Year: 1874




and line Influence OF the Church.


Mr.. Beecher preached yesterday morning to the
usual overnowing congregation. Mr.. Joha Zundell
resumed his old place at the organ, after an abb
sence of four months In Europe. The subject Of
the sermon was the liberty of the individual and
church organizations. The text was selected from
Ephesians w., 20-24-"But ye have not SO learned
Christ; If SO be that ye have heard him and, have
been taught by him, as the truth Is In Jesus That
ye put OF concerning the former conversation
the old man, which Is corrupt according
to the deceitlu lusts; and be renewed in
the spirit of your mind; and that ye put
on the new man. which alter God Is created In
righteousness and true holiness" 1t Is doc
trine OF the New Testament, said Mr. Beecher,
that the knowledge OF God is made known through
the production OF the Divine Spirit in the man
alone. 1t Is that part OF the divine nature which
is ensphered within us, and gives 10 US the most
essential part of our knowledge OF the divine
nature. The knowledge OF Goa may he regarded
as extraordinary, as rational, or internal or ex-
perimentaL There are Two causes that turn our
thought more or less to the investigation OF the
divine nature. The one in the past has been as to
the truth OF the divine nature IN philosophlc sys
TENS, and then teaching them III dogmatlc iorms
SO tnat we approach


THE MIND or MAN


on the rational state and In the subsection OF the





tendency Is carried III the investigation OF the
progress OF moral and physical sciences, so as to
furnish knowiedge OF COG TO man from the SIDE
both OF these methods are, within certain limits,
Indispensable, and both OF them desirable in ac-
companying . representation ol the divine ma
ture; and that process by which God may be made
known to man Is one that differs frequently, ana
is one that can go on without any substantial
progress being made IN the internal and expert
mental knowicdge Of God. No man can under
stand anything OF which ne has not IN
wa a n
derstand courage II he has no courage; no man
can understand reason II he has no reason. Our
knowledge OF COG depends upon now much OF the
interior nature OF COD Is reflected within our
Selves 1t Is upon this principle the Chufcn Is to
made up OF men living Tor God, an assembly OF
elementary souls unoer an organization that are
there Tor that spiritual and special purpose; not
to the prejudice or the rejection OF


SECULAR ORGANIZATIONS,


but OF all men who know Jesus and who have car.
RED within themselves something OF His LIE.
There IL supposed to be a special sanc'ity IN the
moral institutions OF the world, and there Is, just
as there is sanc'ity in the household. churches
are but single channels OF influence. Did not God
create the whole anework OF society, as well as
OF the Church Churches are not the only divine
tniDg and when l look at some OF them thank
God That they are not. lLaughter.) The end that
is sought III the internal development OF man IS
that there should be nobler. purer condition,
through God; TINS IS the creation oi man Christ
Jesus. The end OF the church Is to make Christian
men, and every Cnurch Is invalid That don't Tie
design OF God In creation is to Uring men into that
likeness; and the Church Is Invaluable Just in pro-
portion as 1t does this. 1t is OF no consequences
what the age, the association, the name or the
contiguity OF he Churcn may be. Ihe question is.
does the Church fulfil this result tree tnat
won't bear fruit IS no better Tor having good
name have planted


GKAPE VINES,


acres OF them. and they have been the very best
kind OF grape vines. pelawares, and all the other
choice sorts, Dut there were many vines from
which ! didn't get any grapes Allldew was on
the Leaf ana there were spots the
lunches. don't revile the grape abstractIy
say that they were very fine quality; but where
the vines didn't grow grapes l say they were fail
ures. There IS no Church that Is sacred IN itself
because 1t has q sacied name or claims a certain
relationship TO God. 40 not say this Tor the pur-
pose OF undertaking. churches, but to stim-
ulatc us to our duty to higher con-
ception OF what tue Church Is to do.
l declare the. right OF every man to develop
within himself a divine nature without any ex-
ternal assistance. Men feel That man is not a
good man II he don't Join Churcn and don't join
The right Church and say the right catechlsm.
The Church has GAINED too much ascendancy and
TOO mucn authority over the organization OF men.
The only reason Tor the combination OF good men
Is 10 combine so as to develop a true Christian
lie. insist upon IL that men be told the truth IN
the language OF the age in which they live, and not
wholly according to the formulas OF bygone Gen.