The New York herald., 1877-02-05
DIVINE LOVE AND ANGER RECONCILED.
Mr.. Beeoher Wedding Popes Out OF
Protestant Parterres.
THE IRRELIGION OF THE POOR
A Sermon by Dr.. TaImage to Cody and
Obliging Clerks.
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

PoPIs AND PAsTORs--rHE VALUE or TRUTH
SERMON BY HENRY WARD BEEcHER
The services at Plymouth church yesterday we're
more Impressive than usual owing 70 the fact that Ar
Beecher home this morning ter an absence
of seven weeks TO fuhi his lecturng engagements
through the West Tonight ho will lecture in Oswego
in this State, every night thereafter up TO and
including the 23d OF March y different town. making
his way through Ohio. Michigan, Illinois Wisconsin.
Minnesota Iowa and Indiana The last lecture will DO
delivered in Dayton Columbus. Ohio. on the evening
Of Friday, March 2 and the same night Mr. Beecher
will take train TOR home arriving Saturday night SO
a. to preach 10 his people the following morning.
Dudley Bucks grand Te Deum, in fat, was finely
sung at the opening Of tho services yesterday by Miss
Cabanss (ate OF Calvert Tcxash soprano; MISS
Cranch contralto; Mr. George wcrrenrath tenor, and
Mr.. Henry Camp, basso and director
PROTESTANT
Mr. Beecher preached from the passage in the third
chapter OF the second episo to Timothy wherein the
Scriptures and It's spokenoL He argued that
tho value of truth be estimated by It's practical
effect upon minds and morals OF men, and tho true
test of the divinity OF doctrines is TO be found in the
character oil the irut they produce On this basis he
compared the Roman Catholic Church with the Prot
and declared that the latter with ali Its warning
sccls was more conducive to the moral elevation OF
mani nd than the former, with It's ronD bound unity.
Reicrrng to the subject upon which he dwelt IN his
sermon tho previous Sunday-namey, the present
outcry about lax teaching-Mr. Bcecher questioned
xhctner the tendency OF thought in the pulpit to-day
is specially dangerous. There are he said, great
many who cry out because they have "drectorial"
minds They are, he said sarcastcally, men who are
elected from all eternity to take OF other folks,
they iecl that they should make their calling and
election Then other people who hated
the trouble of thinking, who did not want 10 have
their opinions changing from time 70 time, but
want to have their belieis liked for al. These
met every tendency with the Outcry 'Are VIC
never gong TO nave anythng .na' Is ses..ea =, tn,s
thinking for them and leave them rest. The doc
trlne be sought ana tauant without
gard practical value opposed, and u was de-
ciared Professor Ty ndall lectures mis-
understood BY those who thought ne upheld that
uoctrine He who searching Tor tho truth should
hold himself unbiased, but when truth was once
found entire value Its practical results and
the whole practical efficiency OF life might be aug
mentcd by q truth which Vt first seemed 10 have
practical value Whatever.
coKREspoXDEScx or MORAL AND PHYSICAL TRUTH.
So the truths OF physical science might be said TO
have value in that which ultimately they do
for mankind Their truth did not depend upon that,
but their value Tne text declared this be
with moral truth. ALI Scripture, everything that
passes for inspiration, beneficial that
the Of God might be perfect That was the
scneme that God has on nand IN this world; and the
stages Of DEVELOPMENT and upbuiidng that
gong toward the ina, iull man. tue true man.
which child OF tho ages-every truth that bears
has Is value ia the degree Of fruufuIness and
power OF It's individual operation In enlareing the
MIND and clearing and purifying the consciencv aud
affections giving purer anu finer disclosures,
in enlargng the whole operative sphere VI man IN the
family, IN society and IN tho world with these pre-
hminary remarks Mr. Beecosr proceeded to discuss
some 0 the doctrina difficulties frequently
encounter The phrase Fundamental doctrines of
Christianity" was lrst picked to pieces He chal-
lenged any one to show him where was 10 be iound
disclosure of fundamental doctrines I'm relation to
that system ethics called Christianity"
The Master did discriminate and label part Of
His teaching major und the other minor The phrase
had come from the schools OF theoi0gIans
Mr. Beechcr, however, profoundly believed that there
such thing AS fundamental truth. But there
many truths which were fundamental TO nothing
but system OF theo.ogy; they We're not fundamental
~ human Gods goodness
rnE RIAL FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES
Thou shalt love the Lora tny God aud thy neighbor
rs thyscli, what Christ Game To teach
deriying oi manhood ir It's efforts develop.
