Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-06-24
Tut, tut; -" Hawks should ma pyke out
hawks cen
FRESH LIFE THOUGHTS"

FRESH "LITE THOUGHTS"
REPORTED ron The FREE PRESS,
REV. HENRY WARD BEECHER.
So is it in the economy Of lfc that no sooner do
We learn moral fact, than we are compelled to
try to sublime it into truth or a principle -and
yet no sooner do we bring it thus from the actual
into the invisible, than we again compelled at
once to bring it back into tho form Of conduct.
As the mists which exhalc from tho earth ia in.
visible drops, rising, gather together until at last
they begin to return that which they ha vo gath
cred in full round drops so it would seem that VIC
must return in the form Of conduct, what facts wo
have learned as principle, and without that con-
tinual circulation it werc there can he no healthy
action.
10 many men, truth, after a while, ceases to
to be power, to be measured by its effect upon
the life and conduct Of men, but it becomes valu.
able to them merely rs IN an object of contcmpln-
ton. But the primary object Of all truth is to
form right habits, right character and right con.
duct upon right foundations in men. Truth is to
be regarded as Gods bread for hunger, Gods med
icine for disease, Gods lever, with which to lift
up men that are stuck fast in the mud and nire
of this world.
There is many sermon that has altogether too
much ornamcntaton for good, If rccollcct ri ght.
there is never an urchn that is to be whpped.
who would not prefer that all tho leaves should
be left on the stick. But those who have expert
encc know that if you want to make the child
tingle, you must strip off the leaves
Art but a language after all. If art amount.
to anything, it is because it has something to say
something to do and is not merely an expression
Of beauty alone.
In Greece art was the language of patriotism
and Of religion jointly. In Italy it spoke for the
Church mainly. We can know what were the re-
Hs'cus IDEAS of those ages, better through their
pictures than in any other way. They were not
painted in order that the painter might get so
much Of color much of canvass. They were
painted because he had something in him. which
he wanted to express.
While preaching has the right to use all things
that are autiful yet there is nothing that will
be more fatally corrupted than preaching if beauty
is made more important than use Beauty is not
enough for US. We not merely creatures walk.
ing after juggling inspiration Of beauty. We
are the sons Of God, trying to get back to our
Fathers house, and we need something more than
beauty to enable Us to do it.
Mirthfuness in the church is neither to be
sought nor avoided. 1t is to be used lust in the
same way as any other mental power. There is
no day too sacred for it, and no place to sacred for
it, provided tits used to lift up Gods children from
sin.
There can be no doubt that the habit Of going
to church, and being subjected to religious thrills
when they do not produce any change of character
or conduct, will inevitably produce peculiar form
of selfshness.
Controversial preaching is apt to raise UP COM
bative feelings, and men who Listen to it arc ant
to be more fierce against the enemies Of the Lord
than they against the enemies of their own
souls.
Look at l. Tim. i. CHI, 9th and 10th v. and Won
will see that SCUM doctrine" is truth, purity,
love, good works; and that bad living is heresv in
the New Tcstamcnt--nay 20 farther. and saw
that, no where in tic Nov Testament can the term
" heresy " be found applied to any error of belief,