Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-22
Henry Ward Beecher's Experience in
Preaching.

Henry Ward IBeecher's Experience in
Preaching.
| remember the first sermon | ever preached
had preached good many sermons before,
too. But remember the first real one | had
preached good while as | had used my Gun.
used TO 90 out hunting by myself and had
great success in firing off my gun; and the game
enjoyed it as much as | did, for never hurt
them or nit them. fred off my gun as l see
hundreds of men firing off their sermons |
loaded 1t, and bang was a smoke, a
report, but nothing fell; and so it was again
and again. L recoect one day in the fields my
father pointed out little red squirrel, and said
to NE, Henry, would you like to shoot him %
| trembled all over, but said, "Ies" He cot
down on his knee, put the gun across a rail and
said, Henry keep perfectly cool, perfectly cool;
take ann" And did, and | fired, and over
went the squirrel, and he didn't come back again
either That was the first thing that |
ever hit; and | felt an inch taller, as
boy that had killed a squirrel
and knew how to aim a gun. had
preached two years and half at Lawrenceburr,
IN Indiana, land some sporadic sermons before
that) when | went to Indianapolis. While there
was very much disconnected | had been dis
contented for two years | had expected that
there would be general public interest and
especially in the week before the communion
season. In the west we had protracted meet
ings, and the people would come up to high
point OF feeling; but never could get them be-
You'd that. They would come down again, and
there would be no conversions. | sent for Dr.
Stowe TO come down and help me; but he
would not come, for he thought it better for
me to bear the yoke myself When | had
lived at Indianapolis the first year. said -
There was reason why, when the apostles
preached, they succeeded, and | will find it
out il 1t is to be found out" 1 took every
single instance in the record, where | could
find one of their sermons, and anayzed il and
asked myself .at,-
who were the people, what did he do?" and /
studied the sermons until got this idea that
the apostles were accustomed first TO feel for a
ground on which the people and they stood TO-
gether-a common ground where they could
meet. Then they heaped up large number of
the particulars of knowledge that belonged TO
eyerybody and when they had got that know-
edge, which everybody would admit, placed in a
proper form before their minds, then they
brought 1t to bear upon them with all their ex.
clted heart and feeling. That was the first def.
me ldea OF taking aim that had in my mind.
Now said ], 81 will make sermon So" |
remember it Just as well as if it were Yesterday
FIRST sketched out the things we all know.
y GU all Know you are living in a world Der-
lShlng under your feet. You all know that time
IS extremely uncertain that you don't know
Whetner you VIII live another month or week.
lou all know that your destiny, in the life that
is to come, depends upon the character You are
forming IN this liie," until had about forty of
them. When had got through that, turned
round and brought it to bear upon them with
all my might; and there were seventeen men
awakened under that sermon. / never felt so
triumphant IN all my life | cried all the way
home. ! said to myself, "Now know how to
preach" But could not make another sermon
lor month that was good for anything. | had
used all my powder and shot on that one. Bat.
Tor the first time in my life had Got the
IDEA OF taking aim. | soon added to it the
idea OF analyzng the people was preaching
TO, and SO taking aim for specialiies OF
course, that came gradually and later. with
growing, knowledge and experience. Young
man, when you get parish, don't be dis
couraged Tor the first ten years, no matter how
poor your work. There is no trade that re-
quires Sc long apprenticeship as preaching: and
yet there is no trade in which they admit man
so soon, or in which he learns 50 fast. II is
easier TO study law and become successful
practitioner, it is easier TO study medicine and
become a successful practitioner, than il Is to
study the human soul all through-to know its
llVlng forms, and to know the wav of tnlSino
TO u and coming into sympathy with H. 10
make the truths of God and the divine influ-
ences part of your daily, enthusiastic exno.
renee, and to bring to bear out of vour treas
ury what is needed here or needed tbere-that
requires great neal of experience, and preat
deal OF study.-Lecture at Yale Theo School.