Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-06-27
EVOLUTION AND REGENERATION.

EVOLUTION AND RECOMMENDATION.
Mr.. Beecher, in his sermon last Sunday,
considered the subject of regeneration in
relation to evolution. He stated his theo-
logical position as follows: The four doc
trines of sin, of regeneration, of the help of
the Holy Spirit and of holiness of life are
the executive doctrines of Christianity. Any
one who faithfully breaches them will not
fail of fruit. They are the formulation of
all my practical preaching. Those sublime
theologians, the newspapers, ask why do
not 90 out with Bob Ingersoll-I beg his
pardon I mean Mr.. Robert Ingersoll. l
believe he is gentleman, and worthy of
anything but ridicule. He is as good as
many men in the pulpit, but one does not
need to be very good for that. They say
do not believe in the Bible or in religion,
but that I believe in science. | believe that
man was an animal before he became So
cial; that he was animal and social so as to
rise to the civic plane; that ne was animal
and social and civic, rs so many stages to
CLIMB to the artistic and intellectual. ! be-
lieye that the animal lost his animality by
unfolding; that he can rise by evolution
and by the Divine Spirit so as to meet God
and be beaten upon by the means of Gods
influence My theology is working the
ology. believe many things besides and
suspect many more which I don't believe.
My theology is practical, and look back
upon forty years among you. The fruit is
not as large as if you had had better
fruterer, but I am not unwilling to compare
the men and women here for cheerful
ness and hope and courage and kindness
for love and loveableness and self.denial,
with those anywhere. The words I have
uttered have been blest to the evolution to
a higher life to winning souls.
In another part of the sermon MIR: Beecher
said: "Christ began by telling all men to
repent and to be born again. Regeneration,
the being born again, fits in with the system
of nature which evolution unfolds to our
knowledge and apprehension. Christ called
men from gross and animal life to spritu.
alty, which is the direct result of the divine
influence, of the impact of the divine mind
upon men. This brings forth experiences,
emotious, joys and visions which are not in
morality and the secular life. Men ascend
through the stages of being animal, social,
esthetic and intellectual, until ut last they
see God and Immortality in community with
the invisible. A state of receptivity to the
divine influence delops new life in the soul.
Development prefgures and prepares for that
life of transcendent conditions beyond this
terraqueous globe. Men can ascend steadily
by the force of instructions and the inspira-
tion of God to o state that hovers in the spirit
ual. and they eau WORK what almost appear
like miracles Christ taught that it was uni
yersally possible for men TO be lifted out OF
animal conditions so as to become part and
parcel Of great spiritual province. The
Roman idea of infant baptism Is that 1t
washes away the original sin transmitted by
Adam. This is an innocent delusion. Ten
thousand million power of microscopic mag
nifyng would not discover in the child
solitary speck of anything Adam did or did
not do Nothing is easier than to wash it
all away in baptism, and it does the child
no harm. So, too adults are not regener-
ated in baptism, but man may begin
new life at that time. AS priestly Office
baptism has no power whatever. 1t IS as
Innocent as the shadow of o dream. The
evolution of man from lower to higher
stage of spiritual instincts, that is regenera-
ton, is the rising up in the ascending scale.
Science has no right to ridicule revivals
of religion. They are founded in natural
philosophy. Children are trained TO spir-
itual truth easily and naturally. and this is
the normal method and the best. But adults
are regenerated slowly and imperfectly. In
fluences must be brought to bear upon them
to enable them to rise as if by atmospheric
pressure to an exalted life. Unity offeeling
in companies is favorable to the develop
ment of individual feelings. This is recog-
nized in business when prosperity is called
BOOM and it is recognized in fashion, in
art, in revivals of learning, and most of all,
in moral feeling. The increment of moral
purpose by the concurrent purposes of thou
sands develops the highest and the noblest
A hundred men can easily do what it is al
most impossible for one. There is normal
philosophy in the law of revivals.
"The executive doctrines of christianity
are confirmed by all the revelations of
science. They are the doctrines which stir
and develop human nature. They are not
fundamental doctrines to fit in system, but
tend to save men. The in6rmity and sin.
fulness of man are implied in all that Christ
taught and are assumed as the basis of His
teachings to repent. Men can rise to high
er life-not absolute perfection, but a state
of holiness. Any one who believes that men
are sinful and that Christ came to save them
and the Holy Spirit will help them is ortho'
dox. He is equipped for the Lords work,
and no church has right to exist with rules
that keep out true Christians. The church
must be so constructed after the mind and
will of God that all who love God and men
are undisturbed in it,"
EXCURSIONS. PICNICS, &c.