Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-10-22
Hlisfellaireons.
From the N. Y, Evening Post
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher on
the Commercial Pressure.
"LEssoNs FRCM THE TINES" "

Rev. Henry Ward Beecher preached a
sermon last Sunday evening, to an in.-
mense audience, in Plymouth Church,
Bre oklyn, on the Lessons from the Times"
suggested from the present commercial
pressure. The discourse was one of great
power, and produced a profound impress
sion.
Mr.. Beechers text was from Matthew,
xvi, 2, 3:
"When it is evening, We say, it will he fair
weather; for the sky is red. And in the
morning, it will be foul weather to-day;
for the sky is red and lowering. o, ye
hypocrites! ye can discern the face of the
sky; but can ye not discern the signs of
the timesg"
Every season is indebted to that which
has gone before. Yet, the first labor of
the new life of grass is to push away the
old and overlaying growth. Many trees
are obliged to begin the spring with slough
ing the leaves ofthe previous year. Thus
it was in the moral world at the advent
Christ's first and his last adversaries were
those who represented the religion of the
times. They were the men who were re-
ligiously conceited; and who, under the
pretense of sanctity of truth and the ven
erableness of the holy things, refused to
let the new growth come on which God
appoints to every generation. They were
the religious conservatives of that day.
Clamorous about the truths of the past,
and every ignorant of the truths of the
present, they seemed to think that all God IS
teachings to this world were already issu-
ed; and they were the Kings post, in
whom these teachings, sealed up like let
tersl were to be conveyed to another gen
Grafton; and they supposed that their busi-
ness was that of Sacred Mail Carriers, to
convey unopened and unused messengers
of God, to those who should come after
them.
Of course such men would scon the
ethical activity of THAR age. Mems busi-
ness was to take care of the legacy of the
past, not to plough and SOW for new har-
vests.
1t was this kind of men that met Christ
at every step; that were shocked because
he ate and drank like common men; be-
cause he went among Common people and
taught religious truth-noL in the conse-
Grated language of rabbinnical schools, but
in the vernacular; because he sat in their
houses at meat with them; because he gave
men liberty on the Sabbath dav, and de-
clared that that day was not meant to re-
strict, but to help men; because he let his
disciples sit at the table with unwashed
hands; because he preached to the out
cast and took the side of publicans and
harlots against the respectable Puarisees
in short, because he took the part of relig-
ion against religious institutions; because
hetook sides with the religious spirit which
is always young and negotiating, agains,
religious usages, which are always ycners
bic in proportion as they are nothing else
1t was against this kind of religion, and
these stubborn, conceited, unlearning and
impracticable religious men, that He utter
ed these words. Men who had apparently
never suspected God had any way Of teach
ing the world except through them; who
would as soon have looked out into the
street for gold and silver as to hare look
ed there for divine revelations; and who
when God sent armies to Jerusalem ol
drove them away, when He sent the yoke
or broke the yoke, when He raised ur
worldwide connections or gave peace to
the foaming waves of contention, heard nc
moral lesson, saw no divinity, but looked
point-blank upon Gods providentia; de
velopments without seeing God. The,
were yet so attentive to that voice which
sounded thousand years before upor
Sinai, that they did not hear the silen
thunder of Gods voice now in their owl
streets, and right at their own door!
Christ rebuked them. He put thei
conduct in striking light by comparing
their habits in triAing things. The stat
Of the weather they could Judge by looking
at the elements of the weather. But th
state of Gods kingdom in their midst
while miracles were wrought, truths won
derfully spoken, the poor relieved, the sicl
graciously healed, and Gods law of love
which they had changed to stone, wa
oroitfed and cou.ad 70 ,.,,b feVtb d;v1p.