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Literary
October 5, 1859
The River Falls Journal
River Falls, Pierce County, Saint Croix County, Wisconsin
What is this article about?
Henry Ward Beecher's sermon excerpt criticizes rigid thinkers who claim complete knowledge of truth and God, likening them to dead cordwood, while praising open-minded individuals as living trees receptive to new insights. He derides dogmatic theologians for their conceit.
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Full Text
GROWING IN KNOWLEDGE.
Henry Ward Beecher, in one of his sermons, speaking of the folly of those who have finished and rounded up their notions of truth, and got an explanation of everything, says:
'If there are any men who are too dry to live, they are those who have their truth all fixed, and figured out, and who say of a man who has not such systematic views, 'He is all afloat.' Now I think that a man whose views of truth are not fixed, but who holds himself in readiness to receive whatever truth is presented to him, is like a living tree that is all open to the stimulating influence of the air; and I think that a man who has got all his truths fixed, is like a tree after it has been cut and split up into cord wood--dead and dry.
These are men who think they understand the system of the universe. They have got up early and found out all about God.' They will bring their book, and tell you exactly how he was made what his degrees are and what his purposes are; and if you do not believe what they say, they will swing around the scythe of their zeal and cut you in pieces. They know all about Heaven and earth; They have their fences built and their lines, drawn in regard to all thread matters- They don't know so much about love—it is only a morality; they don't know so much about patience -that, to, is a moral affair; they don't know much about gentleness-that belongs to sentimental piety; they don't know much about long suffering--that belongs to sentimental piety; they don't know much about charity - any moralist can tell you about that. But about the everlasting truths of this universe; about truths that radiate from the heart of the universal God: about the truths that endless ages shall not reveal. and that we shall not be able to understand till we have outgrown these moral parts and experiences--about these they are not only conceitedly positive, but despotic. Deliver me from the man who knows more than God does. Deliver me from those conceited theologists that claim to unravel all the mysteries of God's universe.'
Henry Ward Beecher, in one of his sermons, speaking of the folly of those who have finished and rounded up their notions of truth, and got an explanation of everything, says:
'If there are any men who are too dry to live, they are those who have their truth all fixed, and figured out, and who say of a man who has not such systematic views, 'He is all afloat.' Now I think that a man whose views of truth are not fixed, but who holds himself in readiness to receive whatever truth is presented to him, is like a living tree that is all open to the stimulating influence of the air; and I think that a man who has got all his truths fixed, is like a tree after it has been cut and split up into cord wood--dead and dry.
These are men who think they understand the system of the universe. They have got up early and found out all about God.' They will bring their book, and tell you exactly how he was made what his degrees are and what his purposes are; and if you do not believe what they say, they will swing around the scythe of their zeal and cut you in pieces. They know all about Heaven and earth; They have their fences built and their lines, drawn in regard to all thread matters- They don't know so much about love—it is only a morality; they don't know so much about patience -that, to, is a moral affair; they don't know much about gentleness-that belongs to sentimental piety; they don't know much about long suffering--that belongs to sentimental piety; they don't know much about charity - any moralist can tell you about that. But about the everlasting truths of this universe; about truths that radiate from the heart of the universal God: about the truths that endless ages shall not reveal. and that we shall not be able to understand till we have outgrown these moral parts and experiences--about these they are not only conceitedly positive, but despotic. Deliver me from the man who knows more than God does. Deliver me from those conceited theologists that claim to unravel all the mysteries of God's universe.'
What sub-type of article is it?
Essay
What themes does it cover?
Religious
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Growing Knowledge
Fixed Truth
Dogmatic Theology
Humility
Religious Insight
Beecher Sermon
What entities or persons were involved?
Henry Ward Beecher
Literary Details
Title
Growing In Knowledge.
Author
Henry Ward Beecher
Subject
The Folly Of Those Who Have Finished And Rounded Up Their Notions Of Truth
Form / Style
Sermon Excerpt In Prose
Key Lines
If There Are Any Men Who Are Too Dry To Live, They Are Those Who Have Their Truth All Fixed, And Figured Out...
A Man Whose Views Of Truth Are Not Fixed... Is Like A Living Tree... A Man Who Has Got All His Truths Fixed, Is Like A Tree... Dead And Dry.
Deliver Me From The Man Who Knows More Than God Does.