Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-10-22
PASSAGES FROM RECENT DIsC0URsEs
BY THE REV. HENRY WARD BEECnER.

A mans religious connections should be a mar,
Of himsolf, not like a harness which you can take
of from the horse and la, it aside for a while and
then put it on again when you wish to, but like a
mans lungs which you can't take out Of tho man
but be dies.
True religion takes care not only Of a mans
working life, but also of his leisure and rest. 1,
takes care not only Of his solemn hours, but Of bis
tnirthfulness. It takes care of the whole man.
My children when they are sleeping in their cribs,
are just as much my children as at other times
just as much mino ia their sports as in their labors.
And God is net a harder father than we are. We
nre always His children-we can 60 to our rest, or
even to our a%musements, without feeling that we
are doing that which lie not worthy of our religion.
There is nothing which hurts the moral tone Of
the mind more than doing things which go against
our conscience, even in immaterial matters.
Don't take your Bible and say. II don't want to
read it. but l suppose l must" nor your hymn
book and say. II don't want to sing, but l guess /
had better"-don't say, II don't want to pray,
but will and keep praying till l do feel like il"
| am in the habit of likening the Savior in my
thoughts to some great and noble friend-don'i
you suppose, if you went to the door of such q
friend and said to him, u did not want to see you
a bit to-day, but | was afraid you would feel hurt
if | did not come, and would treat me according
~" that he would say, IF you don't want to see
me, l am sure | dent want TO see you )" and do
you suppose that God is less delicate to friendship
than an earthly friend
! don't suppose a man would sin unpardonably
If he did not read the Bible any for a whole day.
| don't believe God sits watching every man, and
saying There be has not read the Bible for
twenty-four hours Put that down against him %
And we ought not read the Billie for fear
o: any such accounting. We carry in
the Bible God's sweetest messages of cheer
to us. If there is anything noble and
delicate and tender anywhere, il is to be
found in the Bible. And ought we 81 to define
such messages as these by a perfunctory reading
of tbem' We shouli carry them as We carry let
tiers from our dearest friends, and whenever the
mood calls for US to do so read them again and
gain, and if we found that we had forgot a SEN
tence or a word, go back and read it over again,
and so get them by heart.
"'" IL RfW particulaTIy ana proud pro-
priety of our eastern manners is very upfavorable
to the growth of Christian character.
Prosperity ought not to build us up of stone.-
We ought to grow softer, like the fruit beneath its
ripening sun.
As gold is found but here and there upon earth.
SO it is with love in human life. We meet it a lit
tie 10 the hearts OF children, and in our households;
but it is here and there q scale of gold and q whole
continent of dirt.
l hear men say: "The way to love God is to
love and do good to our fellow-men, and that is all
that is necessary !" but l am sure that I should
not want my children to 1--we me in that way
Suppose | should hear my children saying "Now
the way for US to love our father is just to be kind
to each other. Well, that would be part of it,
no doubt but don't you suppose there is some
thing in my heart which would cry out Love
me, too, oh my children" And it is the glory
Of Gods heart that he wants TO be loved himself.