The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-07-13

BEEoHER's Liberal RELIGIOUS IDEAS.
On Sunday last Henry Ward Beeoher
administered the sacrament in Plymouth
Church, Brooklyn. He invited Pro.
testants and Roman Catholics, members
Of all religious denominations, in good
standing; even thieves and other dis
reputable characters, who felt that by
participating in the holy ordinance.
they would be benefited, to come for
ward:
Mr.. Beecher's subject was slope as
an element of Christian faith" The
text selected was Romans viii, 24-'For
We are saved by hope; but hope that is
seen is not hope; for whata man seeth
why doth he yet hope for" In so ne
what lengthy introduction, he elaborated
the thought that the Christian character
was characterized by the element of
hope; that was its central sentiment.
He did not know any other system OF
religion that had this as characteristic.
Almost all the religions outside of
Christianity have the element of fear as
propitiatory position. Where fear was
the generic element it WIS O servilo
religion. It was true that conscience
formed an important element in religion.
1t very properly did 80; but conscience
was not the result of religion, and nll
the seventh chapter of Romans went to
show that. we never were 80 pure as
our conception of purity. We never got
such control over passion Us that we
were forever free from its throbs and
fevers. Now no system that in it's re-
suits is disturbent is peace. Christianity,
alone, SO far as he knew, made this hope
the genius of religion. But nowhere
else was the aim of life made SO high.
We are to be perfect men in Christ
Jesus. Christianity demanded that men
should be perfect in the whole crystal
palace of their moral sentiments. Then
let us consider what the law of Christ
ianity is, and then the circumstances
under which men are called upon to
obey this law. Every man was born
into the world without his own leave. He
comes into life with new deal, as it
we're. If the seed of the lily was cast.
and with minor exceptions, the same
lily would appear i'll any part Of the
world where it was deemed desirable to
grow lilies. This could not be said Of
man. The country, the locality, the
principles under which men are born, all
have All effect upon the moral character.
For example, child born in New York
has not the same chance as child born
elsewhere, in the Middle States in q
Christian household. This was pro-
blem that was simple enough when you
dealt with mankind; but it cannot be 80
dealt with. Man must be taken step by
step, and dealt with according to the in
fuence with which. he had been sur
rounded. Christianity was for all men
it contemplated men just as they are; it
required that man should be dealt with
as he is, and not Us he was not, Thus,
when he came to look ut men in the
light of this fact, he could only under
stand their being saved by hope in this
way. That it WAS the nature of God to
mark out for men widely an ultimate
character, out of which there should be
given such hold upon God that we
shall hope, that we shall see something
in the Lord Jesus Christ that inspires
hope; thus we are saved, not by or for
what we have, but for what we hope to
attain to-n position that shall not be
unworthy Of God. Every soul, then,
that begins to- aspire. to look upward,
had right to say that he was saved by
hope. MT. Beecher here drew parallel
illustration between the parental love
and Gods love, in the unvarying fact
that it was the unlovely child, the fro
ward, the scape-grace of the family, that
the love of the parents went out after
AS to the future life, if man got to
heaven by the skin OF his teeth, he
would have an opportunity to develop
what he neglected here, while the man
who had developed his nature into a
higher life would go up higher. An
earnest appeal to the audience to heed
the promptings of their spirits, which
was kindiing within them hope that
they might be saved, and to allow that
emotion to mould itself into fact by
uniting with those who remained ut the
communion service, ,losed q very fnith-
ful discourse. The bcnediction was pro-
nounced. and about two.thirds of the
congregation left.
How Is THIS FOR REFoRM?-The ap-
| pointment Of j. Milton Best. as post
master at Paducahs Kentucky, in place
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