Men were in earnest then, both speaking and hearing. There was no coldness, no languor, no studied oratory. Truly they preached as dying men to dying men. True, life was a little shorter then, but that was all. Death and its issues are still the same.
Eternity is still the same.
The soul is still the same. Salvation is still the same. But that was all the difference. We must be more in earnest, if we would walk in the footsteps of our beloved Lord, or if we would fulfill the vows that are upon us. We must be more in earnest, if we would be less than hypocrites.