The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-15

Trials and Temptations That Men
Must Combat.
THE NATURE OF SIN.
Beauty of Disinterestedness in
Human Character.
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.


CHURCHES TO WHICH HE BELONGS.
Plymouth church crowded to It's utmost
pacity yesterday. Mr.. Beecher baptized eighteen
infants in arms and preached OF his ablest ard
most impassioned sermons Mr.. Zundel. the aged and
feeble organist OF the church. through III
ness and Mr. H. c King filed his place very accepia-
oily. duet tor two sopranos Ever Blessed Child OF
Heaven" from Racne's "Athale, welded to Men
delssohns enhancing music, sung under direction
OF Mr.. Henry Camp, with the entire choir in the
chorus. Mr. Beccher, in announcing testimoniaI
concert to Miss Lasar the soprano Of his church,
ON Monday next. praised the choir very highly He
bad he said been helped by them very much, and the
devotion OF tho congregation had been helped by their
nstrumentaty aud that they had been in certain de-
gree worthy of the OF ministers OF music IN the
religious of which he the minister Of doc
trine and they are therefore, assistant pastors in
some sense OF this church
.sNciher pray Tor these alone but for them also
which shall believe in me through their word That
they all may be one thou, Father art in me and
In thee; that they also may be in us; that the
world may believe that thou hast sent me- These
from st. Johns Gospel were the text OF Mr.
Bcecher's sermon 1t Is, he said, in
sary that spiritual and emotional truth should be
duccd nh ysca and material xpresson but the
habit of symbozation--and language is but a system
OF symboIzaou-which ut the first step helps beyond
that hnders for while we may obtain the idea of
spiritual thing by likeEing it to something which is
physical yet If 20 In that way 1t is soon he
material form which takes the place OF tho spiritual
idea which was at nrst illustrated and enlightened by
H. Christ prayed for the unity of His people in the
spirit OF the inward man; such uniiy as subsists be-
ween Him and His Father, subsists between the
harmonious nature OF the saints aud angels in the
great world beyond and above Ana was His
disciples unto the end of me should have this
hal unity OF spirit But this prayer long n
ierpretcd in the most material way, and the whole
body of Christians have been endeavoring enforce
external and individual unity from the day OF Christ
till this hour, nor is the struggle IL seems TO
have been thought that by gathering the bodies OF
together in one place, and under government and
creed unity could be reached Juxtaposition, the
preach or SAID, was not unity. family may be one
although it's members are dispersed all over tn" cont
ncnt; and, on the other hand family may DO under
roof and yet he as wide apart II rolled
between them. The only nng which can unite men
Is that subtle Interior spirit that uni,es their souls
All significant. true and valuable Christian unity.
Mr.. Beecher SAID, must proceed from the pos
session of eminent Christian experiences, and
where they exist unity takes place invo
unfairly, inevitably, indissoluby. Therefore, DO
united IN religious matters men must be religious. Re-
hgion in this world is developed IN very different ways
&thc preacher said, and the OF Moses and the
prophets was that 10 serve God Is to be right
Christianity differed from the old Testament religion
the end sought, but IN the Dy which that
was 10 be gained. Christianity teaches that
10 10 Righteousness by methods and altar sacri-
fees but that there " now disclosed personal re-
lationshp between the lnncrmost soul OF God the
soi OF mankind that the race sufficiently in
cliigent 10 stand lace 70 ace with It's God and
ceive the divine influx and influence by the direct
teaching OF the Spirit OF God upon each individual
heart. And though there may be collateral insru-
mcnaiitics, methods and ORGANIZATIONS yet The primary
and characteristic notion oil Christianity the
Judaisnl--manhood. The Jews sought 1t through the
altar and the temple We seek through the heavenly
temple and the sacrifice OF the Lord Jesus Christ The
Jews thought all men we're in some way finally 10 come
M to Jerusalem They lost sight of the true idea Of
anity.
Mr.. Bcechcr described length the manner in which
he ideas OF Christianity were modified early The
second century when the Greeks became converted
and surrounded moral feeling with their peculiar
philosophical doctrine and long large portion of
The world accepted doctrinal statement II not
identical with Christian experience, something IN
teparablc from H. When Christianity passed out OF the
hands oi the Greeks and into the Romans a later
period that nation also modified Christianity. lniu-
rnccd by their ideas OF imperial Rome It became
kingdom. Ii must they thought, have n definite form,
ana the whole economy of worship must be part OF
ihs organization and the world must be governed by
form OF intellectual belief; the Roman took on that
Of organized unity Both contained grain of
lruth but both OF them have stood IN the OF true
christianity by setting UP another mark 10 ann At
impossible, Mr. Beechcr said
sutu,ed 10 have absolute unity in this life. il might
be- possible the realms OF pure mathematics, but
The realms OF mind men could not believe alike.
u impossible to conceive moral truth
without it's beng colored from behind by
Bome emotion. Men alike generally, but
specifically they very different Men cannot agree
IN their notions OF the material things with which they
are familiar They cannot agree the OF the
government of a single child. How could they be
pecicd in their OF the whole moral OF
God stretching through the ages Infinite in its instru-
mcnaliies through nature and through Provdenccy All
men believed that there is a ioi, that He be wor-
shipped, that reverence, love and obedience the
rue methods OF worshpping God and that He calls all
hose that are His to PURIFY themselves from the lusts
the body and that they 10 be clothed with spirit
uai experiences But The moment You take any one
Of these and attempt 10 drive men INTO II
I'm qlurta In
your catechsm creed the more you split men OH
from one another This has been the origin OF sccis-
Tho undertakes 20 tell people what they
shall believe prescribe the stands
over them with rod and says, - am God, or the
thing II sent by Him. that
very moment resist Secis spring from the
violation OF tho personal liberty OF the individual IL
The crginaors Of erroneous doctrines were LEI alone
Dir Beechcr thought, they would de out but ~ man
were followed and prosecuted II would arouse sym
pathy and then u he were thrcshcd enough, hike all
wheat that Is thrcshcd, his doctrine would be IN
proper condition Tor sowing, aud u would be dis
iribGtcd over the world That which wa, true OF doc
tr:nal religion regard 10 organic
religion. The latter religion consisted In the overflow
OF the external instrnmentatcs oi religion. Religion
was n personal thing. IL was not thinking
being, and what bcieyed; but what he
60 himself ana his God determined hts religion. In
orde- 10 promote purity OF faith educating institutions
in the shape OF churches necessary; but they
we're not religion, any more than schoohouses were
education, though they belonged 10 a. The associa
lion OF men together formed para 81 the DIVINE
mand, and II was Tor this reason that
CHRISTIAN was able himself alone generate
oil the spirituality that he would need And by bring
ing men together majestic current "a II were,
Established For this reason men should not 80 into
caves and converts although the speaker knew many
men who would better the world by gong into
such place. Christ had said the religion OF men
be known not By their arosoliciiy, their cpiscopa
ry their s.prcsbyrosy or their 'copgrcgaiionaos
NV bur by Their fruil But the iru " the Spirt
love. Joy peace, long suffering gcntcucss goodness
Faith. Now, said the preacher people say 10 yon
believe that II there not any church, any minister
cholr or singing conference meeting, YOU would
ever get ihoss fruits OF the Sprlty DO not dispuic
that they useful hut you lose sight OF the thing
That you are cultivating IN the instrument with which
YOU are cutvatlng IT, Christ, continued Mr. Bcecher
stands up the midst OF the camors and coatrovcr
sicf opposing secs saying These are the tcst that
you are the right road by those fruits of love. joy,