The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-27

|AlShSlNe improvements nave Deen
made in the First Methodist church
and we understand that others are
in contemplation. The building has
had a most thorough overhauling,
about 5000 have been spent for various
repairs and the result is a surprise
and a delight. The congregation has
now one of the most attractive places
of worship in the city. Since two years
ago the congregations have more than
doubled and the membership is re-
ported as having kept pace with the
attendance.
The Sunday school has overlooked
from the Sunday school room into the
League room and a new department,
the ASSEMBLY" couples a large space
in the main auditorium
At yesterday mornings service Mrs.
DR.. Hamilton presided at the organ.
The music, under direction of Mrs.
G. c. Plummer, was unusually fine.
A large audience was present, many
of them those who were evidently
strangers TO the city and who seemed
delighted with the services.
Rev. Alfred H. Henry, the pastor,
preached on the subject. The Rights
and Claims of Conscience" The speak
er began by saying: rs conscience
alone a sufficient guide to conduct?"
Continuing, ne said, in part: In all
men there is a secret voice that speaks
to the heart concerning life. 1t is
the voice of authority but not the
voice of God. 1t is not infallible, but
unless it is Obeyed the soul commits
moral suicide. 1t was given man as
guide and monitor, but if its in
structions are disregarded, it becomes
a terrible goad and accusing witness,
whose voice must be heard. When I'M
willing TO obey it, many try to silence
the voice of conscience. But it is in
destructible. 1t MAJ be lamp sred with,
ii may be disregarded. it may be
drugged. but an hour of meditation is
Sutt1cl ent to arouse it to full vitality.
A mor1ent of fear may give it complete
control 1t was conscience that in
vaded the dying chamber OF Lorenzo
the Magnificent, Prince of Florence,
and that caused him to send for the
uncompromising monk of Lombardy,
whom he hated and whom he had per-
secuted, in the hope of obtaining alb
solution from his crimes.
Conscience pursued the Roman en-
peror Constans II, after the murder OF
his brother Theodosius, over land and
sea, pressing 10 his lips cup of blood
and saying, Drink brother. drink"
Conscience has conquered the worlds
conquerors. William the Second wept
on his deathbed because of the rivers
of blood ne had shed. In his last de-
hrium, Napoleon was haunted by Wis
ions of the hosts of soldiers of the
empire he had ruthiessiy sacrificed on
the altar of his ambition. The most
terrible punishment of the guilty is
the accusation Of an aroused con-
science. Conscience is the nerve of the
soul; its business is TO warn against
outrage; l. It's warning is not regard !
ed, disaster ensueS and nerve becomes |
pain.
All powerful natures are given as
blessings to men. It is a, terrible f!
truth that when perverted they be-
come his greatest curses.
Reason denies God; imagination fills |
the soul with images of evil; memory !
of SINS committed and guilty scenes
experienced makes the inner chamber !
of the soul z very vestibule of hell; |
conscience outraged, sighted. de- |
spised, becomes an accusing witness, |
whose voice must ever be heard as /
long as the soul has conscious exist |
ence.
God seeks to win man by address |
ing him through his conscience. If
we would be true to what we believe |
to be right: if we would be perfectly /
honest with ourselves; if we would be !
answering in following the highest
path, the outcome of our lives would /
creator. Startling progress would be
made by one who would always in
stantly obey conscience. There might
be insuperable difficulties to a man
all the dogmas of the
church; there would be none to his
realizing the sublime beauty of the
divine, human life of Christ
The voice of Christ supplements the
voice of conscience in two most i'm
portant respects. First. by supplying
an ideal sufficiently high. and second,
by supplying a motive sufficiently
powerful. Fix your thought upon the
character of Jesus.
Says John Stuart Mill: There is no
better rule of virtue than to endeayor
so to live that Christ would approve
our lives" Jesus is the center of moral
light. He breathed into the world
new moral atmosphere, he created a
new ethical standard, he quickened
mems consciences to strive to attain
10 it. This light is for every man.
Jesus meets men on the level of the
deepest and broadest humanity.
The motive supplied to reach this
deal is the motive of love. Love is
me only power that can make fnclina-
ion and duty always harmonic.
doing violence to all our
mental and moral nature, God can
each us and influence US only through ]
he affections. And so Jesus came into
he world on an errand of love- And
80 he lived among men, his simple.
strong, inspiring life. And so he died
or men, that his sacrifice might win
hem to climb the steepest hills of t
and to fashion their lives af- :
er the loftiest ideal.
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