He did not remain here long, however, but soon accepted a call to Indianapolis, the capital of the State, where he lived for eight years.  He occupied a tasteful cottage on the outskirts of the town, and gathered about him his household treasures, which consisted of his family, his library, his horse, cow, pigs, and chickens.  He was an enthusiast in matters of agriculture and horticulture, and besides importing from the East the best varieties of fruit-trees, roses, etc., he edited a horticultural paper, which had a fair circulation.

The eight years of his ministry in Indianapolis make up a period of hard and useful work.  He held two services on Sunday, and five meetings during the week in various parts of the city, and with the consent of his people gave three months of each year to missionary work in other parts of the State.  While engaged in this latter duty he traveled about the State on horseback and preached daily.

His experience in the ministry, as well as his study of the lives of the apostles, convinced him that success in his profession—­by which I mean the successful winning of souls to God—­was not to be won by preaching controversial or dry doctrinal sermons.  He must seize upon some vital truth, admitted by all parties, and bring that home to men’s minds.  He must preach to them of their daily, hourly trials and temptations, joys and comforts, and he resolved that this should be the character of his preaching.  Then came the question, how shall one man know that which is uppermost in the thoughts of the many?  He went into the places of public resort, where men were accustomed to lounge and to gather to hear the news, and made it his practice to listen to their conversations.  In this way he began to know the people to whom he preached as few pastors know their flocks, and he was enabled by this knowledge to apply his teachings to their daily lives, and to send them forth to their duties warned by his reproofs or cheered by his intelligent counsel and sympathy.  This practice, modified at times as circumstances have required, he has steadfastly continued, and in it lies the secret of his success as a preacher.  Said a gentleman, not long since, himself a member of a different denomination, “Beecher’s sermons do me more good than any I hear elsewhere.  They never fail to touch upon some topic of importance that has engaged my thoughts during the week.  Dropping all doctrinal technicalities, and steering clear of the vexed questions of theology, he talks to me in such a way that I am able to carry Christ into the most trifling of my daily affairs, and to carry Him there as my Sympathizer and Helper, as well as my Judge.”  He soon became the most popular preacher in the city, and, thanks to the genuineness of his gifts and the earnestness of his zeal, he was enabled to add many to the kingdom of Christ who had been drawn to hear him merely by their curiosity.  Among these was his brother Charles, whose skepticism has been spoken of elsewhere in this chapter.  Becoming deeply impressed at a revival in Indianapolis, Charles Beecher, by his brother’s advice, took a Bible class, and began to teach the story of Christ.  The plan worked most happily.  Charles solved all the questions which had perplexed his mind, reentered upon his religious life with increased fervor, and soon afterward entered the ministry.