The New York herald., 1870-06-12
ENGLISH VIEW OF MIR. BEECHER'S
SERMONS.
IFrom the london saturday Reyiew.l

York city, appears In the introductory page OF thl
volume in the subordinate and at first sight unintel-
lgible position OF steamtug to Mr.. Henry ward
Beecher, whose sermons he has selected and edited
Why Mr.. Beecher should not have been competent
to perform these offices for himself is not immedi-
ately obvious; but the necessity for Mr.. Abbotts
assistance becomes evident on turning the page,
where Mr.. Beecher personally meets US In preface
The difficulty Is explained at once and we
are charmed and almost perpiexed by the
authors modesty and candor. 81 have never"
he assures us, "read one OF my sermons
after 1t was printed that l did not burn to recon-
struct and improve It. In preparing them
Tor this volume, therefore, with one or two excep-
tons abandoned all idea Of reconstruction" NO
wonder: for as Mr.. Beechers friends "nad long de-
sredr to possess ''sOme collection OF his sermons"
the authors simple method or "rec0nstrucuon'
was scarcely such to lead to an immediate fulnl-
ment of their wishes. Mr.. Lyman Abbott there'
FORE undertook the editorial care OF these sermons
through the press" with the understanding. we
suppose, that he was not to "burn" the whole OF
the proof-sheeis, which seems to be Mr.. Beecher's
personal practice. We cannot, 1t s true, penetrate
80 deeply the recesses Of Mr.. Beechers mind as to
assert absolutely that no esoterlc ana non-naturM
sense Is attached by him TO the words to which we
refer; but the plain English of his statement Is that
print. His language may not be very elegant, but a
careful study OF his style shows that he habtualy
uses the inexact "that" as relative instead OF "who
or "which:,' and as we are bound to believe that
he does burn his sermons 80 we are bound also 10
aad o With them Not that the sermons are altogether
worthless and only fit to be destroyed; on the con-
trarylhere Is much sterling sense and sound eacn.
ing in them, and MI. Breechers burning them Is Tor
their reconstruction and improvements process
which he has well described IN one OF the sermons
that there may, perhaps, be hidden meaning in the
allegory. A mine owner, he tells us, looking on
great heaps OF ore" gives directions to have this
ore prepared for the market The lab0rers'-Mr.
LYMAN Abbott and 'some personal friends" 1t may
be-'ake 1t and throw it into the furnace; and as It
begins to melt and dow out and grow less and less:
he is appalled, to see how 1t s wasting away. But
the men who smet II laugh, and say you nave iost
nothing, you have gained by as much as 1t has
shrunk; for 1t was nothing but ore, and nne-tenths
OF 1t good for nothing and that which was good
tied up that 1t could not serve you al ALL IL
was necessary that you should lose ninetenths OF 1t
in order that you might have the benefit or the other
tenth"
the gentlemen to whom Mr.. Beecher intrusted his
directions for having this ore'' or his sermons
"prepared for the MARKET" And Mr.. Lyman Abbott
which we must take the liberty Of pronouncing to
be an unintelligent and lazy fashion. Ont or lover
five hundred sermons placed IN ms nands ne mas
OF his allegorica Instructions. That is he has
shovelled the ore into heaps, thrown away nine
found it; and s.nlne-tenths' of that Is s'good
nothlng,'' to say the least Another time Mr..
Beecher had better either do his own ''smelting'
for himself, or look after his 'lab0rers' to
see that they do their work in some more workman
like STYLE WITH this volume News we & can only deal s as
seem to be the spiritual food Tor which the great
annual pew-aucton scramble takes place In New
York. Now, If Mr.. Bcecher likes the pew auction,
and thinks 1t an ediIyng ordinance and necessary
for these times, we have nothing to say TO him; ls
dress consregaon in the style which we are about
| to Illustrate again we have nothing to say TO Nun
except that 1t Is better OF It's kind than great deal
of his matter But when he talks in this fashion to
those whom he knows 10 be the successful bidders
in the pew scramble, who have fought their way
within hearing OF the Gospel according to Beecher
by sheer force OF money t does seem tOuS to SAVIOR
good deal more Of Barnum than OF st. James,
Many people to church rich man from e., the South m
children and plenty Of money and he wants % 70 nS d
Clothes and good supply money and are appearing
and sooa paving the hotel Of the church.
We have too many of them already.
This sermon was preached in the Brooklyn pulpit
previously to 1868. But the pew auction has been
going on as vigorously its delivery and
supplies sufficient evidence as to the belief Of the
hearers in the sincerity OF MT Beechers
that ne has too many OF them already" 1t is to be
supposed that shOddy and petroleum do not make
much account, in the calculations OF the auction
room, OF scholarship and criticism as part OF the
expected return for their money; at any rate they
would not get much Of either If they aid In the
and Mr. Beecher finds it necessary to supply his
patrons with certain amount OF "poems In prose, "
to one Of which Mr.. Abbott Is kind enough to call
our special attention in his Introductory note. We
extract stanza:-
plough coming from the far end Of long field, and
sure to strike the daisy. It casts shadow gay
exhaes gentle breath freely and stands simple and
near and in moment it whirls the needless flower with
sudden reversal under the sod.
1t may be possible for aught we know, for daisy
full Of dew-dimples which Is radiant and has way
of gaily casting its shadow TO be both expectant and
needless at the same time; but we should not, till
this passage met our eyes, have imagined 1t possible
| for any man with the most elementary ideas OF the
decencies OF ministerial teaching to associate incO
herent gable like this with the thought OF the Holy
| Sepulchre. We had marked for quotation another
| passage illustrating far more painfully Mr..
| Beechers inability to appreciate the reverence
for sacred things which IS an instinct OF every
Divinity of Christ and 1t begins thus-"Let me place
| another case before you for my Judgment. A maiden
Of a Sm re
pleasure In ways every year more degrading.
| noble youth appears among her gross companions
not to partake IN their orgies, bat with gentle
grace" &C.. but we do not like to pursue the quota
| tlon The preachers extraordinary and ingrained
talent for blunderng when ne tries TO get hold of an
illustration may be shown quite as well in far less
| Objectionable eXtract:-"A WARRIOR we learn-and
our teacher was the great prophet OF the federal
modern MISUNDERSTANDING through his maga
Mne, says am going out to battle, an1
rely. He passes by his bow and arrows, and says
/ 40 not intend TO rely on them Tor the 1gnting OF
this battle He comes to the department. ol MS Old
fashioned armor, and sees swords and spears ant
things like these, and says, They were good IN the
way and tme but do not intend TO rely upon them
either When he gets to the place where he keeps
the best instruments of modern warfare, he says
Here are the things that mean to depend upon
Does Mr.. Beecher imagine that any one or MS near
ers, male or female could be enlightened or bene
nted in the faintest possible degree by wordy jun
bic OF Wardour street and Wo0lwch Arsenal like
this? Can he conceive any "warr1or not Ill night
mare saying or doing anything OF the sort
Another sermon conveys the authors sentiments
con the decadence OF Christianity" which ne seem.
Barnumized pulpit Of Brooklyn certainly affords
rather awkward evidence. Among the maxims
which he lays down we read that the power o.
Christ goes back of (stc all originating and forna
tive powers to their very sourcen Perhaps the sea
holders may have possessed key TO THIS somewha
obscure language by the help of the parable whici
accompanies t:-'A man says own all the wate
that has been brought into Brooklyn and distributed
through the mains IN the city. All, says another man
/ own more than that; own Ridgewood Reservoir
whence you get 1t all. All, says third, own more