Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-06-27

way. Otherwise book Of sermons OF tho
dead sht dispense with live preaching
And, beside, a minister cugh. TO be more
than an echo Of the psws. II they know
what no il going 10 say, why say il! Tn
less be can tell them something, why
speak, lie is messenger. Why, II ne
has TO message
know Of nothing so unworthy as to
canvass a congregation through the weak
for opinions TO hand back on Sunday. BY
doing it man may get reputation for being
sound and orthodox but what becomes oil
him, II he 10 to consult bis hearers about
what he is to preach, how many Of them,
and which ones, And If they should not
happen to agree, what will he dos min
lister is ordained TO preach, and not the
congregation.
The idea OF any individual setting up the
standard Of orthodoxy, end wasping every
other individual 10 il. may be realized for
few brief years 10 Rome, but never for .
minute In America.
There are only two fair ways OF treating
a sermon or any speech. One 10 TO admit
the truth RI il, and the other is TO refu.e the
error Of il.
The third and unfair way is the way OF
the inquisition deny the argument tna'
cannot DO answered, push it ASIDE, spy %
it, and burn the preacher. We nave oohs
away with the burning, but retain the bnl-
snco Of the method.
One Of these unreasoners hears some
thing he did not know and, II It IS some
thing 10 does no. like. be finds It easier to
call 1t hercsy than TO disproys it. l. is
easy enough to misrepresent q sermon, 1t
takes little talent. 1t is easy TO pick out
bits Of sentences, and sew them together,
and make ridiculous patchwork, and exhib-
i, il a. q specimen CT the original p;ecs il
is as ensy as lying.
have come to tho last sermon. have
preached here year. l have never said
any thing that did not think was the truth.
I have given il to you just - il seemed to
me. am not prssumptuoHs enough to
suppose that there has been no mistake
made. Any minister who 10 human has .
right TO make mistakes. lie is 70 take
care that they BE- mistakes and not sins.
The truth 10 not 30 tender thing that 1t
will not bear handling. II needs il % gold
in the mine before u comes 10 light. That
is the way the truth comes to US; . little
geld TO coed deal of sand. The Idea that
~ must b putting out our hands TO stead ,
tho ark OF the Lord over rough places is .
profans one. The truth will bear any
| journey. No sincere searcher can ever
harm It; no sincere sermon is able to per.
vert it.
The minister Of these days il not Al ora
Gle; he is . sincere thinker, telling his
thoughts to others, hoping that they will
receive them il they are true; and because
they are true, and not because he says
them hoping, also, that II they are not
true, they will DO refuted-" ! ssy the
truth, why do you not believe ms?''
The days when men were expected to
swallow an untruth because priest said il
are happily past. The pulpit has come
down to desk. The minister 10 a man
on level with other men-and dsp ends on
reason and meditation for the success Of bis
sermon, and not OH authority Of tho church
and brute force.
lie is q man, and not monk---ald "a
such ID entitled 10 extra favors and no ex-
ira frowns-and has a right to do and say
any thing that any body has right to do OF
say among other things he has n RICH. tc
attend to his own business in his own way
The Injunction of Paul to Titus was: " Lei
ne man despise thee" In order 70 obey
thar, Titus must stand on his own footing
and not lean on that Of his parish worl
out his own ideas, and not consume hi
valuable time in travelling around after ad
vice.
The time, have changed since the "scv
enty" wero sent forth to preach the ever
lasting gospel Preaching isa profession
in most respects, like any other. Whoev
or can do the work well, and live by it. hal
. call TO il. ability 10 speak, and willing
ness Of the people to hear, constitutes.
call" Like every other profession or trade
the first years are full Of mistakes in doc
trine and duty,
Making sermons is an art; mskng gco'
ones is difficult art ; making enc hundr
ed faultlsss models in . year 10 impossible
No man ever did ", doubtless no man eve
will.
Daniel Webster's famc rests on six ora
tons. delivered in the space Of thirty years
Five years to one grafton. Tho lecturer
that travel tho West through the winter
enlig htening the villagers With wit and wi ,
dom, have each had summer TO press int
an hours talk. That one lecture is tn
ore blossom Of summers labor. Til
HurTt'u sfiiiicu Caii hpt fiNai the tcllDetst
speech we need not expect it.
Pastoral wo,k-ti.ifiHg an art, I
might say gift, SO difficult is il to acquire
Nov, Of these branches OF n minister.
work, many men excel in neither. Til
country Is ovcrrun with them; every Va
cant church i. hesieged BY n crowd of hun
gry applicants. boosting more psty tia
intellect. A few mon excel in pulpit woi k
a few in pastoral labor. very seldom doe
one man exccl in both. II a man is Away
visiting how ca1 he study , 1.-The can no
study, how can ne preach By study
do not mean that he shut himself up, ant
poro over books. and construct pretty sen
fences. mean that he think. No differ
snce how or whore he does his thinking
Tho street is an excellent place. Every
one has . right 10 his own peculiar habit .
thought. II he can make . sermon and x
fishing at the same time, there 10 moth
ing in the example Of Peter to prevent him
In view Of the iupossibility Of sxcelling i,
al the points Of ministerial labor, be i
wise who attends the most important, an,
neglects the least and the church 10 Wis
which allows him to do 90. A man with
key Of old sermons Of oil shades, from mod
dern white and black to the "sere and yel
low leaf" could do pastoral work from
Monday morning till Saturday eve. Bu
young man with no ancient manuscript
and dssiling 70 say every word in ssasen
must either study or steal
SPEOlA0. NOTnEE0