The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-07
Thr Autlana daily Globr.
TUESDAY. JULY Z, 1874
From the n. Y. sun.
MR.. BEECHER on HIMSELF.
PLYMOuTsa,s PASTOR RETKOS-
pECTryE AND FOKEEODlNG.
lie is Impressed that he will Never
Meet his Congregation after this
summers VacatiOn-f1is trust IN
his own salvation.


summers vacatiOn-s1is trust IN
his own salvation.
Exploding frccrackers and shouting boys
surrounded Plymouth church during the
prayer meeting on Friday evening. The
ceding Mr.. iBeecher's remarks were many
times drowned in the din of outside
patriotism. The pastor was obliged to
speak louder than usual, and even then the
unusually few attendants lost many sem
fences.
at is one of the infelicities of our ca
reer,' said Mr.. Beccher. " that We have no
privacy. There are many things that we
would like to say to each other that would
not sound so well in the morning papers,
and for that reason are omitted. This
however, is the last prayer meeting before
my summer vacation of three months, and
l haveit strongly impressed upon me that
I shall never meet with my people again.
| mean tonight to say few words of
ministry at a very early period of my life
earlier than | can remember. Indeed, l
grew IN finding that everybody expected
me to become mnister-my father, my
mother, my relatives, and everybody My
fathers name was to me that of an eminent
warrior in those days, and when | had
finished my"
The sentence was unfinished, because at
that instant somebody set Off n bunch Of
| firecrackers close to the open door. There
was long interruption of fizz-bangs,
during which the congregation snickered
and Mr.. Beecher smiled. When the eX-
ploding was apparently over lie began
again, but five or six belated crackers went
off in a row and stopped him.
MS HISTORY OUTLINED.
81 was saying" Mr.. Beecher finally re-
sumed, that my father stood foremost,
and his name was very great to us children.
The idea of my measuring myself by him,
or my coming ministry by his, never enter
ed my head My love for him was so great
that | would have been ashamed to have
done it, Soon after leaving Lane Seminary,
at the instance of somebody whom have
forgotten, crossed the Ohio river to Gov
ngton, Just opposite my home of Cincin-
natl, where an attempt was being made to
found new-school Presbyterian church.
My only feeling IS entered that field was
that there was work there to do, and =, rs
willing to work After three weeks | was
called to Lawrenccburg, TO a church thai
numbered twenty members. Lawrenct-
burg was not a very proud metropolis then,
and it isn't now. | remained there two
years, and was then called to a charge in
the State capital. | preached in Indian
apolis eight years and then came to Brook
Ign, came here without expectations or
ambition, for | had said to myself when
90 East | mean to only preach Christ as a
power and not crccds That was my very
strong feeling, and | remember writing it
to Mr.. Hale before | came. From that to
this l need not tell you l have preached in
this church twcnty-seven making
an aggregate of forty years of ministry"
The people had listened very intently to
this outline of their pastors public life,
and plainly showed their expectancy OF
something still more Interestingly personal
THE MOTIVE OF HIS MINISTRY.
Il went into the ministry" said Mr.
Beccher after Il pause, with two living
truths in my mind. These Fundamental
ideas were the spiritual helplessness o
men and the spiritual helptulness of God
They were my stock. All the rest wa
legendary, and preached because supposed
it was all right. In all my early ministry
and down to this day, | have never preached
from personal ambition. | have nevel
sought name or place. have not beer
insensible to the praise of good men, but, Il:
God is my witness, that has not been N
inspiring influence. | have worked be
Al. t,,-n II Co. 81,
love | have for my fellow men, aud, third
because | couldn't help it, was made to
preach; it was in me, and had got to come
out preached as fountain runs. | was
| think, led by God to accept all men a.
brothers in Jesus Christ who were going il
their own ways toward the new Jerusalem
This was good deal, because | went into
the ministry in the midst of sectarlan spirit
Although | wrote for n daily newspaper
before beginning to preach some articles
against the Roman Catholics, | have never
since spoken or written against any de
nomination. | have only frankly criticised
them, as | have my own sect. | felt tina
the preciousncss of Christian truth was Sc
great that fragment in any denomination
was worth respecting. l was early called
to deal with the question of human slavery
| couldn't help it. The question of libert,
was even in my boyhood an clement o
heroism with we, and so | made no choic,
in putting myself on the side of the helpless
- | never reasoned anything about it, the onl,
> question being how to effect the creates
good-never of consequences.
THE SHAPING OF his BELIZE
- In that contest my mind insensibl,
I grew more and more patriotic, and | learn
E ed to love this land. My love of countr.
became an enthusiasm. My pride suffered
! God only knows how deeply, with sorrow
r full Indignation that in half of the land til
= press and pulpit could not speak. So tn
sentiment of religion became so ASSOCIATED
with patriotism that | could not divide o
analyzo them, We'll, the war passed, an
$ with peace | laid down controversy an
studied how to build up. Since then. NOR
and more, my mind has been working to
ward larger views of the Divine soul-to
ward the destiny of the race. hav
nothing to say as to the struggles l hav
gone through, or us to the notifications q
my views. My mind, by natural reacto
has gone to the Interpretation of the Low
, of God. What man needed was the brea'
- of God, and not the Christening hand. !
this have had your sympathy, and that {
thousands of others but if | had had non
of either, the sweetness of the work woul
have been its sufficient reward"
Again Mr. Beecher was interrupted b
explosions outside; but this time there wa
no laughing by the audience and no smil
on his own face. The speaker and I'll
hearers seemed equally interested. I'll
latter were rapt in the expectation OF PEI
sonal explanation moro pertinent TO u
latest phase of Mr.. Beechers history. II
leaned back in his chair, wiped his fac
with his handkerchief, and when the into
ruption was over, went on with show
emotion.
AN uNsnAKES TRUST IN Gop.
81 have passed through varied exper
20 cnces," he said, 'as have most OF men
W nnblin liln- hut not thrOuph ono that