, 1886-02-28
MR.. BEECHER'S SERMON.
ANOTHER ELOQUENT DISCOURSE BIZ
PLYmouTH's FAMOUS PASTOR.

B~RooKLYN. Feb 2i.-Among the noticel
read by Mr.. Beccher this morning was the
announcement OF n lecture on Thursday
evening by a brother minister upon Tho
Vandalism OF ingersollism"
Those who recalled the memorable oc-
casion when Mr.. Beccher cordially shook
hands with Col Ingersoll on the s.ags OF
the crowded Academy Of Music and intro
duced him as the greatest orator OF his time
were not surprised when tn preacher paused
In an embarrassed way. after reading this
notice. and finally said: II suppose my
friend will deal with this subject as we'll ms
anybody could; but right Christian living IA
the best answer to all infdelitY. The burn.
ing and shining light Is the only argument
You need against darkness"
Mr.. Beecher based his sermon upon Ro-
mans II, 4, 5: 'Despfsest thou the riches
Of His goodness and forbearauce AMI long
suffering not knowing that the goodness OF
God leadeth thee TO r~epentancei But after
thy hardness and impenitent heart treas
urest up unto myself wrath against the day
Of wrath and revelation OF the righteous
Judgment OF Cod
He said; The universe Is threaded through
and through with a system OF laws adapted
10 every stage OF crehtion. We do not rid
ourselve, OF natural laws by development.
We walk more deeply into their sphere.
Laws are not h~indrances We are too npt
To look upon them as limitations, whereas
they are wings; they are enlargement. they
are so many paths leading up from dull,
dark and unorganized nature towards intel
ligent and victorious nature. They are
helps There is nc freedom like ALSO
lutte subsection to those laws that are
meant to lift US into a larger sphere.
There Is no bondage like disobedienco.
The only real liberty Is in law, known. nc
copted and thoroughly obeyed. This makes
men free In REGARD to a multitude OF
things the dkobedience OF law Is not fol-
lowed imme lately by any penalty that is
recognized. but the registration OF IL goes
on neverthrlss No law is ever violated
without leaving behlnd it a poison. By
pain we mean chiefly the suffering of the
lower part OF our nature Mental penalties
seldom rave pain connected with them.
Physicians tell me that the danger OF the
complaint called Brights disease and similar
trouble is that there are no nerves in the
kidney rs there arc in other parts and
organs, and that disense may therefore
work Its way u great distance along before
people know IL or feel it There are no
nerves In n good deal OF n mans brain.
and n man may be accommodating
violations and not perceive it at all. but by
and by he Will As they arc accommodating
he docs not Falsehood; II does not m Ike
any difference TO a man when he has first
told It II don't explode. There is no det-
o%natlon, no change OF relationship A man
goes home and lies TO his wife. mil hc
stands just about ms he always did.
She believes in him, trusts him. and
there has boen no external violation
or anything OF tho kind. A man goes
prowling out at night and steals Nobody
saw him. nobody knows It but God and
himself All, he knows It himself But
still there Is no reaction, no change at once
Yet here Is a violation of a moral law in
either case, and 1t is registered, and by and
by it will come out. The fact is. that
as the whole creation Is made up OF
atoms, molecules, so human conduct
internally Il what we might call molecular
sins or obediencei. and a vnst accumulation
OF them may take place, and may hang
for a long time without their being per-
ceived, until they begin to be in~convenieut.
until they begin to obstruct and to interfere
with other parts of a mans nature.
Tho mind Is a kind of commonwealth,
wido and various. 1t may be fatally injured
In certain directions, and yet may be healthy
in other directions; but BY and by, when
one Instruction, one province disobeying
the law OF another; one line of business, one
limo Of administration has been added to an.
other. there will be uproar, and finally the
whole commonwealth will be involved.
though IL may take several generations be-
fore that Is brought out. And that Is
true In the mind and also In tho boiy. In
regard TO multitudes Of things rs | say, the
reg istratlon goes on, though the fruit OF the
violation Of the law is not plucked yet. but
1t is there, and II will hang on tho bough a
great while; but by and by the man must
eat OF the fruit OF his own doings, and he
filed with his own devices.
Again, tho effects OF d~isobedienco are, in a
degree. cumulative. One fake OF snow does
not make tho least difference on the Alps,
but one atop OF another. night after night,
by and by brings the laundering avalanche
which tells what snow can do. And pen
alties may be like fakes OF snow or drops OF
rain. There nre freshets and avalanches for
pains and penalties That ia to say, constant
violations OF law, unrepaired, unrepented,
unrestorcl. accumulate In mon. Men don't
know it. There II no mark, no registration.
no pace where statistics aIp collected. There
is nothing a man knows so little about az
that which Is going on in himself, measured
by no standard. A man knows how far
he has progressed in mathematics, but he
does not know how far he has pro
gressel in virtue. He knows whether
he is mastering Greek or Latin. but he does
not know whether he is mastering himself
BY evolution OF conscience applied 10 all af-
fairs internal and external There is no
explanation yet that can give to man an
accurate map or chart of them.
One penalty does not expire and
give place to another, but a pen
atty, as the result OF transgression
Is merely overlaid by another penalty aud
that by another, until the detritus as il
were OF human life has fallen to the bottom
and Ia deep Of mud. This Is true both WAYS
Men an accumulate the fruit OF obedience.
aud they can accumulate the fruit OF
d~isobediencs And both results 20 on
silently, both 20 on cumulatlvely. What an
awful text one OF these Is. "Despisest
thou the riches OF Gods goodness and for
hearance aud long suffering. not knowing
that the goodness OF God loadeth tends TO
lead thee to repentancef But after thy
hardness and impenitent hoart t~rsasurest
up unto myself wrath against the day OF
wrath and revelation OF the righteous jndg-
ment OF Godfi Il Is bad enough to see
misers OF gold. but TO SEQ miserS OF damna.
ton il !, horriblei
Men carry about in themselves the inflam-
matory element. the explosive elements OF
sin, not knowing when they may discharge
themselves A mans whole life l. busy 10
laying up bankruptcy. His refusal 10
study whom he was a boy; his laxi-
ness; hi. liking companions that were
coarse nnf immoral; his slow and
tardy application 10 business; his contempt
of old-fashioned morality his thinkings
They were stupid and slow, | am smart |
know how to 10 a thing or twor' Stop BY
step trieksry anil the violation OF Ia ws aad
economies OF tiss globe. OF the social systau,
Chicago quotations received constantly
at our office, 6 and 3, Commercial block.
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H~.l.aLan. n 81