The New York herald., 1876-01-31
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.


D1ENcE TO GODS LAW THE MOST AcoEPTA-
BLE FORM OF LOVE.
The floral display at Plymouth church yesterday was
unusually fine, and the congregation filled every inch
OF space within the walls Mr.. Beecher announced
that the organ concert on next Saturday would be tho
nnetynnh of the SERIES and that Mr.. II. G. Thunder
would be the appropriate organist on that occasion.
Before the sermon Miss Clemenline Lasar and Miss
Holbrook sang "Come Ye Disconsolae, and unfoldcd
new beauties in that sweet and dcservedly
popular hymn Nr. Beecher chose for the
text of his discourse two separate clauses
from the Gospel OF John-"And this is love,
that we walk after his commandments eye are my
friends If ye do whatsoever l command ye" In the
one passage he said told that love and keeping
the commandments equivalent. 1t Is understood
that love shows its fruit, and thus that it keeps the
commandments and that 1t is the Same that they
interchangeable And in the passage III the evangelist
the is declared of friendship, that friendship and
keeping the will commands Of the friend equiva-
lent The royal law Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart and mind and soul ard
strength" is wonderful command, and its magni-
tude and apparent impossibility staggers every
one; for accustomed to judge OF
love by some experience that have had and
how it Is possible that should love whom
he has seen, who never speaks to him, who
gives any sign token OF His existence such
accustomed to receive from other persons.
which is said to DO tho central existence called God?
How shall we love with all our heart mind and soul,
and with intensity that abscrbs whole strength
Now when besides this We come into the schools Of
Christianity and especially in these later days, and
find great variety OF experiences developing aud
find persons that living what is called the faith lie,
and what by others is called tho higher fe and by
the love ife and whom hear conferences and
conversations the experiences OF one and another OF
tie transcerdenal power oil the love OF Christ read
ing It in books and newspapers and hearing IRON
Vulnerable persons, and when seek ourselves some
such experience and find 1t all void and great
deal OF hidden trouble eXlsts How shall enter into
this great subjects II says, al visions and
dream dreams how shall one who never secs
visions and never dreams dreams contradict hm2 II
only Know harp that has six strings and know what
II do IN the hands Of an ordinary performer,
not competent to declare what whole chorded harp
OF many strings DO under masters touch l can
not reason
PROM rnE LOWER TO THE HIGHER,
and so 1t very difficult enter into this ques-
tion-the probable experience Of many men and pos
slbe experience in loving Christ os a being who
epitomizes the Divine quality the Divine love 10
men-and, consequently, there is great difficulty in
hcren IN the subject relates TO both OF its terms.
II is difficult both sides 10 mako the way direct and
plain, what do fndy We find, in the first place.
large class OF persons who are triumphant ubiant and
striving, and rightly TO inoculate all their brethren
with their ardor raise the standard of Christian
perience higher. while right by their side we have
those who say ~ striven, and long and there is
no answer to my prayer How shall get that visions
Put in the way" There thousands
that ro'''1iS are the singing saints and % there
are thousands who never will be singing saints, but
yet saints. All eoIing or emotion is transient in
Its rature 1t may. be rcpottous, but feeling in its
nature is apt to and go to again 1t may be,
according to circumstances, but in its very feel
ing usually either naturally in the proportion in
which IL is intended and is the law, tho common law
OF emotion, tho social emotions and moral sentiments
that they come and go continuously and that they
seek always to inspire some line of conduct somo
action They good IL you judge of goodness by
pleasurabe sensations peasurablc experiences any
social or moral sentiment in exercise Is pleasureable
but peasureablcness is not the end OF feeling The
object of emotion is TO inspire line Of conduct
development; not TO exist for its own sake. 1t
music not for the sake of music but that may keep
step to 1t in our march. So 1t may be laid down
general law that all social and moral feeling tends to
inspire action, and then feeling is like waves that
rise hore and sink again, Is with emotion that
meets itself with emotion, making continuous chain.
Emotion is power, movement of the soul toward
generic OF the term, toward conduct
When emotion ceases as feeling If II has
been rightly dealt with, it has not gone out All
feeling which does not commute itself TO action tends
either out, and very fugitive xpcrence,
or it tends to bccopc sentiment That is 10 say,
sentiment Is wholesome feeling, taking hold prac
tica life and making itself felt a motive power
Right feeling works toward the rea-the practical All
feeling incapable of expressing itself in action is senti-
ment and all genuine feeling is capable Of expressing
itself more or less in action On the other hand right
& action from right purposes tends with or less
vi9Or to produce the corresponding feeling Ii works
both ways He that by love is led to perform deed of
self.abnegaton feels emotions IL he have no feeling
and desires one and for that desires sake performs
the act Of seEabnegation, 1t tends to develop the feel
ing or emotion
We have now foundation laid for considering our
text-"And this is love, that walk after his CON-
mandments." " That TO say, love is not merely an
emotion; that love which tonds incarnao itself in
conduct-that the torn in which God desires love
and in this latent form thousands OF men are capabe OF
loving the Lord Jesus Christ who are not capable OF
exercising II IN an emotivo form The great OF
mankind have not the capacity Of developing that
higher emotional power except extraordinary oc-
casons, but they are not that account to be dis
command, may be the equivalent of the more hcI cc
FORM