Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-04-16

Ma. BsEcHEg LAST LErrrRE- Roou
TAX, on Friday evening last, evidently had
reference, IN some plssages, u some Of the
newspaper comments on his course and char
acter. lie sad, AIN ny other things rather
more in the way Of religious exhortation
When our Lord WIS upon earth, He as
tonished good people VERY much by His
careles4ness. by His want Of prudence, es-
pecialiy in the company lie kept The i'm
preston was very prevalent then that good
man ought always tp be found with good
men, and never anywhere else. If He was
caught anywhere else, lie was to be there
a. their natural superior and lecturer Now
it 50 happened that our dear Master was
mol select in His company, bat it is proba-
Die that there never was such an unkempt
audience gathered together in the land of
Judes. nciouted. ragged, tumultuous
and blisterous, men OF violence, corrupt
men, corrupt women OF all sorts. lie al
lowed these people 10 come close up to Him
aud touch Him and lie touched them and
when lie went in to take His meals, to sup
and to take bread aud salt, and lie permit
lie actually went to meals with this scum.
There are many men in the
Church who think that riety is a substitute
for honor and morality having piety they
are not very careful about little moralities
They say, 81 have got piety; don't |
praise God , There are great many
men in the church who think because they
are church members, they can do things
which men Of the world cannot.
have been reader Of religious newspa-
pers, and have observed men in the con
duet of newspapers-that il any utterance
was made that seemed TO take away the !
proper view OF the Atonement, or to throw |
doubt On the Trinity, or if any minister, or
elder, or deacon. ride on Sunday they come |
down on such a man with all vengeance, in |
splred with faithtulneSs 10 serve the Lord
and when there was minister of the other |
denomination whom they didn't like, and |
they got a chance to iab him, they would |
not hesitate 10 do 50, and when Justice |
forced them to an apology, they made the |
apology great sight meaner than the first. |
Laughter. ! can give you an instance. |
When was in London | was with DIR.
llolme of the Baptist Church. We looked
very much alike, and | was often taken for
him, and he for me. We wanted to hear
Sturgeon. As you have to buy ticket for
that he got some Of DR.. John Raymond, and
we went together. Subsequently a friend,
writing to me from Brooklyn, sent me slip
from London religious Journal saying
that " Ward Beecher came to get tickets
to hear Spurgeon, and got to talking
with the writer about Spurgeon, whom
he compared with himself The writer
made some remarks that didn't suit
the gentleman, and he backed out and
went away Grace didn't predominant for
a few moments in nv soul. do not be-
lieye | am mean. | hate it. went home
and said. d" Do you know anything about
this paper ~ and the thought flashed across
me that Holme was the villain. | went to
him, and he said be did not talk with this
man, and took the paragraph and went right
to London and saw the man, and says, do
you know me, Sir? Yes, | suppose |
do. ''Who do YOU take me to be-"
Ward Beecher." II am not he" Then
he went on and told the injustice done, and
the man promised, with great reluctance,
that he retract it accordingly. What do
you suppose he did? | know what you
think. 1--WE make haste to say that we did
great injustice to brother, and We wish to
make it right''-that is what you think he
aid. Well, he didn't. Laughter lie
wrote little, mean paragraph, and put it
way down under some advertisements, and
here was his retraction
. And that is what | call a righteous man,
,ious man, cody man, to whom the Lord
|esus Christ will say: .'Your piety stinks |