The New York herald., 1876-01-03
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

MI BEEcHER on THE ''DoIATRT OF TINE
Why CHRIST Is NOT PHYSICALLY MANIFESTED
TO Us.
The crush at Plymouth church yesterday was unusu-
ally great Twenty nine members were received
fourteen upon profession Of their faith and fifteen 10y
letters from other churches Three Of the new men,
bcrs baptized by Mr Beecher before the sermon.
IL being communion Sunday The pastor extended his
usual Invitation those present whether members OF
the church or not remain after the service and par
take OF the elements.
Mr Beecher again called the attention Of his nock TO
the fact that the sale of sttings n the
church viii be held Tuesday night next, at
O'Clock, and be entered nto somewhat lengthy argu
prove that that method OF disposins Of pews
was the most democratic and liberal that could be
adopted
The text Of the sermon was clause in the thirty
fourth verse Of the eighth chapter Romans:'lt is
Christ that died yea rather that is risen again, who
is even at the right hand Of God, who also makcth
ntercesslon for u.s." Already the apostle felt, proba
bly, the beginning Of what might be called the doalry
Of timo When the disciples ran to the scpu!chrc Of
the Saviour and behed the angel said 20 them.
II know whom ye seek he IS not here, he hath
arisen" and ever since the world has needed angel
to make known the truth yet TO- day
much endeayorns TO realize Christ Of
time Christ Of the Antiquities Christ in Jerusalem.
II is true that by identifying Christ with age,
and with place aud with An act We may in
some measure help ourselves, but the help
should be TO put away cur thoughts from
these material circumslanees and enable fashion
for ourselves the conception OF Saviour Of no age
period no condition; human but above ali
Saviour made personal 10 by Bw earthly life, and
then lining himself up into the mmensty OF in
Unity
In very small measure, have no doubt
thoughts the Saviour have been aided and exalted
by the works Of art, but think they have been far
degraded, narrowed and Imprisoned For no
man can ever have fixed and conception Of
God withou, having false God The mistakes Of idol
airy just that, and only that
HAD IGNoRLE CONCEPTIONS or COD
when they thought they could represent Him by carved
wood and stone and molten metal Any conception OF
the Ruler OF the Universe any conception that can be
limited and made fixed and definite is itseli donis
OF the infinite, and hc who worships God Ia form is
said to be an dolaor But may have Just definite
intellectual forms they who make their gods cut OF
matter and the mischief consists not IN poftraylng
God but in such fixed way OF looking al God a. 10
make Him just what He seems TO US IN one particular
hour whereas the world itself and time are Gods and
whatever there is that h heavenly, strong grand
small and exquisitely minute, whatever in she tood
aud hux OF human thought and iccAnB
whatever has been rch right, noble, scncr.
Gus and selfsacrihoing in human exro.
rience, are but many experiences IN that
vast love OF God In man. lie who takes such oonccp
ton of God may have right notions, IN manner, but u
Is wrong In method and 1t becomes wrong Ia Act as
limiting and minimizing the Almighty and tho ln1nite
Wherefore all that training which makes Il matter 81
duty back when you wish 10 think OF Jesus Christ
to Jerusalem 20 back Palestine 10 attempt o. see
Him as He walks across The valley OF the kcdron and
sits under the at Bethany goes toward Jerusa
lem again, Is not profitable when II becomes familiar
IL Is It's freshness that makes u profitable ana this
thinking about Christ He was 500 years ago tends
TO make Him a antiquity and not a hving human
being Just far as can make Him distinct 10 our
thought by the use Of archaeology ana kindred
sciences. just far history may bring HIS moral
character before eyes they are useful, but that
which makes us look along the horizon TO ind Christ
annihiates Christ, for He is vertical Christ died
Yea rather better view thsn that He rose and lives
and mpleads; and that conception OF Christ as some
thing living interpreted TO us by the letter and by the
history and then made lar more fruitful by the opera
tion or our mind working through imagination,
through anaoges and through various experiences by
which perpetually augmenting In ourselves the
notion Of such being as Christ the Saviour, that
constant habit of fashontng over against our wants
experiences and our exigencies, Saviour that ex
acty that want that experience, that exigency
this II seems to me rs what the apostle wanted TO
give the disciples This is
THAT rs PRESENTED TO Us BY
the Scripture and by the apostle By wrapping Him in
the cerements OF tho past and thinking OF what lie
looked Ike then come 10 think OF Christ always
historically Eighteen hundred years have gone past
and they n burial IL Is substantially
burial OF Christ again 10 think OF Him So
That is way which may be robbed Of
Christ and we may be robbed OF Him IN the other d.
rccon BY those who lifi Him too high. The sinks
Him and puts Him in pyramid OF history, as u Tie
lay the cerements of death yet; and the other is
Him into Godship and for the sake OF ennoblng our
conception of God raises Him to metaphysical and alb
straet heights far above the interests oil common
life that cannot reach up TO HIM.
IL is wondered by many why The race should not
have presented 10 it stated appearance of tue
divine nature why should be ef TO lnd our way by
tins dim and uncertain hight that imagination ana the
strive for But this is the very part OF mau
nature that lies arthcst from matter this rs the very
part Of mans nature that needs and cul'
ture; this that part OF mans nature which marks
the separation that has been gained between the territory
OF the animal and that of the spiritual and
any force that would have brought God down 10 men
would certainly have promoted but at the expense
of development In power Of emotion, IN power of mag
inaou ip the power OF lifting ones sight up through
the whole realm OF intellectual conception. And no
man has yet enough developed the important fact
that the nvsbty Of cod and the necessity OF striving
Tor Him by
ike a law Of nature that works day and night imper-
cepubiy, has bad more power to develop me human
race out OF aDimallsm toward spirituaism than any
other single fact That which men have mourned over
and wondered has been the prime factor in the de-
velopment Of the human race Ia THIS world II you
plant a oouvovulus seed and let the sun aiar on
shue upon u steadily u will begin 10 develop and grow
toward hat which stimulates II, and work ITS way up
from the base Dirt out Of which IL was born, and
twne until al last shall open s censer and exhae us
fragrance toward the source OF all It's excellence And
man drawing out OF the earth has had bis soul ennobed
ADD be Whole growth has been, perhaps unconsciousy
but nevertheless directly reaching for that which
was ths source OF lie and Of being We have the uni
Fefsa ierce ioF the good OF men hidden, because no
physical form could represent Cod aud because u Is
better for the individual aud for the race that they
should strive % gam some TO aud some fam-
I iarity with invisible and an-powcrfui wisdom and
good Therefore Christ stands al the righi hand OF
Z tut 10 inierccdc-the centre of the universe the
source OF power "lt Is Christ that died. yea rather
that risen again, who is even at the right hand Of
/ God who also makcth iniercessiOn for US.
! FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH.
SERMON TO THE AGED BY TRE REV, DR.
ARMTAGE.
The Fiah avenue Baptist church was attended yes.
iercay morning especially BY people well advanced IN
years Il having been announced that Rev Dr. Thomas
Armltage The pastor would deliver an address TO the
aged AZ The conclusion Of the usual Introductory ser
viccs Dr. Armitaee gave out bis text taken from
Psalms. XXI 9-"Cast me not OF In the time Of old
..l. nv afrcnrIh llInIh y III.