, 1886-02-21
Mr.. BEECHER'S SERMON.
THE PLYMOUTH PASTORS SUNDAY
MORNING DISCOURSE.

Human Language to Describc-Hsir
of God Jointly with Jesus Christ. Our
Elder brother.
NEw YoRK. Peb 14-Mr. Beecher's open
ing prayer this morning contained this al.
huston 20 the events OF the past few days;
20. Lord God. Thou art striking down
one and another on every side of us, tho
chiefs and tho leaders. Grant that we may
behold his thick-coming death without pal
Tor or alarm May we behold but the march
OF life and all the results that our fathers
have seen. May we not cling 10 life with
over tenacious desire s~anctify to this great
nation all Thy providences. May those that
live, taking regard 10 those that have de-
parted, avoid their errors and copy their
virtues, and raise Thou up, generation after
generation men that better and better shall
serve justice and purity"
Mr.. Beecher's sermon was from the text
Romans viii. 2s IAN things work to.
Eether for good TO them that love God
He said; We must interpret this passage in
tho atmosphere Of tho chapter in which II
stands 1t will not do 10 give II n wide and
secular Interpretation. All things do not
work for good, unless you have the right
standard OF goodness with which TO com
pare these results And in order 10 come,
therefore, to tho right view, we must go
back in this chapter. which IL, in some re-
spects, the profoundest OF all that ever were
written by human hand or were the pro
duct OF human thought
The 9TH chapter of Romans Is relative to
the jewish faith IL was a chapter OF dc.
iivcrsnce as # were from tho domination Of
the law, and n pcrsuasive TO abandon the
Mosaic law and to come under the higher
one; namely, the spiritual law that is
in Jesus Christ And 80 he had shown
that the mere legalized man, or one
that sought Righteousness by a faithful ful-
hlment OF the works Of the law, never at
tained TO rest or to peace. and the moro rig
orous their obedience, the more sensitive
their conscience became. and there was no
such thing as real rest and deep heartedness,
And then He bursts out OF that chapter,
and enters trium phantly into the sth,
touching upon the condition OF humanity
under the influence OF Christ and the Christ
life And A. Is upon that we 60 back 10
the 10th and nth verse;. Tho Spirit H.
SELF he says, ''beareth witness with our
spirit that we are the children Of God. And
II children, then heirs; heirs OF God. and
Joint heirs with Christ, II 40 DO that We suf-
fer with Him, that we may be also gloriaed
together
This is n glimpse behind the veil. There
Is nothing in life. rs at present TINT would
lend one to suppose that he was the heir OF
God Over against the universal conscious
nesa Of ignorance, of sin, and OF penal suf-
fering, comes In this burst OF triumph-thAt,
ufter all. we arc hoirs. IL Is a vague some
thing; what, exactly, we do not know. But
there Is something beyond our perceptions
OF life, something beyond the outcome Of
physical cause and effect, something beyond
the constructions we have made In art,
in music. in domestic life. in everything In
this world that has sprung from the minds
OF men; something far beyond that There
Is n history going on outside OF our mortal
recognition; a great and glorious procedure
Is being developed, which tho ear cannot
hear, nor tho eye discern, nor the hands
touch, and with which wo can havo no di
rect personal communication such rs we
have with each other: and the darkeued
sphcre OF this terraqueous globe lies or
moves within n vast spiritual sphere
which is hiled fun OF extraordi.
nary Developments aud phenomena a
kingdom beyond human language to do.
serbia How g%loriousl And we are the
hairs OF it-heirs OF God, Jointly with Jesus
- 49, wi RoAIQAAAAAk A0l
large tobe depleted II Is; a thing boy ond; no
glass can resolve H. But this heirship 4.
the golden thread that holds US to tins
vision-this sketch. indefinite and uncolorcl
yot; beyond the bounds and confines Of time
and sense.
Imagination itself, weaving the threads OF
history into romance, catches Mt the idea of
beIrship It's Inspiration and It's wondorfui
power OF producing vitality Of fc.ling
Now, when It Ia declared that we are heir.
OF God. we gasp. What 1, Go1l Where l.
God What Is tho treasure Of Godi And
10 help US a stepstone is put before us.
30 mt heirs with Jesus" That does lift as
~. along the line OF love, nobility. friend.
shin, ali that undivulged light that dimiy
shine. behind Jesus In tho far upper and DO
yond; we aro heirs with Hin TO everythin Z
there l. therc-power. wisdom, beauty. pur
ity, truth; yea, and qualities that never have
been revealed in human sKperienea. and tina
therefore have neither name nor avsn
shadow Of existence; tho ~boundless posslbn-
ity OF development In the farm way uni verse
we are heirs to them all We arr moving
toward our estate This Is very dim In tho
wording, but the moment that one catches
II up and solves It by Imagination aud the
reason, It stretches out and out endlossly
But this wonderful opalesqus vision OF
glorS -the moment a man Is thinking about
~ down shoots n sciaicpain OF n rheu na uc
twingo, or a gust of cold, as the man sits la
his n%ustoppcd or unchinked cottage, or tho
dun Of the creditor or the various impertin
encas which surround him. aud his vision
oollap.ct lie says;
Here | am, n poor, miserable wretch
what's all tins future glory to msr Tho
apostle then goes into that spirit ~ reckon
that the suffcrings OF this present time are
not worthy 70 30 compared with the glory
which shall 10 revealed In u.s. For tn
earnest expsctation Of the c~reatuo waiteth
for the manifestation OF the sons OF COL
Tits heirship T. neither 20 be considered a.
n Eighty dream OF poetic Imagination, nor
u b. q icnchcd by bringing up over 10 all
tho co.i waves Of adversely which boat up,u
you, mud al the ~truuoles OF thi. mortal
time Aud then he gives a fash Of philoso-
ply without limiting 1t or defining or carry
ing IL out la any way, uninter
presed through the ages, but beginning
to be somewhat conceived by the advance OF
our knowledge Of things now. The earnest
expectation OF The c~rcatuno watch Tor the
manifestation OF the sons Of Godn
That Is what life means That Is what the
yearniug means hat men ano undergoing.
For the manifestation"-thnt Is TO say, tho
development. the disclosure in us Of our SON
ship An th8 whelming miseries Of life-
what are thsy, TO b. considered any morn
than tina the darkness Of The night is indii
pcnsihiy Necessary for ms TO 80 the star;
and all our sorrows ae but a revelation u
the coming manifestation OF our sonship AMI
hcirshp
For TIE creature was made subject 10
vanity that "a D. say mutableness, change
ablene's evanescenee; the power OF exal.a-
tion only for depression; those revolution
that toss meu like a boat upon the bosom Of
the laa suhlcat TO theie conditions out OF
which COM ~ many erOans 40 many tears
~ much snrroNl H. was maIe subject l.
vanity 'not e%iiliugly.7