New-York tribune., 1874-03-09
DIVINITY LECTURES.

4
MENT OF DocrRINEs-CuRIsr HUMAN PICTURE
| or THE DIvINE--sALIENT FEATURES or HIS
| CHARACrER-METHODs or PRESENTING HIM
| HIGH FUNCTIONS or THE PREACHER.
| irRou AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRmuNEl
NEw-U,yEY. March 4-The Rev. H. w. Beecher
| delivered his seventh lecture on The Preacher
Treatment of Doctrines" in the chapel Of the lale
Divinity School, this afternoon His subject was
ASPECTS of a Divine Life under Human Conui-
tionsu or in a word, preaching Christi His line
of thought was follows:
Ta might be unable present his theme as he ooud
wish and n he should. would not he the FIRST time
GOOD subject had been spoiled in the handling He oe
evcd however, that failure in honest Efforts was oite
n ood thing and that tho best often followed
upon repeated failures How divine life would procoeu
under human conditions, no two philosophers or poetf,
or reeionists without the help OF revelation, wouu
agree Yet Christ was born INTO tho world, grew up
followed trade, lived a man and citizen, ana WINS
yet CONSCIOUS of tho Divine in Him; bade men
cav "Our Father" but said My Father;
held Himself higher than Sabbaths. or TEN
pies, or religious systems, while not dlsreSarnnE
them: did all with air OF assumptions In all carTleu
himself easy and well poised Hc sprang from the peo
ple; had no special educatlon was respected Dy inc
Jews who though formal in service yet revered power
to whomsoever IL came; was emphatcaIiy Heore" III
his religious fe and in all the true elements OF the
Ucbrew life In this way q man OF whom the whoe
nation was proud till He refused TO accept power Wheh
they would have him take, when reaction see nn'
These things showed at once beautiful minghhS OF tue
Divine and human, and that the Divine under human
conditions tended link itself closely with its peculiar
place, race. and time
Next to thisiwonderul aliation was an intense SYM
nathy for all men, II was not vague, but practical and
unprpudiced 1t embraced the poor but the rich and
learned as we'll. 1t was so apprecatlve toward the
Pbarisees that they looked Him over to make HIM one
of themselves 1t went out also to Roman soldors ana
the syro- Phenican woman, whom He tantazed only
10 make better; to publicans and harlots. He mado
every one feel that lie liked them; threw out IRA
GRANGE to everybody Ike that Of tho lowers and as
free,
Thirdly tbere was in Him an immense susceptibility
10 love- and an immense power of loving. Here love
and benevoenco 10 be distinguished lie ioVed III
a benevolent way all the Disciples, but In thc other
sense only Peter, James, and John. III was keen
appreciation OF the beautiful and lovabe, and didn't
have TO grow but was Immediate In tho case OF tho
rich young man. The Bethany family was another
instapce and the familiarity OF Martha's finding fault
showed that it was no puncous Affection but an init
maey III there were these cases. there must have been
Others for the gospels were only fagmentay All III
eraure could not produce such scene as the supper
scene in Johnthat yearnng, unspeakabe love OF Goo
for those poor ignorant, ambitious, sela5h men, whom
loving He loved "to the end" 1t was wonderful
beyond n
II from man. in1uite from God
Fourthly there free play OF al His faeuiies'
which made Him the fascinating man OF his time
The moral man Of theories and the books was one TO 60
five miles around to avoid Often Ii was said, AnotheI
man spoiled he joined the church" This spelling
was pity 1t a shame that attempted virtue should
make man poor lean pity that so many con
sclentious men were 80 far short OF that royal build
which even in bad men created such great enthusiasm
| heroic.
Christ didn't go about with the air OF one who
carried his list OF resolutions IN his hand He never
would have reminded one OF deacon This holy rree-
dom made him lovabe to al classes; II did MT repe the
dregs OF society children never ran away from t When
He preached-an the of what the pulpit
usually seeseverybodv pressed upon Hin TO hear even
mothers with little children, who were not frightened
TO be nestled in and blessed which was yIn-
ity let down unto humanity, TO snow what DIVINITY was
like Lastly he was querClous He rcbuked, bat he
never played the role OF those conscientious parents
whose supreme monosyllable was i" Don't"
In preaching such Christ the first aud highest thing
TO do to make Christ the 'Chie1 among ten thou
eand one lovely" He must he preached
dOctrlnay some OF the time bat In TINS heid iay the
great power aud the ia which the preacher did
this was the test OF his success.
secondly He must be preached as one going ont after
preston left by the Gospels: Ho went OUT aIter men,
followed them up lovingly. Herein was the tnoush, oI
need and "a way Of help was set on foot IN view OF tha
very state. This the sweet, appealing power OF
TIiriIy the preaching OF Christ mnst lose sight
Of The fact His gospel and Himself were IN sense
identical II men we're to love, forgive, be meek, deny
themselves Christ had only TO point to Himself as The
pattern. So progress must be mado 10 TINS concrete
mo GOspel must not be made theory to men, but a
mart of themselves church of 20J with this
incarnation OF the GOspei in themselves might ad-
vance ike an army with banners the world codld no
more stand before them than lead before the compound
bOw-pipe. ,,.
Finaiy the old Jerusalem must not be stuck TO too
closely II the Christ OF thcn loved, pltled, ycarned
tocd the Christ OF now Is in heaven, with the same
spirit, but unlimited power. scope, resourcesi
bearing the burdens world, LOVING most the Nlest,
so as they might be IL would matter little to tue
speakers audience what places, honOrs, en0lnneats
fe them; but it would matter mach that they
might able say IN that day, Behold |, and the
children whom Thou hast gwen me " One look from
the Great Shepherd would be reward enough. TAe
preacher II Beethoven deaf aud playing by clec-
ircity organ FAR away, shOuld make music Tor un-
seen listeners He knew not 10 what assemDaae lie
was making music, or how he would one day be wei
comed most favored Dy men as one OF the aDOned
company OF kings and priests unto God"