New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-03
MR.. suEARMAN'S ADDRESS.

marks spoke for about % minutes lie spoke
rapidly and there was a severe expression on HIS
face when he spoke of the levi men VINO hau
been depressing the pastor and church. He was fire.
uuently interrupted by applause wnlch nc 'ahiiy
endeavored to stop. He said:
Iftbe eveninr ia not too far spent if my friends
will pardon me, they will please remember that lor
twelve months have been victim Oh tne PolSy ~ i
silence and since that memorable evening Oh the
MIR. Beecher-Brother Shesrmah, come up Hoio
they cannot hear YOU
Mr. SheaIInan then faced the audience raised MS
voice, and said;
Since the evening of the c5th of June two men,
both of them good, and one of them one Of the no,
bIest men know, and of the most distinguished
in his profession, as far above those VINO nave
attacked him in public as heaven Is above TUE oai'n
I mean benjamin L. Tracy lappiauseI -sihce sil't
evening when he called NJ my house, anu wnSn tleie
WE laid out the plan that has been pursped-from
I'll at day this, without any change without an!
COMPROMISED and thought OF compromise Elnat
plan which has been pursued 70 victory
for we have gained victory. lApp.auSe.i
bag nv friends to bear in mind my prejudice on
the subject. Although am speaking Things Lttie
outside of the meeting, still relneW cr tit Vn1s ~
bou.e of God and this "A meeting of prayer. L 40
moi intend consciously 10 INTO ubects tiiat rhuld
call for ANYTHING that is MOI ut to be SAID III place
of PRAYER: but 1 say We have gone. on 10
Victory aud we are going until the victory is
acknow lodged by all the world, II I'VE 10 pe gray,
and if live 10 descend into my grave IN the WoEh
But since that day have felt IL my Guly III tlIs
place to remain silent but now TINS WORK, IN us nfst
stage il done and cannot he charged with speak
inv 10 prejudice the jury. Now feel As f,t last
week: there is that upon my heart which, before
our beloved friend goes, feel | must say.
The text which he partly quoted IS one which mas
been running III my Thoughts Bie ssed are ye "hen
men shall reVile YOU. and prosecute YOU and speak
evil Of you, falsely, for my names sake" 6"nno'
but think my friends, that we have hardly
appreciated how closely that text applies t.
us 1 have heard many who, sad, though
not IN form. YET III suostanceEi ut t tnas
have some false notion that that Is 10 be done by
means of an accusation OF goodness against them:
They have totally false Iuea that the martyrs OF
the early Christian age were made martyrs because
men believed that tey were better than the rest Oi
mankind. That Is an entire mlstAke ana Tue Lord
be praised that lie has gwen 10 this church an OPP
pOrtunity to 20 through precisely the same expert
ence which Christians III tho very earnest
SHich Christians had to sustain. Why, it
is the greatest mistake IN the world 10 sup
pose that the accusations brought against CHRISTIANS
In those early days were accusations Oh ROouhess.
II is a great mistake to suppose that 1t was merely
because they wOrshiped another God that
they were prosecuted. Look into your hlsto-
ries and SEQ what were the charges made
was universally beIevedf Why. hcentious-
ness was one of the principal and chief
charges. Ii was universally believed among the
pagins of the FIRST two centuries that when ChTls-
tans met IL their secret aSse nDhes they INDUCED IN
unbounded RIGHTEOUSNESS. That was one of the
grounds upon which they were prosecuted. mat
one of the nam reasons whIch maze cohScleI-
tious pagans slaughter them. and massacre them
and hunt them III every way But the day Is not yet
passed when wicked men false the same preteXt III
order to excite prejudice against those whom tney
hate The day is not vet passed when the Scribes
and Pharisees lOn in league-the scrlbes OF the
press and the Pharisees of the pulpt:-and do you
suppose that the ScTibcs and the Pharisces OF the
early days, any more than the later days, brought
accusations Of goodness and superior purity
Jesus Christ himself-wIth reverence, be
it said-that he was better than his neighbors
tonons man and a wine-bibbcri Do you suppose
that the Apostle Paul prosecuted merely on the
ground that he Taught new religion tnat he Was
heterOdOx, that he Inir, duced new 1althI
and that he did not walk Ia night waysf
oh! no. Worse charges than that have always been
brought against Christian men, There Is one long
line in all churches-in the early church, in the
Roman Catholic Church. The good men of the
Roman Catholic Church when prosecutions were
raised against them and when there was practically
no other church i'll EurOpe-the good men of that
church prosecuted by their enemies, precisely by
such slanCers as are now raised, The good men OF
Christian churches have always been prosecuted,
and lust such ISLANDERS ~ these have always been
charged against good men in the pulpit. and good
men who seeking in any way 70 serve God and
preach the Gospel i'll or out of the pulpit.
And We are going through the same trial. This IS
no new thing. and the result Will not be different
from what il was in the past. The result has never
been but one way when man OF God has stood his
ground-where he has acted the part of a gen
tleman and Christian man. We nave a
noble record here He is honored, and so
he is more honored for the course he has
taken in this matter. Let the outside world say
what il will look upon those matters for which he
is denounced and ridiculed the proudcst feature
i
sorrow,. and anguish when he supposed ne
had done wrong, when he supposed
that lac had alienated even III the slightest degree
the heart of a true woman IRON true husoahd-l
consider that the prOudest testimony 10 lis hOhor
that his life will ever show. should nave cousio1
cred him cur and hound then, t he h nn
guish when he believed he had done so
grave wrong AZ that. | honor him more than l
can tell for just those things for which men dcsp5e
him I honor him than can tell for Just those
things which are laid 10 his charge. May the l1ord
hi IN, "A
that sensitive seIIse honor just that sense OF
affection toward bis people for just that sense OF
responsibility to those who have brought children
upon his knees for those who have been baptized at
his hands with those who have been married III
front of ms altar he has shown through tAls
LASTING FIDELITY TO MIR. BEEcHFR
Now my friends, We are the right road we
are going on path in which we need only to walk
under his advice. if we can do it, though | confess
we are fearfully tried, if can walk so, IN the
spirit of His gentleness confess myself sinner in
that respect | suppose | have said some very
angry Things to-day, and cannot ulisay theln
am sorry them am sorry II L have spoken cyil
of any one, even II II Is deserved. am sorry II
speak evil, bat sometimes / cannot help IL. But
tins has been a which has tested men, ana we
cannot help speaking of things Just as We see them
nj the time. go.
Milton tells us how Satan sat squat like a toad at
the ear of Eve-I don't know the verse THINK
with his spear touched the toad, and he changed
into an angel although il be- a IA ,Hn one. And tins
has been, | think, the spear winch has touched
many a and turned HIM into a toad, and IL has
not been always easy to look ana SEE tle TOAD ana
say it was not toad. But now our pastOr-ts he Is
soon about TO leave us know you Will all JON
with me in pledging 10 him now all our confidence
not confidence, he knows ne mas that;
not merely our love, he knows he has That
but our united fidelity If il were not rreverent to
say 50. could almost quote the words OF the Apostle
Paul. i will say, God helping MS, We VIII never
leave him or forsake him. We viii stand by him no
outside clainor no voice from the pulpit or from the