Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1859-08-25

Extracts from a sermon by Henry Ward Bee.
cher, May %, ls59.-Keporsed in full fos
the Banner Of Light, by T. J. Eiiinrood.

Extracts from a sermon by Henry Ward Bee.
cher, Nay %. ls59.-keporsed in full fos
the Banner Of Light, by r. J. EIiinrood.
TEXT :-Forasmuch, then, rs the children
are partakers ofHesh and blood, he also like
wise took part Of the same that through
death he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that Is, the devil and de-
liver them who. through fear ofdeath were
all their lifetime subject to bondage. For
verify he took not OH him the nature Of an :
gels but he took on him the seed Of Abra-
ham Wherefore in all things il behoov ed
him to be made like unto his brethren that
he might be a merciful and faithful High
Priest in things pertaining to God, to make
reconciliation for the sins of the people
For in that he himself hath suffered, being
tempted; he is able to succor them that are
mpted,-Hcb. ii. l4-ls.
When Christ came, the world may
be said to have been divided into two
parts-the jew and the Gentile-both
of them seeking religion. but having
very different objects of search. All
men have religious nature. All men
are compelled by that nature to seek
some kind Of qualification for their
moral feelings. Ifthey are intelligent
and rightly directed, this moral nature
will develop true religion; ii they
are ignorant and wrongly directed, it
will develop superstition. Our word
religion is heatben word, and its ct
ymological meaning develops the root
idea of hea;hen worship, namely, COM
pulsion: for the word signifies to bind,
or bind again, to constrain. to tic up.
Religion was, according to the ideas
Of the heather nations, process Of
tying up the mind. 1t was confpul
sion, and that, oltentimes, cofhpul-
sion as the offspring of feelings the
most tormenting Fear, and super
stitious conscience, indeed, are tie
chief instruments Of religion. as de-
veloped without the law OF ofinspiration.
What is called heathenism is fear and
superstition.
We may. therefore. say that no
view of religion can be right which
logically leads to the narrowing of hu-
man religious liberty, and which leads
to n circumscribing, or to an extin
enlistment of human Joy. We may
declare, also, that the want of spiritu-
al life and freedom is prima facie evi-
dence Of the want Of true notions of re-
ligion. Where any order of religious
worship. where any scheme of doctrine,
where any church organization, where
any Christian denomination-in short,
where any system which has for its OBJ
ject the developing of mans interior
nature; succeeds in making him less
and less joyful. you may be sure that
that is not a right system, or that it
fails to accomplish its own appropri-
ate end; for the characteristic effect OF
Christian faith is to give to the soul of
man. in all it's range Of affections, in
its moral sentiments, and in its rea-
son. "a greater development and great
or liberty than it could attain through
any other instrumentality.
A Christian is not a man that may
do less than he did before he became a
Christian. a Christian is not a man
from whom has been taken away a
great deal that the world calls precious,
for the sake Of limiting his power, and
freedom. and Joy. y Christian is a
man who. from the day of his birth
into Christ, marches with greater and
greater power. and freedom. and Joy.
all the way home to heaven. The very
genius of Christianity is this-that
men are best governed by development.
not by restraint.
Theie are great many persons who
wear their faith as yoke. n great
many carry it as duty. A great
many are led by it as fear. Not a
few are driven by it as they wonld be
driven by n torment. And it is true
that to this day there are thousands and
tens of thousands Of men that are sub
iect to bondage through fear of death;
and every wise pastor who draws his
ideas as to mans needs. not from
books, but from sympathetic contact
with actual want in hnman life. will
feel impelled to open up the true ma.
ture of Christianity over against this
tendency of the human mind to yield
tn the bondage Of doubt and fear.
Religion is simply this: the right
ordering and normal development Of
the whole soul Of man before God. IL
is not quality derived from outside
of us. 1t is not thing put into us.
II is simply the right. voluntary ac-
tion of the faculties Of mans nature
Religion is only another word to de-
scribe a mans acting right. in contra
distinction to man acting wrong. II
is. as applied to tho soul. what the
/ word IsoiL IL as apnlied to the holy