Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-10
IN HIS BONES.
TIE Curious Source of Mr.. Reecber's
Belief In Immortality.


From the New York Times.
| The Rev Henry Ward Beecher in Ply
mouth church yesterday morning, took for
his text l Corinthians, XIV, 10. "If in this
life only we have hope in Christ we are of
all men most miss rable." He said that the
cardinal moralities of life ought to stand
for profita ablentss and pleasure, even if there
be no life hereafter; and if. all the motives
of the gospels should be taken away it should
still be the interest of man to be moral.
Christian people are obliged to dwell in the
sphere of Imagination. After all the libra
ries of sermons about faith, it is nothing but
imagination. People live by their imagina-
ton here, and they shall not be disappointed.
The different shapings may fail them, but it
will be because they were too low. Though
they may find things different from what
they expected, it will be because they are
srander and more glorious than they imsg-
ined. 1t is said that the idea of
Immortality is modern one. That
the world existed long before there is
any record, no man who ia abreast
of current events can doubt. No word is
given down to the time of the patriarchs
that belief in Immortality existed. There
is no evidence that Abraham was anything
excepting grand old gentleman, who never
said anything worth remembering. He
threw no light upon the subject of immortal
ity. Isaac was figure OF great nestness and
beauty. Nothing was ever said by him con-
CT rning life hereafter. Jacob was a mer-
chant politician who never lost good bar
gain. Yet in his references to higher spir-
itual development he never mentioned
future life. Neither did that magnificent
figure OF the law-giver, Moses, who stood
head and shoulders above any man in his
tory. He framed the political and social
economies of the lsraelites, yet in all the
Mosaic institutions there is no hint as to
any after life. AS the ages go marching
down there is not one OF the great men who
gives a word of testimony to Immortality.
There is nothing of the kind in the whole
moral code of the Old Testament, and there
ia nothing more remarkable than that fast.
David mourned the death of his son, and
could not at first be comforted. At length
he said: 81 shall go to him, but he
shall not return to me-" This was full
CT sentiment, if he meant heaven, but
he did not. He meant that he should
lie down in the sepulcher of his
fathers with him. When Christ came the
belief in Immortality. Many persons say
that this theory of Immortality is bred of
superstition. 1t is even said that the idea of
future life had it origin in dreams. Mr..
Beecher said that he did not care whether or
not this was 50. If Mr.. Rothschild should
send him check for 81 ,000, 600 he would not
care whether it came ia a bag that was
soiled with the filth of ali the ships between
Liverpool and New York, so long a. the
check came-which he added with smile,
is not likely to happen. The clergyman said
that he had no word OF reproach for the
agnostics-those who say they do not know.
Thtre may be God, and continued exist
ence. they say, but who can prove it? Not
to know, however, is as bad as not to believe.
He had infinite compassion for such people.
What man, he said in conclusion, is worthy
of the name of man, who has not in him the
springs of immortality II 10000 scientific
men should prove to him that there is no
evidence OF Immortality he would yet have
that in him which would prove to him that
ii is true, that it must be true, and he
believed in his very bones that he would find
ii trne