News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-08-19
MIR. BEECHEe IN ENGLAND.
How He ImpresseS Il Writer for a LeadYxs
Newspaper.

From the London Daily News.1
Mr.. Henry Ward Beecher preached at
the City Temple Sunday morning. Mr..
Beecher's text was from First Corinth-
ians, xiii, part of verse 13: ''But the
greatest of these is love-" In point of
delivery the sermon was of the compos-
ite order-sometimes the preacher read
from a manuscript, sometimes he spoke
extemporaneously, and the passages SO
spoken were usually the most effective.
1t was sermon of great power, en-
phatically the expression of strong
personality, and with all its other char
acteristics subordinate to this leading
one of dominating will. The preach
er seemed to be very much in earnest,
and not least so in his many humorous
effects. The congregation often smiled,
and sometimes laughed outright; yet
there was no sense of incongruity, main
iE4oecauso the humor seemed always the
mere accident of expression, and not a
thing sought for itself. 'Love vaunt-
eth not ITSELF" said the Apostle. 'It
does not, every time it lays golden
egg, rise from the nest to cackle," said
Mr.. Beecher. 1t is unfair, perhaps, to
pick out these lighter sayings, but they
are most easily remembered, and they
are very characteristic of the American
pulpit style. ''Love is not puffed up"
said Mr.. Beecher, quoting St. Paul, and
then he added for himself: "Oh, that
there were some men that could be
touched with q lancet-bow the pulled
upness would come down." A sudden
and slight imitation of the cheek helped
to exemplify the need of the operation.
There is no time to object on the score
of good taste, for soon, by some new
development of the argument, we need
all our attention for fierce apostrophe
to the hypocrite. Eyes, call yourself by
holy names, and live like the devil. "
Then again the outburst comes to dig
nifed close in passage on the endur-
ance of calumny and Misrepresentation
and on the beauty of knowing how ''to
stand in misunderstanding"-''an at
tainment much to be desired, and one Of
which there have been undoubtedly some
examples in Christian experience" We
are to trust one another, Mr.. BeecheI
goes on to say; that is the great lesson
of prudence, as well as of love. Cavour
said he had found a wide mistrust OF
men the worst of mistakes. ''Now, il
that is true in Italy and IN diplomacy,
good heavensl where isn't it true 2"
Soon we are out in the open of gener-
al, as distinguished from special, expo
sition, and in chastening conflict with
a class of weaklings whom Mr.. Beecher
has always found it particularly hard to
endure. These are the men who believe
everything they are told-fore- ordina-
ton, predestination, the Trinity, total
depravity; "they swallow them at a
gulp" "And the wrath to come ~
adds the catechist for ordination. "Yes,
that too," whimpers Mr.. Beecher in i'm.
itative suggestion of the postulant's fee
blcness of mind The one thing they
are never asked is-''Do you love one
matter of their fitness for ordination by
the simplest of all tests. Men often take
the trouble to believe too much. 1t is
easy to make a noise in professions.
| ''There amt pretentious an instru-
ment in ali the band as the drum noi
one so empty" You may hear a mar
say, 81 was converted at o'clock il
the afternoon of the 10th of June, eigh
teen hundred and so-and-so." "Ah
your clock was right no doubt; but
think you are wrong" 81 saw a grea
light" care you sure it was not tai
low candle 2" Aud how hard they car
be sometimes, these facile professors
how hard and bitter, in this assuranc,
where nothing is sure; how merciless
"You have not, l believe, much expe
rience in England of certain hypocrit
ical insect known to US in America a:
the mosquito. Well, the mosquito al
ways says prayer before he puts his
bill In to suck your blood" "Ah,
what horrible betrayal of Christ has
been the history of churches and oi
| sects -