1858. Proctor began taking notes for friends in a distant city of Mr. Beecher's sermons. The present book came into being because the notebook of the notes taken were passed from one person to another, and it was thought they should not be confined to just a few, but should be published in a volume and given to the many. With rare exceptions, these notes were taken from the Sabbath sermons and Wednesday evening lectures. Most of them had never been previously written; for Mr. Beecher's best thoughts are not usually those which are beforehand committed coolly to paper; they are those which spring from the inspiration of the moment, and have no record save in the memory of his listeners. To gather up and preserve some of the treasures thus lavishly scattered, as been the aim of this volume. Due to the age and scarcity of the original we reproduced, some pages may be spotty, faded or difficult to read.