New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-14
MR.. BEEcHER on BIBLE STUDY.

HIS SECOND LECTURE OK NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or
GETTING Ar BIBLE TRUTTIs-THE BIBLE OF THE
CLOSET CLASSROOM, And PULPIT.
NEW HAVEN Feb. 12-The Rev. ii. w. Beecher's
second Yale lecture on Doctrine was delivered in
the chapel of the Divinity School this afternoon.
The attendance was large, and he spoke with much
fervor His subject was The Methods OF Getting ut
the Bible as a Repository of Doctrine and his line
Of thought wasas follows:
In general the Bible twas what men made Of II. "a
literature was what men made Of the alphabet, and
varied and often Inconsistent results were tho oopse-
qnence. Nevertheless subjective method, were the
only way OF getting AT the OF the Bible, ana
there WAS hence bible Of the closet OF the CLASSROOM
and OF the pulpit, Bole OF special all ana oou.-
panionship TO the ndiyl ia BiDo as studied AMI cE
planned systematically, aud Bible specially apI Acd
to the growth Of men taken collectively
The Bible Of the closet must be personal Bible.
There might be a method Of consecutive or OF stated
reading; but both frequently only minister's OF
superstition an act done rs would put anu
let The true way companion with the Bible ana
get out OF II that which each most needed. even IA men
select food their hours Of sleep, according 10
their personal needs Hence IL that tue best read
of the Bible those who found it something for
themselves indyidially-)ne finding it book full OF
Joy another book full Of consolation, ana On just
as one man seos geology another botany AMI tnirj
poetry m natural scenery And the Bible was b0undeSs
IN its provisions for alwas full OF twilight and moon
light, and day dawn, and noontide Such reading oil
the Bible recognize variation in value in it, DIFF
ferent parts. The decaOgue, except in an unwarrana
bic enlargement OF It's original meaning was only thing
of Notwithstanding for the dawn OF civilization
while the Sermon the Mount was higher by an lu-
reach and John, XIV, xvi aud xvii, was rs much
higher tnan that. or such reading OF the Bible there
was far too little
Then there must he the Bible Of the class ROOM or OF
systematic study First of all the phloogist and archie
oogst indispensable in giving the Bible as IL
was. Next needed the theolOcan-the systematzer
and philosophers OF the Scriptures. That person was
often Justly the butt of fun, which was amusing
and did no harm but he none the less indispen-
sable since Philosophy was highest form Of thought
in religious as well in other fields and because the
Bible from the very nature OF its makeup demanded
such treatment He therefore believed In theologians-
not in all they said but in their work Of throwing light
the Bible But he did not believe Ia an iron theology;
u must be coming ever to something higher ana the
faster according II the truer The better sum
had done its work the wider had the OAK 10 let out
It's bark the next season. For CALVIN he had profound
admiration, and especially he took tue Clurcn Mncn
1t had stripped OF everything thar concrete, and
supplied something intellectual, which had surpassed
rites and music and cathedras. Nevertheless, Gavin
ism tngcd with the absolutisn OF its age, was
thing OF ron-sa" only one side OF Divine things anu
with all its splendid fruit was darkness Tor ddyIsh1
unto multtudes OF sensitive and suffering natures;
great fault of this of coming u the Bible was
that OF assuming that 1t provided thng that was
In the ght OF nature Providence, experience aud the
influence OF the spirit upon man. great sorrow, for
example wOuld often put entirely new meaning lntO
the BDle 1t full OF germs, buJ these we're ever TO
develop more and Not less erroneous was the
habit Of understanding limited AMI special teachings
Of general application. The Bible must also be inter-
preted By light OF ones individual growth and OF
the growth of tho race only this method must DC ap-
piled carefully, IL might lead 10 distortions To say
that must SIT In Judgment on divine things would
seem heterodoX, but there no other way. Dr.
Hodges invaluable and yet IL was necessarily
unged with the philosophy and politics OF the century,
and in ali study OF the Bible. And IN just
this way did the Bible keep close to common life; IL
would he colOred by the that looked at II, ana
therein would be more and more a friend. one other
thing De avoided the study OF the Bible with the
view OF upAOldng systems. systems were worth nOtl
except they presented TRUTH and In 30 lar IA they
did not should TALL.
The Bible OF the pulpit, applied to the teaching OF
Of men, must Oe tine ougrOwt OF the two former
methods OF Interpretation. IL must be felt through the
closet method, and learned through the classroom
method and must be put to men according 10 their needs
It well 70 learn tneOOges, bat tue field would soon
give prominence features which would hardly be
mentioned in the classroom SO multitdes OF doctrines
would hardly touched by the preacher; and
If the deyOut asked everything they would ask Tor
apOthecary' shop rather than the needed vial
Paul took tins course when. before aesthetic Greeks
nothing among but Jesus ChrisG and Hun cruoi-
fed" Tue very robes Of the preacher must also smell
of the garden Lord, which would often fail to be
Ia tue largest sense TIL suffering had completely
emptied him OF self.