Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1859-11-10

PASSAGES FROM RECENT DIsCoURsEs BY THE
REy HENRY WARD BEECHER-A mans re-
ligious connections should be a part of himself
not like harness which you can take off from
the horse and lay it aside for a while aud then
put it on again when you wish to, but like
mans lungs which you can't take out OF the
man but he dies.
True religion takes care not only Of mans
working life, but also of his leisure and rest.
1t takes care not only of his solemn hours, but
of his mirthfulneSS. 1t takes care of the whole
man. NV children when they are sleeping in
their cribs, are just as much my children as at
other times: Just as much mine in their sports
as in their laborS And God is not harder
Father than we are We are always His child
ren-we can go to our rest, or even to our
amuSements, without te cling that we are doing
that which is 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 immatera mat
ters.
Don't take the Bible and say, az don't want
to read it, but l suppose / must" nor your
hvmn book and say 81 don't want to sing, but
| guess had better"-don't say, "I don't want
to pray, but | will, and keep praying till do
feel ike it." | am in the habit of llkenng the
Saviour in my thoughts to some great and noble
friend-don't you suppose, if You went to the
door of such friend and said to him, Il did
not want to see you bit to-day, but l was
afraid YOU would feel hurt if did not come,
and would treat me accordingly that he
would say, "lf you don't want to see me, | am
sure don't want to see You : and do you sup
pose that God is less delicate TO friendship
than an earthly friend
| don't suppose man would sin uppardona-
| bly if he did not read the Bible any for whole
day. / don't believe God sits watching every
mau, and saving, There ! he has not read the
Bible for twenty-four hours Put that down
against him r. And we ought not TO read the
| Bible for fear of an accounting. We
carry in the Bible Gods sweetest messages of
cheer to us If there is anything noble and
delicate and tender anywhere, it is to be found
/ in the Bible And ought we so to define such
messages as these by a perfunctory reading Of
them? We should carry them as We carry
| letters from our dearest frindS, and read them
whenever the mood calls for US to do so; read
them again aud again, aud If we found that
we had forget a sentence or q word, go back
and read it over again, and so get them by
heart
thiuk the grim particularly and proud
propriety Of our eastern manners is very IN
favorable to the growth Of christian character.
/ Prosperity ought not to build US up on stone
We ought to grow softer, like fruit beneath
+ its ripening sun.
I As gold is found but here and there upon
earth, so it IS with love IN human lite. We
meet it a little in the hearts of children, and
in our households but it is here and there q
I scale of gold and whole continent of dirt.
/ hear men say: The way to love God is
to love aud do good to our fellow-men, aud
this is all that is nece ssary;" bat | am sure
that | should not want my children to love
me in that way. Suppose l should hear my
children saying: Now, the way for Us to
love our father is just to be kind to each 9th
err" Well, that would be part of it, no doubt;
bat don't YOU suppose there Is something in
my heart which would cry ont: " Love ne,
too, oh my children" And it is the glory
of Gods heart that be wants to be loved him
/ sef-Froc Press