Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-03-03
Mr.. Beeeher and the Old Testament.

1
A correspondent sendssome extracts
from late sermon by Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher, to show that Mr.Beech-
er does not agree with the Republican
as to the Old Testament. The Re
publican does not assume to be an au-
thOrity in theology, and considers Mr..
Beecher's right to differ with it quite
as perfect as its right to differ with
Mr.. Beecher. But Mr.. Beecher's es-
| innate of the Old Testament seems to
us an agreement, "for substance of
doctrine" with the articles in the
| Republican, and if there be a differ
ence it is not worth quarreling about.
Mr.. Beecher says
SIT was part of the mission of the
apostles not to transfer the allegience
of the Jews from one God to another,
but to teach them how to serve the
same God in a higher dispensation,
under a nobler disclosure of His char
acter and attributes, by new and bet
ter methods. 1t was to be the same
heart and the same God, but there
was a new and living way opened
The old was good; the new was bet
ter. The New was not an antagonism
of the Old, but only its outgrowth.-
We could scarcely conceive of Chris
tianity as a system developed in this
world, if it had not been preceded by
the Mosaic eeonomy-by the whole
teaching of the Old Testament. There
are striking differences between the
Old and the New; but no opposition.
The Old was local and national in its
prime intents, and in its results. The
o1
built men for this world. Therefore
it hardly looked beyond this world
1t is mournful to see how death was
regarded as the end; as the dark slum-
berous chamber; as the final extinc-
ton of hope and life. do not mean
that there were not traces in the Old
Testament of the dawning, doctrine
of futurity and Immortality; but GER
tainly it was no part of the Mosaic
economy. 1t never was employed as
sanctum, nor as a motive" 1.-The
Old Testament was not wholly with
out its natural religion. Indeed, the
most eminent natural religion that
can be found in literature is that which
is contained in the recorded piety of
the Old Testament. We have not yet
in our times advanced anywhere near
so far as the prophets and the sweet
singers of Israel had advanced, or as
the Hebrew mind had advanced, to
whom nature itself was one vast SYM
bolism; to whom storms, and seasons,
and mountains, and plains, and rivers
and seas, and day and night, the pro-
cessions of nature, were all mighty
symbols significant of certain great
truths behind them. There was q vast
store of natural religion held up in the
Old Testament, so that over and above
the specialities of the temple and of
er spirit of worship. Nevertheless,
the system was characterized by ordi-
nances. And every system that null
tiplies ordinances, every system that
runs after rites and ceremonies, runs
back to Judaism-that is, runs back
to childhood "When eagles are
once Matched, they remain eagles. 1t
is men that, having been hatched,
try to go back again into the egg-and
a sorry business they make of it!n-I
1--WE are children of the New Testa-
ment, and not of the Old, Woe be to
US if, living in these latter days, we
find ourselves cropping in the mper-
fections of the Old Testament, instead
of springing up with all the vitality
and supereminent manhood which
belongs to the New Testament. We
are the children of living Savior
We are a brood over which he stretch
es his wings. He is our Brother, he
is our elder Brother, he is our Savior,
and our Deliverer, and our eveElastT
ino Friend ~