Year: 1873

EIGHTH LECTURE OF TIE REV. HENRY WARD


NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ACTION AND REACTION.


The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher delivered the
eighth lecture of his OF u before the theological
students OF Yale College. yesterday at New-Haven' con-
sdering the topic Of Revvals," and answtring many
OF the difficulties which found IN the minds Of those
that do MT believe in them and 90 not labor lor their
promotion in their own communities


Go among the ordinary said he, the working the half
intelligent the commonly ignorant people; go into the
househods4 Here and there You will hud a shreWd
woman sagaciOus and shrewd man; but Won take CON-
mon folks as they are, and own impression from my
acouaintapce with them is that there very few
households outside Of Christian churches that generate
many moral thoughts religious thoughts or religious
impuses The higher feelings are extremely weak IN
them and there is 10 be any way in which you can
reach and arouse these people 1t must be by something
which shall lift the whole community; something IN the
nature OF these reviva Of which have been speaking


II il said nv those not in favor OF revivas ht
they tend to run 70 a Wild phantasm That is precisely
a. II man would dissuade US from breaking colts by
saving thar horses run away So they DO II they are not


well broken and well driven, but never regard that AS


satisfactory reason. popular Impulse VIII run away
with a community Revivals Of religion are untamabe
inst in proportion they rare. They become mid
and ameuable TO good management Just in
uroportion TO their frequency. 10 Is said
that the work done by revivals IS not
IN he compared 10 the work which done by churches
III their ordinary apparel Do all the people tnAt are
brought up in regular church connection turn out wei
Are there failures among the regulars as well as
among the militia I don't think that man that has
been brought into the Kingdom through the instru-
mentality Of the Church likely 10 be any better than
the man that has been brought in through the instn
mentality Of devOut OutpOuring Of the Divine spirit
II is said these revvals OF religion pour stream OF raw
and uncultivated men upon the community. No. thcy
don't They IL the community before. An mt
they are religious But you would rather have
Them dead trespasses and sins Irregular than trying
70 be better men, because they scramble on allfours
Iftt is life or death let it be life. When men have been
long dead until they stink in their vices and evil habits
prde selfshness and wOrldness, anything that puts
in them the germ Of life is better than that long
urety OF damnatiOu. Applause 1t is said that during
the prevalence OK revivals OF religion men act under
great excitement and do things which they would not
do when under the influence OF calm reason That Is
as true as you live. Do you take notice that nobody IL
afraid ofex cltemen in politics or money matters II Is
only when gross matter begins 70 die out OF sght and
ethereal visions come before men that we hear these
! men oroakng "moderatonl moderatonl let your
moderation be known all men" Theyare afraid that
/ men will become evangelical suddenly, that men VIII
tumble of che precipice OF SIN into heaven suppose
there little excitement, cantyou bear with IL ior
| the end il contemplated