The New York herald., 1879-02-03
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

THE Low TONE OF MORALITY IN RELIGION
CHURCHES IN NEED OF CoNscIENcE-sERMoN
BY MR.. BEEcHER.
'.And whatsoever ye do" read Mr.. Beecher yester-
day. from Colossans ill.,, %. "do it heartily as to
the Lord, and not unto men," Let mon say what
they will, said he, in the light of their philosophy
as to anthropomorphism, the universal experience
shows that for religion to be practical, influential
and comforting. mankind must think of God as
under human conditions otherwise the tendency of
the renements of logic and materialism is to drive
men into the extreme of atheism. A conscience
formed under the eye of God the indispensa-
BILE condition of the highest condition Of man; it
the essential foundation of order and happiness,
and no less than this would support the crush
ing weight Of human society. The question now
to be discussed whether the acting Christianity
of the churches has formed and is sustaining in
the various parts of society this divinely purified
conscience. First the conscience of the Church
itself formed under the eye of the pure equable and
truth loving God? II seemed that there was q grow
ing disproporton between religion and morality.
give, said Mr. Beecher superior position morality
mere worship, not that the two should ever be
disjoined. but if we to lose either of them.
motality must remain and the other must 90. In
this am in the spirit of both the Old and the New
Testament because although the morality of religion
may be crude and unripe there can be upper
development OF religious sentiment which does not
spring from basis of absolute morality
RELIGION WITHOUT MORALITY.
II the prevalent tendency OF the churches to
inspire righteousness more than vigorous morality
q conscience toward God more than conscience
toward man. The efforts of the High Church party to
enhance the fervor of sectariansm in the guise of
devotion were phases of this tendency. as on tho
other hand were the 'revivals of religion, the
nesness to everybody into the Church. rather than
TO educate those who are already in. The
desire to save souls q great deal more
talked about than desire to make souls
honest. The consequence that the Christian
religion had very largely failed to make men able 10
bear the temptations to which the times subject
them. still, the Church was incomparably superior
10 all other moral influences and IT, Incomplete IL
ts. IL should now sink. the whole country would have
cause to put ON mourning. IL was true the men who
squandercd their money, who defacated, ran away
gambed other mems funds, robbed banks and DESC
lated widows and orphans had largely been members
OF churches and this fact had lowered public opinion
of the benefits of Church religion. IL q sad day
when men not malignant or bitterly critical could
say that a mans mombership o; Church afforded no
presumption that he was trustworthy.
ABoMISAT1oS CHURCH DEBTS.
Where churches had brought themselves under
pecuniary obligations which they could not dis
charge they had set up eiectua bar to the prog
ress of the Gospel IL their conscience was not
not prevent them from resortng 20 sharp practice
throwing IL of; nor would II prevent the devil from
taking possession of il himself church that was
oxtravagantly shngled with mortgages and tried TO
esteemed dishonesty in q merchant would never
have the blessing of God. IL worse In the
case Church than 10 was In that of merchant. IL
was expected of the latter that he should give and
take risks, that he should he both borrower and
lender. The church not a commercial insti-
tuition. 1t avowcdly an institution to teach men
good morals. IL stood perpetually, rs IL were, be-
fore judgment seat For such an institution TO