The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-03-31
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
NE LOVED THEM TO THE END--sERMoN BY
THE REV HENRY WARD BEEcHER.


THE REV. HENRY WARD BEEcHER.
The text Of Mr.. Becchers sermon John
xiii, l:-'Jesus. knowing that his hour was come.
that he should pass out of this world to the Father
having loved his own who were in the world. he
loved them 10 the end" This remarkable sentence.
said Mr.. Beocher stands bolt upright in the place of
disputaion and clamor. 1t is IL one should come
out suddenly from the noisy city Streets from the
grinding and clash and the namelcss din. into
beautiful square, where perfect silence rcigncd and
where there up. disconnected with the expert
OF the sordid mart chaste and lovely statue.
The whole in the preceding chapter was just IN
much part of the communion service as the break
ing of the bread and the drinking of the wine. No
command given TO the disciples was more solemn
than that which directed them to wash cach others
feet. Christ took upon Himself this lowest service
known even to the slave declaring that He did IL
passase-"having loved his who were in the
world, he loved them 10 the end'--wns introduced
by declaration that the Saviour at that oncnt had
come to the full CONSEQUENCES OF what He was. 10
the knowledge that He had sprung from God Who
was He Put Him on the lowest plane; say that He
merely man OF extraordinary moral genius
That declaration Of love would be of itself marvel
But you take the ground that has been held in the
churches for ages, that He was tire image and the
brightness of God. You have then me ming which
transcends all expression. Having consortod with
origin came back TO Him. Hc sti loved thom unto so
She end
THE APOSTLES.
But who were they OF the twelve original apos.
Ncs only four seemed to have substance enough 10
cast q shadow upon history. They were Peter,
James and John, and fourth afterward added
in Paul. The others neither did anything mcnior-
able said anything worthy of record. They
were common working men. who earned their bread
by the sweat OF the brow-duIl, Opaque aud slow.
Clear dow to the Resurrection they understood Him
little did the chief priests and the scribes and
pharisecs. They men of passions like to ours.
fhey had the true ministerial CALL because they cs-
fecm their chief duty to dominecr over each other
tLAuRhter.) They rescmblcd the modern clergy In
KNOWN. how tn quarrel. but WINS 10 possible that
on equal lovc evil. meanness, cruel ambitions and
understandings IL he himself were snlcss and pure?
Nc. he could not; but he could love the beng who
sinncd The great revelation which Christ made in
this life was not Immortality, but II that the
divine mature nncrmost and behind all else, was
love; that Jehovah was father who developed men
out Ut this weakness and low estate. The soul OF
God was like the sunlight TO the fruit and IL rpcned
all beings into lovcliness. The most blessed thing
about these disciples was that they common
mon. They fairly averaged human life. II they had
been men " great gcnius OF great Imagination,
aud He had loved them. wouid simply say ''Of
course" ON earth we magnify the good OF those
would esteem and they suppress their evil II is
dramatic both sides. The Illusion hies and love
ceases. The result In hatred indifference or read
justcd Affection. The capacity OF divine love- on the
contrary, Is such that requires no excellence In the
object to give u stimulus. Not that the divine ma
ture does not love beauty IL loves IL intcn sey
than we can ever conceive But God loves beings
that unlovcly for the possibility of perfectng
them. The motheriove and the fatherlove illustrate
this tact Every day the mother marks tho mistakes
and the faults of childhood. She loves the child
although she hates these things, and she means TO
rBE TRUE IDEAL OF COP.
We have been robbed and dcfraudcd OF the true
-aasai Of Cod, anA msa have sivsp " our view, in