Year: 1872

Mr. Beccher and HIS vacation-Hfs Last


ON Hope as an Element of Christian


Life-The Misfortune OF Being Born In


New York.


Mr.. Beecher preached his last Sunday morning
sermon yesterday previous to the pastoral vaca
tion. 1t was announced that the church would be
opened throughout the vacation, and that next
Sunday Mr.. Beecher's brother James would
occupy the platform There was larger attend
ance than there has been for several weeks past
partly owing to the prospective absence Of
Mr.. .Beecher, but mainly to the circum.
stance that 1t was the first Sunday
in the month, when candidates for church
membership are fully admitted and the day ap-
pointed for the administration Of the ordinance OF
the Lords Supper. Mr.. Beecher's subject was
.'Hope as an element OF Christian faith.r The text
selected was Romans Will, 24-"For we are saved by
hopes but hope that is is not hope; for what a
man seeth why doth he yet hope f0r.' In a some
what lengthy Introduction Mr.. Beecher elabo-
rated the thought that the Christian character
was characterized by the element of hope;
that was its central sentiment He did
not know any other system of religion
that had this as u characteristic. Almost all the
religions outside Of Christianity have the element
of fear as O prOptiatory position. Where fear was
the generic element 1t was q serve religion. II
was true that conscience formed an important ec-
ment In religion 1t very properly did so; but con-
science was not the result of religion and all the
seventh chapter OF Romans went to show that. We
never were 80 pure as our conception OF purity.
We never got such control over passion as that
we were forever free from It's throbs and fevers.
Now, no system that in Its results Is dsturbent Is
peace. Christianity alone, so lar as he knew, made
this hope


THE GENIUS OF RELIGION.


But nowhere else was the aim of life made 80 high
We are TO be perfect men in Christ Jesus Christ
ianity demanded that men should bc perfect in the
ThSn let Us consder What the law Of christianty
~ and then the circumstances under which men


Ts eisd % upon n1 to obey this aT W. Every man was
comes into life with new deal as it were. II the
seed OF the lily was cast, and with minor excep-
the world where II was deemed desirable to grow
lilies This could not be said OF man. The
country, the locality, the principles under which
men are born, all have an effect upon the moral
character. For example, child born In New York
had not the same chance as child born elsewhere,
In the Middle States In Christian household.
This was problem that was simple enough when
You dealt with mankind; but 1t cannot be so dealt
with. Man must be taken step by step, and
dealt with according to the influence with which
he had been surrounded. Christianity was for oil
men; 1t contemplated men just as they are, it re-
not as he was not. Thus, when he came to look at
men in the light OF this fact, he could only under
stand their DenY saved Dy nope In TINS way. mat
1t was the nature OF God to mark out for men
widely


An ULTIMATE CHARACTER,


out of which there should be given such hold upon
God that we shall hope, that We Shall see something
in the Lord Jesus Christ that inspires hope. thus
we are saved not by or for what we have but for
what we hope to attain to--a position that shall
not be unworthy OF God. Every soul, then, that
begins to aspire to look upward, had right to say
parallel Illustration between the parental love
and Gods love, in the unva,ying fact that 1t was
tho unlovey child the fr0waid, the scapegrace OF
the family that the love the parents went out after
As to the future life, II man got to heaven by the
skin OF his teeth, he would have an opportunity TO
develop what he neglected here, while the man
who had developed his nature into higher life
would go up higher An earnest appeal to the au-
dience TO heed the promptings OF their spirits
which was kindng within them hope that they
might be saved, and TO allow that emotion to mould
itself into fact by uniting with those who remained
| at the communion service, closed q very faithful
discourse. The benedictiOn was pronounced, and
about two-thirds of the congregation left.