Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-18
Originality in the Preacher

1 The Third Lecture in the Lyman Beecher Course Before the Yale Divinity Stu | dents.
 l Rev. Dr. Barton of Hartford had yesterday l afternoon the largest audience in Marquand | chapel that has greeted him thus far in the ! course of lectures which he is delivering be-
 fore the theological students of Yale college.
 The seats reserved for ladies were completely | filled and there was a large representation of
 the city clergy present. The speaker an- nounced as the subject of his lecture 'tOrigi-
 nality in the Preacher" He said it WAS obvi | ous that an original sermonlzer was one who
 originates the thoughts he uses. He has
 certain other peculialities springing out of that. He also not only originates thoughts. but has them in unlimited quantities. The l original preacher has thoughts of his own;
 he is different from other men, is prolific and | unique.
 In the consideration of this subject the | inquiry naturally arises, Where do our | thoughts come from? When preacher ' originates thoughts, where do they come | from? And when he gets them somewhere else, where does he get them? Many young men find great agony in getting original ! thoughts for their sermons, and even some l old preachers find the same trouble Some of ! the latter class arc like squeezed oranges. In | few years they would have used up all their | thoughts. That is 8 condition no man ever | needs to get in. Every mind is bottomless and non-exhsustive Thoughts proceed from our own interior and from the manifold end 1 less exteriors which are gotten hold of by reading and experience with the world. The ! first are doubtless made up largely of what man has obtained from the exterior. But the
 mind is not conscious of these exteriors. It is the one distinction of these interior thoughts that they seem inborn. Most per sons would say at first that no preacher is original but one whose thoughts are of that class, and would call those of the second class plagiarsts. All that is true, but it is as possible for tke objective man to be original in the profound, self-observing way as the other. If man leads an intellectual life strongly external, there is danger that his own origin al powers will be borne under. But if while he is engaged in the work of collecting facts he rationalizes upon them, reads refectivsly
 
 way, then all this food of the mind wifi be well assimiIated, the quality of his intellect will be modified, and the great mass of ma teriaI will be distributed through his mind Then there will be nothing plsgiaristic about him. He will be unconscious of his materials, they will have disappeared and we cannot say that they are there in any distinguishable form. You have seen those green worms lying about under the trees in the summer time. They are thr same color as their food. The rose lives upon dirt and other rank things of the earth and yet bears the beautiful rose leaves. The plagiaristic preacher is like the green worm, the assimilatiye like the rose. The flower is original, the green worm a visible plagiarist
 Every mind is specifically unlike every other by the operation of irresistible causes This is according to Gods intention. Why try to make it otherwise? Every spring, every morning, every cyclone, each era Ia history has it's own features peculiar to it. l self Why be afraid of originality in men l and preachers? Why have them all look 1 alike, speak alike and think alike?
 Only those who are original speak with | authority. The life of Jesus suggests the | truth of this statement. He came into | conventional world with first hand knowledge | and an original way of looking at things. l He taught new things, and the people said l of him, Behold he speaks as one having | authority, not as the scribes."
 Every now and then book agent comes | to me and asks me to give him my name in testimony of the value of his book. Bat, if | he has the names of hundred doctors of divinity, will not give him mine unless I | have read the book myself. will not tes- tify of that of which I know nothing It is one of our privileges as ministers to be wit ness bearers We must deliver our own thoughts A preacher in order to be realistic must tell what he knows, but not dress up the discourses and thoughts of other men. It is plain that the young preacher must put forth some hearssy, but he must do it in such way that the people will know that it is hearsay. He must make a search for himself. Get from others what ' yeu cannot find out for yourself. When men cease to do their own thinking they are no longer men, and society becomes like rotten tim mbered ship.
 The influence of the works of TyndalI, Huxley and Herbert Spencer upon the world of religious thought and teaching was con- sidered by the preacher, and that influence shown to be productive of good in 8 measure. Various disparaging assertions concerning the origin of the Bible and the divinity of Christ have led to such sitting of those questions as they have never had before, and the truths of Christian belief are vindi eating themselves.
 Egotisn and vaporing are easy to fall into. Self assertion and bragging of originality are not beautiful. If you pursue originality be cause it is good and feels good, you are clean out of the way. The best way is not to pur- sus it at all Go straight about your busi- ness. If you are in the passionate pursuit of truth or desire to do good to your people all strutting will banish: God puts us minis ters in tight place. We must make good sermons, and must deliver them decently. On the other hand we must keep clear of self consciousness. It is the curse of preach ing that ministers have not strength to do these two opposite things. You see your peril and your remedy.
 Dr. Burton will lecture this, afternoon at o'clock.
 Cfty COurt-CrIminaI SIde-Juage Stud
 1eys
 January 17.-George Schenck, bound over to April term of Superior court; Henry 0'Donnell, breach of the peace, $6-18 costs, hirty days in jail.