Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1874-07-14
From the n. Y. World,
BEECHER'S RETROSPECT
The Last Prayer-Meeting Before
the summer Recess at Ply
mouth Church.

At the Plymouth lecture room last
evening Mr. Beecher spoke more Oh
personal matters than is usual at Fri
day prayer-meetings. He said; 1t is
one of the evidences of our prosperity
that we have no privacy. 1t is i'm
possible for me as a pastor to indulge
In any confidential communications
with my church. | might as well
stand on Broadway and shout down
the street as attempt TO speak in cOnii-
dence to my people. There are many
things [ would like to say and with
benefit if it were not that many things
appropriate and fit in family converse
do not sound quite so well in the
morning ne wspapers. This is the last
prayer meeting we shall enjoy togeth-
er before the summer recess shall scat
ter us for time-a time, too, when
sickness Is about, and disease, to which
L am as liable as you, may render any
further earthly meeting Impossible
This thought that | may never meet
my people again brings up the eXpe-
rience of our closing meetings from
year TO year, that we look back TO gain
strength from our earlier examples,
and tonight | mean, as a servant of
the Lord Jesus Christ, to give in
brief, the inner history of my minis
try. l was never called to the Chris
tian ministry in the ordinary accep-
tance of the term. My father was
prominent in his duty. L followed
naturally in his footsteps, and yet /
never measured myself by him never
asked myself whether should be as
great a man, as boys frequently do. 1
do not know as L should have dared to
make any comparison. AS soon then
as left Lane seminary and without
any looking about L crossed the river
to Covington, just opposite Cincinnati,
when l commenced preaching every
Sunday without knowing what would
become of it. After preaching here a
short time | was called by Martha
Sawyer to go to LawIenceburg, and l
went there to take charge OF a church
of twenty members, of which the gen.
eral factotum, gathered the money,
and spent il too for the whole church.
Lawrenceburg was twenty-five miles
from Cincinnati, and remains still a
small, Insignificant place. After
spending two years there l was called,
without any agency on my part, to In
dianapolis. In that place | labored
eight years, and then came here.
came here with no expectations and
with no ambitions. / scarcely had
any care for the future, 1t is now
twenty-seven years, making a total
ministry ofover forty years. went |
into the ministry with two living |
truths, First was the spiritual help |
lessness of man-the universal low |
spiritual estate OF men and their in
finite need of divine help; and second,
with a sense that God as revealed in /
Jesus Christ was of infinite resources
and helpfulness. These were my |
stock-in-Erade-the spiritual helpless
ness of man, and the spiritual helpful
ness of God. never preached other
than these two things in my whole
down to this day. am sure
/ never preached from personal ambi-
ton, / have never sought a great
name. l have never preached for
praise or fame. / have never been
with praise when it was de-
served, but, as God is my witness, that
has never been the motive of my ac-
lion. do not believe that / have EVIL
er written line against any other de-