Italian A SUBSTITUTE FOR HONOUR AND MORALITY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1241, 11 September 1875, Page 4

Italian A SUBSTITUTE FOR HONOUR AND MORALITY.

Tho feeling is that piety is the universal form, and, though the others are important, they are like the fringe of a silk shawl — you can get along without it, I linve been a reader of religious newspapers, and I have observed that if an utterance is made that seems to take away from the common view of the atonement or that seems to throw a doubt on the Trinity, or if a minister or elder or deacon is found riding unnecessarily on Sunday, they will come down on such men with all vengeance, urged by they call their faiihiulness to the cause, and yet when they get a chance at a minister they don't like they will jab him without any hesitation, and when convicted of it they will turn a complete someraet and make an apology meaner than the offence. When I was in London I was with Brother Holme, who looks very much like me and has been taken for me — I hope he acts better than I do. (Laughter.) We wanted to hear Spurgeon, a id you have to got tickets there ; so he got the tickets and we went. About two months after I reached home a slip of paper was sent me, out out of one of the leading journals there. It said that " Ward Beecher, of America, had visited Spurgeon's church, and supposing himself unknown, compared himself with Spurgeon in talking to one of the members." Well, grace did n<»t predominate in me for a few minutes. (Laughter.) However, I went to Holme ami naul, "Do you know anything about this ?" aid then it struck me, and I said, '• Holme, you are the villain in that plot." " tt ell, yes," he said, " I did talk to some one about you and Mr. Spurgeon," and as he was going back to England just thou, ho said he would nee the editor. He went, and Baid, "Do you know me, sir ? ' "Yes." •« Who am I?" " Ward Beecher." "I am not he," and he told him of the mistake and ehoared him the paper, and he promised to repair it. What do y>u suppose he did ? Did he sit down k> write, ** We make haste to say that we did great injustice to a brother," and put it in the first column of editorials? He did not. He wrote a little mean paragraph in 'he smallest type used in the paper and put it beneath some advertisements. (Laughter.) That iB a man to whom the Lord Jesus Christ would say, "Your Jiety atinks," and I see a good many men think are first cousins to that very editor. (Laughter.) Now, if any man ought to be just, it is a man who has a newspaper, for he can say anything he likes, and people cannot help themselves. Well, this ain't aIL lam not speaking of this because I have just observed it. When the people were in the deluge, I don't think any particular drop of water hurt them—a little more or less don't hurt thorn— and I speak very disinterestedly, (laughter.)- Now don't have a conviction that piety is everything, in and of itself, but read the result in your growing mercy and gentleness toward mankind.—Rev. H. W. Beecher.