The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-01-07
BEECHER.
Conclusion OF His Recent Sermon.
His Personal Relationship to His People
The Recent Oampsign-The Future.

brethren. for now nearly forty years. More
strictly speaking, thirty-eight years next Oc-
tober. It has been mild pride which L
have Wanted in the presence of multitudes
that this church and society, made up Of
strong men and women, representing almost
every Christian denomination on
the globe, has for nearly forty
years dwelt together in such
unity that ii was never, in peace or in war,
in controversy or in any other disturbance,
necessary for me to ask counsel of deacon or
trustee as to what should be done. We have
gone through this long journey together
without enough disturbance even to be
thought Of. But st last the lot of many hiss
come to Us, and there is so much trouble in
the church that think ii meet to-day to talk
with you with all the frankness Of a true
brotherhood, and to say what want to say
about myself and to you and about the fu-
ture. L don't know how extensive the trouble
is except from the newspapers, and / don't
| think they know much about ii either. Ger
tain it ie, l have never gone out to ask. I
| have never scerched out who the people are
| that are disconnected. 1t is only accident
| ally that two, three, six, eight, perhaps ten,
| names have been mentioned, and If there be
| thirty, forty or fifty pew-holders or eminent
members don't know who they are. That
| been said that feel bound here today and
| through the gentlemen reporters present to
say to the public that there has bean very
serious disquiet ere ated ia regard to me-
| not IN regard to my ministrations either on
the Sabbath day or in the week day meet.
ings, no man has whispered or thought that
have introduced IN to my service anything
whatever pertaining to political questions;
when the question OF slavery was up felt
| it right and prudent to discuss that
whenever I thought it necessary,
bat that was 3 permanent thing
! then with long lease of life, and In its
| train it carried the necessity OF education.
| and therefore discussed it in the pulpit
but the circle of trouble Just now is very
small, and will OF itself pass away inevitably
| in 8 short time, and therefore held it to be
| not fair nor prudent 10 vex you differing
from me-with any allusiOn 20 it or any dis
cussion of it in the pulpit. So far, SO good.
! Bot did have this view of my duty To the
! public. / felt that that grea party which
will 60 down to history crowned with honor
for its work OF educating the conscience of
this Nation for liberty, for It's great work In
conducting the war 20 maintain the sancity
Of the union ct this Nation, that
| he'd concluded the resettlement of az.
| faire, and had brought the currency
into proper condition and channels
my hope ives that God would give it also
| the last blossoming honor, and as il had po-
| litically and financially reunited the land,
so il would have wisdom ministered to it to
bring in unity Of sentiment and OF love,
which wss the only last thing to be done
| This hoped would have been done, and
was disappointed bitterly when it was not
| thought OF, when an entirely different series
| ofinfuences had control, and felt as though
: again il had come to pass--as it was 1t the
| days of Israel when that man had led them
| out Of Egypt and through the wilderness,
IL Al.
| land, was rot permitted TO go over, but
died in the mountain, only looking upon
the promised land. AS God is my witness,
| / would have shed tears Of Joy, | would have
| given my life, IL only the Republican party
| could have had in its platform such a well
come to the South, and have given eminent
sanction to the cordially of that feeling by
making one OF the two great candidates a
Southern man, to complete the whole unity.
could have laid down my life joyfully, for
| then could not have said they planted,
they gatsred, they nourished, and then
| were not wise enough to pluck the blossom
| ing fruit. Moses died in the mountain, snd
| so it seemed to me it came to pass. But
| with that feeling and firm conviction, as
deep as any ever had in my life, yet after
! long consideration and some uncertainty,
l but finally deep, impelline conviction, I
went into the canvass.
Brethren advancing to the trout OF the
| platform and putting his foet down en-
| phaticallyl brethren, when l go into any
thing you know very well that | don't 60
by halves. Applause.l God made me
| and he made me what L am. 1 put what
/ ever had in me into the canvass. was in
earnest. | was in dead earnest. / threw
| my health, my reputation and my influence
| to the winds What did 1 care for them If
only the country might live again insbsolute
| harmony That under such circumstances
| did everything wisely / don't say. That
made no speeches / would now regret,
that / make no statements that l would now
make in better line, don't undertake to
| say. There are two things to be confessed
| one on your part and one on mine. After l
| had been with you for forty years, nearly,
| you ought to have had confidence enough
in me, and you ought to have had manli'
! ness enough not to take an impstueus
speech and making spacial plea on 1t,
| draw It out into every possible application.
1t was shame for you to have done 1t.
! [Great applause.
| And now ior myself. Ii was shame for
/ me- t. have said anything that should lead
/ men as good as you are and women as wise
as you are into aucb q mistake as you ought
/ to be ashamed OF. lam ashamed of my part,
/ so far as il misied you. On no other point
| arm / so sensitive as that ii should be sup
! posed that / in any way undergalued the
| sanctity OF chastity and the purity OF house
4
| taken. Time will do me Justice. Yen ought
| to have done IL before there was any suspi-
| cion or trouble in the matter. | had right
| to expect different treatment from you in
| that matter. And let me say 10 you here
| distinctly, in 50 far as my political Judgment
| WAS concerned AMI my endeavOs, look
| back upon them with unfeigned apDroba-
! ton. In 60 far as the execution or the work
| Ia concerned, | zee that there were mistakes,
| and that their were errors / sm sorry for
them, and apologize for them. So much Ter
tbat.
| Now then, as to the future. Everything
| has been said about il. The best men are
| going to leave III anybody feels that they
| car be no longer edited by my ministrs-
tions, don't let them sneak away. Let them
come with 50 open face and say the truth,
and they shall 90 with my blessing, and my
| heart and prayer will follow them Go
where the Lord viii give you the best reye'
lstions. III any persons stay, stay in the true
spirit OF brotherhood. don't care, so Tar as
| pew-renting is concerned that (snapping his
6ngers) in and of itself. care that the
church should have funds for the ministrs-
| tons that il is maintaining everywhere, but
it has been said widely that am to be re-
buked by the diminution of the fund. You
can't rebuke me that way. lApplause.J Let
me say honestly to you: i should be very
glad TO have the funds from renting as large
IS they were last year, or larger. for the
works sake and for the church's sake, bat III