Year: 1872

THE CAMBRIDGE CONFESSION,


and is the platform of faith of the
New England Congregational
churches. It was the faith of our
fathers; it was the confession of faith
which was accepted in Boston ten
years ago. Mr.. Beeches read sever
al clauses of this confession. The
first ended with the sentence, "By
the decree OF God and for the mani
festation of His glory some men and
some angels are predestinated to
everlasting ruin and some are foreor-
dained to everlasting death. ''That
is rather rough, is it nnt?" asked Mr..
Beecher. The second had this con-
Guiding sentence. '"These angels
and men thus predestinated and
foreordained are fixed to an IN
changeable destiny; their number is
certain and defined. and cannot be
increased or diminished" "That is
what you may call rather q tight fit, 3"
said Mr.. Bsecher. Laughter. The
next article read was that relating
to the DEGREES of God, in this regard
being in accordance with the un-
searchable counsel of God, IN which
He saves whom He will, and passes
by those whom he passes by, and
ordains them to dishOnor for their
sins or to His praise and glory
Now, what is there in this but what,
if it were said of an absolute monar-
chy, and that of the worst type,
would not arouse the supremest in
dignation. If I were to be left to
choose between absolute infdelity
and atheism, and the acceptance of
q God who has preordained and
predestined an innum cradle host of
His creatures to torments, to pains,
and to eternal death for His glory,
why rather than accept such an in
fernal Deity I would be an atheist,
and would glory therein. [Sap-
pressed applause. Mr.. Beecher
quoted clause from sermon that
he said his ears had heard delivered
from that Plymouth pulpit, in which
DR.. Binney had said that there were
those sitting before him who in the
eternal ages would suffer more of


THE TORRENTS OF THE DAMNED


than had been suffered by those who
were already suffering, and this tor
ture would go on from that period,
the wall increasing and increasing,
the horrors intensifying and intensi-
flying. There was set before the
people such a paralysis of despair by
that preacher that it was positively
sickening. Is it to Being like this
we are to say "Our Father? Why,
if there was one soul that was pre-
destined to such hopeless inherit
ance of woe, I would say "Our
Friend" and not "Our Father" Is
this the God who sent His Son into
the world, by whom men are to be
saved? Is this the God who is rep
resented in the parable of the prodi-
gal as not waiting for this son to
come to Him, but who goes forth to
meet, and who falls upon his neck
and kisses him2 My God is not a
butcher; He iys N Savior; He is not
q devourer, but an eternal Shepherd.
To teach otherwise would be to turn
this world into vast penitentiarJ
Let US see how this theory is as we
see it in human life. Take the
blushing, beauteous maiden, to
whom life is one resplendent Joy,
scattering, by the beauty of her ma
ture, Joy where'er she goes, receiving
the homage that is her due from all.
BY and by she becomes the sharer Of
happiness with another. She lives
for him. By and by there comes a
little child; the child falls sick; she
wathes it night and day; she looks in
the mirror; takes no note of the ro-
ses that are leaving her cheks; no
note of the line of care that is mar
ring her beauty forever; no note of
the Joys that are all around her for
others; all her care, all the full,
strong tension of her being is on the
care for the little one; and the child
gets turn for the better; she never
leaves the cradle that she so gently
rocks until that child is out of dan
ger. Then the Joy of her world
comes back again; life is one grand
anthem to her again; ali is Joy, all is
gladness; her cup runneth over, and
her love knows no limits; all around