The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-22

we can handIly feach Those only who are on
the same social plane with us Those only
who can pay pew-rent, or who can be induced
TO come into our free seats Think II not.
We areto hold this precious Gospel for the
crowd who are last tramping on towards death.
Recreant are we to our high behest If we do
not magnify our mission, and compel them 10
hear the Gospel. In English cities. and I'm
English small towns as we'll, street-preaching
is common. On Sabbath afternoon in Lon
don, for instance, in its densely populated dis
tTicts, outdoor services are numerously held
The audiences are large and attentive Great
good is known to result from these efforts to
reach the moving crowds. Morning services,
too are common.
Rev. Newman Hall is in the habit of fire.
quently preaching at very early hour on
Sabbath morning, in front of Surrey Chapel,
to the populace that never can be induced to
go inside. Prayer meetings, too, are frequently
held upon the streets on Sabbath evenings.
Theatres, popular halls, and market-places are
seized upon there by earnest men for preach
ing purposes. To these places the great un-
washed throng will come to hear the Cos
pei. In good earnest and in fidelity to the
Master, and from love to souls, we in this
country must thus set about giving the
Gospel to the hosts of the street. With
us, out-of-doOr preaching has been brought
into disrepute somewhat by the attempt
on the part of few eccentric
and half-crazed men and women to harangue
the people upon religious subjects. These
have excited prejudices against the general
subject of street-preaching. Rows and dis
turbances have often taken place when such
persons have attempted to speak. Police have
been obliged to interpose. The result has
been to discourage this mode of evangelization,
and to depTecate street religious services.
But our pastors and our churches should take
up this important subject, redeem it from its
| disrepute, and place it on a basis aud
surround the movement by influences
which shall bring it into popular favor.
| Vast good may be done by a well and gene
rally inaugurated street-preaching movement
in all our cities. Without it, these great
multitudes that flow through our highways
| like mighty rivers must be lost. On every
| Sunday afternoon, from the Battery to the
Central Park, from the North to the East
| river, should men be stationed on the busiest
| thoroughfares to preach Christ to the moving
| bodies of people. All over this territory de-
scribed should there be preaching places.
Fifty ministers would not be too many to
occupy this field at once. No, no. A hun
| dred would be too few. We mean that this
needed work should be entered upon by our
4 best and most talented pastors. Let
such men as Adams and Prentis, Dix
and Tying, Vermilye and Ganse, Pax
| ton and Murray, Williams and Wes-
/
! Thompson, and many more we need not
name, stand upon the public streets and lift
up their voices in the name of their God to
the perishing multitudes who now never hear
them tell of Jesus; and street preaching would
be redeemed from prejudice in this city, and
thousands of men and women would be re-
deemed from death and hell. Why cannot
this be dOneH Is it not right? Is it not de.
manded by the fearful exigencies of the case
Is it not practicable Far better for these
ministers to turn themselves into the
streets for their second service than tc
keep battering away at the same hard
ened but respectable sinners within theil
churches, Sabbath after Sabbath and year
after year. We send money and men to evan
gelize the heather. All right. But shall we
let the heather of our own streets perish
That we employ here and there missionary
and send out tract-distributors will not NEE
the case. These agencies are well, and de
manded. God blesses them. But these ar,
not enough. The perishing masses need Il
hear the Gospel from strong, living men. Le
the men of might, men who can speak will
authority, go where the multitudes do congre
gate, and preach to them the unsearchablt
riches of Christ.