, 1886-03-07

BROOKLYN, Feb. 2S-Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher took for his text this morning John
vi, IL, %. "when they were filed he said
unto his disciples Gather up the fragments
that romain, that nothing be lost, Therefore
they gathered them together and filled
twelve baskets with the fragments Of the five
barley loaves which remained over and
above unto them that had eaten
Some of tho unconsidered words Of the New
Testament are, when rightly developed, among
the most significant. The whole history, for
instance, OF tho opened sepulchre and the
linen lying rolled together, and the conflict of
the two disciples in rushing there. which have
no ecclesiastical and no doctrinal bearing, yet
from some points Of view they are intensely
interesting. Now this was perhaps the most
remarkable OF all the miracles that Christ
performed. Not 10 modern apprehension, but
judging from its impression upon the multi
tude. II Is the dividing ridge between the
prosperous Christ and the Christ abandoned
among men. He steadily gained in influence
TO this point among the common people, and
the public sentiment was such that 1t was a
barrier between Him and the malice Of
the educated Jews OF Jerusalem. And when
an immense crowd had followed Him around
he head of the sea Of Galileo, and had come
tcross in vessels and were faint OF hunger,
md He multiplied the fvo barley lonves and
ishes and fed the 5000, the impression WAS
prodigious. There may have been in other
cases more wonder, but in this case it was a
working power. And II is recorded: 'Then
those men, when thoy had seen the miracle
which Jesus did, said, This OF a truth that
prophet that should come into the world.
When Jesus therefore perceived that they
would come and take Him by force TO
make Him a king, He departed again into a
mountain Himself alone And elsewhere it
is said: "He constrained His disciples to take
ship For it seems that they were infected
with the common enthusiasm, and Ho had 10
lay authority upon them to have them go
away.
Here, then, was the climax. Because when
he refused to accept this popular ovation and
to bec5me their king or leader, from that
moment they began 10 abandon him as one
that had betrayed them; one who, instead Of
being their emancipators had excited all
thase hopes and expectations only TO refuse,
In the critical moment, as II he either incked
courage or disbelieved In his own words.
Now, it was at that point that this insertion
was made, "Gnther up the fragments, that
nothing be LOST Can anything in this world
be thought of moro minute than this sort of
housekeeping on an occasion Of tho prodigious
Importance Of that hour and tho magnitude
Of the impression which mad been produced
by his miracles. And yet the fragrance Of a
flower never accommodates itself TO the
altitude of the person that smells 1t, and the
genius Of humanity in Jesus Christ was IN some
sense, IL may be said, unconscious, and in
things little and great Il radiated perpetually;
for II there be aaytAtng that the poor need
more than another n = carofulness OF details,
economy, frugality; and they In their wild
enthusiasm would naturally have trod under
foot the food which only IN hour before they
were fainting for lack OF, without foresight,
without consideration; and thai In that hour
He commanded them to gather up tho frag-
ments taught them a lesson In economy most
humane and farreaching. But it Is not
exactly in that line that | am going 10 speal
this morning. 1t Is not to teach you either
frugality or foresight or economy, but
humanity. And ! shall also tax occasion OF
this phrase of '~'fragusst' to cluster together
II number Of things which have no other con
nection than that they all have their root in
Christian humanity.
The spirit Of Christ and OF the Gospel is a
spirit which lnfnses sympathy and humanity
into the individual disposition, and then into
all customs, institutions, Industries and laws.
And while We properly insist upon doctrinnl
knowledge, religious ceremony, on instruction
Of various kinds, the time Is coming when
also we shnll have TO examine ourselves or be
examined rs 10 tho relations Of sympathy and
humanity in our bosom toward all the opera
lions that are going ON In human society. IL
is not that religion inspires humanity and
sympathy, IL is that humanity and sympathy
toward manki is religion.
Hitherto there has been a very sharp divis
ion made, and that is considered religion
which works toward God. And II is, In part.
But tho popularity Of tho Gospel was that as
summing that men believe that it makes relig
ion TO consist in tho reflex influence, namely,
the working toward our fellow-man as God
works toward the whole human race, and
toward the whole universe. So that 1t may
10 said that when Christ aaid love 10 God and
TO your neighbor which Il the whole teaching
of the Jewish religion hitherto; when he
made that declaration the meaning was sub
stantially this; Already you believe in wor-
shipping God, hut now next 10 that and
coequal with it Is, your religion must be a
benencience, a helpfulnoss springing from
common interest md from common affection,
bringing it homo very closely 70 men
Now, there are certain matters In society
to-day which may be called fragments. Thcrr
are certain customs and manner and pro
cedures that stand isolated and are only con
Edered in tho economical philosophy Of the
day, hut which ARE very closely connected
with religion. In tho first place, let me speak
OF humanity to animals-R matter that has
come up only in an organized and ~dcclnrative
form within n few years. The animal creation
is very nearly related to ts. Very nearly 81
some men. And considering them at largo,
we have been brought up 10 inndelity in NJ
gard To them Moral duties have stopped
short with the animal kingdom
As a boy / thought It TO b. my duty to
f,..1 -. a ..rs. all.u 1 80 ln. AL Il
rrsed TO fulfil my duly. / hated spiders ]
thought that flies werr meant for Us TO pick
the wings OIL and the legs. and So what they
would do. A snake opened all tho moral re-
sources Of my nature, to hunt and kill him
And in regard 10 fish, they were made either
for mans eating at the table or for his sport
in catching them, And, ia general, | think.
the earlier instruction that prevailed IN my
boyhood WINS that the animal creation was
made for the sport Of man. And It Is com
paratively but recently that we have
learned 70 look with n very different
philosophy upon the unfolding OF life
in the long succession OF IL; tho develop
ment Of IL ending - the last and the
greatest unfolding-in the human race. That
they arc to be treated with great humanity
hardly now nerds 10 be said An animals
must live. And yet when n spider spins hi-
web and runs back into his critics hole, aud
a Euuky fly comes winging that way and
Is stuck, and out runs the spider and grab
him and turns him ovu and bites him with
the poison that Instantly paralynes him nnd
winds him-we stand there boiling over At
thai old tyrant, that devil OF a spider, and
We get a stick and smash him And then
after having exercised our Indignation that
the spider lives on n ny, we 20 over to Now