New-York tribune., 1873-04-11
THE FINGERS or THE CHURCH.

LECTURE BY THE REV. HENRY WARD BEEcHER-
INFLUENCE AND WORK OF THE BIBLE CLASS.
The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher's lecture az
NewBayen Yesterday before the theological students
OF Yale embraced topics OF peculiar pertneney to the
young minister relating the real practical handoVer
hand struggles the rescue and reformation OF men,
and containing In their treatment many valnaoe MINUS
Mr.. Beecher began promptly at p m' taxing az Stne
first subject for his suggestions the rstworthlness OF
the Bible.
The Scriptures said he stood 80 high as to-daY
40 that II the Word OF God be considered simply as
gudebook to MANHOOD and through manhood 10 mn
mortality and blessedness IL stands unchanged toay
and worthy not only Of teaching but IL need n"s oo
guarded defended with such anxious fear as many
Defs0ns seem To have felt Now, the teach-
ing OF that book, while it has, perhaps, been
taught too narrowly and closely, while IL
admits of cooperative teaching illustrative teach
ing outside Of itself, was never important in
the training OF the Church than in the outstanding Of us
resources and the direction OF them than today Inc
question Of Bible classes is very difficult to man
age but the outcome is admirable that every pastor
should find some way to manage them, TO have them
working part OF his church e the life in the church
which he superyses Our houses have libraries as tney
did not formerly, young people have good deal more
TO read when we shut up at home half "a day on
Sunday and were allowed 10 read Robinson CrusOe,
then had Little Henry and his Bearer" and / had
Pilgrims Progress, and OF Hannah Moore's works,
and trcases virtue and one thing and another
the which II began 10 read he woud
retreat from it into the Bible quick. These
were about the whole, and the Bible after all
the most interesting book in the house. But now it
with children that the Sunday library has opened
upon them food, rather swarm, that can be com
pared to little else than the oousts, the lce and the
frogs often of Egypt. lLaughter.l An immense amount
of wishy washy suG, and yet wrought together with
certain sort OF fictitious and unwhclesome interest as
think and children reading all sorts ofregious books
"Aunt Nancy" writes .them and paul" writes them,
and everybody Is writing Sunday-sch books the
most difficult book in the world to write Is book for
child yet t is book everybody thinks he can begin on
and some are danger Of being carried away by what
might be called the "swil Of the house OF GOd Grea
aughterl
1t ia from all these very important that In
every church well pastored there should be immense
attention paid the study of the Scriptures just in and
OF ITSELF and Bible classes next TO the pulpit Itself
that say they stand in the economy OF education as
next perhaps sometimes far more educating than,
the pulpit itself Bible may If properly trained,
at last reach almost every question that enters into
your own study. think very desirable that the whole
structure and gnius OF the Bible should be studied aside
from It's contcn II there any book that VIII stand
discussion Il is the Bible. OF course 1t will require on
your part no small range of KNOWLEDGE He that knows
the Bible well knows pretty much all the world not IN
| the moro modern developments ana disclosures
! but in history in ethnograply, in geogri-
7
uer and customs in ethics general law and egsation
eguities-a those into the general discussion of
Scripture und the minister that carries on tue BlQe
class and has live one ana has in his parish people
who have got heads and not afraid TO open them he
/ will find he has his study abundanty, ana l
should not wonder you found for years In y0ur minis
try the Bible taxing you with more study than
your sermons did. But it Is worth 1t. Your people wiz
lie rooted and grounded in the truth when that truth
las been derived from the direct study Of tbs WORD ol
/ Cod -, sTs-I7-t
Now in the Institution and conduct Of Bible class one
OF the difficulties be overcome. after the stcs ness
aud general indifference has passed away, Is KIND O
controversial spirit which otentlmes Will rise up Men
will want TO go right into decrees fore0rdlna
ton or election something Of that sort 1t is very I'M
wise to let the class take controversial form
| and while these " questions must be in order
have their times Of discussion, yet the object OF the
teacher ediy his class, and he does not wish to M
vite doctrnal discussion To stop that mans mouth
ministerial authority must not be used, but connde ID
him tell him kindly and frankly what you wish TO dc
with the class aud ask his help This VIII probably get
around the difficulty. 1t is the best you can do.
| Mr. Beecher here gave some interesting statistics
about his own parish IN Brooklyn, and the work Of tht
three schoOs-the Home school, the Bethel, and ill
Plymouth MissiOn-Ststing that there were oO or 9O
children in the SCHOOL, and from $50 TO 200 over
years in the Bethel about 200 scholars, and in The
Bible class 200 married men In the Plymouth Mis-
sion 400 scholars, and nearly 100 Ia tue B0lC
classes. He then spoke OF Mission Schools