Henry Ward Beecher Quotes About Church

• The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians, but a school for the education of imperfect ones.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Funny, Christian, Education

  Henry Ward Beecher (1858). “Life Thoughts”, p.140

• The slave labors, but with no cheer - it is not the road to respectability, it will honor him with no citizens' trust, it brings no bread to his family, no grain to his garner, no leisure in after-days, no books or papers to his children. It opens no school-house door, builds no church, rears for him no factory, lays no keel, fills no bank, earns no acres. With sweat and toil and ignorance he consumes his life, to pour the earnings into channels from which he does no drink, into hands that never honor him. But perpetually rob and often torment.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Cheer, Children, Book

  "Modern Agitators: or, Pen Portraits of Living American Reformers". Book by David W. Bartlett, 1856.

• A church debt is the devil's salary.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Church, Devil, Salary

• Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches talk about having evidence of Divine authority because they have miracles. Miracles in our time are like candles in the street at midday. We do not want miracles. They are to teach men how to find out truths themselves; and after they have learned this, they no more need them than a well man needs a staff, or a grown-up child needs a walking-stool.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Children, Men, Miracle

  Henry Ward Beecher (1872). “One Thousand Gems”, p.249

• Many will say, "I can find God without the help of the Bible, or church, or minister." Very well. Do so if you can. The Ferry Company would feel no jealousy of a man who should prefer to swim to New York. Let him do so if he is able, and we will talk about it on the other shore; but probably trying to swim would be the thing that would bring him quickest to the boat. So God would have no jealousy of a man's going to heaven without the aid of the Bible, or church, or minister; but let him try to do so, and it will be the surest way to bring him back to them for assistance.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Bible, New York, Men

  "Life Thoughts, Gathered from the Extemporaneous Discourses of Henry Ward Beecher, by One of His Congregation". Book edited by Edna Dean Proctor, 1859.

• The clearest window that ever was fashioned if it is barred by spiders' webs, and hung over with carcasses of insects, so that the sunlight has forgotten to find its way through, of what use can it be? Now, the Church is God's window; and if it is so obscured by errors that its light is darkness, how great is that darkness!

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Errors, Light, Darkness

  Henry Ward Beecher, Edna Dean Proctor (1858). “Life Thoughts: Gathered from the Extemporaneous Discourses of Henry Ward Beecher”, p.32

• There ought to be such an atmosphere in every Christian church that a man going there and sitting two hours should take the contagion of heaven, and carry home a fire to kindle the altar whence he came.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Christian, Home, Men

  Henry Ward Beecher (1858). “Life Thoughts”, p.18

• Human life is God's outer church. Its needs and urgencies are priests and pastors.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Humanity, Church, Needs

  Henry Ward Beecher, William Drysdale (1887). “Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit”

• No church can be prospered in which all the ministration comes from the pulpit.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Church, Pulpit

  Henry Ward Beecher (1871). “The Plymouth pulpit. Sermons preached in Plymouth church, Brooklyn”, p.56

• The church is no more religion than the masonry of the aqueduct is the water that flows through it.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Aqueducts, Water, Church

  Henry Ward Beecher, William Drysdale (1887). “Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit”

• When a church is faithless to its duties, the real church is outside its walls, in the community.

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Wall, Real, Community

  Henry Ward Beecher (1858). “Life Thoughts”, p.103

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