The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-11-07
A SERMON.
rev. HENRY WARD BEEcHsR.
An Eloquent Extract From tho Great
Brooklyn PastOr-If Orthodox Hell
IL as Painted He is Badly
on ON Theology.

The history and the condition OF the
human family cannot be reconciled with
one regnant idea of the fathcrhood of
<iod. ] believe in it, but so far rs the
ology has yet unfoided anything it is
absolutely inane and worse than feeble
IA the presence of the actual condition Of
The human family. It's notion of the
origin of sin; iJs notion of Gods scheme
hood of God over all the outlying
nations beyond Judea and beyond
oeuriie. Il should "I provoNo ''t the
wrath of every mans conscience,
and humble every mans conception of
'iivine love aud power. The neglect
with which the world was set up, with
out any knowledge given them of vital
Importance TO its inhabitants il remark
able. Our own nature in the beginning
and for thousands OF years was not made
known To us, nor were the conditions of
nealth. Here and there We're single pre-
repts given rs the ages rolled on that
had respect to cleanliness and some
sorts OF life and some regulalive inlu-
Hnces, but that which il gradually
growing out OF the research OF science
was hidden from the foundation of the
world, and no IN was set out i'm this
life with knowledge of what was in his
mead and what was i'm his trunk; no
nan knew anything about nerve, or
liver, or heart, and the circulation Ofthe
blood was only discovered u little before
our own time. All the nations of the
earth started without any capital Of
knowledge, and yet destiny and
chacacter depend upon some knowl-
edge of what we are. Thrown
nut was the whole human family upon
The world, whose nature was not told 10
men. They found out that water would
irown; They found out that fire would
ourn. They know nothing of electric
ity; they thought that lightning
vas the flash of Gods angry
aye. They knew nothing of thnn.
der; they thought it was Gods
terrible terrible voice voice, denonncing His
Or remedies, and millions of men have
died with the means of recovery right
under their feet. Who would think
that any man, rearing large family and
leaving them unacquainted with the
moral duties OF the same, with neigh
borhood duties, and with civil and pn-
iltical duties, and with the history of
Their time and with the physiology that
belongs To lite as taught now in our
nome and schools who would think, |
say, that any man had performed the
duty of iatherh0Od who left his children
M such ablect ignorance as the nations
of the earth have been left i'm for ten
Thousand aud thrice ten thousand years?
When men ask "where i'm tho history
of the human race is the evidence Of
iatherhoodY" do not know eXcept il
be the voice Of sorrow and sympathy.
According to the old theology, where
one man Ii s been elected a million have
been damned. Is that lalsehoOd? Men
do not like to look mt in the face. They
do not know what effect il will have i'm
the faith of their children in the bible.
They do not know what effect il will
have on the catechism and the confes
sion of fai th IN church. But cannot let
TACT so characteristic OF human history
so and not look at II, and not let my
reason play about it, and seek some
where n solution for il.
think | begin to see it, though
walking many days in much
doubt and in great distress of mind from
time to time, saying to myself must go
into the captivity OF infidelity? Must |
letgo of the beliefs OF my fathers? Must
say Scriptures are deceit? At last
the darkness is passing, and the light
iseoming, and my feet are on rock.
we are sending missionaries to every
part OF the globe to-day to perishing ma
lions. 1t lisa royal duty and ought to
ne Aroyal pleasure. But does the ques-
lion never cOmeup: How can God have
been Il father to the human race and
ha 20 left China rs China has been lett?
What shrines are those? What books
OF religion are thOse2 Where are tho
schools that have been opened for
themY Aud yet il not China a
part of Gods family? Go to all tho
Central Asians; are they not His?
anu the isles Of the sea have in dark
ness propagated and persisted, and not
star has dawned for them for thousands
of years. Does not God know and the
Almighty consider them? Are these all
oanlshedE Have they nothing to do
with him or Is he the father of themP
and if he be the father of them, what
can we say2 But there is relief to my
mind ron the remuneration in the first
place ot what believe to he the I'M
scriptural doctrine of future aud
eternal punishment, which makes God
utterly unreC0ncilablU with paternity
and goodness, Though | can under
stand how man may Toe made TO eat of
the fruit OF his own way, and be filled
with his own devices, who has been
reared on good ground watored and sun
shined, yet when | come to look upon
the conditions of mankind, and then
think that In their neglect and in their
ignorance, left uncared FIR for centuries
they, too, are going over INTO the abyss
of eternity of conscious suffering with
that thought in my mind and in my
heart cannot say sour Father lie
says that He Is better than we are hp.
cause we are strOaked with evil and
with selilshness; but an earthly father,
though he were a dcspot and selfish,
could not ho found who would let child
suffer In such ways ~ this.
According to the teachings of Chris
tanity AZ intcrpr ted by mcdimval
scholastic theology, more than three
quarters OF the human race to-day are
damnable, and life is hut so many
steps toward the burning pit. can
not-l should part with reason before
could accept 1t. | could not live.
have ears that hear the grnans that de-
not sound aloud. | have inwRrdlv a
secret sympathy with heart throhs
whose beat can neither see nor fee, 1
live in the concious presence of my
kindred of universal humanity,
While men Will dance and marry and
DO given In marriage, ! never could
bring q child into this world II thought
the chances We're even that | had
brought inasuhitct of eternal torment.
Marriage wOnld be u crime IL the des-
Tiny of children were utterly uncertain,
aud II IL Ice certain midnight horrible
beyond the power of imagination
Henry Ward Beecher.
Men are often heard saying that their
aspirations are high, hut every time
a..aI. .