The New York herald., 1876-03-13
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
MR. BEECHER ON TEACHING AND PREACHING

MR.. BEECHER ON TEACHING AND PREACHING
PLEA FOR PERSONAL SERMONS.
! Yesterday being the day appointed at Plymouth
church for the baptism of the infant children of be-
lieving parents number OF babes in were duly
sprnkled by the pastor The annual collection for the
! American Home Missionary Society raised and
! Mr. Beechers sermon, beginning with dehni-
and analysis of teaching and preaching re-
spectively, and an argument TO show the great
,eed OF the latter every community, led
q an exposition of the particularly great
aed of preachers newly settled States and
iories, accompanied with panegyric of the noble
who spreading the light of tho Gospel in those
regions and ended with eloquent appeal to his
people for liberal subscriptions "And daily in the
temple and in every house they ceased not TO teach
and to preach Jesus Christ was the text from which
Mr.. Beocher preached. By teaching he said, knowl-
edge is either impaired arranged but by preaching
men are taught TO employ that knowledge for their
edilcation. And this definition, though 1t lie not
in the etymology OF the word conforms to the practice
OF the olden time and is also observed to day. and
lnheres in the nature of things will continue 1t
becomes matter OF Importance, therefore that
We should distinguish between the province of the
teacher and that of the preacher for though often
combined in the person they very different
functions BY the knowledge is arranged or i'm
part ed. BY the other the uses Of knowledge
cured in the development Of thought, emotion WILL
conduct and So in SHORT in the production of charac
ter which is the end of the minisratons OF the Cos
pol OF God. Tho jewish priesthood not organized
nor it administered for teaching preaching pur-
poses. Whatever teaching there was was mostly at
the hands OF parents. Blu, and then there sprang
up among the Jews and always with the liberty that
belongs to spontaneous spiritual element,
RACE OF PREACHERS,
namely prophets. For, although the word prophet
signifies who foresees and foretelIs that the
the preacher OF the Jews The great prophets were
the men that seized upon the truths OF their time and
by their personality and their power OF speech made
them glow and burn upon the hearts OF their con-
temporares. So the prophet was one who taught but
taught by preachinghat is by the personal power or
their speech. Christ the first eminent preacher.
Although He taught it only as preparatory Stage
OF his preaching, IL was HIS personal power OF send
ing home what lie taught that made HIM what He was
The rabbis the preachers of their day.-but we
have knowledge that they ever threw their souls,
their personality INTO their truths Their interpreta
tions for the most part most minute and most ri
ing and there was mol moral power TO any considerable
degree in them. Christ camo with power Not with
accredited power, for He not priest He did not
minister, therefore He did not write anything He did
not philosophize. He came as the architect OF the
souls OF men, In order TO build them up TO q nobler
spiritual manhood He forced to take them they
were and by His vitality and power elevate them He
taught just much necessary to enable Him to
preach and He wrought out just SO much food they
could take assmilato and digest spiritually The dis
tnction between Him and the priests and rabbis was
that He the voice. the living voice. the voice OF the
soul. His teachings were full OF matter. His maxins
have not yet N moral philosophy up the root
teachings OF the Lord Jesus Christ. BY living personal
influence He sought TO work out these roots Of moral
philosophy personality in those who heard Him.
The apostles did their work by preaching They had
substantially for the underlying principle OF all thor
WORK this--thet The soul Of man. fully viializcd and
spirtuazed, is thoroughly competent TO all the func
tions shat are 10 be required OF man. and that wise
and ris minded man is sufficient legislator Tor him
self Subsequent ages have attempted first to estab
lish the external implement and afterward by 1t TO
work out the spiritual result The method of Christ
leave free to make such institutions IL felt the
need of in the age and under the circumstances in
which it was placed. And We do well 10 take heed Of
! WHEN MEN SEEK TO crANP Us
and tie up In institutions declare that
the soul, which inspired from on high, is It's
spiritual legislator and spiritual atudcaor ana that out
OF II all the free usagcs customs and institutions
that are needed for the guidance OF mankind and the
welfare of human society The end and aim Of preach
ing to bring the living man through the living voice
before living men, TO inspire them to a higher fe If
that preaching there Is necessary conflict between
it and institutions Preaching is not substitute Tor
institutions, though in one sense energetic
and successful preaching prepares the way
for them. II preaching successful institutions will
always follow. preaching is the the noun
tains institutions al the rs lower down that catch
up that rain and convey II TO the millcrs wheel TO
weave or grind A man who merely utters certain
lines Of thought reasoning is not preacher II is
not TIL he Is set hre, till he is in an electrical aud
glowing condition and brings it to bear upon the
hearts OF other that he is preaching. | may say
about preachers they say about horses " All shapes
run Eminent speed has been found in most un-
gainly horses, and preacher may have bad figure
and harsh voice aud yet, If he has a compelling soul
behind 10, do valiant work.
Mr. Beccher referred 10 the taste Of the present day
which forbids preachers mentioning himself as a re-
lapse into atheistical notion The parts OF the
Bible. said he, which most read the letters OF
Paul and the songs OF David. The songs which have
been the stars OF desolate world, beautiful
Of the personal experience they have in them.
And Paul's letters, what would they he II you took
Paul out Of them They would be ike grapes with the
pulp taken out Paul wrote not what John anybody
else thought felt but most cmphatcaly what Paul
nd A. No mai NClll bf nfrua
preacher who does not present Christ Christ has
been revealed In him personally Preaching Is also
the corrective or tho ovcracton OF institutions IL is
said thai the pulpit Is not what 10 used to be No be-
cause a GOOD pulpit always works It's change. II
YOU ascend ladder II the Grst round does you any
rood IL Is not by tempting you to roost u, but by
3 tcmptinr Won @ round higher