The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-07-28
Plymouth Pulpit.
A STATEMENT OF BELIEF.
Sermon by Henry Ward Beecher.
TT1rfsfinn Union

Sermon by Henry Ward Beecher.
GChristian Union.l
an all things showing thyself n pattern OF
Good works; in doctrine showing uncorrupt-
ness. gravity, sincerity. sound speech, that
cannot be condemned :; that he that ~ OF inc
contrary part MAJ be ashamed. having no
evil thing to shy OF you: t;Hnor ond W. nlco -
| them we'll in all things not answering again;
| not purloining. but showing IN oil ndeiits :,
that may adorn the doctrine OF Goo our
saviour in ali things. For the grace OF GOO
! that bringeth salvation hath appeared 10 al
men, teaching us that. denying unGodlinesS
and worldly lusts. We should live hopcriS,
rirhteously. and godly, IN TINS pfesent MuI n"
appearing OF great God and Saviour Jesus
christ who gave himself for US, mat ne
might redeem us from oil iniquity, ana purify
unto himself q rccuiiar people Zea. op hor ~
and rcbuke with all authority. Let no mah
despise thee>'-TlTCs H., 7-l5.
For thirty-four years have e~ndeavored to
fulfill this injunction; how impe'fcctly none
know rs well AZ J. II has oeen aone h9,es,aS.
sincerely, earnestly, but with manifold lmper,
fections; and my performances always are
rebuked by my ideal OF what Is becohitne.
There has recently been a proclamation tnao
I have made q "new DEPARTURE that ! nave
abandoned the ground on which my ia!ne.S
stood, and have forsaken evangelical tluti
and taken up liberal and intidcl poSitionS.
This has been spread abroad by ~ press YET!
widely. To those who sit under my minis
lralions | need say nothing. as against inc
more bitter and stupid stories or men VINO
are hit for anything better than 10 slt III Jnuso
mcnt upon doctrinai truth but to even those
best acquainted with my preaching, anu Sei
more to those who only read my sermons, ana
to the great Christian brotherhood 10 whlch
am proud to belong, II may he wise, anu y
duty, to state with detlnitencNs ana sucn
amplitude as limo wlllallow on what Grouhui
[ do stand and what IRE the salient points o
my religious belief. o,,,e
The inspiration of the Bible, the sinfulncSS Oh
man, conversion, the Trinity. the doctrine OF
fuith, the saviour and the Holy spirit, inc
atonemcnt. retributlon. Or the quest,oh %,
The church and ordinances i shall not naFe
time TO speak but these are topicsOl seconu.
airy Importance, OF course this must be lone
briefly, so wide Is the subject. Yet l sha!l
endenvor to do 1t explicitly. =,
/ believe that God In every age md In oil
nations has moved upon the hearts oliheh ny
his Holy Spirit inspiring them to whaleso. as
true. pure and n 6,a aro! ! D n"l1GVe and t"o of the
New contain the fruit Of that inspiration az
IL was developed In the Hebrew n"tion nnu
fully and heartily accept the Ilble acooro!hs
to the Apostolic and only declarn' II Hcrin,ure
is given by inspiration OF COD ana u ProitN
able for doctrine, for reproof, Tor corrcctlon LOT
instruction in righteousness; tnat llc INV,
nj (TOu NAV Dc pCIlSCl,
unto All good works" l believe that as true
understanding Of Gods work In the outward
and material world can be gained only oy
careful study Of facts OF nature; so ~ tnI r. be
.uined not by theories or TRADITIONS puI US d
rigorous study OF the fhcts-its struSture,
origin, the nature OF It's contents anu 'tn'e ~
the more necessaly in that the book ms we
hold it now was not an immediate ana ON
pletcd Gift OF GOD to man, but wasa CROWN OF
ages 10 was written by different languages,
with centuries Of intervals between part ana
part. and the chief substance Of Its truth was
conveyed by the Divine mind to the human
mind in the way In which God ordinarily
imparts the truth; through human experience:
I believe That the Bible Is largely q record o.
