Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-12-19
Alexandria @axette
WEDNESDAY EVENING, deer. 19.


10 his sermon in Plymouth Church on Sun
day, Mr.. Beecher, 10 speaking OF the Trinity,
sail that he believed there were three persons
united in one Godhead but if anyone should
ask him why he believed it, he should tell him
frankly that be did not know anything about 1t,
only that i. was easier to believe that which
he thought coincided with the doctrine of the
New Testament than TO contradict it, But he
could not attempt to explain it. Ortho!Hy"
saws that men must believe in the Trinity or
they cannot come into the Church That is
called orthodoxy, but he called it heathenlsm.
! 1t is not az easy ,hiog, said Mr. Beecher, tor
an honest, conscientious man to know Just what
| to preach and what not to preach man VINO
values morality, and who has the good OF his
felloWman at heart, cannot be careless as to the
things he ought to teach. His own hoad had
often reeled, and bis mind had been greatly
troubled, when he ref ,cted upon his respons.
billty 10 this matter. 1t was 20 easy matter To
remove the rotten tlmbcrs aud to replace them
with SQUAD oneS and cot stop the voyage OF
the ship. 1t was said that Adam was created
perfect. 1t was also said that Adam slnned,
and that 10 consequence OF that siu the whole
human race fell. Tho human race had existed
on the earth for thousands aud thousands OF
years, and had gone on propagalug and multi.
plyiug until alI the waves Of the OCEAN which had
rolled In upon the shore during those centuries
did not contain drops enough, nor the sands OF
the sea particles enough, not all the figures OF
the arithmetic numbers enough to compute
the preface, to say nothing of the body OF
the great history Of the human race. The
numbers Of the human race were actually
beyond computation, and for thousands ard
thousands and thousands Of years they had beeu
born into the world, had lived and struggled aud.
fnalIy, died and gone where III you tell
me that they have all gooc to HeaVeo, my aE-
swer will be that such sweeping OF mud 1910
Heaven would deGe its purity. and cannot
accep! that. If you tell me that they have
gooc to hell, then | swear by the Lord Jesus
Christ, whom [ have sworn to Wofsn'p ioreyer'
that YOU will mako an intidel OF me- The doc
time that God has been for thousands OF years
neopliug this earth with human beings during q
period three fourths OF which was not Illumi
mated BY az altar or church, and IN places
where vast population OF those people are yet
without that light, is to transform the Almighty
into monster more hideoui than Satan HIM
self, and swear by all that IS sacred that
will nevor worship Satan, though he should ap
near dressed 10 royal robes and seated on the
throne eff Jehovah. Man may say, ~ ou will
not 20 to Heaven" a heaven presided oyer
by such demon as that, who has been peoplnG
this world With mllOnS OF nuulau uo,.Ho' "o
then sweeping them off into hell, not like dead
flies, but without taking The trouble even to
kin them, aOl eloatug and laughing over their
eternal misery, is not such heaven as l want
to 60 to. The doctrine is too horrible, can
DOT believe it, and won't. They say the salntS
in heaven are so happy that they do not mind
the orments Of the damned in hell; but what
sort of saints must they be who could bo happy
while looking down upon the horrors Of the
bottonless pit? They don't mind-they're
safe-they're happy! What would the mother
think of the l6 year old daughter "ho' whGn
her infant was lying dead 10 the house, should
come dancing and singing in thc parlor and eX
claim, oh! I'm SO happy, mother; | don't
care for the dead baby 10 the coAio.' Would
she cot be shocked? And so with this doc
triuc; and by the blood of Christ denounCe IL
by the wounds 10 his hands and his side, l ab;
hor it; by his ,groans and agony aohor aoI
denouuce 1t as the most hileou5 nightmare o!
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