Year: 1869

Labor as . Means OF Spiritual Culture


Sermon by the Rev. Chauncey Giles.


Last evening. at the New Jerusalem Sweden
borgian) House OF Worship, on Thirty NTH street,
near Fourth avenue. Rev. Chauncey Giles delivered
q very interesting sermon, the subject OF his dis
course being Labor as a Means Of Spiritual Cul-
ture.n Man, he said, was an inhabitant Of two
worlds and o twoiold process is going on in every
here Of his activity Az the tree roots in the earth
and grows up and spreads Its branches far INTO the
air, the soul is the material body and grows into
the spiritual In both the process Is gradual and the
growth ls the result Of activity. Man is as it
were, weaving two webs-one visible, material,
which Is Geetng: the other invisible spiritual which
is substantial When the fabric is finished the ma
terial falls or and the spiritual remains. Our bus
ness therefore, is to construct this spiritual fabric
to be beneficial. which can only be done by action.
effect on our spiritual nature, which is its true
standard OF value. We should therefore Judge labor
by the scale OF its spiritual value. 1t Is wisely or
dained that man should grow only by his own
activity stimulated by what are called the necess
ties Of life; and with the material body the spiritual
the body is OF the material, aud both are subject
as ai bodies to the laws Of organization. After ex-
pg nn G BY sssTDs ss \ m 2 st man rss
the animal is not-as, for instance, fe Bee cah make
o better hexagon than man, but never an 0cta-
Is capable OF unlimited culture, the reverend
lecturer stated that this can only be done
but to keep our faculties il action and to preserve
the health OF the material body for without physical
health the spiritual body cannot grow or exist.
Hence labor, which Is cursed BY some, Is essential
to our spiritual existence. The soul comes into the
material world through the body, and the develop
the spiritual. 1t results that whole spiritual ex-


stence through all eternity rests on what we gain by


On Gf es ws
labor there would be no effort, and hence no dis
tincton in this life, no virtue no ennoblIng alfec


tions. wisdom comes from knowledge, which is
acquired by labor, and labor again is necessary to
apply it, After giving at length mis- views upon the
influence OF climate and surrounding circumstances
upon the physical energy and activity or man, that
we must grow through our own labor and not
rely upon the help Of others that even in religion
that goodness is vicarious and can be achieved


through the act OF another s false In nature false in
virtue, righteousness and Intelligence thfoiGh 6ii
self and his own nature only; that praying to the


Lord for help Is well, but that He viii not help
except through our own activity, the reverend
speaker continued, that the spiritual value Of every
act is determined by It's effect On our spiritual
spiritual power 1t is good; II 1t has no such tendency
II Is not Here the motive from which an act is
done determines TO which OF these two classes it
belongs. II the motive be all for self and mean 1t
is destructive Of the spiritual nature; II it be all FOR
neghbor and the Lord 1t aids every spiritual prin
ciple. The personal standard or the individual
weighs nothing IN spiritual sense. But 1t may be
that every ACT, whether done with good or evil
Wars have nress 20 man. n
the beautiful arrangement OF Divine Providence that
evil shall destroy evil. And many acts done from
evil motives have brought good spiritual results.
Those great intelects, though exertlng themselves
for selfish motives may furnish others the means to
work spiritual progress. This applies to everything
and to every act and no one can Strike blow, from
however mercenary and mean motive, without
doing something from which spiritual good may
flow to Others Let, therefore, each take care that
ffom his labor he may reap not only natural and
material, but spiritual benefits also. In this
fhA 10 lnIn onA nUntS 0aUA dA vxntSla
work than men In the highest station The essential
requisite that labor. whatever 1t may be, should
bring rich spiritual harvest is to do what Is useful
works nobly. His name may not appear on the roll
OF worldly fame, nor OF what Is called good society:
he walks in this life clad IN the humble garments Of
low labor, but when the material body decays and
fails away his spiritual body will rise ip glory and
lasting life.