The New York herald., 1875-08-16
A SERMON ON RELIGIOUS CRITICISM.
The Results Of the AntagOniSm Between
Christians Graphically Portrayed,
WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD F.?
Mans Enjoyment in Accordance with His
Inward Condition.

twenty-one cars, and 40 vehicles drawn by six
horses, some by four some by two and some by one,
Drought hther multitude which, together with the
guests of this house, OF whom there are some 800 was
estimated to number not less than 1000 people The
trains came from Portland, Me- from stansted c. T..
from Plymouth, N H., and from the Fabyan House. In
the train from Portland twelve cars drawn by two
locomotives The vehicles were from Llttleton Bcthle-
hem, Whteheld, Jefferson, the Crawford House
aud other neighborlng places In order that his
voice might reach the OF as largo u
portion Of his audience possible Mr.. Beecher
while speaking, stationed in the door
between the immense drawing and
the hall leading to it, Not only this room and this
hall packed but the adjacent hall and piazza and the
windows Of the all filed with masses of hu-
beings endeavoring to catch the words of the
speaker or at least to obtain view Of his person.
Happy, indeed, did they consider themselves who were
fortunate to get standing within seeing
or hearing distance Of Mr. Beecher 1t really pain
full to witness how many after coming far were unable
to even or hear him. All, however was done that
could be for the comfort of the great congregation Mr
Beecher interested himself personally in the seating of
the crowd. Present in the audience we're Rev. A. W
Quick and Messrs b. C. Carpenter and s NJ Pettingll
of Brooklyn, N Y. Rev, O. P. Livermore, Mrs Mary
A. Livermore and f. A. Brooks, of Boston; Rev
DR.. Thomas ArmLage, OF the Fifth avenue Baptist
church, with some fifteen of his people, and Messrs
George II. Bsse and Michael Snow of New York At
a few minutes after eleven o'clock
ExERcIsEs
began with the singing of the hymn commencing
Before Jehovahs awful throne
He nations bow with sacred joy.
These passages occurred in tho prayer which fol-
lowed
PASSAGES IN THE PRAYER.
We have made contribution to the Heavenly Host.
There are our beloved gone before We parted from
them with tears, think OF them with smes for us
is the storm, the rude way and the hard world; for
them the rejoicing in heaven and the untempted
delight, and we glad that their labors are over
Our little with Thee Not one lost and the
little feet that could not nnd the path of this life and
the little hands that could not make their way amid the
tolls Of this lower sphere safe and better cared
for than mother heart atherheart could ever care
that Thy blessing may rest to-day upon this great
throng that is gathered together in the wilderness
Oh, may prove true that from the mountains comes
their help May they find in Thy presence here some
thing precious to them than jewels than gold
May they take away some fruit that shall grow living
in them; that shall make their life better;
that shall make their way of thought toward God
easier and that shall make their hope and their aspira-
ton through Jesus Christ more earnest and more
genuine.
The prayer being ended, the hymn beginning
Jehovah reigns, He dwels in light
sung Then turning to the inpatient restless crowd
outside of the room, Mr. Beecher said
81 do not think there too many of you my friends
only think there is not room enough for you can
you make the room any greater by squeezing together
you make your patience any better by talking
All that can be accomplished has been, and if those
who stand in the ouermost part of the crowd will be
kind enough to consider 1t impossible for them TO get
any further and leave those that fortunate as to
be inside the enjoyment of the service they will act
the mart of beucVOlcuCc and far of religion -
Turning again to the audience in the room he said-
PRELIMINARY REMARKS
81 have word or two TO say in respect to these SER
vices in the Mountain House. l received letter last
summer from a neghboring clergyman complaining of
my preaching on Sundays here. He did not find fault
with my doctrine nor with my spirit nor with my en-
deavor 10 maintain Sabbath services in this summer
home. The ground of his complaint that made
Sabbath breaking paatabo and conscientious and that in
all the villages around about there large class
less people who would not go to church home but who
avaed themselves OF this service here and of this day
make pleasure excursion TO the mountains. Now |
think that have profound regard for day of rest
one in sevenas any man. but never before heard that
IL culpable in man to preach the Gospel because so
many came to hear him, because il collected great
crowd and because IL produced disturbance Ger
tainly that is not usually the fault of preaching In
regard to the disturbance in villages am aware that in
every town there great many persons who do not
60 to church, and am aware also that there great
many persons who do not go to church where the
preaching is such as would edify them Nevertheless
it is fact that they do not and it, in the providence
of God, once in While they take il into their heads to
go church. that ought not TO be counted a fault to
them. IL is long way to come, IL docs involve a Sab
bath days ride but if those who come for curiosity or
for pleasure should perchance meet blessing in
the services of the Sabbath in the Mountain House
surely the salvation of one soul hundred times more
than compensation for all the Incidental troubles and
disturbances which they make. But, whatever may
be the observation Of men at the other ends Of
these lines, my own observation is that the persons
who reach not the young and frivolous are not
those who rejoice in disturbing the Sabbath day. but
are midde-aged, sober minded people, who seem TO
reverence the Sabbath and to hunger for Christian
truth, and they do not disturb One word / do
not know how we can control the multitude Certainly,
this house cannot contain them | do not propose to
enter upon the service of field preaching in my vaca-
ton, but II has been suggested that
A
capable OF holding $500 persons be obtained in
Boston, and II is suggested that between now and the
next Sabbath arrangements will be made that on
that day, Providence permitting we shall have
services cot of the house and under the tent
THE
The text on which the was based is contained
In the seventeenth verse of the fourteenth chapter Of
Romans-'For the kingdom of God is not meat and
drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost This passage said the speaker occurs In chan
ter which written to dissuade from acting the
part Of religious critics IL cannot be said that are
indifferent to religion in other folks II is only to re-
ligion in themselves that they comparatively in
different Men accustomed to criticse each others
theology church services ceremonies ordinances con-
versaons and everything that apperains to the minis
raton of religion and are sometimes so bent upon this
that they lose the very spirit of religion which Is
charity and the apostle dissuades everybody from it,
Preaching Christ TO his brethren in Rome and elsewhere
he attempted TO extrcate them from the externas of re-
lgon and to root and ground them the inside spirit Of
it, and he says to them 1.-The Kingdom Of God is not
sacr1icial meat or drink; it is not ceremonial observ
ance II IS righteousness and by that term is meant
everything that comes under the word integrity in all
the infinite relations of life
Now, what is the Kingdom OF Godf The answer 10
that question determines what religion is. II is a
humatlng TACT that the disputes the subject of re-
ligon have been the most cruel and dvisive of any
that were ever known on the face of the globe have
been well nigh as destructive. These disputes Mr.
Beecher likened TO quarrel between two men both
of whom should determine to keep a spring
of water perfectly pure and drnkable but who in their
squabbes should tramplc through and done IL in their
very zeal to Keep II pure Some are so determined
to goriiy God that they act like the devl hoy arc so
determined that charity shall prevail that thew slav
each otheri they are so determined that kind spirit
shall exist that they will not have a word 10 saw TO men
who do not believe In their caechsm they are so deter
mined that the world shall be pure that they stir up all
manner oil corruptng appetites and passions
Under one pretence and another Christendom
through the ages past, has been turmoled
anncincle Mhich God rnnnnL ahn,.Ld ....-a