sad despairng Worus ,Y a
His guarded lips. OF course, u Was oTIvard IN
mOnentary doubt and check 10 in yo and brought
m iS IL meant that Christie ,e ser
giaiee G1 1; q" rsons and realms which Cesar never
hnew uaused and asked hiiDsel " 81 ,cors aud
ina vas worth all this expenditure OF V, "a zen
In hnu & uis mart Did Christ anticipate poor cVcp
RON FOR Himself when He shOulu coluc IN ~ - js
sSest suppose lie comes n0w-jUst now IL V' 80, -,
uSaf would He mud. and what would lie sal - -
ask ourselves inst where We slahu Nuat w -
the puhc spirit, and what is upperihorl on 'C iot
80 in me Senses the reason and ne secular, tIas4Slt
things seen, the spiritual enc the
scent Well If Lord came now an q'' ~ Gsv, been
clergy about religion or flth rs the reposl,is nous
doing or looked through the co uIlts ~ oorons ana
newspapers greatly Tear ne WouI rsi religion was
disconralng account Of faitn be sOu ~ iS te me
ia a sal way; that tile c6urches w. nor sucied and
prayer-meetug deserted; SUNDAY o,.oi1fe means Of
f,.,iv ,rorsup a lost exercise, an V,a r. Nd and
grace He would be tod tHae ss, oIng TO the dogs
80 hold a more cheerful we" o. la'H tb Geco
lglon man LIE, ;st,aniy ana the decay OF Pety are
oSSsS,,ersted premature and cOW'I"Iy "ddTsn.nlic
uniOunued, are az f suueTical but unscTupulOus
saints and the 0odslns Oh M lis best you
nndels II YOU want 10 see Chris s' ~ revolt
.,,t ND ~ .eroe age, an age Of enthusiasm u
e,tnsT tyranny OF srOng passions anu e. go, 1,resert
Il lake US a. are, look at Us py VIC - IND ye MS m
%. - - moi Of the sixteenth century Juu-o &c "a
orr cIrclIls,auces. Consider our eAN it- Il, tne
slider inc growth IN wealth IN l' a a Win rivals IN
-Nrnirg "a subsistence consider nov O"s9 - ~ -
women are, the deman0s upon tnen 40 I bNlIeye
,nytl-1v ,stIh which everything moves anu 49,
Clirlsfius would ind much 10 @tp'1t w., - of re-
grounds fear tnAn many suy1,e - sit - To- he de-
l.go tr-tal M d
-ermiued rs the old tests enlrey ~ ~ mo-, re-
seventeenth century i sta the niouei ri.ti,r
lion mas peen largely lost. II no man j. ,,s,-
-. MOI "a 10 meeting twice or thrice Oh o.lia!
VINO uoc, go f.oI on Jne sabbath, does not Danish
All f1useneuts from bis home, and Iorolu' us -
- t,ser.lns OF society, aud Ills VIC tAe "oa4lH- Vi
inc u. - ~ he Tristan II is necessary 10 Keep
va 6,,are6 commandments besides TIC Decao- ~
fnrtIddfng u to do something l4C,''''-' ,,,,--S
IOloluIne tbnn religion has gone down. Mills
a.. - mo right To be GeprccailAo tle ptesod.
Crrsttnutty in f4y0f OF Tue FaSS,,. -,
don't believe the ew-Euglaud deacon
80 w., 1r5,red Years ago was necessarily better IaH
80, ~ ,,r,ndsou VINO lives Oh me avenue .V--'!
Inu - - ieacons made more of their reHglon ana
sOHc " a. -, tnau 40 their ErauCsOus, DuJ ludt
m we're better men, did more lof $500 nd
Sai more genuine peIY, deny, unless lou7 Yuy -
cneerful nome. bright, glad cll1IeII' al A0H09' ~ ~
a aand open 10 AID every good " oIe; M ., ,,ool, ?,
.eiiou was a luxury, dissipation, so 10 SPEAK, -
the old NewEn gland deacon 40 20 10 le
tbe monOtOny OF MS dun NE 1Aete WeIe ~ I',.'i
ma daily papers, only Few books ana HO7e '4eoos ca
A singing school IN Wlnter TO pIAc.ise 5ottSu 90
IL only social recreation Iuey hhu lie" c"Ios '4'' ~
la of fiue Therefore religion Occdhe al ai4'o'OlD-
- Theme To discuss theOOScd = stems 10 argue 10!
on against in nerslOn anu IoIeOI as ~
~ iearOns lives. Religion kept tle from -a-AatluA
Now take one Of their grandsons lie Nes Ia
ana has become rich IL Is OILY d oil 20 4l-s' "a
e mas quilt up large business III coheice, oI NAE an
extensive practice IN law OF medicine ne nus mort 70
do IN a day than mis- gTandlatAeI 4''u l.. 10 -
tn NICE wit tie progress OF tAe world III ART 1T
eTature and science the grandson nag Ef L aIts
ether never knew ne had. He has cultivated mud
ana nas developed his aesthetic tah e. aHu s4e II ~ -
10 STU to delsh1 IN music 10 make a. noHe "tl'NC'aC
ana beautiful the eye, 10 Is no sln 10 app tui47
that refine the taste, inspire tue Ae1rl al" AoIl 'ne
MUD. The deacon nad only ono SIT % i-' Li1'i ,
veopeI--tue religious his SVuAis'u A'a 4O''IA ou
thai God has sent into tie world AioaolAes9 10 IL .
