New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-15
Mr.. Beecher's Views 0f Gods Manifesto.
ton of Himself to Man.

Mr.. Beecher's Views os Gods Manifesto
ton of Himself to Man.
/ The text for the sermon was chosen frol
EpheSlans IL, four to seven inclusive
'But God, who is rich in His mercy, fo
His great love wherewith He loved us eve
when we were dead in sins, hath quick
ened us together with Christ (by grace Y
are saved), and hath raised us up togethe
and made US sit together in heavenl
places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages t
co0e He might show the exceeding richie
Of His grace in His kindness toward u
through Christ Jesus" One of the mos
is the progress of the development whicl
may be traced in the mind of the Apostl
Paul from the time he entered upon
Christian life until the time he left it
There was in him, as there is or ought I,
be in every undetermined person, stead,
Developments growth-so that the las
part OF his life was vastly richer than tn,
earlier parts. There was reflected from
his writings light, purer, more trans
cendently elevated, than that which be
longed to his first writings. For whateve
doctrine of inspiration We may hole
we know that inspiration always car
ries with it something of the materia
through which it ministers. For there is
no such thing as divine revelation o.
inspiration which takes out of the divine
nature the picture or truth and throws j,
into the world without any human minis.
tration. Even the material world is dis.
| covered to us through human organs, and
the progress Of knowing the things we see
| about US IS progress that implies the ex.
erclse OF education and the final develop.
ment OF the senses themselves, and that
which is true Of the lower nature-the
mind OF man-is still more true Of that
higher nature which works through the
moral sense and perceives interior and
divine truths, which are as much higher
than common truths as the soul is higher
than the body. ! went to see where
Jonathan Edwards wrote his treatise on
the will at old Stockbridge. l sat down in
the chair that he used at the table where
he wrote. went in Scotland to the house
where John Knox lived. l sat down in his
study room. went in Geneva to the
church where John Calvin preached
into the pulpit where he so many times
stood. should be glad if Bedford Jail was
still standing to 60 into that, and see where
it was that John Bunyan wrote his memoir
able Pilgrims Progress;' but of all
places on earth to visit the first would be
if l could step into the sepulchre of the
Saviour, and next to that into that Ro-
man prison where Paul wrote in the dark.
manacled, watched over by soldiers per-
petually. There came out Of that cold,
desolate spot light that has redeemed
captivity, dissipated darkness, inspired
manhood. made the whole world greater,
and has more united this visible world
with the invisible and spiritual world than
any that ever came TO our soul or nature.
In these last years of his life, in these last
letters that he wrote, he was caught up,
more intensely conscious of the divine in
terror nature and the riches chat were in
God, revealed through Christ, and he had
also larger apprehension by revelation
OF the Holy Ghost. 1t was given to him
as it is given to all others that are pre-
pared for it and will take it. and this was
the direction in which his mind travelled
as he grew older, or younger, be-
cause the older we grow the nearer
we are into being born into the true
birth, and the older he grew the more he
on religious thought the ex.
ceeding riches Of the goodness and grace
and mercy and love and kindness, and
We have words 70 express in
that direction, Of God. Now, when l
preash this view of God, unfolding the
greatness of Gods goodness, am cut
short often by peoples criticism, by the
declaration that this truth is true only to
those who have complied with the condi-
tons of salvation and are Christians, and
hat to preach this generically instead of
preaching it to the elect is misuse of
Scripture. wish to say word on this
point. We have person among us, an
eminent scientific gentleman, Mr.. Proctor,
who is lecturing on astronomy. Are these
lectures upon astronomy for the drunken
creatures that inhabit the Five Points in
New York, or are they not? They are lee
lures that are given for everybody that |
has capacity or intelligence to take them
n. They are lectures that really come to |
he understanding Of comparatively few,
out they are just as much adapted, just as
much open to the reception Of anybody |
Else if they can take them. They |
ire addressed to whosoever will, but |
xhosoever won't has to stand out |
side, or whosoever can't must stand |
outside. Now, the doctrine of the divine |
nature, the inherent nature of God, is a
doctrine of goodness and mercy and in
effable love; it is not doctrine that God
S inevitably kind and good to those who
nave their calling and election sure-it is
| doctrine of Gods universal nature, and |
t is, of course, appreciated by those who
ire elected and called. Gods nature is
lot specialized or parceled out; Gods
great attributes are not like documents,
written and sent by post to particular
persons, which are not to be taken out of
he postofice except by the man whose
name is written on them; what God is, He
S to everybody-the Lord God of the
whole earth is He, the universal father is
he, in whom there is neither Jew nor
ientile, bond nor free, male nor female,
,ut all are as one in God. And therefore
point conception of God in the bounti-
illness of His grace and goodness; and
his is true to everybody, provided every
,ody will. The reason why the sun pro-
luces in one place geraniums, camelias,
zuelias, all sorts of exquisite flowers, and
Ioes not produce them in another place,
5 not in the sun itself; it is the place to
vhich you put it. 1t shines on the south
ide Of my barn, and what does it
roduce A warm spot where the
hickens gather for comfort. It
hines on the soutb ide Of my