Year: 1876

ture goodness, beauty OF holnessf Is there
any way by which you shall present both
OF them, so that He shall be the God of terrible
ness and the God Of love and beauty at the same time
And the practical admin of truth-n teach


Ing 'n inc family and preaching from the pupit-what
is the aspect that should be presented OF the divine
naturer shall discuss this subject this morning
view OF the criticisms that being made of what is
called lax preaching" sentimental preaching and
''the weakening and eneminate doctrine Of divine
love " As If God did not to punish evil acts
as If He looked with great leniency upon wicked
men and wicked deeds Men say that Il
Is the bringing down OF the doctrine admin
isered In The government OF God that is the occasion
OF so much misbelief going the world. 1t is on
thls account we are told, that in the highest
places steal that vice Is rampant that are so
VIA IN worldly specuations; and also 10 rs supposed,
that newspapers edited by Mephstophelcan editors
all over the world. All this charged such pre-


etal1n OF the divine nature and government os re-


aNes all principle OF ear as takes OIL taxation rom tue
conscience, leaves to with strong attractions


toward evil and no strong attraction toward good The
vulgar call II


''rnE GOSPEL OF GusH."


and others the gospel OF kind lcelng-the gospel OF
goodness. The most infamous of SINS, according to
the vulgar men, have been the SIN OF the angels


IN the advent when they filled the air with songs OF


'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will TO men" They would say, sob, gushing
angels, shut upl Men don't like such messages
adays and they the contempt or the saints OF tho
newspapers and the saints OF the theological chairs


~ Is God OF Iury whose anger burns men 10 he low


est hell that men want TO hear Of We have ere the
declaration OF tho apostle which is pertinent TO this
subect;-The riches OF his goodness and forbearance


and lopg suffering; not knowing that the goodness of
God leadeth thee 10 repentance But after thy hard


ness and mpcnitent heart reasurest mp unto thyself
wrath against the day OF wrath and revelation OF the
righteous judgment OF God"


Now here are both sides OF the divine nature-the


beautiful and the terrible Hero is the attractive and
rcwardng and the alternative and punitive view


and he who emasculatcs the divine government by
taking out of the pain and penalty, and by taking
out OF II the attributes OF the divine mind which ell
gender pains and penalties violates not only the
Scriptures, but the experience OF mankind There Is
no pretending that there is divine mind which Is al


ways lenicnt toward transgression 1t needed no
Sinai TO tell the world that IL is woefu thing TO sin
ana that whosocvcr sinned should de- The whole
creation has travelled in pain until because
break laws. The question Is which one OF these views
OF the divinity Is the charactisc or ideal one. Here
is who dwclls in his house in the plonttude Of
goodness and refinement, admired and beloved by
Children servants and ncghbors, and yet there is not
burglar that attempts to break into his house who
does not meet that man with pistol in his hand. To
the burglar he Is an object OF terror. Would il be
right 10 take the idea OF that mans character from the
burglar7


Mr.. Beccncr illustrated this point at some length
and went to show that


THE ELEMENTS ~ WHICH GOD DELIGHTED


and which He had described Himself by to Moses, was
long suffering, Kindness goodness and mercy This
by no means cleared the guilty; but after all, the por-
traure, the preacher said, lay in goodness The mis-


take OF men was TO think that it is incompatible with
kindness and goodness inlct pain God, according
TO the Apostle appealed TO through love and kind
ness, but when that failed pain and wrath followed.
Pam that tended TO soften hard hearts and turn men
back from wrong ways; pain, not for the sake
Of pain, but for the sake Of reformation.
Because these traits which led Him
punish In God, it had been hold
that lie must be presented to in that terrible
shape. "FIrst present the awful in the Lord, men
had snld land then present the beautiful aerward in
Jesus Christ" Paul's theory, Mr. Beecher thought,
was that the goodness OF GOD was be presented 10
men His characteristic; but then, If men lived so
low down in the moral scale not be affected 10y
it they were TO be met with such moral influences
they capable ofexperiencing. The Ten Command
ments might be read TO ractious mule without max
ing him bulge but the spur would mako him start
he could feel that Therefore educator must begin
with such influences as his pupils susceptible OF;
but because he begins with that he is not TO take that
for the best influence The child begun with IN
that way but the object of its education lift 1t up
TO be influenced by higher motives 1t is In the same
sense said the preacher that we carry man up just
fast can out OF the range OF physical chastse
mont and dcprivatons. In the economy OF human
life If you cannot reach man by love Of God, you
must reach down all the way where he can take
hold, and when you have reached h,m 1t Is not to 30
on forever plying him with things that are low and
coarse We must bring him up So that world of
undovclopcd and so Of comparatively speaking ami
nal creatures the love of divine worth Will hold pre-
dominant place. The soul that sinneth-t is the Cos
pei OF nature-shal die II such men are evil there
must be administration OF force ard fear pierce
them; but that is intended TO be no than be-
ginning, an alternative.


In the divine economy Mr.. Bcecher contended one
man will class of Influences and another
different class One man Will put the terrors of
the law before the congregation and thereby
lose many who cannot bear such preaching.
There cannot be combination in one mind
OF a doctrine that will take everybody Men
of one temperament take one way, and those direr
entity constituted another way. People praised tho
doctrine of fear because It had developed The Puritan
character; but the Puritan while admirable in many
respects not lovely character. True, he said, |
fear OF tho Lord is tho beginning of wisdom, but |
/ take ii literally Ii Is only the beginning The love |
OF God is the end Of wisdom, the perfection of it. A
perfect love casts out fear That is II has lifted men
into such realm that II longer needs these
things. Mr. Beecher illustrated tins by describing the
curing in the West of man sick with fever in the days
when he lived there The patient first treated to
violent Tedicines-caomel and all It's traln-and then |
gradually brought up with toncs, till he could take
beef But is would be prcposterous thing attempt
TO keep him on caome when he got better Men who
clamored TO have ''the whole OF the divine teaching
presented TO the peopeh the speaker compared
who should insist upon druggist administering every
thing his shop TO his patients IN The OF year.
sit is mistake" SAID he to suppose that anybody
knows the whole round truth through the ages He
who claims TO do imposer. The ages laugh
HIM and tread him under foot II teaching and preach
ing to the mind what medicines are the body
they adapted to the wants of men. l have never
sworn, said Mr. Beechcr, TO say my prayers to sys
TEN. have never sworn allegiance to confession OF
faith. My VOW is Will be true to my fellow men. l
have sworn to God TO be true to Him.
that, far His children under my
care, will do for them what Ho would like to do for
them far as can IL is the duty OF every genera
ton the preacher continued To lit itself little higher
than the previous Arc TO find nothing IN all
the boundless range of Gods providence, he asked,
that will enable To be be better than those that pre-
ceded us And after experience OF /, 500 years
not to be any wiser than had had such ex-
periencey 1t is to call fool say that he
knows moro than his ancestors.


The result Of the preaching of tho doctrine Of love.
Mr.. Bcecher said, could be seen in his congrcga-


on, which he took occasion TO praise for its charity
and wonderful unity He appealed TO them TO go on
growing in grace and not to fear when the twilight of
death that they would meet demons and gibbcr
ing sprites thick through the populous air ''When
veil drops" said he, 'thore Will be no darkness
The grave Is not ankle deep Break through il, for
just beyond is the glory OF the unsettng of eter
nifty, aud thcre no forms OF cruelty are.n


CHURCH OF THE PILGRIMS.
SERMON by THE REV. RICHARD S. sToRRs-


sspop srr 1yN-rvy urr.r " .o