our minds; inventors 10 iAci,iso .1'V No. ,, ~,
rouforts OF life poets To charm US ana useJNeIels 30
enlarge the horizon ol ouI hho" rus -.' ''1 W,
TO-DAY mas nye sides 10 MS NE @neIe ms @uO''o- @
one or at Brethren DO no. cOAue4IA OuI age
and lament the decay oI pley because some CHRISTIANS
are rlcu, not care To near Two uu4 sem VI Sun
dav are seen al the opera, or AcJuall9 duOW turlf
daughters to dance assure you DU f 40 I r GS
fanatic, aud Jesus Chrlst l. the very SUI % az 'V -
iibra and generous, well as pure ana GOOD aud sell
80 i yya. obedient and loyal without joy IN his
i a. de was stern and e1aclug, and
1Ts5e life a long hot day without Dit VI Due In his
- and the world vale Of tears where laughter was
f0'. and 10y a his grandson whose "Oi!dIlness
~ al Paradise where birds sing cIidren laugh hymns
az sung virtue iuculcated TIE poor Remembered ana
tR'-t much rather try conc usOus III bargain with
liz deacoHs grandson tAan WIN VIII the
1n decay OF goodness which the discouraged
christian advances i tAat The CHURCHES are not 20 "c
,-1 - row and tAs Is true just as many people at
tend cAurcu On this island now u proportion TO the
,-5er a. inhabitants there did seventy five years
a. Bur decrease IL church attendance would not
TT1ve decline IN b. Religion is LOT sermon hearing,
fT and hold large audiences EloIucucr has dccayed,
Is becoiu lost art The people too are more cAactug
Tie ui,nt Trey know much az We 10, and OFTEN Lud
~ ~ ieliiIous duh dry and improbable. But don't
We & pe,ebrr lust think Of tat stuocudJus task
nj rriiu something new HHd striking ana tdlijlus 10
" an, 7 oId Old tLemc, d tie same congregations,
...fs. sin CdV q
While The wonder 10 ne Is tuai 60 many not 50 lew,
Seoe 20 10 church. 1t shows hunger IL tAo heart AZ
zen, In e ,oul iOr Gospel rrdtI
Couaiu j. made that tuis is al axe " scientific re
search ana that science has DAMAGED religion. Nui-e
mar h true in degree, It il not 10 the extent tId min
isrer. fear Very people have leisure or desire "
read scientific works People know the accomplished
, NJ ms research, but concerning the theories OF
-.-e~,a 10 philosophers they know little NOT one
~ in thousand this city has turned MS back the
E,oin al heaven FROM loss Of fal brought Dy
rra Herbert spencer. We do MOI undorIate sclenuuc
,rSrI y l-u established. science has it, domain
Cd a. ms Ou the the earth, the other soul aud
sfectons Darwins successors with al their theOrzng
vii never sootne cur sorrow, remove iuuue
r gye satan, not science, las loOscned the screw Of
your mora nature. Science Is not damaging our ith
SO much the decay OF eoquenee IL Is ne leicuean
labor of the pulpit Of taking educated guilty. ated people
Interesting tnoIn and fuus them UP On trlte theme
aud ii man Is Wiling 10 iedG CAIs 1 l.e lie Las
secret OF open quarrel with religion. IL abrIdges
ierTy and calls MIN of from his pleasant Only
the smallest number OF the men WDom Jesus called fO
lowed him. II is infinitely better now than when Christ
Faith Is lie organ your spiritual nature as reason is
of your intellectual nature, To determine, therefore,
whether fulth has gone We must ascertain now men
living Tie world Of things seen-houses, lands,
ships, government, furniture diuners-eGacts
yreaT deal Of time, attention
gG,,gbt ana desire But this is commercial age and
t6 only object practical nau can propose 70 himself e
10 aInass "a fortune. In olden time % Was 10 be-
,,,e "a "a arrior or saint, according TO the How
n tch IS tie oIrect road 10 fame. Many men VINO DO
not care for money u mines digging Tor 1t, or 10
business earning u, simply because ,u'l incAIus ls
rb -uprcne uassOu " tails age, and they acquire m!
go ~ snow tbs age they beat II with rs own
Weapons Had some Of our commercial kings uVed ia
"a fyerth century they would have been pupes carG
eis ar a,cctcs IL the Of TIE Crusadts tury would
have rivlad lGur DC Leon. But now the only way lOr
them 10 display their power j. 10 aluass
I0i.i1ns unless they 90 into politics. and
- notifies I'D these times Is rOa1 % unclcau3wean.
And after al believe there i as uUcu cepubIty 10
9pltual truth, much capacity Tor faith as IA the
tine theC rusadesNl ny LOOK ~ TT h sa name foI