history, and in this respect must be studied as
we study any history that ~ con!ainsa l"tse
measure OF poetry, and that that Is 10 oe ao,
celted not as science but us we.nccePt any us e
poetry that 1t Is largely a literature, ana ~ 10
be construed as we conStrue literature, not as
an exact science; that 1t IL q record OF ihsti,
tutionS, laws, worships, which nave answered
their ends and passed away ana h en, " ditterentt
degrees OF value. The Ten commandment
are of more value to US than the account ol
the trimmings ofthe sanctuary tue tench'nS
OF Jesus Christare OF larger scope ana IL
more value that the teachings OF Moses: inc
narratives of the Gospels are more Faiuaoie
| than histories ofRuth and Esther, ~oeaulilul's
these are: In other words, u rntrcs ap pari men N
are competent and permitted to Judge OF their
value and use them US they ft the exigencies
I Believe that the moral and spiritual
{, achinrs OF the Sacred scripture
we're sSbIect to the same law OF unfolding
as was its outward form anu tna1
hat the ideas Of purity; truth; ~, last III Sss aIoy'
reward, retrlbutlon and immortality were
progressive, and are seen to be IN the Bloie as
4 "rising light, shining brighter and orighter
devclopedmoral truthsare not to be interpret
| cd by the earlier, but the earlier by the fuller
form Of the later. Ihold, with all the Church,
that the Scripture Is not u gniae b o sc concnn,
| ions rom period to period OF scientlrc truths
1 which were then held that II does no violence
to the spirit OF truth TO accept inc iuiies ais =
| closures or physical truths which 600 10
making in our day over those recorded In an
earlier age. l do not believe that inspiration
has ceased. Ibclieve that Gods Holy spirit
still moves upon the hearts OF men, ana trath
ia still sprouting, growing, blossoming ana
bearing precious mutt IN the minds and lives
OF his people and while the light voucnsaie9
guidance of the individual, and without au.
thorlty on the consclenccs OF otners, YET
! when such truth has gone through tne eH.
p~erience OF multitudes,,a ana mas proved i.sesi
| not special and personal, but wide and uniVer-
sal, It becomes OF value and .~ofbinding authorl.
ty though has no command In Scripture. Ihal
the truthslof Scripture are TO be.discerneN
understood aud taught according tolhe mora'
| HCIlSc vi SOu - pCOplS IL
ed by the Holy Spirit. And l adopt the Ian.
guage OF the Westminster Confession, win
many parts OF which l do not find myself IN
..Tbe Supreme Judge by which oil contro,
yersies of religion are to be determined, and
all DEGREES OF councils. ancient writers, doc'
amined, and in whose sentence.w we are to rest
can be no other than the Holy spirit speak
ing In the Scripture" .
Speaking, that Is. to .!iving men VINO rn m
Them in their own experiences. Ihat q per,
sistent disregard Of the structure, nature ano
genius Of the Bible tends TO rob ltof us true
them against the even working OF the inspira,
tion of Coz going on in each aye 70 tempt
men to hide their eyes from the light and 70
introduce q wrestling casass't ~ sh, rca ,sser pnd
shuts the ears Of men TO what COG mas 10 say
TO them In every age. With increasing YEAR
and wider experience more ore, ah hdI!hsof m v@I9t
truths to which the human mind has been ad.
mitted; and from Its beginning to ITS end u
enables the sincere and intelligent man 10
know what is evil and TO shnn 1t, and toknow
what Is good and TO follow 1t; and, with yet
greater emphasis than when the Apostles
Wrote it, it Is a book by which a man OF God
may, l be Jth anS MorS." furnished un'0 every
81 believe that every mar Is born without
holiness, without Intelligence, without moral
sense, without emotions or passions, but wlthta
| ca DQClty LOT all " ticLh, III
oped by after-growth. That by Gods decree
| OF creation man came gradually to tile Know
! ledge OF his laws in nature and In human so
cicty; and that OF necessity men are Violaiing
| divine laws through ignorance and ineXlge-
! rience, and that such violations OF law are
indrmities. That as men come TO years OF
discretion and knowingly violate coos laws
they sin. INC l believe that the whole hu-
man race, universally, always, In all times
and places, does sin. and Is sinful, in various
degrees and in a various Intensity OF guilt,
aud that his ignorance, perverse disopedlence
and sin are such as to require divine interpo-
| sitiOp for correction and for forgiveness. And
| that is my faith US to human sinfulness.
believe that God exerts an influence upon
the human soul By which 1t Is sOftened, and
made willing to all good and averse to oil evil
and that men are called In Sacred Scripture,
and equally by their reason and moral sense,
10 seek this revelation and inspiration, by
| which their whole nature ome sunder Divine
influence and Is changed gradually from sin
to perfect holiness. And that is my belief In
the doctrine Of con version.
believe that God Is unsearchable that his
beinglies outside..of humanl comprehension in
this state OF existence ; that, nevertheless, we
may OF tain q partial and fragmentary view OF
it with the certainty that in every direction
the divine nature Is nobler, purer. more adj
mirable and lovable than reason ina.
pination, or experience can conceive. / be-
leive that God revealed himself gradually as
well as partially, and that he Is still
revealing himself, through the experience OF
| mankind and though the revelation Of his
material kingdom. While In the Old Tesla
ment. as against q plurality Of gods, Jehovah
IVA revealed as one God, In the New Testi.