The sun., 1870-10-22
Henry Ward Eccchcr on Ucavrn and
II.ll.

Icnry Nnrd EcccNCr on traVrn nnd
Uc!i.
Il is lucky for Ms. B.Gci'iH TIA; he il not
responsible for Lis l.h4y.Ur to any rc,i.
Gus body besides his own congregation.
If he were, his Hulacious assaults on tine.
honorcd dogmas would have again and
bsIain brought him to ecclesiastical trial nnl
tJultlcss to condemnation. His recent ser.
mons on Heaven aud Hell, for example, must
grouse the ire of many TN orthodox believer,
and make him long for some means Of scol.
ing up such q fountain Of hcrcsy. Mr.
BEECnER actually darcs TO doubt that nell
lie n place full Of fire and birthstone, and that
heavenly joys consist in ono uniform md
monotonous occupation. lie ventures TO
apply nmon sense 10 the consideration OF
lhe SUI ject, and to give forth without fear
the conclusions to which II leads him.
1t is quite evident that if tho teachers Of
religion would preserve n general belief in
heaven AID hell, they must cease to repre-.
sent them as having local existence In the
material univcrs, For centuries past rs
uonomcrs lave been sweeping tho tky in
every direction with their telescopes, Iut no
one OF tLcm Las discovered ony astcroid or
planet which at all .ulGls the rcquir mcnts
Of The home Of either the Llcssyd or the mis-.
erablc after death. No miner or explorer of
Tho bowels of the earth las yet found the
way TO cavcrns which would answer to the
pr son house of the damned. Aud then, be
Edcs, the objection which Mr.. BLEcnER
presented with such force in LIS sermon on
heaven comes up continually: How can q
discmboded spirit I've and move and enjoy
aud suffer in a material dwelling placer The
,pos;le tells US that flesh and blood caunot
inhcr,t the kingdom of heaven. If so, that
kingdom cannot be of q nature which nesh
and llood could inherit The kingdom Of
hell, it would seem, ought TO be equally n
accessible to men still ciothed with mortal
clay and all attempts to fix it here or there
In this planet or in that, are futile, and will
be regarded 20 Ivy all who have not surscn.
dered their reason TO mere dogmatism.
On the other hand, there il q growing
conviction, on which no doubt Mr.. BLrCHER
counts for support, that both heaven and hell
and, though invisible to the cycsght, which
takes ooSnizaucc Of material objects, arc ap-
precialle " the senses, so 10 src, X, of the
soul, when Il is relieved Of the ilcshy cover.
ing Which now cnvel,p ps it. There arc those,
indeed, wlo Lelcyo that, even before death,
The veil may be temporarily Lifted, and the
spirits OF the departed and the realm in
which they dwell made evident to specially
favored individuals; but most rcoplo are con.
tent 70 wait till death finally releases them
IRON t'cir Imprisonment, and enables them 10
ENJOY ti,Ir new state If bong. 70 all sucu
heaven and he'll arc mono the less real iC-
'crsc not material nor are the hope Of hap
iucss md tho fear Of punish ucut any the
80 pow, rful motives Of action tlan they
ere To loljcrs Of the oll.fusll.oncd notions.
Indeed, this bringing of the future state
closer TO thgiraIlrchcrs ons, and imprcssius
upon them its intimate relations to the own
moral quality, makes i easier TO have a liv
ing fi,h in IT, and consequently giv,s It on
importance IN th,ir m'uds which il would
aot othcrw Sc possess.
Mr.. DLLDIEb'a IDEA that tl-G is vari ",
and not unfrmity, in the joys Of Leavcn,
slso commonds itself to intelligent n nds
1t is read ly seen that human lcirSs do not
CEASE to DC human W the death of the body
AS DR.. FRASKIIH remarked more ,nnn n
century ago man is not ovGv animated Ly
a soul lie is a soul clothed with a body.
When tic clothing is laid aside, the man
himself r,muIns unchanged. What lie loved
lie continues to love wha. he hated he con
tnues to hate and lie retains all tho pccu.
iiNrtics which distinguished him from other
men. If heaven is TO lc q place of happi
ness at all, its happiness must be adapted TO
human nature; and not only that, but to the
peculiar human nature Of each individual.
II IL contrary to reusJn, Us well 0s m hnpu.
laton On the resources Of Almighty WIS
dom, to fuppofc that the inhabitants Of the
heavenly abodcs .re u be all moullod in one
pattern, and permitted to cncoGc in only one
class Of lobors oud pleasures,
Mr. BLECuIr, therefore, in striking out Oh
this an arcutly old tud hazardous lnc of
thought, IL running much lcss rsk tlan
might lo supposed lie is not 30 much
leading public opinion os indicating thc
current IN which ho has had the sogacily
topuc,ivo ii is already running. Az has
happened many times Lciorc in the History
Of Intellectual progress, he comes in at .
lnto 'Ny TO profit hy the lalo.G Of men WHO
lavo lroccoed him, and who have suffered
mar.}r3'm ior p,mrlugcly rromulgatjng
tie views 20 row edyooa,cs with federation
II not applause.
IiOfSiug IA Schools.