The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-03-26
THE PLYMOUTH PASTOR.
Blessing and Distribution Of Pain In the
Catholic Places Of Worship.
THE EMPLE OF GOD.
Frothingham's Opinion Of the Crucfixon-
Punishment for Political Offence
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

THE DIVINE IN THE HUMAN-sERMoN BY REV.
HENRY WARD BEEcHER
The pastor OF Plymouth Church returned to his
congregation yesterday morning, alter an absence OF
seven weeks upon lecture tour He was
greeted by massive assembiage whose lighted coun-
tcnances bespoke his glad welcome Mr. Bcecher, for
the foundation Of his text read IRON the second chap
ter OF Philippians that portion referring TO the mind
Of Christ in man.
He began by saying that the nobest thing In this
world was that which is known least--vz., the beau
uiu symmetry Of Christian character Men de-
mandei something of a magnificent spectacle ac-
companied by wide rcsounding noise, while
tho silent beauties and gories OF divine
soul very few understood very few pondered and very
few appreciated. Yet, he said, not battles, nor
dynastes, nor nations were for moment 10 be CON-
pared for grandeur majesty with single soul that
had been upited toward the perfect stature OF Jesus
Christ Men were commanded to grow IN grace, to
open their hearts to Saviour and lot Him come TO
dwell therein. But there, no said, interposed dra-
matte historical argument The Saviour bade them to
fudl His JOY; to be lKemnded, SO that there might
be concert OF thought feeling them. They
we're to become OF one accord one mind-nothing was
10 be done through strife vain glory The
preacher urged his to be concentrated
In building up themselves as to be unsympathizlng
with the like efforts OF those about them. Christ
he said took upon Himself the form of servant and
being formed in the same fashion as man, in Tho
bed Himself accordingly. He became obedient not
only to the civil laws and the social laws, but even
unto the law Of DEATH
THE GARDEN or EDEN.
Mr. Becchcr said there those who held the his
tory OF the first and the first woman IN the Gar
den of Eden to DO fictitious and paraoolic There
those, too who regarded the same Transcription
literal sense. But both classes agree that the
race sprung IRON a very low point in the moral world.
been created In positive holiness, their
offspring certainly were not However much
Adam and Eve may have fallen from high 10
low position, their offspring did not, Tor they were born
IN low degree and could not have fallen upward. The
human began history from the bottom edge
and here the problem how to make known TO
q nsscent the existence OF all incabe God. such,
he said, was the standpoint from when every man
should judge OF the divinity of Christ II asked what
was becoming IN God IN making Himself known to the
race, men were unable to reply on that side OF the
question; but II asked what necessary tor tho
human race such revelation, II was an inquiry In
which all were interested. Those attributes OF man
living by the of Appetite by the whole range Of
those faculties which scize on organic matter, could
not disintegrated from the animal side OF his ma
lure But there was another side be worked upon,
II only the right method were adopted. How, asked
the preacher, should man, VINO was but little above
the dog the OK or the horse be taught to understand
the existence of Spiritual BeingY Some people would
answer that God should just SIMPLY tell them VINO Ho
was, aud that would suffice. 1t could not be done;
there be reciprocity OF Influence and 10 tell
a race that lives to eat, TO drink and Gght OF
seli-sacrlfcing god, would be OF little good.
People could be oil virtue tney
had previously had some experience OF the same viz
The teachings at first must be alphabetical as 1t
were, and as IT was in the earlier stages In the begin
ming a cd of unity taught TO mankind, and He
regarded as u God OF law. After that had been
established Christ came INTO the world TO explain the
interior nature OF the divine
KNOWLEDGE MEN.
These two stages IN the approach Of God to man
were illustrated by Mr. Bcechcr by the knowledge that
men obtain Of their fellows through Intimate
compromising He said no knew Of Bismarck
through what he read Of him as Dip
thrown close fellowship with him he would In
very short time learn more of Bismarck than the news
papers could ever inform him, though they pretended
to understand pretty thoroughly all there was to
derstand knowledge that the soul had OF soul, he
said, could not be reported me coming oil an In.
eiabie spirit to teach men, as spirit would be almost
Impossible beyond certain limit But when It was
said that Christ laid aside glory IT did not mean that
He won crown and cast 1t from Him. No; II means
that He laid aside His beauty. There were many
flowers that shut together when the night
came on, and when night upon Him lie
but did the same. To look upon the evidence Of His
tivinity mainly in the performance OF miracles was
shorts GIFTED The preacher said that he regarded
miracles only as the feeblcr parts. Christ Himself
taught that miracles were but intended for unrcason-
Ing men. They were thing very useful to begin with,
but absolutely worthless alter that The Saviour came
into the world not to give God in the full disclosure
at time when the human race could understand but
little. Mothers did the same with their children; and
II mother was heard singing Mother Goose melodies
to her infant no person would think 10 ask her
why she did not substitute Beethovens tenth
symphony. The problem which Christ had to solve
on coming into the world was how 10 open up tho
interior sense; to teach people to live by fah which,
Mr. Beecher said was not personal conviction but tho
evidence of things unseen. All the Savours suerngs
to teach the human race that the essential beauty
OF divinity was love When Christ was worshipped in
another sphere 1t would not DO Tor tho upon
Gethsemanc, but for an eternity OF such acts. The
preacher urged his hearers not to fight the battle OF
salvation on texts; nor, above all, TO fight 1t on an
arithmetical basis He concluded with exhortation
to bow 10 the divine viii and power II his hearers
could bow the knee TO God Of iron, then bow to
sod OF golden love; II not to n God OF omn potcncc
then TO God whose crown was crown OF thorns.