Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-01-25
Mr.. Beecher's Radlcalism.


Mr.. Beecher's Radlcalism.
Extract from q sermon by Henry Ward
Beecher en- ''The True Religion" published
in the Boston Daily Traveller Of Dec. !,
1s7l.]
The apostles gave to the world a
few elementary truths, and men have
taken them, and secured them, and
carded them, and spun them, and
woven them, and cut them up, and
put them into priests garments, AMI
dcacons' garments, and all sorts OF
garments; and now they are quarrel
ling over the faith which was once
delivered TO the saints AS It the
doctrines which they hold would be
recognized by those to whom they
are ascribed There is many a do,-
trine that is called Pauline theology,
of which Paul, it it were presented
10 him, would say, "What stuff is
this ?" And / think there are very
few churches on earth at present that
Christ could be made a member OF.
The qualifications Of most OF them
are, l think, such ~ would exclude
him from membership in them And
men differ and are contending and
are filed with violence and temper,
ON account OF the various claims
which they have set up. And they
60 so far that they have not q spirit
of true Christian charity. Having
received the Lenediction OF the Holy
Ghost, and having proved themselves
to be lincal successors of the apostles
who were appointed by the Lord
Jesus Christ himself, and were his
repl esentativcs, they have shown this
spirit OF love by burning men NJ, by
throwing them into prisons, and by
making them wear chains all their
lives. I believe that, much as has
been the JOY that has been made i'll
this world, more has been the misery
that has been made by men who rep
resented religion and called the
church the Church of God. The
tears have been ocean deep, and the
anguish has been heaven high; and no
historians pen can every compass
that story o. divine anguish One
single monarch-Phi'ip Ii. OF Spain
slew in one nation more than eigh-
ty thousand men, and went avowed-
" to cut off every man, woman and
child in the Netherlands. For the
sake OF his faith he would not have
hesitated to devastato the globe
While the Mahommedans were thun.
dering at the gates Of Eastern Euro
pean rapltals TO propagate their faith
we were laundering back from the
West TO propagate our faith. In.
cannon, the spear AMI the dungeon
have for hundreds OF years been oc'
cupymg very large portion OF tht
time OF those that called themselves
the descendants Of the Lord Jcsu:
Christ.
Now, we have been engaged i,
this kind Of persecution. It a MAJ
does not believe just as We do, how
sweet socvcr his lite may be,howevcl
pure and gentle and large he may be
i however much his conduct may b.
characterized by the spirit Of love, i
we Know that he sets asile the ar
ticles ofihe church, and does not bc
lieve in thcw, that ends it. We pu
doctrine against love. Though
man has all love, II he has not doc
trine, we reject him. Whereas, j
there is one thing that is unq ,estion
able, it is that tho only thing tina
doctrine il good tor is to make tn,
life what 1t rhoull be.
And yet the vast system of man
made doctrines, and the vast retinu,
, Of SERVICES, and tho vast organiza
tions OF the church. have not tended
in the main, to produce gentlencss
and peace, and love, and beneficencc
On ths contrary, they have tended
to prolAce enyies, the jcalousics, an,
conflicts, and crueities u%nuttcrable
Aud the practice Of the Clurch Q
Christ on earth tor a Thousand year.
has been simply internal. know
what I say. l spcak no hasty words
| declare that through long periods
the characteristic actions OF the or
ganized external church If the Lor,
Jesus Christ have better bctittcd til,
administration of devils than ofmcn
This %exlcrnality, with all its pre-
tence OF authenticity, a~posto'icit,
and traditions regularity, is contin
ualiy Wanted aud held up. An
when men say what | have said. an{
what l say again, and what ! will ties
THY to so long as the breath OF lite j!
in me, that the spiri: OF Christ i
love; and that he who TRULY loves
God and men isa Christian, no mat
ter in what church lie is found. moi
in what circumstances he is placed
men say, you are knocking Tho
foundation ont from un;ler things
In other words, tho world has taker
up the instruments Of religion itself
and preferred the instruments.
0T say Jim what mechanical work