The New York herald., 1877-07-09
Pulpit Diecourses in New
York and Brooklyn.
DEATHBED REPENTANCE
Mr.. Beecher on the Necessity of
a Living Christ.
TEMPERANCE PREACHING.
New Church Edifices-Laying the
Corner Stones.
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
LIVING cHRIsr-sERMoN By THE REV.
wa

PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
4 LIVING cHRIsr-sERMoN BIZ THE REV.
HENRY WARD BEEcHER.
NJ. Bsecher selected bis text yesterday morning
from Hebrews. w., II. l6. Ia think it may os do
monstraIed, said Mr. Beechsr. from unyersai ex-
perence that the human rise and can never
ascend toward civilization, even sti less toward the
higher ranges Of civilization, which includes moral
and spiritual development without the real or ancisd
help OF superior intelligence in the invisible world The
frat steps OF royal development clear away the grosser
forms OF idoatry and tend revive msns ideas and
to give them q conception OF invisible duties"
After reviewing the helplessness OF men
who have no spiritual perception hs said
! suppose there many honest men TO whose
thought there Is God There Is still larger class
Of persons who believe In . pautheistic God. Then
there Is = sort OF pantheistc system by which men
say is God Some poets, painters artists say
they don't believe much churches bat they are wor
shippers OF nature when men are merely seeking
revers these conceptions OF the divine nature have
their uses. Some advantage may be obtained tnere-
by the direction OF happiness but In the cxgencies
OF human life men require something better In the
practical education that evcry man carries on within
himself he needs personal God God that Is IN W m
pathy with The nature OF man, and that u preclsey
The object oi the Christian religion.
DIFFICULTIES AND HixDRANcEs
this acceptance OF the thought OF personal Cod
Every man frames for himself divine conception IL
Is very easy or ok, TO sa tnas because Coo mas re-
on that you have faithful porraiture oi God JUS
lice may have forty presentations OF It TO different
people. portrait not portrait because II mas car
mine and white Tue difficulty lies In two dirsc-
tons We trained 10 the use OF our senses that
come to apply them TO the higher grades or
life we meet with difculty. The other Is that
the measure Of goodness N US Is SO small magnapimy
IN us SO little and meanness IN us 80 large that we
fai IN he n
this not enough the nfeicites o human teachers
have made this conception Of God still more dncut.
There has been unfortunate substitution Of concep.
ton OF God that been prejudicia the concep
tions OF panthestic God There has been an unwiss
tou there ars numbers Of persons who worship Idols
Just a. completely II they kDeecd down to wooden
altar Paul was Obliged to preach TO that ses,hstic
Greek congregation criminal Jew. dead maleiactor,
IN expatrated Jew culprit and crucined and TO ask
those who heard him to accept this as God IN place
OF their Ninervas their Jupiters and their Apoos Paul
did IL by battieaxe stroke He said. 81 determined
to know nothing among you but that cross
] came to preach that as bearing upon 1t the
Saviour OF the world" The burden OF Paurs teaching
that this Being had suffered tor the sake Of man
kind. This was a symbol, under the circumstances.
full OF ife and vitality and OF power thousand years
have BY and why n9ud We 90 on u usns ,S, that
ginning useful In leading men from the material to the
SPIRITUAL but now It leads men from the spiritual to
tGe material II you want 10 know 10 what perver.
the Of this symbol may become you have only
10 look ut very popular picture having underneath
u,
Aguro OF u young woman tho middle of wild, tem-
pestuous sea- as though II were the middle OF the
Atiantic, clinRing TO u Efeiess stone with
tenance upon t--a stone In the form OF CROSS. She
Is 10 cling 10 the cross. although 1t 10 no help to her.
