Year: 1867




Rev. Henry Ward Beecher thus presents


the Evidences of Christianity in one Of his
/ recent sermons:


There is no apology for Christianity that
can have any avail, If man is not a


a Christian, no apology can make 1t seem
1 as if he we're one and if a man is a Chris


tian, he needs no apology. A man that is
/ true, upright, loving, honorable, just, cheer
/ full, hopeful, courageous, heavenly, and that
/ ike the orange branch that you pluck from
/ the tree and carry With you, gives evidence
/ of his presence wherever he is, does not
/ need any argument TO show that he is a
Christian.


/ see that DIR. Barnes is going to preach
/ ten sermons on the Evidences of Christianl-
/ ty In our days, in the Mercer street Church.
Now | viii tell you where those evidences
are 10 be found In city missionaries, that
! work among the poor IN those men who
study the happiness of other people more
than their own; in those men who are sweet
and patient when they are sick at home, or
when their children trouble them. When
your ueighbors speak unkindly of you, and
you speak kindly Of them; when men revile
you and despitefully use you, and you are
genial and gentle in your bearing toward


them, then your apology is in your conduct.
Oh, give me Christians that prove Christi
anlty. | do not mean to say that arguments


are of no benefit; but all the arguments in


the world never could carry Christianity far
along. Ii is the cOntagiOn of life that does


that You must have the spirit Of Christ,
and above all you must live by faith and


hope and love, if you would impress men


with the conviction that you are a Christian.
Everybody loves these things Everybody
is won by these things. And the best Of it
all Is, you DO not know how handsome you
are. hear persons say OF another, ''She is


beautiful; and what is more, she knows it. y


1t takes away from the moral effect of beau
ty, But it is not so in Christian life A
person may be very lovely and beautiful and
not know it, while others may know It.


Where one in true Christian life does
good, and passes on, 1t is like the summer
shower that never comes back to see what
it has done, but sweeps on through latitude
after latitude But the flowers and haryests
wave behind to tell the story Of its bounty.


There are not a great many true men; but
| think there are a great many things in al.
most all Christians that, when they come up
permost lead people to say, Il Ike that.
They may say, Il wish the rest was So
Il Is with religion as il is with faces. There
are very few persons who have not some
features that are beautiful; and people say,
The upper part of that face is beautiful
but oh the rest of itp' So it is in the be-
ginning Of Christian life. The brow and
the eyes are glorious as angels, but alas
for the mouth that consumes all things and
feeds all appetites And yet, although
there may not be perfect symmetry, this is
the ideal. 1t Is no small thing to have the
impression deep in the heart Of every Chris
tan man, Il am bound to be true and con
scientious and beautiful F" A man that is
only conscientious is ike q tree in winter
that has no leaves on it. but Is stout in the
trunk; but man that is both conscientious
aud lovely is not only strong in the trunk
but beautiful in the branches Christ Is the
vine; you are the branches Christ Is the
vine that bears fruit in you. And see to it
that the clusters that hang from these bran
ches Of which Christ is the vine and trunk,
are ripe, and beautifulto the eye, andagree-
able to every sense. See TO il that they are
good for wine, and for the wine of eternal
life


Aud may God grant that your darkness
may be dispeled and that your desponden-
cy may be cleansed away The night is far
spent; tie day Is at hand. Children of light
be children of hope and beauty God loves
you, and he will not forsake you in all your
burdens and trials. He that bore them is
not far from you all, to open up the way: to
secure you the victory; to crown you with
Immortality and glory