Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1860-01-27
a SER MON,
BY REV. HENRY WARD BEECHET

" by reason OF whom the way OF truth
shall Do evil spoken VI. - PETEE, II, >.
The whole passage /. this; " Bus there
W.. alss profits also among ,be people,
,,.a as there shall bs false teachers among
you, Who Pri'ily shall bring in damnable
herssiSs, even denying the lord that bought
them. and bring upon themselves swift dee
tructi5n. And many shall follow their per.
ricious v,ys; by rcas9n Of whom The way
OF truth shall b. cvil spoken o." The truth
saal, b, d.sbelieysd aud re,iled. on account
Of ths misconduct Of thc.e who profess to
D. i,s adhsreais and its teachers. This has
bo,n 50 'in-, ihsrc has been u church to
guard ihe truth, and since there have been
ministers 90 teach 10. And among he most
'saifclni teachings of our Savior was tbis
TIA, Do, truth d,l 20, stand in the invariA-
be purity and soolucss Of thosc who vcrc.
or vho prl'ssssi 10 BE-, bis disciples. lie
made large provision f0r the downfall Of
urn. he declared a. explicitly a. It could
ltlr,.uci, that thls was 70 5s expected.
an that men were not o. be started from
thcr c51Gleuec and faith when d; occurred
When men that have bad saniin; 10 ,he
church, influence, aud a reputation Tor good.
us.,, h'l. ana ara found ou. in a gros, evil.
their All l,J, uo, affect themselves alone.
10 shat,s the faith 0f many m all goodness
aal virtue. II brins' suspicion upon those
associated with them in former work. Ia
vraksus ,hc corslsrc, u men ia ihe cause
wa..l ihry ssry.I. aud the Institutions
which they conducted. And ths takes
Ia,s ia proportion 90 the degree 10 which
they have bSsu representative IN th.ir oaics
and Jscls, and have stood bs'1rs thc public
q, Oh, eahoiimsnt or advocate oi truth, or
cause. liarsprsssutAsiye is proved 20 he
corrupt, aud public o.sssr, in r'aog, Of s5y-
eminent are detected in nallsaanc, and
shameful corruption, ii shocks thc faith Of
tie whole community IN publi, men. Md
10 ., only the same law that works when
good men hIl ip.o public sins, aaI are dis.
covered aud disclosed Beside. the damage
which they do TO themselves, they give a
,l.sk @ the Whole community, and she
wy y. truth j. svl spoken Of on their ac-
coat.
z There are thousands o. rsrsou' whose
moral conviction. are but little more than
personal ,ympa,hies. Tbcrc ate thousands
of persons who believe in religion bscauss
they ssl.erc in religious msn. They have
iiuls power to gaspa truth or principle,
aBI 10 Sc that ia hasa lie independent OF
men and human Institutions They usel 10
have < nincs' and truth in ihc concrete.
They trust 10 the religion Of their mother.
Tdcy believe IN the God Of some venerable
good man whose lils Ia. adorned ,hc Gospel
q Cbriss. /, 10 from th1ss e1poueu,s Of
principle that they derive their iai,h, New
when men ia piaca aad sminencc tall into
ur.n s,us, there are thousands that had been
r.stIu- upon them, Who iau with them 70
ts ground. Their own strength ~ stand
up. va. ta..r .a.,h ia such an ones goJi.
ue., They are Ike ivy. When the wall on
which it grows falls. % iall. w.;t .s. L.
roots NAV grow again, aaiv,il. busas first,
and lyr q ,inc, ii is PROSTATE. d'hsvcled,
and stunned Aud 80 there are thousands
osr,r.1r, Of every community whe's stand
irz rr falling depends upon the integrity
Of .glo one % whom they look Tor "a sH-
ample.
- There are others tha: are ola vavrrirs
and doubling nature. who, At the very bes,
not from adi.po.iti5n 20 b sinful, lui on
sec.a1s OF tle pecaiiarity Of their c,assi'u-
t.a-tuI 90 no; easy % maintain faith in
u..s. 0r goodness either. They look upon
I.-a,a ssra-ye mystery--a great, bswiidsr.
iu- Lrs4m-in which nothing i' what il
,-rrs 90 De-. They ar, apt 10 suspect, TO
rau,s 4ul hrsiats. IN confidence. And
when hs.1re such men any one rsputsd good
suddenly s,.ll, and soss down, they shulder
arl shrink a. 10 this were a confirmation ut
all tleir deeds and dreams Whom dare
thew sruss nov? The most trustworthy,
ttev think. nav be just as hollow az those
~h5 have fallen. Aud gheir soul reels, and
o. d,av and sick with fear and disrust.
They are Ike timid skaters, who, II the Ice
las given way 0n any part Of the stream or
rond. f.,I that it may sivs way where they
stand. aud Gy o. che shore And as the
wl5.s .. til.r,atr .f r.I1d - mere feeling,
an, mere reasoning that does not touch
that fseliu. can cure saeh persons.
Q. Besides tbcss. there u c'sss Of cold,
reflective natures. that stand out from the
mass of society. and watch men, as one
would watch tho instincts Aad habits of an.
inals They arc a. the very opposite pole
from thos, mentioned fr,t as bsiug control-
IL By sympathy. They have no sympathy.
The ub5.s problem Of life is a thing outside
Of themselves, and they stand IN doubt o!
men Of f,slins-and such are oil religious
men. o! course. Tbemsslyss cold, cautious,
rsnstraiiug. vatehtul, observing, with that
Kind Of doubling which Prscedss finding out
Asosrainueai OF truth, they look upon
warm, msrcurial disposiiions a. on dreams
and fantasies. When, therefore, those re-
puted 10 be good, stumble, or those who
have seemed 70 be good, are proved 10 have
be-n evil all their life. they employ each
cass a. specimen OF all the res,. Aud 50
tbsy 70 on to question and di'bsli.,s the
truth. by reason Of the misconduct Of shOse