NO protection and has no sustaining power whatever
IN H. Hence in all revival meetings men cxclaim,
"Kneel at tho cross" Bow down at the cross"
"Chng to the cross" "Trust IN the cross" Can
there Do any moro idolatry than tnsY We lind our
selves wandering on Calvary when we have living
Saviour that Is very near TO every one Of us
MISUSE OF THE ArONRNEYr.
m v
men OF personal and living God is the OF
an atouemenL do not OBJECT to proper presentation
OF the atonement but what do object Is the pre-
senIation Of the atonement the sacrificing Of Christ
Instead Of tho presentation Of living Christ. Now,
there twenty i've different theories OF the atone
menL The atonement Is abstract proposition, and,
like all propositions, has Its but when per-
ver.ed, instead OF living TRUTH II becomes harmful
them In gold IL 10 not OF the slightest consequence to
me whether the gold was dug in Mexico or Caiiornia
or what the INSCRIPTION Is that 10 put ON
It. The important thing 10 that II IS
gold. II were q student OF coins such information
might DO useful Christ brings and daughters
home glory by the love OF cd shed abroad thor
heartG Now there may be number OF Interesting
questions of necessity What the sinner wants IL
relet The whole drift OF the book Of Hebrews TO
bring men out OF mechanism, out OF AL oppressive
OF law into living trustiuness and faith Jesus
Christ There had been q different representation In
the Old Testament, and had prevailed for thou
sand years, when II was found to be q failure. The
want of mercy Is that wuich brings me TO Christ.
not by the knowledge OF at0ucment, not by tho
doctrine OF the The consciOusnoss
need elevation; need help; need better life. You
have never heard me, and you shall never hear me
tell you that you are brought 10 the Saviour by
the acceptance OF doctrine OF atonement
There s another hindrance, and It 10 even OBJ
tcconabe than the last; that the OF the word
sblo0d." Everywhe throughout the New Testament
hpd that the blood oi Jesus Christ clcanseih ms
from all and this 10 the representation that Christ
died Tor mankind. That symbol was at first siguin-
caut but now II has gone back TO the SYMBOL and we
Standing in muddle OF blood; and the gentleness
the goodness the loving Kindness OF the Fa,ner are
all fhM nj Hnhr nnnl
How then, should We proceed in the presentation of
Christ? The presentation OF Christ as living Christ
II SIMPLE work. and there Is not church the land
where this presented, without any symbol could not
be understood and be accepted. II we talk
in living Saviour we shall grow more ana more
IN the knowledge OF God. Especially Is this
20 III times OF need; when all our temporal things
have been turned upside down, when the cradle Is
empty, wnen trouble comes like flood aud you
be- born for nothing but disaster then this truth
that you have for refugee living. personal Saviour,
tempted In all points arc-ls full OF consolation.
When "a man has written on his own soul the liters-
!uro and philosophy OF experience ho need not ask
She philosophers anything.
A VOICE FROM CONGREGATION.
Al tho conclusion OF the sermon stranger In tho
uttered part OF n sentence Mr. Beecher asked him II
be dosred preach or make AN exhortation.
Tho stranger replied that ho only wished word.
Ho theu proceeded say that thought Mr. Bcecher
might greatly have Increased the iorce Of the sermon
he had appealed 10 bis congregation TO
many In the congregation who wore IN that respect
LIVING Savours Mr.. Beecher replied that u Was no
use having Christ within them unless there WAS .
Christ OUTSIDE oi them, and illustrated this BY recital
oi tho experience Of his brother James Beecher who
when In charge OF school OF young Philauel-
phia, out with tho deIcrmn nation OF setting tho
boys, who were very rough, an example Of moral ex-
ceence but who WAS made 10 realize by signal TALL
ufe how ncedul II was TO have Christ not only with
out but wtbiu and tnat the two could not DO separ
atsd-
CHURCH OF THE STRANGERS
CHRISTIAN ExCELLENcE-BERMoN Br THE REV.
DR.. DEEMS.
The remarks Of the Rev. Dr. Deems yesterday morn.
sng were a regard tho superior LIE which Christians