The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1858-04-23
Beecher ut the Old Theatre.

DCCCuCT W tile Ulu lututIC'
At prayer meeting held recently in Bur.
tons Old Theatre, New York, Henry Ward
Deecher came forward. and among other good
things, gave utteranee to the following good
thing:-
I do not think there Is an intelligent man
in this congregation that is not aoundantiy
qualified to-day, before the sun goes down, to
become q true Christian in the spiritual and
experimental sense of the term; and do
not say that every man who has been brought
up under religious instruction should come
in here with this impression. "Now suppose
! must be three or four days serious, and then
! suppose there Is about q weeks time III
which shall be very anxious, then shall
60 through hell-gate and come out into sale
anchorage, having Christian hope say
1t is shame that any man should lay out
such course as that for a work that ought
to be done in moment, in the twinkling Of
an eye.
More than that there Is an impression that
unless there has been some kind Of an official
touch a mans conversion Is scarcely com.
plete; that unless some appointed class
leader, some eminent minister-unless they
have talked with him. explained 1t to him,
upheld him in this hour, encouraged his hope
and brought him clear out, he does not feel
Us though he was born; whatever may be
the hope he enjoys, there is still the impress
sion that the work Of grace requires the IN
terposition of some Official instruction. What
/ wish to say is this We wish To get rid OF
this impression, and try to leave the impress
sion upon your mind, upon the mind oil ev-
cry youth, of every old man, that the work
of salvation is matter between his own heart
and the Lord Jesus Christ; that there Is
between them sympathy so plain there Is
no need of any interference. You may be.
come Christian now and go home TO your
household and be enabled to ask blessing
at your table to. day, you may stretch forth
your hands to the amazement OF your vile
and children, and like Christian man ask q
blessing ON your dinner, though 1t DO the trs'
time in your life; you may so home tonight
and begin family prayer where the SOUND o.
your voice in prayer was never heard. an
going to urge you to this course, and to take
IL at once.
But what does being Christian AMI
Does IL guarantee man that he shall never
sin again or desire to sin; Not at all. 1t IL
not guarantee of saintship in other words
Well, what is it to be Christians don't
know any way to define it better than by tina,
law of love in which Christ declares, "Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart
and mind and soul aud strength, aud tn!
leighoor as myself" and the man who car
come into this large state OF true love, love
upward and love collateral, love to God and
love to man, understand that he has become
a Christian. Now is that a voluntary state
Can any man love who wishes 70 love: Cal
any man become Christian simply by wish
ing to become a Christian: Can / stand OF
the steps of the City Hall merely by wishing
To stand therei Yes, in one sense eau do II
but not in one step. must take those IN
termediate steps which stand connected viii
the accomplishment OF volition in the end
But / say without any hesitation that II an!
man is so fat moved as to have q desire, M
can love God and come into that state II
which he loves lis iellow-men. Any ont
that can do that to-day, has begun to-day u
LSss...S I. oL.;s,:-...
Then why do YOU call him Christian ant
not religious mani For this very reason
religion is The offspring of conscience and awe
to be Christian requires the worship thro
love. A man may worship through awe o.
through sense OF duty, and / think ther'
are hundreds OF men in the churches nov
who are only religious men and no; Christians
They love BY conscience, they love by bond
bound by tie, by fear. Their life is literal
ly one OF service; they are fatally servants o
God. not In the sense in which the words ar
largely used in the Scriptures, meaning sim
ply disciples Of Christ, but they are most lit
orally Gods hired men, or worse - God
bondmen. So that have been accustomed
to say to my people, when persons united t
my church from other churches, that the tirs
work had to do was to turn them out OF re
ligion into Christianity; to make those wh'
were before only religious men now trul!
Christ's men. Men must learn no longer Il
fear God; no longer to trembe as before tn
tyrannical master Of despotic government
but come unto Him thro' Jesus Christ wh'
draws his affections up toward him, and say
"Lord. love thee, trust thee. and viii
serve thee because l love thee"