New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-03-08
Preaching.


to low ebb, and he is about to revive
his work. The first thing is that the
church be awakened from its slumbers.
Till this is done, there is very little
hope that sinners will be awakened;
and it requires an earnestness in the
pulpit, a directness of appeal, sound
ing of alarm to professors, which shall
make their ears Jingle. They must be
dealt with plainly, as standing in the
way of a revival, as stumbling blocks
lying in the path instead Of living
witnesses for Christ before the world.
The guilt as well as the danger of their
backslidings must be faithfully pointed
out. They must be earnestly exhortcd
to "repent and do their first works"
to examine themselves whether they
are in the faith, whether their own
hopes are well founded, whether re-
naming as they are, they can have any
good evidence that they are not yet in
their sins. They must be told plainly
that there are false professors in the
churches, and they must be exhorted
to awake and rise from the dead, that
Christ may give them life. They must
be shown that they are in a fearful de-
gree answerable for the reigning
worldliness and spiritual death around
them. In dealing with them the
preacher must use the word of God,
which is sharper than a two-edged
sword, as the surgeon uses his knife,
though it cut deep into the quick. It
may lead some real Christians for
time to distrust and renounce their
hope. 1t probably will, but it will do
them good in the end by making them
more watchful, and prayerfll, and
faithful to their covenant VOWS. Under
such a course of preaching it may be
hoped that the wise virgins will be
startled from their slumbers, and that
"fearfulness will surprise the hypo-
critics" 1t may require more than
one sermon, or two. 1t probably will.
How many no minister can tell till he
has made the trial and witnessed the
effect. Let him not give over till he
has made full proof-"line upon line,
preeept upon precept." He must eX-
pect that many Of his hearers will
wonder why he should dwell so much
upon one topic, and it will not be
strange if some of his best members
should feel that he bears too hard
upon them, though they may not tell
him SO. But if his searching appeals
sink down in their hearts and rouse
them to prayer and action, and God
pours out his spirit, they will be thank
full that their preacher did not let
them alone till by the grace of God
they were constrained to rise and
shake themselves from the dust. Said
one of the most pious deacons of my
church, after a glorious revival which
brought in nearly all the most in
iuential men in the place, 81 WON
dered before the work commenced why
you preached so long and pointedly to
the church. l knew we were in cold
state and needed to be walked up, but
at the time it seemed almost cruel in
you to lay the blame of our never
having had general revival so
heavily upon the church; ! now see
that we needed it, and bless God, that
he moved you to deal so faithfully with
us, both in the pulpit and out Of it.p
Some others had the same hard
thoughts, were led to change their
minds in the same way, after they had
seen aud rejoiced in The salvation Of
God. If we had all the facts, l believe
it would be found that nearly all of
the most powerful revivals have been
Immediately preceded by loud and
earnest sounding Of alarm in the
ears of the churches. How can
any pastor of a dead church
who "traVails in BIRTH for souls, rest
satisfied till, relying on divine aid, he
has faithfully made the attempt Z Nor
should it be confined to the pulpit.
The subject should be kept before the
mind Of the church at weekly lectures
and prayer meetings, and in private
exhortations, till it shall be evident
/ that she is in some good degree pre-
pared to receive blessing. AS soon
as that shall be the case, the prayers
will 90 up from many lips, Lord,
what wilt thou have us to do Z" When
a church is brought to this point there
is every reason to hope that God is
about to revive his work in the con-
gregation. And then the way is pre-
pared for series Of pointed and rous-
ing discourses to the impenitent. Then
is the time for the preacher to WELD
the sword Of the spirit y to lift up his
voice like trumpet, to cry aloud and
not spare. just here, the first thing e
be aimed at is to gain the sinners al,
tention. Failing in this, though an
angel were to come down from HEAVIER
and occupy the pulpit, his preaching
would avail nothing. It would do nj
more good than speaking into the COX
ear Of death. The careless sinner mus
somehow be influenced to stink Of
his ways, 70 consider what his actua
condition IS what bis relations to Coz
4 Iasr nults a. -