The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1870-02-26
MerSIi6 S 9313it q e j. 8 3 92s8H S
Frow the " T. Hsdspendem
By IieRPy Hard BeecheF.


FRIDAY Evening, Feb. 4th, 1870.
The congregation this evening very large.
Mr Beeriser said We all know there is a great
deal of difference in the qualities OF any given
article These is great deal OF difference In the
qualities OF bread as well many varieties.
There Is 4 dserease in The quality ofsiik, broad
rlnths microscopes especially any class OF objects
whiciI Includes large variety and various grades.
Th same is trae OF mental experiences, in every
f4tu that thinks and in those that think the
finer, the more peaetrstiDgly, the more compre-
hras.ely Mems enthusiasmS are not oi equal
quality. There may be enthusiasm Of the
lower feelings there may be lower moral
enthusiasm there is a wide range oi power and
quality. Now thisis SO with Christian experiences.
We speak about repentance and sorrow Tor SIn
as if il was always one and the same thing IN
everyhody, as il every one could simply take off
the garment of repentance and put on The robe
of righ teouSness. Now the sense ofsn is probably
not alike in any two persons, specifically and
senerically.
1t is alike in all-in its great moral and essential
elements il must he the same, but in its specific
character ii is not the same. In a man whose
organization is low, material, physical, If he re-
.i,ents it will be characteristic with the level on
which he stands. II will be a substantial but
very coarse expression OF soul. But If a man be
live higher up and be. repents Of sin, he will re-
,geRf in accordance with the position in which
ha;s ssisd lies. Any person who has been in
sch ,Oi ii accustomed to see vast difference among
the ci3sdreA in the way they take conviction OF
wrong One child sulkS, is cross and dogged.
5ut by and by, when you whip it out of him
and you have 10 whip il out-he confesses be-
cause he would rather confess than endure the
sjiag any more. Alongside of him is boy in
the same mischief, although be joined with him
in DENYING it. After little while you reason
with this boy about it, and he says, "Well |
did it," He don't need to be whipped. There is
auo,her lad sitting over there, red in the face,
and after these two other boys have got their
little experiences he bursts out crying and
4iie teacher says 'What is the matter with you P'
'fheTQ aas something in him that felt be could
slot siand il to see these others punished AID
nimseli escape ii while just as 'ganty. There is
Just this difference in the repentance Of men
before God. Some meG never repent until they
kBov she hand Of God is heavily upon them, and
until it is laid on again and again, and they are
forced to cry out, 81 have sinned." They made
4 conditional repentance. They say, "lfthe Lord
will LET me slone this tine, ! will repent and re-
form" That is 4 Fery low way of repenting
nut better this shaa nothing.
Another man has been doing wrong, and yet
while in prosperity he hears the Word preached,
~
after 4 great deal of struggling, he says, 81 am
wrong" That is higher state of mind. Another
man has not had trouble, neither has there been
any special labor for him. He has heard some
discourse on the character of God His moral
sentiments are addressed. He sees God of
gentleness, of such graciousness and tender
mercy and in this view of spirit comes over him
of his own meanness and selishness, that, without
waiting for anything else, his heart dissolves
L. - 4 l..
pea lance? II mans experiences in Christian
life are OF q coarser form, the sense comes over
him every day and every year increases his
sense rsE growth. One of the signs fthe growth
OF Christian life is an increasing and more
generous and manly kind of repentance. Some
times wheE | hear Christians pray, but for the
.fact of knowing that their prayer is a routine
rDrayer and they do not realize what they say,
would think they were not growing in grace.
Some time when hear persons praying think
c0pe of two things--either they are thousand
,!s.les meaner than | before thought, or that
tAsey' khink God is harder than he is. They ad
dress 6 81 as though they were miserable culprits
and God &ss the hardest kind of jailer, and this
s.ulprit was begging this cruel, hard-handed ailer
&c i'let up'' on ttem. When hear men talk of
themselves befors Sod in this way, it almost
makes my blood rpp cold. Go back to the time
Of the Saviour. See the old bearded doctors
coming 10 him with woman accused OF adultery.
He preiends he don't hear them. 1.-The had got
into she New York papers, be would have heard
it Il thousand miles but, being the Lord God.
be don I want his ears de6led, and he went on
writing on Ibe ground. And he said, as he might
in our day, "Let him that is without sin among
YOU cast the first stone" They scattered at once
Now how he points 10 the law, and oh what a
lecture he gives 10 bes He lifts her up in ineffa-
bic sweetness, and says, "Woman, where are thy
accusers hath no man accused thee ?'' She
said mo man, Lord He said, Neither do |
condemn thee 90 and sin no more" Oh, if
this teaches you as it does me, you will see what
a sense of kindness and love There are other
instances in the life of our Lord quite as good as
that You recolleet the instance in which the
woman who had been a sinner washed his feet
. with her tears and wiped them with the hair of
her head, and with what gentle grace he spoke to
3. her. Recalleci the case in which, Fas going
over the plain, aud be sat down by The vail
while the disciples went in 10 buy bread, and be
had that long discourse with the woman OF
San,aria, when be said, Thou hast had three
husbands and be whom thou now hast is not
,ihy husband" See how that single remark
touched the depths of conscience. What call
-vour attention 10 is the way in which God leads
rhc sense Of sin iu US. Now, there are times in
(Which ran understand those outbursts in which
.nso call themselves 'vile." | can understand
how these strong feelings can come up in every
Ipas's nlind. But you ought to stand in the
presence OF Christ, and feel that be is your father
and friend When my child comes to me, when
a Thousand circumstances have conjoined to move
The depths of his feelings, he never can speak of
himself in 4 way to imply that am tyrannical,
rigorous, and eYaeting Brethren, you are liable
10 reproach Goo 10 confeSsing your sins as if you
were before an inquisitor. When you make men,
tion of your sins before him it is before d heart
il,st is tremulous with sympathy. When one
comes to Jesus with confession Of sin, there is
no mother in toe world that is like him. When
a child has done wrong, and at last summon;
courage, and says, 'Motber, may step in here 2
she understands. The child comes up it don
know how to begin She puts her arms around
it with such gentleuess, and says, 'Go on ~ Th'
child bursts into ieaEs. The mother has draw
it all out. 1t throws its arms around her il
passionate sorrow She soothes and comforts to-
child and, big as be may be, be sits on hi
mothers lap, which is the child's throne as Ions
as he lives. Do you suppose the mother can az
that and God not do it-more sweetly IL ough
not 10 be hard for a man to confess bis SINS, anC
confess them as generously as be is forgiven