Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-05-18
BEECHERON EVOLUTION.
MS SUNDAY MoRNINo SERMON
ne All.4des 20 me Coming Ead o. His
MiasstrY. bot Believes Ftis Doc
trfaes sili Survive.

Ma 40aa. Mag iI-itenrY v tFd beeeher
th5s morning announced that be was aoOat
- preach the Grst of q series ~ sermons
sm5s-iying the results " hfty years of
lhou.sht apon bal. pact IN regard ~ me appli-
eafioa ~ tis grnciVles of evolution 90 Feis
ious ruth. This soald probably be ths close
of ths ministerial labor % biz ufe- his
tsxt to-day s4s Mat xFI and 3. Ahen
Il IL eyen.ag. ge sag d si1 be- fair weather,
for the .ky Is red. snt la the morning Il ~iu
be foul xsather to-day ior the SKI 4. red and
lowering Ol, ~ hgpsocritz-, ye eau dis
scern the face Of ths SAY, bat can Sc not dis
cern agns I'd tine-f" Bseehos said.
'.Nen, tnH coald mean nothing unless
if meant that weather changed - thai Gods
pr0gidentiai developments are presenting a
diversified appearance from time 70 time
tie s.ss Ia the sorld and Lhs world anew him
not. They looked upon all the miracles be
wrought a. If they we're la a circus and
watching the athletic feats OF men and mon
zoys and followed him here and there ia
curiosity. aud .ali. ~NO~ alve u- a sign.
nov I'D somslhing and be rsbelied; he re-
preached them because they bad not spirit
ual Instinct IS slIch % discover The work Of
1fod that Na- gong on iu their own time,
aud fL Is THAR thought that IT. the
basis 0f thls dlscourse, that meant
- deliver on the subject " discern
inl those great develop OImeuts OF Gods
prOvindnoe Ia lhis world and aroand about
the sphere Of religion. That there II a great
change goiag OF. tny man that has passed
forty years of 1-s has a vague idea about
thiDgs are not ~ they were. Any church in
any denomination that lives IA The great
th0roug flares of llfe - nOt what &c vas
thirty. forty or nsty years ago. The cords
Are u0t 80 tiyht Ne don't begin sandy or
Saturday uight any more. We don't absolutely
forbid al cheerful converse on Saboath
morning Ia various ways the sabbath
has been popglarized, a. u Il said
The church h moi 80 awful a.
IL aaed To be- it h larger, freer. more
cheerful Children are not petrined as they
used ~ be. / used 10 love 10 20 % church
because / did euloy walking down halt
mile Of street Bat when got into church
l dad nOt dare stir. and - | went 20 sleep
largely with an occasional rap OF grace on
my head. Wen. things are different; chill
drsn DO really like ocOme to meeting.
Religious doctrines are not so rigorous a.
they were The change ~ doctrine - even
greater than can now say.
Old- fashioned doctrnal preaching
h,s gone out Of use very largely and l. grow
iux less. The eternity Of conscious torment
OF All tIltt NIkFt not afGNAA Aufl"A tAtAA DNfA
accepted of him, is almost never taught to
day. To che honor of religion and the
glory OF God l speak .t The clerical posi-
ton - changed very much. When the min
ister walked down street fifty years ago,
children ran Ia the frOut door and hid Tie
wa dressed ike q maguafos be talked and
walked Ike a superior being; lac was Ordain-
ed to feel hs Oas the channel by which God
spoke 20 the people. OiOd speaks through
every man thal tells the truth God y adj
vancins the church and the world. II things
are being torn up by the roots,
Il Is % BE- lranspiautvd into nobler soil"
Beecher closed by Announcing that he
would give series u sermons explaining
his views upon evolution, doctrine which
hs had been one OF the irst % accept and
Which Wa now held by almOst every lntebi-
gent man. tie wished % leave On record his
attitude upon tha subject OF evolution IN re-
ltgiOn. He could not fan 20 see that an
other must ere long succeed him IA the pull
PIT. and after preaching three sermons he
would 'by and BY revise them and put them
in a book and when / DO 10 shall die. he
believed that the young people Of his con
xregatiou would hive o. see the doctrines be
had taught them universally accepted. tie
urged them finally % at ere to and work
out in themselves n higher standard OF deity
and OF aspirations and 10 meet him IN
Heaven.