The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-09
PRICE TWO CENTS
BEECHER ON PIIARISEES.
"'PIOUS AND HhRD- -HEfRTED ~
THE DEVIL,O SAID HE,
Th. crca, Class whose Hope of for ..,,.u.-


The Great Glass whose Hope Of for saiy.u.~
IL Smnll-John the Baptisrs Tenohins.
compared with those of the saviour.
One little flower alone graoed the Ply
mouth pastors table iu the lecture room
last evening, and II had no fragrance
Mr. Beecher gave II conslderate Iook
as his glance caught II when he entered, and
he pushed 1t unfeellngly aside with the Dibis.
The congregation nicely filled the lecture room.
but there was crush as in the scand al trial
days. Miss Catharlne Beecher sat with tho re-
porters. Deacon Howard was the only ofnciaI
attendant who sat on the platform. Deacon
OvnRton was In the side gallery.
MIR, Beecher's talk was finely d rawn compar.
ison between the work OF Jesus on earth and
OF tho wilderness a shaggy, unc0uth, plain
spokeh man, whom tho polished Jews
was fresh from the wilderness. He preached
stFalRht AZ the iniquities OF men. Repent ys
OF ody, your sins" said he. What slns2 Greed, hy-
pocrlsy, wee, feioshness, hard-heartedneas- ali
those things which men hate In others but faiI
to corret IN themselves. He avoided large con-
cities. Those who wished to hear hm preacS
mad 70 go down to the banks of the river Jordan.
or wherever he was-tho exact region ia mot
known-and listen to ihm. There in tho omen
alr ne preached the straight, simple truth-a m an
human nature, and tho skilled hand Of nre-
phet, striking every time with unerrins blow.
=, me rich, polished Jews who went down from
the city stood on the outside Of the great Gro wd
and patronizingly nodded to each other, and
said " This John is doing good work If he
help him along, lie has his mission ION but iaSo So~
10 Ola preach to them. oh, ys generation
Of vipers,' he called them, and he told them
things not sweet to hear ~ think" said Mr.
81 think that there wasn't mrch water westoi
on them, and that they went back to Jerusalem
= 9an ilttls faster than they came down. John was
fore" '"''' '"e" '"an ever Do
Then Mr.. Beecher described Christs work
among men. John had sought for a reforms
ton In morals. and In obvious sins, and in n
those ways In which one mans passion injures
another He came In the way Of righteoIisness
Christ seemed to have the additional mission of
doing spiritual work. lie went among the
scri6es end Pharsees, and said to them pinniv
that the publicans ana the hariot. weSe OF NOR.
favor In the sight OF God than they were. Prob
ably there had not lived on earth being In
Christs. but why should He make this strange
speech to those wise. correct, careful men.
ouehly animated that the cause was this-
Here was class OF men, exceedingly low; Qua
make pretence Of ANYTHING else. They knew
they were wicked, aud when John told them
SO, they felt It and said to themselves: We are
sinners. We are thoroughly undone. IL God
has any pardon, we need It, Johns word aid
not fall on stony ground. Now, when the other
said what is the matter with usf What do
Snd we needr ness,, Aren't we moral, vrtuous.
form usr' The fact Is, that they wers
men whose religious acoutsiti haH
extinguished their sense OF sin. they were men
VINO were so narrow that they did not know In
what small circles they revolved Their biRotrV
made them self sufficient. They had no yearn-
Ing Tor something higher or better which threw
back shadow on their pride. They we're plous,-
SAID Mr. Beecher W ng up his face In knot -
though he despised the very thought OF the men
whom lie was about to describe. Yea, they
were pious and moan, plous and proud, pious
ana bitter, pious and critically censorious, pous
plause
Mr. Beecher made an appeal for hunt BILE, SYM
pathetic delicate, gracious, ompassio nate, gon-
tle, sweet helpful, and pure religious life amonr
his membcrs-the reverse In all things Of the
viyid pictures he had just painted. He added
y" More men 20 to heaven out OF the brothel than
out OF the seIf-suficient and Pharisaic Christian