The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-12-04
CALVINISM.
Henry Ward Beechcr on CreeIs-Un-
chrlstianllke Christianity.

General Grant was at Plymouth Church
Oh Sabbath morning, sitting in Mr.. IL. &.
IIatlin 5 pew. Mr.. Beecher tool. several
texts. one Of which was And the Lord
passed by before him and proclaimed the
Lord. the Lord God merciful and gracious,
long suffering and abundant i'll goodness
and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin,
and that will by 10 means clear the
guilty
This, said Mr.. Bcccller. sis the ear
liest declaration IN full Of the nature of
the moral government i'll the world and
Of the nature of the moral governor
Thousands OF years rolled away and an
other voice was heard crying from an
other mountain. Calvary and its mean
ing was enlarged through the centuries
Slowly t. u.s. but not slowly to hin. that
dwells in eternity. the cvuiutions had
been taking place, AMI III the cry that
came from the expiring son Of God we
hear the same declaration of the time
preceding of the love Of God for men,
1t is the triumph Of God to love things
that are absolutely repulsive: that are
. cOliti ) W SNttS lHntlAtl. tftl s.ttii-
bulc, every decree Of the divine mind.
lie loved the race before it was lovable
to the extent OF suffering for it-prefer-
red its interests to his own. have had
occasion here often with great indigna-
ton to denounce the Calvinistic idea of
God and his DEGREES. aud | say that the
presentation OF God as Il being who, for
lis own glory PREDETERMINED everything
and determined that a LARGE part of the
human race should he created Tor t;tlnlla-
ton and another large part for salvation.
with the explicit declaration that this
was done not from foresight of good OF
cvil-oi good on the part of the salvable
or @. evil on tie part of the reSt-but
tor the express purpose of representing
the siory and power of God, is 4 theory
repuisive to tlie diving nature. And
against that statement ! place the deca-
ration of the New Testament that the
nature OF God is absolute beIevuence:
that the core and center OF His being is
love: He loves those that are not lovable
, a4G those who are positively hateful, and
puts himself to SuitGrinG for them by
giving up His first and only child. That
| flaming orb of love / bring to bear against
! this detestable and internal Mooch in
I heaven, that the fire of true love may
burn it to ashes II is a most atrocous
SANDER upon the divine nature. but it
stands vet in the symbols of all who hold
the Calyinistic faith. The tan-iresby-
. terrain Council at Philadelphia attempted
to change it, but ended by leaving it as
il vas. Every man that comes into the
Presbyterian ministry il obliged TO de
clare that lie will preach this hideous
God that is presented i'll the longer and
shorter " eStminster catechsms. don't
know Of any such treason to humanity
or to good Judgment, ! don't know any
4rouhi 81 dangerous for a youn. man to
put his loot Upu.i. rs 10 swear that lie
| VIII be true to those articles Of faith.
and that lie Uill teach them Tor substance
and doctrine. lie can do it. lie might
Just as we'll swear that he viii bc 1916
feet high every time he goes into the
pulpit They don preach it or teach it.
OF if there Is now and then a man that
does preach it lie is il long, lean lightning
rod man that does not have much to do
with common folk, and common folk do
not have much to do with him. What is
the condition Of the human family So
far as their c"lnineI..;ai valle is concern
ed. the major part Of the human race
might Just as we'll be swept away us not
China if Il million OF his subjects die
No philosophy dies with them-no poe
try. os might kill a million men every
day and million SIuiilals cat IN Oregon
and there wouldn't be any difference ex-
cept that the squirrels skins would be
worth something and the mems skins
wouldn t. OuC-half Of the human fam
lily live 50 low that il they We're all swept
away no,hiEs woHld he missed: and it is
not until | see what men a.. Yortli for
God and the future that the vision makes /
me think it crime to tread upon the
lowest human creature. No matter how
low, Il makes no ditference-there is
something III his nature that God sees
and loves. Then there is another bear (
iiis in TIC exercise Of love amoIg our
selves. Talk ano"t laTe-mGst people
mean passion. y man who was like
Christ would be the strongest man in
our day but aiter the Thousand years of
preaching that God so loved the world .
that lie gave His Son to die for it. there
is nothing Sc surprising as that no person
should fqll9w Him. Anybody THAT fol /
lowed Christ ~o"n. lie 3 mystery TO tue .
church to-day. The reviyaists shout. /
Come up aud be saved, and there is a
grand rush of sinners. who say they are
going to heaven, as If heaven was an old .
garnet for the Storage Of all sorts of use
less lHmler and rubbish: The question
is not Ho you want f. le sNed3' but
Do you pant to be salv4bIea' There X
not q church IN existence that can Ivy
doctrine propagate The ga>Del-hy ely
ternal things. | don't care low many
priests You have or how intellectual they
are, there can be no church without love
as Il social force as it exists III the house
hold, AND never llnew a church where
that idea was centrally eXerted toward
each otnef aud toWaNs the congregation
over the way-towards the heteticS ayel
the way. The spirit of the church is.
Where do you belong, to us:'
Yes.
Bless you
Ok yH4 belong to u.s.
:Nq.i
Damn yq4.' I4ausErer.,
The spirit Of God is loye an4 tina,
should be the spirit Of the church, i
there church on earth where that spirit
is regnant? If there is, it is not this
one