Year: 1873




OF the past as he should have done, pre-
suming that every man has had his bat
| tic with temptation, and that every man
has q past, out Of which, if he plesses, he
can draw up the most hideous spectres
which shall destroy his pride and cover
him with shame, admitting that every
man has such a past, the question 10
whether it is best to use il in such ways
as will cause il to be a perpetual torment
to him. And first it is not wise to use
that past to dwell eternally on ones sin
! fulncss; if q man dwell on 1t in such .
way as like bow it shoots him in an op.
posits direction, then it is wise; but II
man perpetually looks back upon the sias
Of his carly life and evolves from them
perpetual present discomfort, he 10 foel-
ish !; when man has done wrosg and re-
pentod oft, that wrong shsuld dtsp back
and go behind and be forgotten. Stll
less Is il wise to fall back iato kind 81
perpetual ltursieal confession Of ones
sins, so that every prayer 10 but a cen
slant repetition OF their exceeding sinful
ness. The old sins OF Christian men.
where are they? Not upon the sea, not
upon the earth, not in the air, not In
heaven, nor NTH God himself, for He
says: i will remember them no more
forever Old sins---it is for them to 90
down to annihilation; you should lock
at them as the man that steers IN crook
cd river looks at the points, just to taxa
the bearing of the land that he may stssr
correctly for the point ahead. What ifa
man should do by his body as men think
that they should do by,thoir souls ? Sup
pose man should save up all the parns
Of his finger nails, all the scabs OF his
sores, and keep repository OF all the
impurities Of his body as an aid to future
health, no ono would tolerate that; and
shall man do by his soul what he would
aet do by his body? Tho sins OF old
let them go down let them go down;
yours 10 10 day, yours is the future. Mr.
Beeehsr, in continuance, said that regrets
fer bodily malformation were not wise;
it was painful to be born dwarf, but
shsuld man whine aud cry over it; was
there any rain in tears to make the man
grow? SO Of lost opportunities; men
say, might have been an Agassiz; my
father wanted me to 60 to schsol, but l
would not so, and now would give any
thing have in the world il had only
gone through college Mr.. Bscohsr
paused and then said: l should think
that might be got over by looking At
those who have gone through college.
Great laughter. What can man dol
viii he 60 back again into his mothers
womb aud be born again Let 1t alone;
you have had one birth, then why 60
back Bury the dead bury the dead
let them go. Men say 'Ob, II had
only had that favored opportunity which
| see others have, should not now DO
an artist or scholar instead OF being
toiling in this smithy3l Nay; this 10
not protesting against the providence OF
God any more tl.an it is against his own
dignity and manhood. You can not 60
back; then why repine? A man on
raft in the ocean is an unpleasant condi-
ton, but all he has to do is to work to
reach the shore Shall he sit down and
whine, and say, 'Oh, if we're only in q
boat 2 and others in boat, shall they
say, Oh, if we only were in ship2' and
others in ship, shall they say, "Oh, il
instead Of being in this filthy old villain
Gus ship we were only IN steamer
No, manhood is yours, and so whatever
hull you find yourself on make for the
land don't whine and cry whatever in
life you find yourself make the best Of il;
remember that ctcrnity comes after, and
stand in your place uncomplainingly and
say. BY the grace Of God ! will make
the best use OF the time that is TO come
Mr.. Beecher next alluded to the foolish
ness Of mourning for lost pleasures, or
OF old age bemoaning that it is ne long
cr young; in reference to this he said
One the things for which | pray 10
that my life may 20 out in my full man
hood and suddenly, and that may not
leak out drop by drop TO me this is
the idea Of purgatoy The Roman
Catholics believe in purgatory. l also
believe in it, because have seen it
where an old man that has become bur-
den to every one, SO that you look the
other way when you think Of him and
prefer to think Of what he was rather
than what he is. God forbid that
should 60 TO heaven through such pur-
gatory as this. imagine an owl
sitting on bough and hooting pan to
darkness and regretting the rising o. the
sun TO pale the stars, but can not mag
inc ran reaching, struggling back and
longing for the past, when just at hand,
right above his head, is the sun Of God
shining over him.