Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-06-28
Divine Sympathy-A Sermon by Henry
Ward Beecher.

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Ward Beecher.
The following is tho New York
Tribune Ssynoysis of recent sermon
by Henry Ward Beecher.
Mr.. Beecher preached yesterday
morning from Romans, 9Th chapter,
Goth verse Likewise the Spirit
also helpeth our infrmities for we
know not what we should pray for as
we ought but the spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered"
1t is not to DO supposed that all the
longings of men are of the Divine
Spirit. A soul thatis born into Di-
vine love, is like a child born into
the family. 1t has life and that is
all. Natural laws are like the walls
and roof of the dwelling. From the
beginning of the childs life, its fu-
ture course is marked out by the
hand of love. The parents well
knowing that its way will be hedged
with snares and temptations, take
every precaution beforehand, that
they may in measure be removed.
The whole scheme Of the world is
similar to this. All the Divine econ
omies Of the globe are working for
the young immortalities. 1t is i'm
possible for one to take monarchial
standpoint, and misinterpret the
text, and say that God has made
certain roads for certain favored
men TO walk in, and all the rest of
humanity are to be lost, do whatthey
will. 1t the passage is taken in a
paternal meaning there will be no
difficulty in understanding it. The
mother and father work for the wei
fare of their child and predestinate
for it. The moment q man puts
himself in sympathy with God all
nature changes, and by His command
it takes care of him. In speaking
OF human sympathy, Mr.. Beecher
said that it is to be expected that a
Bacon will like man of his own
character but when u great nature
comes down to teach the little Ounce
of the household, and quarries out
the gold that is hidden in the child.
everybody looks on him with wonder
and admiration.
Where we have been taught to
see God standing with whip, and
justice with sword it is there that
the spirit Of love stands ready to
help all our infirmties. In the spir-
itual application, infrmities mean
moral weaknesses. There are many
who find it extremely hard to bear
their inirmities. Nine parts in ten
Of the sins which men commit are
those they did not intend to indulge
in at the beginning. They are sins
Of weakness. God does not stand
like u furnace to consume those who
do wrong unintentionally. There is
no being in the universe that looks
on sinners with so much sympathy
as God. When men do wrong, their
fellow men generally neglect them.
God does not. He is to them what
a father or a mother would be in like
case, only He is more faithful. Men
feel that when they 60 into business
they 90 out of religion. God really
made the secular life q part of relig-
ion. We are all like musical instru-
ments we constantly need tuning
up. Do you suppose that one can
screw up the 80 strings of his heart
and brain, so that they will never
afterward need tuning? We must
be continually on the watch, and
see that we are at concert Pitch
Nothing is easier than for man to
get out of tune. While one string
is at tree stealing apples, another
may be throwing stones at the
moral conscience. We sometimes
hear men speak Of such person be-
ing perfect. | think that there is
only one place for the perfect men of
this world. They should either be
in Heaven or lunatic asylum. The
hardest thing TO do is to live right.
In the midst of this tumuItit is com
forting to hear Paul say that the
Spirit maketh interccssion for u.s.
There are those who are living in q
state Of glorious discomfort, and all
such persons should rejoice, for the
day Of deliverance is not far. distant.
There are periods OF great longing
in this life when truth itself seems
fable-when every tree seems q
winter tree, stripped of fruit and
leaves. respect all who are
troubled, and do not for moment
blame them. To say q man is an
Infdel is to stigmatize him as un-
worthy of recognition among men.
A man may be an Infidel, and vet be
Il better man than the one who would
condemn him. 1t may be that God
is just on the point of bringing him
out of his night of unbelief. You
cannot Judge Of men by their moods.
They may be unsettled and still be
within the circle Of Gods love-
Love is the controlling power of the
universe-not justice. We needed
no revelation to tell us that God is
just. All nature teaches this. We
need to know that there is something
better and higher than justice-the
power of sympathy aud love. The
Gospel teaches us of the recuperative
power of Divine love. Justice, like
a comet, sweeps from the sun but
love like the comet recalled shoots
toward the sun. Mr.. Beecher spoke
of what Christianity is doing among
the nations of the Old World, and
in closing he said that the race is to
be enfranchised and oppression over
thrown and destroyed.
rsa- Latest reports from Sank coun-
ty say the cut worms threaten to to-