The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-18
ILYMOuiH CHURCH.
''The Indictment Wenther'' Closed Plymouth
Church Last Evening-A War Sermon by
MIR. Eeecher-iIis Vows on lke Present


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Church Last Evening-A War Sermon by
MIR. Eeccher-uis Views On lke Present
European Conflict.
Though nearly all the regular attendants or Ply
mouth church spend their Sabbatis either at the sea
side or in the country, the church was well filed
yesterday, for the most part with strangers. Mr.
Beecher announced that "the incemency OF the
weather has decided me to state that there win be
no second service in this hous, today. This state
ment may reconcile you to endure, in this heat.
rather longer sermon than usual" The sermon was
about the usual length; but, despite the vibration Of
the fans AMI the sun at ninety-seyen N he shade,
was listened 10 with wrap' attention, lor IL was
WAR SERMON.
The text selected was from the fourth chapter OF
the General Epistle CT James the FIRST and second
verses-"From whence com, wals ana lghtings
among you. come they moi hence, even OF your usts
that war in your IN smpers? Ye LUST, and have not;
we kill and desire to have, and cannot obtain: we
fight and war yet We have not, because We not.'
This was description OF man regarded as Chris
tian animal, whose passions ha1 made Inn ferocons,
had led him into plumber and wars and hghtngs,
and yet the cni OF II was that nan as not satisfied
ne still remained In an unrest. The amp!ncatlon of
this idea TO the individual man brought Mr.. Beecher
t0avew OF the action OF men when congregated
into nations. As went back In tine less and less
frequent should we SEQ that the cause OF war was
force in this world in the ratio OF the strength of
mems lower nature that part OF his constitution
which Is animal. Government is necessity, an In.
evtable necessity, and as 1t is inevitable that men
should be governed 1t Is better that they should be
governed by force rather than they should
not be governed at all. For government Is
OF God, for the structure OF the globe is
such that man cannot exist without govern
ment. But what kind OF government Will depend
upon the srisc eptibiilies men are actuited WITH IL
men are animal and bestill and susceptible only of
influences prompted by force, then force must be
USED. There had been a COOL deal said lately about
not us.n the iod IN Tie family and the schoo. aud
the freedom OF the individual and every man being
a law unto himself. ~
NEW YORK WAS BAD ENOUGH
pow with The show OF q government, bat what would
rbe without even the form OF Governments The
law of force was bottomless necessity. Whether
that time would ever come when this force could be
laid aside, rs some poetic men, as some sentiment
Nal men, a. some phllanhropists think, was simply
come yet and will not be here by sons generations.
For some hundred years yet we should not be able
portrai;ure Of various classes OF men was next
given by Nh. Beecher. More rarticularyssketched
was the class to whom law was not necessity, who
obeyed the laws not because the law existed but
the tendencies OF whose nature was to be honest
moral law said they should not steal and should not
commit murder. There were LARGE classes in all
nations that were governed by moral suasion. This
was so In France, IN Prussia, In Russia in Italy and
even In Turkey. Government was, however, founded
not on what particular classes were, but on Whist
the Whoe POPULATION was. AS soon as whole
nation averaged moral susceptibility then could be
laid aside the sword and moral force could be sub
stued.
Twenty years ago there was 4 belief prevalent
that we were about 10 enter upon new era, that
civilized nations would be so influential for Ieace
that war would leave the realm OF chrisrendom and
retire TO savage nations. There many things
that JUSTIFIED this expectation-the growth OF in
telligrnce the spread OF tho doctrine of human
rights, Which gave to larger section OF men
the power TO govern; the progress OF popular
nm IN .ln md
which w0uld naturally induce them TO keep at
home, rather than TO mass in vast hordes for war
pot all helped the growth Of his his popular aE
sentiment. i was leetured about preached
about, and talked abOuf until congress
OF nations was proposed for the arb rament ami set
tement OF differences, and 1t said that nations
would disarIn. England was one the first 60 move
towards this disarmament. 1t was trre England
had learned peace by her commerce rather than
from religion. Yet in The name OF religion there had
been the bitterest and the most crue waia Jat had
ever stained tie lace OF the earth; and all OF them
were tue acts Oh malignant conscience. But Eng.
land was peaceful and desired peace because II kept
her looms emp0yed she was the manu- actlrer Tor
the nations OF the EARTH and she wished for peace IN
the world because she wanted the word Tor q Gus
tomer--for the same reason that one Kind OF
cotton was better than another because it made up
better and sold better. For the last twenty-five or
thirty years Great Britain has been as studlous for
peace as she was before studons for war. England
has spent billions OF dollars and poured into the laps
OF despots treasure and noble lives that she might
make more secure
THE THRONES OF DEspors.
In her with Russia she still fought for dynas-
tic and not for popularreasons There was no more
courageous people on this earth than the English,
old lion was tanned into lamb. Let
the VINO lion ' an9 nes so wod ns y anS
little OF the lamb There might be lamb round the
corner but the untamed hon was there, as would be
found to the cost OF the arouscr. cloud laughler.)
The English were wonderful peJpie-a people OF
whom we ought to speak well, because they were
part OF ourselves bone OF our bone. We came from
them; we are OF one race and bear to-day the same
great race marks.
the same boat was DR.. Chaplin. OF New York. He
was going 10 a peace convention, aud we had mucn
talk about IT, and they dreamed and prophesed that
there was to be no more war. wel since then there
had been five terrific wars wars that In their mag-
% aaa Sr a neTsr Ieen IN the
war with Russia, when the whole world was kept In
SUSPENSE war That was dynasiic entirely. In lS5sa
war for the liberation OF Italy, one or Tic few wars
OF principle. Then came the American civil war, q
war that had had no equal in the worlds history
either In the number OF men engaged the character
OF the results or in the embodiment OF the supcn-
dOus importance OF the principles involved. Then
there was the German-ltalian war or 1865 and the
battle OF Sadowa. Now In 1870 we have the French
and Prussan war; Only two OF these wars were for
the principle OF liberty; the rest OF them were Tor the
Yet this retrospect should not discourage us In the
the N, S 1g Progress o o Christi
60 be the prelude to dominant and browning force
OF Christian principles So long as society was
TIE CREAM AT TIE TOP
and skim-milk at the bottom, so long would society
DC SUBJECT w COW llStOuS. UHtlf bic HaSoc5 WcIc
relieved from a sense OF injustice and degradation
and the basilar element In the nations reformed this
form OF government by force Is inevitable. There
were two classes OF men who seemed 10 him greatly
to promote war. The first class was the peace
men who insisted upon peace nj any price, urged
peace as an absolute and !nfaIl!ble nostrum;
no under any circumstances was their CRY.
That was to give the triumph 20 tyranny ana 20
strengthen deSpoiism Let Crea, BTitalD and
France say that they would never 60 10 war except
for defence and how tyranny wcIld triumph all over
the world The other class was the men who saw
nations ground IN the dust under nc heel 0. sno
despot but who In their sclnshncss, paid no aced 10
their cry liberty. War was bad bit injustice was
worse. The surgeons knife wac an ugly lnstru.