The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-12
BROOKLYN CHURCHES.
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

inc Cn0nGe Oh w OrOS In vhe1r Mcantn &
and Appiication-The Meaning of the
Word "LOrd''-Men's Influence-GOd the
One Fixed Thing.
Plymouth church was crowded, as usual, yester-
day morning. Before the service Mr.. Beecher bap-
tized several children. Mr.. Beecher read notice
that the church would be open every morning this
week for the first nstalment Of the pew rents, and
Mr. Weld, the clerk OF the Board OF Trustees, said
in che notice that he hoped he would not be Gen.
sured Tor unpOiteness to those coming In claiming
his attention while he was counting money and
receipting bills Mr. Beecher said that any one who
could get angry from such cause would be I'M
reasonable indeed, and, said he, no one has asked
me 10 say anything; but l think l shall make q
few remarks here. Considering the circum-
stances, l an surprised that there is so
little friction You pay so much and get so
little, and half the time do not gel your seats. hear
whispers, now and then, OF discomfort, some grum-
bling about the ushers. We try to those first
who come first; but now and then there is dis
closure OF human nature even among ushers; they
have to meet With great deal OF uncOnverted hui
man nature; but beseech OF them to be courteous
in the house OF God more than IN their own parors.
shall not get chance to speak of this for another
year, but notice that one good talk oils the ma
chinery for nearly year.
Mr.. Beecher selected his text from the twelfth
chapter OF First Corinthians, third verse-"Where-
fore give you TO understand that no man speak
ing by the Spirit Of God calleth Jesus accursed,
and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord
but by the Holy Ghost.u Those who have
been called ON to notice the progress Of
change in language will find the TACT that
not only do words change associations,
but change completely about; things odious
become very precious, so that words are per-
petuaily changing in both ways, beginning often
with a mission OF good and ending IN evil and be-
ginning In evil and ending In good. For example,
when the blood OF Christ was spoken Of to the
Jew 1t brought the Whole association Of worship;
anu to those TO whom it is not now repulsve it Is
because there has boen an artificial sense given It,
OH is spoken OF as precious; now the association
is not particularly so. Many of The phenomena Of
nature seem no longer to us as they seemed in
Take the term '1ord.n Everywhere the pro-
regard to kingly power and the terms "k,ng''
aud lord are losing much OF their poweI
The term term ord" Is in very little repnte now
all that heart and mind could wish for. There
bad lords, but when men thought oil lords 1t was
with the generic idea, as representing roy
atty, as something lifted up above other expert
ences. People love TO look up, providing they can
have been those whose people were proud Of them.
1t Is in this vein that the word 'ord is applied to
Jesus; historically and educatlonaly the WORD has
brought down much TO US. We don't say .'lord'
when applied to Jesus as the disciples did. We
speak o. the Lord Jesus Christ all as one word we
Anointed One the hope of Israel, and when it was
applied at last to The Lord Jesus other term could
have been found SO significant as the Amounted We
never anoint except for medical purposes, but in
oden times it was the GROWING; and when Jesus
was called the Amounted, oh, what fragrance, what
power there was In 1t and when they said Lord
Jesus they crowned him with crown OF an en-
pire, Lord" 1t was not the slippery whirgig
word We have made II; It was a wOnder-maklng
word when applied to Jesus, and here we have the
significance OF the passage-"Whereio l give you
to understand that no man speaking by the
~
calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say
that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost'-as-
described. 1t is to the efIect upon the soul, the
character and conduct OF lie that we now call your
attention. Personal influence Is the
LAW OF NATURE.
God has set each person in the household to be de.
yeoped and educated and carried up by the IN
nuence OF father and mother, brother and sister;
q child Is greeted by that MISUNDERSTANDING he
does Is educed by direct inspiration OF personal In
uence. Alter men enter into pubic or business life
1t matter OF TACT and sadly true that they are
more Influenced by things than by men some BY
what they shall eat and drink, some by business
pr politics. They are living in allow scale OF nature
but none OF them act on the whole nature OF q
man. Tnings can only take hold so far and so
deep. They can never rouse the whole man. 1t IL
not given TO things to have such power over men,
II Is oay given to souls to have power over souls
tings stop IN the outer court OF the soul nothing
has power TO inspire the soul but lives throb
bing with enthusiastic nature. 1t is given 10 the
living being TO exert the highest influence.
Take for example the influence OF chief The
followers OF Scottish cher would forsake home,
family and everything TO follow their chef 1t was
not that they would get much glory, but they lad
inspiration and admiration for their chief
Hero worship has been universal In the world.
Human nature wants to LOOK up and admire. Not
only IS IL so IN respect TO heroes that are alive, but
we take the eMbamed ones. We see where great
natures are masters In schools. In him Of Rugby,
who died and lett no f0llowers-Arnold inspired
more thinking men-the enthusiasm Knew no
bounds Arnold is more powerful to-day than
when he was alive. SO In art and literature. SO
IN military matters. How great general carries
everybody captive don't wonder. feel It my
self. II you could have taken out Washington's
moral nature and put 1t into Napoleon without dis
turbing his military character think could have
given my life hundred times day for such man
ns that. What q stimulus there Is IN those thngsl
Nothing touches imagination like Imagination
Evidently there Is a great power that Is not
used. we have not gagged this power except In
nmlted degree, for now personal power OF the
highest KIND tends to unity aud harmonic the
objects Oft.
You take serf, or an old Scotch servitor. and
leave him TO himself and he viii degenerate; but