Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-08-07


Christian Preacher for all time and to
lay out the subject he called the attention
OF the audience to that passage of Paul's
writings in which he himself had laid down
the subject, the manner, and the object of
his preaching-the subject, Christ-the
manner, in oil wisdom-the object, that he
might present all men perfect before God.
In subject, then, Pauls preaching coin
cided with the declaration of Christ
"Without me, We can do nothing" and
with the influence of the Holy Spirit and
hence his success Yet this subject does
not limit man. 1t is mex baustible ms
the word of God which no preacher ever
exhausted, unless perhaps in his first SER
mon when he thinks he has used up the
Bible, when he has only.,used up what he
knows of 1T. There are three departments
of preaching, legal, gospel, and ethical
preaching-But legal preaching always
brings to Christ, in gospel preaching we
preach of Christ, and ethical preaching
makes men like Christ-He is the centre
of them all. ct men are not to preach Of
the centre all the time, but to occupy now
one and now another of these departments,
and 1t is not exactly proper to say that the
end of all preaching Is to bring sinners
trembling to Christ, for tho third depart
ment remains All men have not equal
powers in all three. 1t would take Paul
himself to fill them all with equal accept
ance.-Any preacher who adopts this sub
,ject may be sure Of the san cton Of Christ.
of the Holy Spirit, and of all successful
Christian preachers. lie may be sure of
subject which he can never exhaust
sure of never being behind his times, but
often in advance OF them-and sure of new
er growing old himself, or of wearing out
for that subject is life, and quickens into
life whatever touches it.
Then as to Pauls manner of dealing |
with the subject. 1t was in all wisdom. -
This was, first, IN Judgment and adapta-
ton to circu instances, lie became all |
things to all men Yet let no man think |
he had no manliness, no self respect. 49,
Paul was man, every inch OF him. If |
there ever was man on earth besides the
Son OF man, it was st Paul Nor let 1T be
thought that he had no settled doctrinal
belief. lie was not strenuous for obser-
vanccs indeed. Deal with them as non-cs-
sentials and he would observe them that
his weak brother might not be offended. |
but make them necessary to salvation and !
he rose up like a hon to resist them
But it was especially in the knowledge
of his subject, that he preached in all |
wisdom. lie studied Christ with the same |
zeal with which he studied the law before. |
and his knowledge is shown in his cpis-
ties, which have received more hard study
than all the rest of the New Testament, |
and he priced this knowledge for himself |
and expected his hearers to do the same, al
though even he never reached the depths
of it.
And the object of his preaching was to
present men perfect before God This per
lection was to be moral. and to operate on
all mans relations towards God and .
towards his fellow man And this object is
the same for which Christ came into the
world. Paul was n great doctrnal preach
er indeed, but he was also a great pract-
ical preacher. and his great merit in this is .
that he included himself among all men,
and labored upon himself with all the zeal .
with which he lahorei upon his horrors .
Yet Paul was not a perfect mgn-nor is
that required of a preacher.
1t was this object witch caused him to
so abound in labors. No man was ever
more intensely absorbed in his subject or
more wholly taken up with his hoct. All /
his knowledge of his great subj ect was sub
ordinated to his great object This opera
ted upon his manner and his mode Of expires
sion--so that he did no. always stop to fin .
ish his sentences AS preacher who will .
succeed must meyer lose sight Of his ohiact,
in finishing his words And it filled his
deep current Of thought with the tendercst
feeling, and put the living soul into his
writings lie had all the enthusiasm of the
scholar in pursuit of his subject, and all
that of the Christian in pursuit cf his
object-and this double enthusiasm. both Of
head and heart, is the soul of preaching. The
one makes 1t instructive, and the other.
persuasive. And such was Paul in an en-
inent degree. Such must be every one VINO
would be a minister now. II he follows
this line which Paul has marked out, he
a., 81