This was the OF universal moral government US
IL was revealed ia Christianity and fundameu ta to
everything he Trlnlty was not fundamental except
To The orthodox system II was not known during tbs
INST hundred years OF the Church, to
uIneiy " niue people oi "a hundred It merely
mathematical truth, without Significance
believe IN the Trinity anu yet stand upon tho
fundamental doctrine OF love- man might disagree
with Church with the theology VI the period,
yet he were in essential agreement In respect
his ,wu disposition, IN his eenngs toward Coo and
toward men, he had that which Is fundamental.
ssTheIc arc,' sad Mr. Beecher ''the Roman Sect or
Catuoc the German, Protestant sect; the Anglican,
or modilied komanIc-Protestant and the American
sec,, when Is everything and nothing (Laughter.)
In regard to all these the Roman Church thinks
is the broom handle and all the other churches
like the spnt end, divided innumeraUle straws;
but | mover knew any use Of broom handle TO sweep
with. ibal must be done with the spnt part. All
these were necessary to bring out the truths
which were not taught by The hierarchy Each Of
twenty different claimed TO have exclusive charge
oil the truth. Tie test Of their claims. Mr. Beecper
SAID was to be found in the answer to the question,
What have the different secs done in the production
oil true from generation to generatonY In other
words, II the fundamental truth has itself power
produce and cxalt manhood and that In augmcnting
proportions that sect which makes most men vi tho
largest magnitude and that produces them
from generation to generation, transforms society
and brings up the averages, possesses most
truth Tried in this way the Protestant
Church, with all It's faults, had been far
fruitful than the Roman Church. That Is, said he we
determine that while certain Of the graces have
better developed in the Roman Church than among
penso Of inteIigcnce and power, and men have
never made sheep Of the Lords Told, and they
have Kept them like sheep Tor shcarng ano eating.
The value OF cach sect then, Mr. Beechcr cla mod
~ be estimated by what 1t can do The tendency OF
any sect was not 10 be Judged however, by the opera
tons vi any one church, Tor just as sklfu
will produce with poor tools effect which a buDger
could not equal WITH the finest mplements liberal
man placed in a Presbyterian pulpit would work out
more democracy than u thoroughgong aristocrat
would III u Congregational church, "Wnen you have
Pope at the head of IT,, said MI Beechcr "a Con-
grcgationai church is most tyrannical institution
Men, however, don't call themselves popes now; they
say pastors. But II you were TO take the regular pas
vino holds that the ends of the church and every
thing II to be done through or by him. and then
dlssect the old Pope you would lind there Is not par
ticle of difference between the Pope aud tho pastor
Many Episcopal churches more free than Congrc.
gatonal churches, ana many Presbyterian churches
nave popular liberty In them than many Congre.
gatona churches. therefore the effects OF any sys-
lem must not be judged by the men who happen 10
init"
WHY THEY DoST PREACH SCIENCE.
In conclusion Mr Beecbcr discussed the relation OF
ocicntc research religion IN the present day and
defended ministers IRON the charge OF being
minded because they did not edatey preach every
new discovery TO their peopic Many new facts he
said, hastily seized upon Jy scoliss even before
tho discovercr himself bad fully mastered them aud
wrcsted unto the destruction oil themselves and others.
Even when a fact we'll substantated II was not
the business OF The preacher TO mako himself mere
mouJhpiecc for the pronugation Of scientific truth.
BESIDES preacher bore the saine relation 10 his peo-
uIe that iatbcr bears his family, aud 1t
queuty his duty 10 consder the effect upon the minds
sud morals his congregation OF every word he spoke
10 them. For this renson could and should not,
preach to them all truth, for they were not all pre-
pared TO receive and In the same light with
himself; just as father does not tei MS nt!e cn,