New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-04-25
A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE.
LECTURE BY HENRY WARD BEEcHER

4
Yesterdays lecture before the theological students
Of Yale College at New-Haven to be the last one be
shonld deliver The course originally was TO con-
sist Of II, but 4r. Bcccher in pleasant Won J7d
the young gentlemen that his ideas had run out,
and he should make the eleventh include every
thing that he had now to say At the conclusion Of
! the lecture he babe them all regretful goodby,
and wished them hearty success in the new fields
they were 70 enter. The suggestions of the lecture
were principally directed to the treatment Of what
may be called the clinical practice in revival for the
treatment Of eases as they arise
AS nearly as can Judge, said he there has gradually
come to be very great difference in the way which
persons in whom religious sensiblity has been deve
oped are treated in time compared with the custom
tha prevailed Is or 80 years and have doubt
that If the venerable and noble ministers who lived I'm
those times were to stand by now, retaining their views,
and 10 look upon the development Of Christian character
as 1t takes place in intelligent churches and under intel
igent administrations, they would think that the world
was coming to end. and thatmen being converted
entirely out Of the proper way aud that the church
was likely 70 be by materials feeble in spirit
ual life. Aad yet, the other hand, there be no
denying the fact, think that never before nc any
period we're the churches possessed OF many Chris
tians Of 20 high type or purity, and pety
based upon knowledge better, clearer and never did
Christian emotion cooperate with Christian activity
in time. While. then, IL would that the
technical processes by which dealt with had
suffered great change, and would TO them changed
for the the result OF the treatment which
receive at the hands Of the Christian ministry day
is to produce higher tppe Of Christian character not in
individuals, but in communities. 1 propose, then TO
enter upon the consideration OF the phenomena Of
yction Of sin, and Of conversion and the obtaining in
the old language, Of hopc' and Of the various
periences TINT stand connected with it.
TIE FORCE OF CONVERSION.
In working. it will be found that You control
things. that they Will have their way that class
Of hearers will develop moral sensibity in
another class IN another degree and that they Will
take aspects different that the contrast between
The EXTREMIST on the ends OF the scale will
make 1t seem Is If only one Gould be rghan the other
must necessarily wrong. II dealing With men there
is to be way. There is TO be this ncessant adap
taion to communities classes in large communities.
INTO which individuals fall. The character OF con-
victiOn OF sin will very largely depend on
tbs theology you preach. II you preach the
theology OF DR.. EmmOus you may expect
several results Tue first that you viii lose your con-
gregatCns mostly, secondly, that those that remain
will be very hard and stubborn and thirdly, when con-
yction does come IL will come Ike the rushing OF q
mighty wind, like tornado like earthquake. break
ing the foundations Of things, and the results Will be
i'm some such proportion all the way through IT, how
England type-0f Calvnism be represented 80 that God
is represented supremacy Just, not upon impossible
conditions conditions extraordinary scarcely TO
within the range OF human CONSCIOUSNESS or reel
ing II ought not 10 he either long process or an e1ag
gerated process that t. feeling ought not 70 be driven
TO such wild extremes IN the process OF satisfying men
that they are guilty Of dsoDedehce 10 ahcA Goa ana
In general the more the element Of coerciye gentle
ness-if may say so, the element OF paternity,
the element of Divine love, is preached, the
mder VIII be the type OF conviction; but the
efeacious. the more rapid IN It's workings, and
the rich and DeHecent in It's results There Wu
mus NOT eypeet H. In some there Will be very little
feeling slowly educed IN others very much ana as "
Td e s o" of NAM fs Mi also have much to DO
with hi of conviction OF sinthat IS, the overt
drunkard, lascyious man, a thief. a pirate
lar aI Sova mas ro GS o1s aSchn and has
something yet left OF manly nature m him. then the
truth fails on that man You might well suppose he would
have concrete ~ sin that he Is desperate SIN
ner but his idea would be that ne was iar that ne was
a robbeH or a pirate. or drunkard. not a sinner
against the law of God and while YOU might attempt
enlarge his experience 10y and ny IL would not De Dest
But there thing that must be done, however ia
the OF interference here IL wont 90 10 nave gen
eric conviction instead OF prsohai consletoh lhat -
a part OF your business; aud n yOu are 10 nave men
10 them personally TO cover their character, that
they shall be converted, i shall be conversion
with All these clements distinctly in their consciousness
y, , az man uoforiousIv sfngv-hearted aud avari-
cous no matter II he shakes In commissions on account
OF his sins that man must have his conviction kept
down until il comes to the question OF ayarice.
Now what the object ~ sorrow what j. the use
of III What he OF It when you break iaw--o
Mat which created the sorroW-tO bring Us back to the
straight path and 10 produce an impression upon
memory that shall not be likely 10 transgress
again Sorrow is not dye-vat IN which a man ought
10 lie night IN order 10 bring him To conviction Of
sin. Now, n captain wishes 20 leaNe pOIt dud the
wind is blowing 10 miles an hGur he ups Win the anchor
miles is enough TO get him Tar out oi port II he
gets out on 10 lnhes ~ Is as koou ds IL ne WI.
out on 90 1 remember when persons who were
converted in two or three weeks were looked
upon superncially converted persons. Ihls Il
an important element because IN me INST place there
are many persons who are thought not 10 be safe
as Christians because they MIDI gentle, aud never
have any strong feeling. on the other htnd there are
many persons whose conseienees are never satisfied.
When they tell how tho Lord led him into the
kingdom With terrible manifestations or feeling, ana
matter doubt with hum whether nc himself was con,
yerted ornot he says, III had only had mat would
have felt that had ticket, pass, that would nave
been valid" as man who sleeps on the ground moor
of tenementnouse and is reused IN the ng9t DIV tne
should he not saved because he dld NJ nave tse
for his life TO the adjoining roof Laughter aud APP
plalse.l
ELEMENTS OF CONVERSION
/ lSow when you have satisfied by your preaching
that they lived wrong they satisfied that
there better way, the point the next 10 how
20 determine choice. I speak with profound feeling
here My own experience through many stormy years
IL wrapped IN this matter. feel the utmost compass
stimulated vaguely by preaching but are not taught or
led so as know what 10 do. AS little child
susceptible Of moral impressions that don't remember
year OF my life after years old that
not under conviction OF that did not 20 about with
feeling Of sadness feeling that was IN danger OF
exile from Heaven, and didn't want 20 be. Don't
the feeling your congregation that they IN
danger and then leave them to hold up their hands
vaguely for something they don't know what II you
don't know how 10 lead men into light, don't
plunge them into darkness. What then is
the thing called 10 do when they
kened and conscious OF their estate There
are two elements simply II, IL seems % Que u
the presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ the mani
fest idea Of God Jesus Christ he walked earth
be presented TO that H. hs paternity OF God, which
GOD wishes have before them when they deter
mine whether they will him. 1t Is in that
4 point OF view that I condemn Calvnism with such
severity II not aeer6ty When take Calyin,s God and
alongside OF Jesus Christ who suffered that
\ might not who shed His blood and die that
\ men might be redeemed when come TO this picture