The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-08-20
BEECHER ON PREACHING.
SCENES FROM HIS CLERICAL LIFE.
His First Revival-Hts Entry into the
Ministry-How 10 Manage New Con.
gregation-Eating as Considered by
Ministers.

| Rre&attOn-EatlnS as COnGluercu ~
Ministers.
One of the most readable books OF to-day
for those who are ministers and those who are
not Is the publication entitled yale Lectures
on Preaching" by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.
There ls something 80 very fresh about it-so
complete an uncovering OF the heart OF the
writer-that it is charming. We give some
Interesting extracts from it:
THE FIRST REAL SERMON.
II remember the first sermon / ever
preached. had preached good many ser
| mons before, too. But remember the nrst
real one. had preached good while as
had used my gun. l used TO 20 out hunting
by myself, and had great success In friDg OF
| my gun, and the game enjoyed 1t as much as
did; for never hit them or hurt them. l
fired off my gun as I see hundreds of men
firing off their sermons. / loaded It, and
bang there was smoke, report, but no.
| thing fell; and 80 il was again and again. I
recollect one day In the fields my father point
ed out little red squirrel and said to me,
Henry, would You like to shoot him" trem-
bled ali over, but said, Yes He got down
on bis knee, put the guu across rail, and
said, Henry, keep perfectly cool, perfectly
cool; take am.' And l did, and l fred, and
over went The squirrel, and he ddD't run
away either. That was the rrst thing l ever
hit; and felt an inch taller, as boy that had
killed squirrel and knew how to aim gun" J"
THE FIRST REVIVAL.
Here Is his description OF his first revival:
~ recollect when returned from the first
revival In which ever worked. Ihad been
at Indianapolis between one and TWO years.
and there had been no revival land l had
t.,o ootn T hor inf
out on Brother Jewetcs call, from Indlanapo-
lis to Terre Haule; aud worked there three
weeks In revival until my heart was on fire,
and 1t rained stream OF prayer all The way
home from Terre Haute 10 Indianapolis. 1t
was like an aurora borealls, have no doubt,
ray upon ray, for that whole distance, If an
angel could have seen It.. 1t was in that feel
but will be slain, or will have life and sal
vation among my people, On Sunday l
gave notice that would preach every night
that week. We had dngy lecture-room In
my church that wonld hold about two
hundred people. preached Monday night,
and we had storm; Tuesday night 1t rained
again, and when / called upon any who
were awakened to remain, no one stayed;
and said, 1T makes no difference; II The
Lord wishes It to be 30, / dor o.
Wednesday night preached again with more
power, and called for inquiries at The close;
one poor lltle thin servant girl stopped. She
smelt of the kitchen and looked Kitchen all
over. When dismissed The congregation my
first feeling I know as l went towards her
was one of disappointment. I said u myself
that after 80 much work it was too bad. IT,
was lust q glance. an arrow which the devil
slot at me, but which went past. The next
mihute / had an Overwhelming revulsion ip
my soul; and said to myself, If God pleases,
will work for the poorest OF his creatures.
IN L. k1a,k Nf nhN,,
permitted TO do 1t, and bring him lu Christ
Jesus felt 1t; and thanked God that night
for that girls staying. He paid me the next
night, for Two OF my sweetest children, not my
own, but they were like mine own TO me
| stopped on the next night, and after that The
work vent on"
TIE ASSOCIATES A MINISTER SHOULD HAVE.
Mr.. Beecher's want of personal reserve
naturally prevents him from being very select
in the choice of his company. He is wide
llker In the realm of humanity. No fastidions
scrupIes disable him from taking pleasure In
the society OF the hard-fsted working
man as well as In that of the cultivated
scholar or the refined intellectual woman.
II take great delight" he tells us, ''if ever
can get chance, in riding on the top OF an
omnibus with the driver, and talking with
him. What do gain by tnat +? Why, my SYM
paLhy goes out for these men, and recognize
In lnem an element OF orutherhood-Lhat
great human element which lies underneath
all culture, which Is more universal and more
important than all special attributes, which Is
the great generic boud OF humanity between
man and man. II ever I saw one OF those
men In my church conld preach 10 him and
hit him under the fifth rib with an illustration
much better than If had not been acquainted
Ii 81 ,lor
many plain jacket. But, what Is more,
never found plain man 10 this world who
could not tell me- many things that did not
| know before. There ls not a gatP-keeper at
the Fulton Ferry, OF an engineer or deck
hand on the boats that ] am not acquainted
with, and tney help me In more ways than
they Know Of. II you are going TO be minis
ter keep very close to plain folk; dont get
above the common people,"
AMUSING ACCOUNT OF HIS FIRST CHARGE-A
MODEL SEXTON.
Mr.. Beecher's early breaking ln for the min
istry, In an obscure parish In the West, Is re-
lated with delicious egotism.
"lt was my lot at first to be placed 10 VII
Iage with O mere handful of Inhabitants in one
ot the Western States. conceive it 10 be one
of the kIndnesses of Providence that was sent
to so small place. had but one male mem
Der In the church, and wished him out all The
time was there.
81 practIced public speaking from the time
of my sophomore year In college. was ad-
dicted to going out and making temperance
speeches and holding conference meetings, 80
that acquired considerable confidence, oeing
naturally very diff1denr. When l went lU tho
seminary still kept up that habit prscticing
whenever had the opportunity. At the end
OF my three years seminary course-siX months
of which. however, were diverted 10 editorial
work, q loss of time 10 my studies which was
atterwsrd made up-1 went to small town In
Indiana, the last one In the Stale toward Gin
cinnat, OIL the Ohio River. 1t had perhaps
five or six hundred Inhabitants. 1t had In II a
Methodist, a Baptist, and this Presbyterian
Church to which went. The church would
hold perhaps from two hundred and fifty to
| three hundred people. 1t had no lamps and
| no hymn-oooks. II had nineteen female men,
bers, and the whole congregation could hardly
raise from two hundred to two hundred and
| fifty dollars as salary. took that field and
went TO work In it.
Among the earliest things did was to beg
| money from Cincinnati to buy side-lamps 10
| hang up in the church, 30 that we could have
night service. After being there month or
two, / went 10 Cincinnati again, and collected
money enough to buy hymn-books. dis
| tribuled them in the seats. Before this, the
| hymns had been lined out Irecollect one OF