Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-07-27
Henry Ward Beecher.


Henry Ward Beecher informed his hear
ers that, if he lived until next October,
he will have been the pastor of Plymouth
Church for quarter of century. In
respect to his ministration, he said: ut
was not given me TO follow any be:Sen
path; have had to preach wirat has been
given me-no; always the best, not con-
sistent with itself. or the same from
periods to periods in all things" In these
thrlscs, Mr. Beecher has undoubtedly
described himself with grea. accuracy. 1t
was not given him to follow any beaten
path in other words, his individuality is
too strong to admit of his becoming an
Of any school, either in manner or pattcr
He has had to preach what has been given
him: that is to say, his preaching has been
the outgrowth of his own feelings and
the results of his own reflections. Not
always the best: for he has, at times,
been taken captive by temporary causes
of popular excitement; preaching under
their influence. sentiments as foreign to
his better spirit as to The spirit of the gos-
pei and inconsistent with that which he
breaches under happier auspices Some
times he has rashly plunged into the tides
of prevailing fanaticism; and sometimes,
apparently distrustful Of the tendency OF
IL. ha hos xft-fn fod
self from them. He has been alternately
radical and conservative the tendency to
conservatism increasing with the sum. Of
his experiences.
Mr.. Beecher is probably entitled to the
first position as preacher, Iii America,
perhaps in the world; and yet the grounds
of his entitlement to this eminence it
might not he easy TO define. He is not a
great theologian, in the sense that Calvin
and Knox. and Butler and Edwards and
Taylor were great theologians. He has
no consistent system of philosophy; and
hence his teaching has not been, from
to time, in u.ison with itself His mind
is synthetic rather than analytic and is
less logical than constructive. He is a
close observer of the surface of human
things, not deep investigator into the
springs OF the human activities. One of
the sources of his eminence has been that
he has cheerfally accepted the facts of his
mental constitution, and has not attempt
ed to make himself other than that for
which nc was constructed.
Another source of his eminence is the
activity of his sympathies, through which
he is placed en- rapport with those whom
he addresses Inimical as this magnetic
quality is to consistency, ii is undoubted-
ly an element of power. 1t establishes q
chain of mutual influences, through which,
if the preacher sometimes leads his audi
ence, the audience as often modifies the
deli7erances of the preacher. 1t confers
spontaneity agreeable. to both parties;
but the origin of which both arc alike
liable to mistake A great deal Of the in
spiration supposed to be divine is human; ;
OF, at least, passes through unsuspected
human channels with an effect not favor
able to its infallibility. 1t is this activity
of the sympathies which, while it has
been an element Of hfs influence, has also
been the cause of his errors. He has at
times preached for truth the passions of
the Plymouth congregation; not know
ingly, we believe, but nevertheless injuri-
riously and to the disadvantage of his own
ultimate reputation.
Another source of Mr.. Beecher's emf
nence is style simple without feebleness,
and eloquent without oration. In this
respect, ne stands. in our opinion. un-