Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1855-06-28
Nisceiiapy.
PHRENoLoGY IN THE PULPIT.

PHNENOLOat IN THE FCLFIis
The following is an extract from recent,
Sabbath morning sermon, delivered by HgS-
ny WARD BgEcHER to very large congre-
CATION, reported verbatim by Photographer
and published in the chronological Journal !:
IT is very hard for minister of the gos-
pei, standing before promis audience,
TO deal with the facts Of their minds, and
their inward lives. 1t Is melancholy fact,
that men know less about that which is the
-veiy element Of their being, than about any,
.,hing else in the world. lsuppose if were
TO 90 among the intelligent men in my con-
gregation, could get every variety ofinfor-
mation on subjects connected with the daily
business affairs Of lite-upon questions OF
political economy, upon various questions of
commerce, facts concerning the structure OF
ships, steam engines--I could collect any
amount of information on all these, and IA
d ask them What is inside Of Memselres-
ahey antel me Of great mandatory, and
explain TO me the operation and use of all
ahe machinery in it--bnt upon the question
of the machinery Of their own minds, they
cannot say a word. In regard TO CONNER
cial matters, they know all about them ; they
have examined them, they have compared
sheir ideas on shese subjects, and have
classified them. They believe themselves
10 be memorial creatures, that they have
,hrobhing within Them soul that shall live ;
yet, whenl ask them any questions in re-
gard to their inward nature, their only reply
is, Il don't Know, don't know" They
do not know what their reason is; they do
not know what IL the nature of their moral
powers; they do not definitely understand
the nature or operation Of any one faculty Of
their minds.
They understand the nature OF the soil oi
the rar,h; they know the plough and all the
Implements Of agriculture, they know what
10 do with plant that is not thriving, they
are skiilful 10 impart to 1t fresh life, and
make il flourish. Blu, IL any plant tina, ough.
to grow In the mind Is stunied and does no,
thrive, they cannot Tell how TO make tina,
grow. They don't know what to do 10
bring il forth.
II tits difficult for a minister of the gospel
TO net forth the truth intelligibly in respec,
to its relation 10 the human mind | think j.
10 partly because men have not been curious
in respect to themselves. and partly on ac.
count Of the mafV Hbewildering systems Of
mental philosophy that are now in vogue in
our day. For il there were none Of these
systems except the old schools of me,aphy.
sical philosophy, would defy any man to
obtain by means of them any clear idea
abou, the soil, for at best they are of but
little more value than SO many eobwebs--
Men may study them, however, IL they have
\ taste for them IL man loves logic and
discussion, let him take one Of the old met.
aphys ical mental philosophers, and he viii
have means Of bu,ying his mind until he
grows tired Of such business. But II man
wishes to know practically what he is made
up Of, il man wishes knowledge of hu-
man nature for definite practical purposes,
there isno system which will aid him in ac-
quiring that knowledge like the system Of
PRRgNoLosY not interpreted too narrowly
or technically, but in it's relations to physi-
ology and the structure Of the whole body.
And may say here what have never said
before in the pulpit, that the views Of the
human mind, as they are revealed by Phre.
nofogy, are those views which have under
layed my whole misistry and il had any
success in bringing the truths Of the gospel
TO bear practically upon the minds of men,
any success in the vigorous application oil
truths TO the wants of the human soul, where
they are most needed, owe to il to the
cleaTness which | have grained from this
science. And could not ask for the men,
bers Of my family, nor Of a church any bet
ter preparation for religious indoc,rina,ion,
than to put them in possession Of Dch a
practical knowledge OF the human soul as is
given by Phrenoicgy.
have avoided the use Of the nomencla-
ture Of Phrenology in the pulpit, as Far as
possible; because did not wish 10 seem to
Be i mere teacher OF philosophical system
while | was minister Of the truth as il is
in Christ; but have now been so long
with you. that am justified in making this
statement.
4 may say, in regard to the objections
sometimes urged against Phrenology, II:
tendency 70 materialism and fatalism, thai
the same objections may be made to an,
other system Of mental philosophy. lido no
think that such objections belong to Phre
nology any moro Than to any system OF IN
tellectual science which you can possibly
construct. Mems mere logical and specn
lative reason will always straid them upor
the sands OF fatalism or naterialism; ard I
10 the practical sense. the consciousness O.
actual liberty. that redeems us from be
Lief Of the one or the other. Such doctrines
dwell in the head, but never in the HANDS.