Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-10-25
BEEcHER ON HEAVEN
The MaterIalIstic Idea Discarded-The Repre-.
sensations OF tho bible Pictorial.

| brooklyn, on sunday, the 9th, IN re
gard to the future state, which ha
attracted considerable attention, and
we presume, will anew raise the or,
Of heresy against him. Most of tn
New York papers publish more o
less fall reports Of it. The Herald
report says:
The audience was very large, hun
dreds only obtaining standing room
within the doors. The flowers ant
the greenhouse plants that adorned
the platform gave it the appearance,
OF small conservatory, and wer,
rich in their darker, deeper coloring
and more profuse in number thar
usual Mr.. Beecher was in one O
his best moods. Either the brigh
morning or the inspiration of The
past weeks religious festival haC
frightened up his soul. 1t might be-
seen in tho glitter of his eye as be
caught sight Of the congregation
when he entered the house. His elo
quencc drew like the music Of the
"Pied Piper Of Hamelin." Like Q
skillfuI master on the keys Of the
piano, he moved his audience tC
laughter and tears at his own sweet
will, 1t held the hearers fast though
the standing crowd was TANNED, like
sardines, he stole away their feet
that they should not depart
Throughout the hours sermon the
audience seemed TO have crystalzed
its three thousand self into an indi.
vidual one, and the preacher held il
by the magic power of his pathos
and his well chosen words Of wisdom.
The following report Of tho dis
course is mainly that Of the Tribune
The text was st. Matthew xxi, 80
"For in the resurrection they Mother
marry nor are given in marriage,
but are as the angels of God in Heav-
en-"
The philosophy of the Jews, said
Mr.. Beecher, consisted largely of
puzzles and riddles, and their onigmas
and proverbs, aud dark sayings.
According to their land system, by
which property was TO be kept in the
several families, if man died, his
widow was taken to his next brother,
and she became his wife. Here is a
specimen Of the way in which they
thought. They propounded case {:
There were seven brothers, and in
turn they all conveniently died, for
the purposes of the story, and she
passed from one to another and be-
came the wife of all. "Now," said
they, "in the other life, whose shall
she be Of the seven ?" The answer
of the Savior was substantially this /.
"You are a set Of ignorant FOOLS" 1t
was couched in other language than
this, but that is what it amounted 20.
"Ye do err" he said, "not knowing
the Scriptures nor the power of God i.
For in the resurrection they neither
marry nor are given in marriage, but
are as the angels Of God" How is
that He don't say. He likened
them to the ,angels, and then did
not tell us how the angels were.
The reply OF our Master to this ques-
ton in respect to the future state is
remarkable for what it says, and
think quite as remarkable for what
it leaves unsaid. He said that there
was Il part Of man that ceases and
does not go into the other life that
a POI ton of his powers, which fit him
for this lower life, will stay here, and
wither aud fall back and that in the
other life we shall carry those quail
ties which are highest and noblest.
Not only hero in this passage, but
everywhere in the Bible, you will be
struck with how little he has had to
say about the other state. lie pour
ed light on life and immortality, but
he did not reveal them. When you
come 10 examine, you will be struck
with how little is actually taught us
with respect to the future state in
the Bible The question of continued
existence is only recognized in the
Old Testament. 1t is not taught.
The whole Mosaic economy lies open
before us, and there is not one single
instance in it where q motive is adj
dressed to man IN consequence Of i'm
mortality all the motives are drawn
from secular things virtue shall
bring in this life it's reward and
wickedness in this life shall bring
its punishment. That you know is
the key note to that sublime drama
of Job, in which, arguing from that
basis, the friends of Job said to him
"Since wickedness is punished in thi'
life and virtue in this life rewarded
and you are horribly punished, il
must be that you have been horribly
wicked and it is quite vain for you
to say that you have not been.
People ask can Universalists be
Christians. Let me ask them how
could God maintain an economy fol
1000 years, and never recognize any
such thing as future state.
What was the method adopted By
| Christ and His Apostles 10 regard t
this instruction that in His hand
first came into authoritative disclos
ure, and was taught as positiv
truth? There is no attempt in tn
New Testament to determine wheth
er Heaven is a condition or a place
This is left for our modern specula
ton. There is nothing definit
taught in respect to the relation Q
this condition or place to the universe
There is no account given of its ma
terial, of its occupants, what change
will pass upon our nature. Are W
to 60 into the heavenly state in boo
les Paul declares expressly no
Flesh and blood shall not inherit tn
kingdom of God He declares tina
there shall be form correspondent
to these bodies. How any one ca
: believe in the resurrection of th
) physical body l cannot understand
!; whom the Apostle debars it. Bu
, what shape do our bodies assume
That is not taught. If one ever sen
: from his arms a child to Heaven, d
you not suppose he followed that il
FAINT with q myriad of thoughts