The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-27
BROOKLYN CHURCHES.
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
Mr.. Beecher ON "Doing As You Have a
Mind To'-A Sermon Astounding In
Mimicry and Graphic Illustrations
The Vast Congregation All Smiles and
No Tears-JOy and Gladness All Round.
The strangers came yesterday morning to
| Plymouth church mot In single file but In bat
1 talions," and long before the last chimes had
sounded OF the bell-the ceasing OF the sound Of
which gives the right to the ushers to fill the vacant
| pews and cnairs-the Hobbies and gateways were
| crowded with throng that was importunate for
admission. The vacant places were not so numerous
usual, for the pew-0wners, with their families,
| were largely represented. The ushers, however,
seemed by instinct to know Methodist delegate
| accompanied as he almost invariably was by a
lady; ana these were judlciousy singled out few
minutes before the general admission and were
assigned to eligible pews. When all had been
seated for whom seats could be found, there was
still surging crowd at the entrances that it was
difficult to restrain into silence ana the observance
of the proprieties usually observed In places Of
worship. 1t was not until the conclusion OF the
| singing by Miss LOzer, the new soprano, Of the
| solo, "How beautiful are the feet OF those who
bring glad tldngs" that sufficient quietude
| was restored to make worship a serene delight
Mr. Beechers subject was the liberty Of the soul
developed in the Christian life. In the treatment
thereof Mr.. Beecher showed himself to be what In
other departments OF public effort Is frequently de-
scribed as "n good condition" He was more than
usually humorous, had almost infinite variety OF
Illustrations and was quite prodigal In the display
OF his unparalleled powers of mimicry. This joyful
and free aud easy state OF mind was very cOnta-
gl0us; and we question whether
MR. CHARLES MATHEWS
himself could have provoked more laughter or lit
up the eyes Of his audience with more unaffected,
hot mi vlYd do Oh nTrnn anf finnn hn
text selected was the fifth chapter OF St. Paul's
Epstle to the Galatians, the first and the eighteenth
with Christ hath made us free and be not enangled
again with the yoke Of bondage. But II We be led
Of the Spirit ye are not under the law" There were
the outset Of his discourse-the people who
were below the law and the people
were always and everywhere the worst people,
and the latter were the best, or were as near per-
plaii.ng that those who We're above the law were
those who did right unconscious Of the existence
Of any law he defined liberty to mean the doing
ura law was liberty and was the only liberty that
man had that was worth anything This thought
accomplishment Of great, good and abiding things.
There are many preachers here before me, said Mr..
Beecher, who set out to preach great, killing SER
mon, and failed to do it-g0t to the end OF 1t
MIsERABLY DISAPPOINTED.
wn hsy have a mot pe
plscd and delighted those who heard them, but
very much surprised themselves. The same thing
was seen in what was called society You see
people come into room; they are going to be very
proper and they are going to do the correct thing,
and the room IS full Of invited guests, and you see
as they come in that they are overwhelmed almost
with the thought OF themselves. But you see also
walked the
Initiating this awkwardness, awaking very au-
eS MSo aSa 70 be 0sa ere
Is no awkwardness; there Is grace In every move
ment, quite an ease Of manner; whoever she or he
that is quite charming, and there is no awkward
ness about the hands; there Is evidently no fear OF
the S bcase Of the
consciousness. Let me illustrate this more fully
in the three great departments OF human life-the
You see finely formed. lusty young
man, taken from or the farm and put
be made soldier Of You see him as he stands in
his first drill; he does not know how to hold him.
se he mis- s 3os
except he does 1t heavily and gaunty, and his
movements from first to last
QUITE RIDICULOUS.
You go few months after to that same station and
you see this same recruit transferred into an
orderly; you see him sent as an orderly to deliver
message, and you notice with what grace he gives
the salute to his superior officer, and how every
muscle Of bis body Is in strict and prompt obedi-
ence to his will, and how they move with free
dom that is quite unconscious. Take another
illustration in the realm of mind. Look at a boy
learning to play violin. Mr. Beecher here imita-
ted the awkward holding Of the VIOLIN the unscen-
tifc bowling of the first lessons, and then with q
to the original SHOWED with s with Wss
ease that youth, after long series of lessons,
played so gracefully that he knew when and how
music, and to do each In such way that he seemed
to do It with the Inconsistencies OF breathing. The
a boy who had been brought up to regard wing,
theying and deceit the right thing to do, and to
DO It & than ma other boy and Ii he Long
of the habits Of his youth; but how by and by the
royalty Of truth developed itself, and his cfarac-
ter grew to be in the condition Of truth speaking,
upright, honest boy. 1t was in this way we saw
What was the mystery Of that passage we read IN
Ss y yoke IS easy sa and my
See how the young bird learns to ny;
how i tumbles on one side when il gets
gets a little higher, but 1t finds flying very
hard work; 1t makes a more ambitious effort per-
hans in search Tc Of food and gets on the
branches and tf 1t were not
SCARED ny THE corsE
y would nv above the trees; by and by it gets
the scare, and flies above the entangements OF the
thcket, and then how 1t soarsl SO should men do
would live In the same Inconsistencies Of law,
They should live their life as we 60
gen sra principles. Z is thus that we become law
unto ourselves, and this Is what is meant by 1t. You
get an accountant to look at your books you see
him porting over the columns and muttering to him.
1.-TWO and two, three and two ve,' and turn
ing up his hand to count his fingers Why, how long
would you keep that man. (Laughter.) You smile
at that in arithmetic but that Is Just what you are
In grace. You are just as much Christian as that
man Is an accountant who does not know his bust
ness Grace don't spread over you like the
branches OF green spreading tree on sultry day;
grace should be In you spontaneous and automatic
II should live in you There was mother In Isra e
once who used TO hear me preach, and she was a
great comfort 10 me. When / was pathetic she
used to weep; when | was encouraging she looked
so bright and happy that felt quite certain was
getting along quite well, but learned that when
she got home she was shrew, and that spoiled II
all You must not leave any opening for the as
saults Of the devil You must, as the apostle saws
''put on the whole armor OF Godr Why men
fail SO much In their Christian life Is because
they have seldom had q wdened cultivation OF
their graces they are content with one or two and
don't rise to respondent fervor. What would
ylndin@ nm ayer ton atos Tha .us ~ n