The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-26
Plymouth Pulpit.
THE TEST OF A CHRISTIAN LIFE.
Sermon by Henry Ward Beecher.
Christian Jt,iOu,l

ultics. from the base to the very top. Yet, In
perfect, as IL Is, we are deprived by our III
Of the whole New Testament, OF even that nc
vantage, In that our translation employs IN
term "charity," which has become by uSsocii
ton and use significant OF the mere single &c
or action of relief. or at any rate OF the nilC
est or most a]ttcnuatcd form OF affection In tn
way OF ordinary kindness.
SO then the strength and emphasis ar
meusuiubly lost: and that, too, in respect t
in Christianity-love. The love that is dcsit
mated In Scripture Is not the action OF II spa
cific faculty: 1t is generic. Itindicates the a
moSphere and the attitude OF the whole sou
will toward every sentiment and scnsitiv
creature. 1t Is the attitude of the soul b.
which 1t pours out bencdiction. ills the son
in the attitude OF willing to bless. 1t acts un
der two opposite conditions. The love or goO'
will, the sympathy Of bcnevolcnce. that Is In
Dictated and recorded In the gospel, works no
only toward those who are worthy, but NOR
strongly, If 1t be possible, toward those VIII
are unworthy. It works by affinity and ike
ness and approval rs toward knowledge ant
virtue and goodness II holiness; and IT als'
works toward the lack Of knowledge and viz
tue and goodness and holiness. In the on
case 1t Is by elective affinity that VIC 30 out To
ward those who are good, and true, and beau
tiiul and lovely; and, In the ollier. by the ave
nue. of pity that we 20 out toward those VIM
are the very reverse; but whether we nc
| WITH lOWlTul lC ltilCtlol uilu ~ Jaw W
upward toward those that are superior ant
those that are good, the root and the fountain
are the same. They are that love which l
said to be the center of true life and Christian
character.
undisguiScdly, that this central clement o
sympathy and sensitive good will. or love 10
ward all senticnt beings, whether good or DAD
universally unvaryinG, Is the organizing cen
ter Of human character. 1t Is the only clntci
around which all the faculties OF II man ma
| ture can he made 10 work tremendously: 4
is the handspring which carries the liachln
cry without violence 10 any other part o
ones nature-nay. Strengthening every otheI
part, and giving it frcer play In it's own a!p
urupriatc sphere. Thisccntral organizing dc
vclopmc.,t OF love is Indispensable 10 the for
nation OF II character In which q man ma
the lurgest use OF himself, with the larges
power, with the largest liberty and with tht
largest 10y to himself and % I'LL around abOu
him.
Man Is the only creature about whom s
question cun be raised as to how he shall u
built up: for everything below man is already
built up. 1t is built up. so thatit does not e
wide from the path. Where, us In the yer!
lowest animals, eating and reproduction are
the only apparent functions OF lie, there !
no great varlableness. 1t goes on through
myriads and myriads, and never makes 1
mistake in one OF them. They are too small
for fermentation or aocrrntion. The consult
] ucnt elements in them are not suticicilt lol
I nuNInlllE IIIOIC ptulf NV AiatP'"
! which they perform. 1t Is difficult TO ~!
what Is the object in view IN the creation o
the largest part OF the population OF the gl00t
below man and below the human SENSES. Re
vculed by the microscope there is IL lie ina
puts to shame or arithmetic. The true popu
iation oil the globe lies beyond mans ken, ant
runs OH In single lines. To eat, to Increase
unl 10 die are the trinity OF their life; anG
their mullitudinOuSncSS Is in Superabundanct
imcalcuInblc And as you go upand augmen'
the sum Ui animal structure ana instinct un
til you reach the higher rangeo OF animals. allt
begin to have rudi,nent:tr%, forms OF faculty
YOU do not. up to the very last, flnd enough
richness toe institute amy considerable ruria
ton in the way in which animal life shall de
! vclop itself. There * SO very little even ~
! the intelligent animals that cilli hc Farlcd
there Is so little that they themselves Cal
vary by any control or choice o: intelligent
selection; they arc 80 nearly mechanical, DE
Ing acted upon by architectural forces, Una.
! the question OF education and character Is III
most impairment as applied Gvcl 10 theil
! There * q little education possible to the dog
II little to the horse, Il little to the elephant, ;
little to the highest mammals Is: but they. arc
camDlc OF only very little cd,lcittioll.. There
Is no'c;lrcer to animals. You Grihs thctn ul
TO the limit OF thcir possible being In one OF
Two crauations. We have carried the horse
rs far as the horse can go; we have carried III,
OK, the sheep, the swine and the dog as FAR ~
they can 10: There Is no future ana tnerc Il
no definite increase to them. They, very sOoi
cXpend themselves, and come 10 the limit o
possible being IN themselves.
