New-York tribune., 1873-04-10
SOCIETY IN THE CHURCH.

Tho Rev. Henry Ward Beecher delivered the
s,x,h Of his course Of lectures before the theological
stndepts OF Yale College NewHaven yesterday treat
ING this tuo of the Social Forces that are To De de
yeoped and employed In church life and activity Under
this head Mt Bcecher spoke upon the subject OF PASTORAL
visitation. He began in this way;
There were many reasons that once made pastoral
visitation 40 important There a time when there
were no schools few books papers, little discussion;
when popular intelligence very lows when oven the
minister in the church and the subordinate ministers
we're not as well instructed in religious things as tho
average Of citizens now; when religious TRUTH
n it was to be conveyed at all, must Oo conveyed
nv the professional teachers Of religion. Now,
under such circumstances. 1t behooved the
pastor to 20 from house 20 house, and 10
indoctruae children and cateohise them There were
tines also whom believed that the ordinances were
channels of grace In special and spiritual way
and that these graees could come to men or
dinariy only through these channels of ordinance
which the ministry possessed aud alone had the
tht of administering when such was the case II De-
hooyed the administrators - the ordinance TO be among
peope in sckDess aud death and In various relations
h life.
Our churchos-l mean the non-nicrarchica churches
have parted with those beliefs, and all 2se o9 mssS
tera reasons that uhered in the superiority OF the min
lsry old brotherhood have passed away There
sro three reasons which Justify the assduous visitation
the part pastors. In the first place. because man
fof his sake to know intimately ana well
those whom he preach. Paul said; "Ye are our
pastors, known and read OF all men," He might have
said eye are our texts" for he derived much,
especially of the regular portions Of the
eIistlcs, from the known feelings, prejudices,
beliefs aad beliefs Of the people to whom he went
In bur me style OF theology is changed, and you
have got change with It, 1t has not fitted our time,
aud aas sloaghed of, and preaching has become
grsdualy natural and less artificial 1t has more
sNH 70 form. and abstract
metaphysical But it has largely taken in the form in
which personal elements and synpathies mngle. Now
this style OF preaching demands that should rein
vigorate hirasef by contact with life and humanity.
THE FIELD OF PASTORAL WORK.
For this reason your preaching to be vital ard efec
tua derives great deal of its force from the men for
whom it is medical prescription. In ordinary pastoral
bfo the must get acquainted with his people Men
Foay that knowledge of their people that they
may and less need 20 visit them for thor own sake
for of their preservation. man may at last
state, for which he has natural aptitude
who has large experience and been long time in the
Eed tnat as far he himself Is concerned, he feels
what is in the air and knows what ails people without
Aearng them, almost without talking with them But
chat not ordinary experience. SO then, for the
sake OF q mans freshness, vitality, direetness,
humanity for preaching all that which Is human in
men, fer ali these visitation Of desirable. 1t is
very desirable that Of physicians lawyers
classes shall too much OF one another. They
frequently inclined 10 become selnSn Dy Deng
absorbed their class BY class study, you will be
minister 10 ministers. Then it is very de-
arsble that minister should have the
sOnfidcnee and sympathy OF his people 4;
should bo warmed by them and upheld by them. Moth
rag hko personal acquaintance with them for this
Visit all around, in all conditions Of society. In the first
place you may be thrown into condition of society
where the people do not to so tO church, and
secondly, where they do go TO church but with no
interest in it. In other words you may be barren and
they be barren.
minister may go into locality where there are few
people going to church. He should say: Not go to
thuTchi They shall go TO church. II they don't the
thureh shall go them" You into the neighbor-
hood determined not to be snubbed That is genuine
seld for pride among them, go to those who don't
iccept you go those who don't like you Go Into your
sed II men won't 60 TO bear you preach, 90 to them
shem m. Many good nafred people wall go to church
orce Of the State is supposed to lie in the pulpit but it
ioes MT Yet they bold the congregation together and
he barrenness OF the sermons by the melowness Of
brilliant preacher came into town We viii 20 there"
And then they said, We do MT know We have known
= this man an has &ssRed them He has spun himself ali
around tbem in spite OF his sermons too. ILaughterl
MIXING THE SOCIAL ELEaENTs
Thcre ought to be, every week two during the
greater part the year. such little gatherings shall
the people together making them Ike one another
There hardly anybody that you don't IKE better up
certain II you meet him often and are at all
hat YOU ike well if meet him too often and go
200 far Up to certain point you viii IKE everybody
thought hmhat woman has MT 50 sharp tongue she
has es $ 81 esy y SHd that ao od ow
he Joke after all. and you thought IL not in the
n eyerybody but You don't always know how to get at
IT, Social meetings bring out these these things. Men
respec each other They get less frequently into
aculties; they get out Of quarres easier. But these
not substitute for meetings, only supplement
Then am 10 favor OF multiplying pic-nics as much as
you and all sorts OF outdoor reoreatons for Sum
iner. In Boston We used once year TO 20 down the
bay 1t old custom In my fathers church. and
ehowder party The concomitants were very agree
able aud general thing 1t must be said it the
Hi M great deal 1e to @aRe hs Church
and homogeneous II Is very desirable another
sorts There the top, the middle and the bottom Of
society and the gradatons are infinite Now II Is very
il desirable that persons OF culture and refine
ent should ee kindly intimately xsr associated St Tta per
should temper the body Of Christ together that every
pride in the gifts of every other DO you think in
household where the oldest daughter Is the artist and
On the piano. the third is the and shs has
eminent economy and facts she likes entertaining and
one is merchant, another is lawyer, the third is
physician, and all excel in their several pursuits
that they envy one another Do MT you suppose in
stead Of that ha they are PROUD the @ SrsssTs Of the
body, and It's members belong to one snothert what CON
&C. Of Ss & Of the smn S
that the feeling Ia the churchf Now, the power OF
Sites thai are embeddeS IN thsse great ousities to
carry through life and OF life ths
TIE cnnDRENs SHARE IN THE SERVICE
The next topic OF the Social Forces is the Sunday
school, which familiar to you that shall perhaps
be relieved from saying much. think that Sunday
schools are the young peoples church Although the
hat fha ahali