New-York tribune., 1874-07-06

exodus Tho Rev. Henry Ward Beecher preacnou
his last sermon for the Summer, the tnefne Ooi"s
" JOYOUS Tendencies of Religion" Inc siRnincanoo
of the preceding day was not forgotten. Ino nov
Drs Chapin and Wakely and the Rev. mr' oao,"o'
nreachipg on Liberty" and the Rev. Dr' huuio"
Announcing the evils Of American politics. froi' H.
, Rrtz of the Drew Theological Seminary occup'eo
n Methodist pulpit.
JoyOIJS TENDENCIES OF RELIGION
m D. u ward H,,eber at Plymouth church lCoHgegafondt'
Tho Rev. Henry Ward Beecher delivered MS
farewell sermon yesterday In Plymouth Church' oe'i
n large audience lie took his text from MatIhe" "A,
%: Even as the Son Of Man came not 70 DC
INTO but to minister and TO give HIS HE .o
many" After explaining briefly the cTcumS'""0'' -
der which this text was uttered by the Apostle ne su
There can be no question that the Christian reeon ha'
o,,e dawn "a us with color which IL had not ln tne
nrmitiye church. and which 1t ought not 10 DaVe' anu
that il has been so stained through ana through WV"
the ascetic element as to make relBioh 'o'"'
different thing in the apprehension OF men iioni "
the re gious spirit and service we're In tue DAYS VI
early writer's declare that the christian Io''son
the Induction upOn the lower nature OF the higneI
ratpre and that IL is therefore. in the highest ana
noblest sense OF the word, natural Men nave oeeh
afraid to call religious things natural Tor the rear tu'
they should drag them down and degrade them Dut
true thing is bring nature higher to mako u larger Id
its aphere so that shall no longer thlhA VI "o'
matter when we think OF nature, but include IN mu
and emotion, and disposition, and the totahy
of q glorious manhood. And I say instead OF
relioion being an interpoated thing, stop
gan made by reason Of Mans Fall, IL ls the
nature OF things from eternity ana 10 o.ei
nity and 1t expresses the best things OF Goa anu INC
best things OF man. and 1t bears In isen inc hs"ea
nobleness and the highest happiness The jewish rem
zion involved to be sure penitentia elements ana re-
o abundant
but the genius OF the religion that was Instituted Dy III
spration through Moses was certainly cheeru anu even
Joyous; and the spirit in the Old Testament whhe II
has its sadnesses willie in other words 1t recognizes inc
experences Of the human race whenever u Its lIse
ND 10 the ideal place where the human race emitted
to live the spirit OF the Old Testament Is wonderfully
Joyous The life OF Christ Also take 1t, Is greatly mis-
interpreted 1t involves suffering and. at the last,
great dramatic hour an awful passion which human
thought may not compass and yet 1t seems to me, no
man can read the life Of Christ continuously from be-
ginning to end without feeling that it is Joyful peace
ful one.
Is not the whole view OF the Christian religion as 1t
is laid down IN the New Testament one OF joyiunessf
Is it not the prominent element the genius Of 1t
ask you whether the religious life which has been
handed down to from tho medieval Church Ia not on
the whole so stained through with sense OF melan-
choy, and with restriction, and laws and narrowness,
and suffering, that the popular impression Is tat re-
gion moody and melancholy sad and sorrowful and
that joy lies in the life to come, and not In the thing
itself ask you whether the ascetic view has not
been preached and is not st preached uncOnsciousy
preached by men who it in terms, and yet in
cucate Others the idea that to do the things that are
nobes best diyinest, In accordance with the highest
manhood, requires great sufferng-that II requires
special disposition Of seldenlal and forutude because
these things are so painful In the doingf
Now this ascetic view or religion, IN general, is not
only false, but, In particular, IL destroys ls power
II Is for the welfare OF tho race that they should under
fha 81 htrhazf End nT =
sbe but that IL IS the most relevant 10 JOY II secret
when the world ought to have disclosed TO IT, Every
Christian duty laid down carries Its own pleasures win
it, 1t the misfortune of the world TO have 1t under
stood that righteousness sad and PAINFUL but that JOY
aud hiarity to be sought for in the inspired life
that and modification belong TO the spiritual lie,
IT. is SANDER that carries detrment and damnation to
nted thousangs When our Master stood in Jeru
saem stood rather in the midst Of Palestine looking
out upon the currents that were blowing sometimes
north, sometimes SOUTH the various dynases the vari
Gus lines OF endeavor he saw men hucuatng from right
to lett and left to misunderstanding happiness and he,
and found they barren happiness. Power sought
It and did not find 1t riches sought 1t and could not
obtain it vanity looked long, but 1t not in vanity
men sought 1t IN the esn out there t ded aud looking
at all the ways IN which men sought 70 make themselves
happy he said Come unto Me all ye that labor and
are heavy laden will give you rest. Take my yoke
and learn OF me Tor am meek ana loTy ana ye shall
anta zation. He cannot fnd joy that seeks IL n the
flesh the social life the Intellectual life. bat he may
manhood nheres Let him mount there and lay the
foundations OF his real life according to the highest
IL.
Consider now this law of seli-devOtOn OF self-re
nunciaon, il so you choose to call IT, or the giving
OF yourself for the benefit OF Others IL strikes every
body that this must be heroic thing but 10 thing
the world cannot be expected TO practice. 1t belon
tho category OF herolsm Men look upon 1t as painful
and necessary but necessary Just surgery is they
will die II they are not cut. So men say, "Yes,
men, the whole power Of being produce hap
piness in other mem" Men look at il wrongly. They
in 1t nothing but labor, pain and sto-bearing one
thing do know practically, and that Is II do Mt
attend TO his own business his business won't attend
anhy vnan hi
you tell him TO look not upon his thugs, but upon
the things Of others That is just what trying
HIMSELF 1t is the law OF selfpreseryation and selfre
sponsbility You have got TO look yourself, for
life OF selfrenunciatiOnl It Is the same self-de
structlon. Society could not stand 1t an hour
Let us look at tho of it. When you look at the
creation OF animal life upon the globe, you shall
that the lowest form OF animal life has but two substan
tia funconsselfpreser and propa gatisn. They
preserve themselves by eating and by defending any
attacks upon their life by their enemies. That is their
law to themselves. They have faculty for anything
more Many below this stage have not tue faculty
nger, all the wild beasts you find them constituted
either TO lee to fight. They organize. form
on, congregation comes In We mud must live to-
gether. With the progressive development OF animal
lie, you see there comes In something more than self
preservation There comes In the power OF social exst
ence which implies, more or less, the feeding of
the other III Is very low form VI selfabnegation.
That Is we give up something for the sake OF
e SS o In s sary Men
there must be some sort Of rude authority and law aud
SUBMISSION thereto Tney are nascent aud crude, but
nevertheless compared with the states Of the AMI
mails below the savage society OF this world IL Inn
mense growth aud Development As you go still hi CHER
you will md that not only Is this true but now comes
the social as distinguished from this animal
ton The life of the household is developed In these
lowest stages you Ind the pleasures OF life ysca
the sensations OF Joy sought are purely OF physical
character, as IN eating and drinking Then the next
stage comes ON In fondness for displays OF strength aud
physical superiority and this is advance, because
II has In 1t an element o herolsm IL was In these days
that great act OF self abuegation required-that
L. when some one was called upon 10 surrender life for
nations safety, and man ready leap into the
tide and sink amil}t the nlnndits o. titnhn