1t Is not 80 with man. Infinite are the pos,
stbiiitics OF his being. II Is sometimes sale
ll,at We sprnng from the lower animals.
| am more anxious 10 know what we are g0lnt
10 lhun ] am to know what we came from. II
is "a matter Of very little consequence whether
We did or did not come from the lower ami
mails; but 1t Is undertaken 10 show. MS pre-
p%aratory argument in this matter, that tlt
animals being the rudimenfary forms which
; we have left behind us, III looking at them W.
see, MS 1t were, the hole OF the pit out OF which
| we were diggcd in the lower stage Of anina
life: and they have some faint resemblance:
10 lnen. The dog has love, and fear, and jcal
ouSy, and pride, and intelligence, and 80 on
but there are differences that absolutely uiS
criminute between the human race and every
thing below them In the number of the facul
tics or forces in the human mind, and It's in
finite susceptibility and cduclbility, and II
the endless variations through relative com
binntions which are possible toit. Very !ike
IN there is some resemblance between AMI
r,nls and men; but all the treasure OF ami
mails compared with that OF men Is as n beg
y,r's penny in the hand of II puupcr compared
with the wealth Of u CrpSus. Animals are
hardly worthy of 4 comparison with men
While they have one, two. three FOUR 1ucul
ties. We have thirty ut least. While their fnc
! ulties arc susceptible OF but few combination!
ours are susceptible OF thousands. The facul
tics of men are like the letters Of the alpha
bet. Nobody can calculate their pOssibilitic
, OF combination and reconciliation. The cd
ucubility Of the human mind, and the fncilit,
| with which its faculties can be combined AM
j recombincd in every direction, mark the dis
tinctiou between men and the lower animals
which IS practically the end of controversy
Now, when men ure born into life with thi
educubility which separates them from al
below, there are three grand forces that begil
to work upon them quite independently q
themsclves-Quite independent Of their owl
deliberate wilt.
First, every nan inhcrits not only certain
r-I. 4, l,,t lnp.n .,,t Tins In rnrfItn RAID
tive and original degrees OF power: secondly
he Is subject to forces OF education which ar
brought to bear upon him by his parents, b.
his uciglbors, and by the teachers that nr
on the organizations OF society under activ'
forces. He carries an ancestral nature tina
determines very much what he Is sand Is to Dc
That ancestral nature Is first subject TO TIL
primitive education of the parents and OF tn
teachers that are around him: and then III
goes out from under that nascent formation
into a world OF regular NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
customs, manners, law - that he c;tnno
change, but that can very powerfully, chang
him, and along which he must truvcl, and I
which, more or less, he Is subject.
Look ut the influences which meet q man q
the door of life. First. Is hcredity. To one l
given one talent. ~tounothGr five. and TO an
Other ten. The one talcntin some men is has
liar: in other men 1t is II powerful will; IN 9th
ers, 1t Is Intellect. or very many II Is tru
that the strength OF their being lies In a sin
gle direction. lncrc is ilLtle cooperation, Wei.
little auxiliariness. In the different parts 9
their minds. Multitudcs of men are, ms !
were, like the quarter sections In the West
There are hundred Of acreS; but there are on
Iy eight or ten cleared up and c~ultiratable; al
! the rest IS wilderness, overgrOwn.
Mans originally inherited nature has no
enough been considered, either IRON the sid
of health, or from the side of responsibility
or from the sideof education-especially nor
the side of religious educntion; what q ma
is Is predetermined, very largely, by what hi
father and mother were; and what they wer
was predetermined, very largely, by VIVA
their parents were. II the declaration ina
was made a long time ago be true-and 1t Is
that the sins of the fathers shall be visited NJ
on the children 10 the third and TO the iourt
generation; andi " the corresponding declare
| lion be true-and 1t iS-that the ri~ghtcouSneS
of the parents shall descend to the children I
The third and the fourth generation: In othe
words, IL the virtues and tho vices or the ar
cestors prolong their rewards and pennitlc
down to their posterity, then men come int
life. not bearing a new and bians shGet Oh ps
per. according to some schools OF philosophy
upon which The experiences OF life write whi
they are to be but tnheriting. undevelope
powers and forces which give their lives a
almost irresistible impulse toward virtue .
toward vice. Some men come into the worl
baptized already; and some men come int
the world almost fore-ordained TO damnt
ton.
Then, aside from the tendency which Is gu
en- to us BY the operation of this great law
the transmission OF parental or ancestr'
qualities, we have the power OF education, al
plied early and continuously. Upon avcra2
persons education is almost recrehtiVc. me
are some strong natures thai. are oorn VIII
s,,cb a nrcnpnSG. Or such a direction given