Year: 1873

MIR. Beecher ON EcclcsiasticaI Organic a


tions-Judaism and Its Practices Pre-


vailinE in Modern Christianity-Reli-


gion i'm Harmony with Nature and Not


Opposed to It-Dangcrs from Hierarclr-


ism.


Mr.. bcecher preached yesterday morning ser.
mon having reference to the progress OF Christian.
ity as arected by ecclesiastical organizations. He
selected for his text the seventeenth verse of the
fifth chapter OF Matthew-"Think not that am
come to destroy the law or the prophets; am
not come to destroy, but to lulan He said THE
Jews give an idea OF Gods laws OF the most narrow
and contracted kind; In fact 1t was not the law
OF the universe or the race but had been based
AMI found Its fullest expression IN the law OF
Moses. whatever more there was they were
ignorant OF, and whatever was proposed to them
they were suspicious Of Christ taught them
that He came, came to define the law. to OIL it out
destruction, 1t was augmentation, that It was to
be glorned and 1t was TO establish it. We know
tnat the Jews w 50 Interpreted the Old Testament
scriptures as TO make themselves an exposition OF
divine favor for their land, and miraculous pre-
dominance for their law and universal spread 1t
Is worth while considering whether or not Chris
tians have not fallen into the same m m,stake:
whether they have not run their tneologes into
almost the same narrow groove, and whether they
have not put the Church where the Jews put Paies-
tine Are we not supposing that the progress OF
the Divine kingdom Is universal spread and ex-
panslon OF the visible Church. and 10 present an
Interpretation OF the Divine truth or something
separate from the great curse OF natures This
error Is twofold. In giving TO the Church. Just as
the Jews did to their nation, the principles which
were taught for another object, another design;


STRUGGLE FOR FORM,


or an exposition OF i0rce making IL TO be not per-
manent, and not absolutely instrumental OF the
character shown and designed, but to making II, to
all intcnts ana purposes, n glorious desIrn and
consummation-not the invisible sum OF the whole
moral power OF the world, and the education OF
mankind but the objective organism, filling
she world, absorbing ali mower into io''m Itself
SO we have the impression OF the Christian
people In their relation today presenting an extra
tions Of Christian truth which had been handed
down from period to period The excessive organ
ization OF the Romsh Church has taught the
world to look upon the Church as really and liter
ally an empire, organized and devised. Although
by the philosophy OF the Protestant Church i Is re.
ported to have living Head, 1t remains among the
ton or


THE COMMON PEOPLE.


Inc erect OF all this was TO make religion to be
something not comprchended within the bounds OF
nature, and that the religious development OF the
age was something special In itself and inter-
Jected into the course OF nature. The tendency OF
nature, so as TO destroy and degrade it. The apos
tes after aborng for 40 or 80 years. saw very ittc
done The fact was that Christianity was not dc-
sgneo 70 spread Wy miracle or " divine lnteren,
cnce. Every mans Improvement is history OF
trials and progress The restrictions OF the king
dom OF Christ are loving aud sweet Inc noolest
part OF mans nature IL the religious nature:
Mr. Beecher then traced AT length the history ana
effect upon christianity OF ecclesiastlcel organiza-
tions the object OF which organizations mas been
to bring men into control and Tor the develop
mcnt OF their moral nature. ana closed Dy SHOW
ing that the true development OF CHRISTIAN life was
IN " w,n s 'pr nroaa ~ c a
world, and that thls was the burden 0i the teach
Ing Of Christ.