Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1874-05-19
BEECHER'S DOCTRINE.
HE UPHOLDS INDIVIDUAL
LIBERTY IN OR OUT OF
THE CHURCH.
yVheuCG Ordinances Com. and
what EbcIr value il The slight
OF Zach Man To lli>OWn Faith
"A IA, 0t 0gic;Ii Particle
I1sII Mr. Kcechcr Is
R9t Afraid OF.

Previous to the SERMON Sunday
morning in Plymouth Church the rite
of baptism was administered 10y Mr..
Becchcr to about about two dozen i'll
fants. The text of the sermon wa
taken from |. Corinthians xii. 81
But coyet earnestly the best gifts:
and yet show unto yon more excel
lent way" Mr. Beechcr said;
What were the gifts that they wcr'
to g.uvele What was that which was
bette than even those gifts? We are
left ia no doubt whatsoever: 10y turn
ing bxck 70 the forepart of this chap.
it will he found what may be Gale
IN. whole ecclesiastical frame work OF
Christianity, church duties, ordlnan-
ces, crecd5. officers, pOlity, methods,
were undoubtedly included under tins
general term of gifts They are all
suokon of not only with respect to
their own implication of relative OF
graded excellence in the best of them
hut there is something better than AL
of them, and what is that? 1t is found
i'm the thirteenth of /. Cor, which i
have reat, 50 often, and commented on
so often in this church that l am
afraid YOU will tll.nk l read 40 other
place i'm the Bible so much, Though
/ speak with the tongues Of men ana
of angels and have not charity l sn
become as sounding brass or tinkllnS
cymhal." | shall not read it | mere
~ announce what it is; tits the living
force of Christianity. PAU says, seek
We earnestly the best gifts" but there
/ is something better than those, the
living power of God in the human
soul.
Mr.. Beecher here read the first part
Of the chapter from which his text was
taken, commenting upon each verse as
he read it, and then continued:
Doctrine, then, is the mood TO which
love brings men, and is freer than, and
superior to the external FORMS of the
church. 1t is true that our Master did
not command his disciples to form .
! eE,trrn. He lived in the Jewish church
lie was a communicative member OF
/ that church. He died i'm it nor did
His disciples understand that they
were to step out of it and found an
other one. and they all lived for TWEEN
]
Jewish Church, and forty years aiteli
the ascension of the Master they sui
sacrificed in the temple, and were
! Christian brotherhood only as party
i'm the original Jewish Ciareh. III
seems, therefore, the height OF historic
phautasy to declare that the CHRISTIAN
! Church was outlined and prescribed
bv the Lord Jesus Christ, understooo
so bv his apostles end taug!it oy then
] Nevertheless, there was chercni anu
there were religious institutions; theS
were excepted and they were employ
ed, and the moment the apostles oegai
to preath, especially outside OF Judea
where there were no temples tney Wer'
Organized, and there came to De laws
methods, and ordinances, and the apps
ties interpreted them AND ranked them
Therefore, if any may say there Is ne
ground i'm the word OF goo Tor any
church organization. think he misses
his mark as nidGli as the hierarch whe
saws that there was g speclned com
nand for a church. SeeonaIyi IL j
recognized that there is perfect freedom
i'm taking up or laying down oruiIah
COS usIlages, &C. You can make you
Selection among them, and you cal
trust them according 10 the exlgencle
of the work, you yourself oeing IN
nIenary Judge. We are mdiviGuali.
free Inv virtue of being Joined to Chrlst
! We have liberty of Judgment, OF IN
tar1rafation. and of action WITHIN IN
s,,barS of Christ's likeness or Christ
Shirt No man has right to Iudg
opt,othaT Tor his construction OF cnurcl
ordjnatces or church lnstructid1h :,
TSere are methods. ecclesiastical o.
LIMITATIONS. recognized teachers; An
sba members of Christ's body also al
,,ae as being at Liberty to seieS
, ~ ~ themselves. Bat the persons
! freea6m of man is never to be sacrilic .
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