The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-03-26
THE DRAGON OF THE PEWS.


this badge Of barbarism-the dog.
THE DRAGON OF THE PEWS.
In an article with the above title in Scrbner
for March, Dr. Holland writes as follows:
Let us have plain word about the greed for
sermons, so prevalent in these latter days. We
doubt whether there ever was time in the
history of the Christian Church when its min
listers were placed in so awkward, difficult, and
unjust position as they are to-day Great
expensive edlfces OF worship are built, for
which the builders run heavily in debt That
debt can only be handled, the interest on it
paid, and the principal reduced. by filling it
with large and interested congregation. That
congregation cannot be collected and held with
out brilliant preaching. Brilliant preaching is
scarce because, and only because, brilliant men
are scarce, and scarcer still the brilliant men
who have the gift of eloquence. So soon,
therefore, as a man shows that he cannot at
tract the crowd, down goes his house" He
may be a scholar, a saint man whose ex-
ample Is the sweetest sermon that human life
ever uttered, a lovely friend, faithful pastor.
a wise spiritual adviser and even sermonizer
of rare attainments and Skill but IL he cannot
draw crowd by the attractive gifts Of popular
eoquence, he must be sacrificed to the ex-
igencies OF finance The church must be tilled.
the interest on the debt must be paid, and
nothing can do this but man who Will - draw"
The whole thing is managed like theater. II
an actor cannot draw full house,. the rent
I cannot be paid. SO the actor il dismissed and
new one i called to take his place.
There is an old-fashionei idea that church
is built for the purposes OF public worship. 1t
is not Lad idea and that exhibition Of
Christianity which presents a thousand lazy
people sitting bolt upright IN their best clothes.
gorging sugar-plums is not particularly bril-
liant one. 1t was once supposed that Christian
had something to DO, even a. layman. and
that a pastor was leader and director in
Christian work. There certainly was time
when the burden o. church was not laid
crushingly upon the shoulders Of its minister.
and when Christian men and women stood by
the man who was true to his Office and true to
them. We seem to have out-llved it. and
thousand American churches. particularly
among the great centers OF population, are
groaning over discontinue in the sad results.
Instead OF paying their own debts like men.
they lay them on the backs Of their Laundering
ministers, and If they cannot life them. they
go hunting Cor spinal columns that will or
tongues that hold a charm FOR their dissipation.
1t is wrong and shame which ought to be
abolished. Just a. soon as sensible men have
! read this article.
Who was primarily in the blame for this con-
dition CT things, We do not know but we sus-
pect the ministers themselves ought to bear a
portion OF il. Beginning in New England years
ago, the sermon Ii America has always been
made too much OF. The great preachers, by gong
into their pulpits Sunday after Sunday with
their supreme intellectual efforts. have created
the demand for such efforts. Metaphysics, d.
dactics, apoogetics arrayed in robes OF rhe toric
have held high converse with them The great
theological wrestlers have made the pulpit their
arena Of conflict. Homilies have grown into
sermons and sermons into orations. Preachers
have set aside the teachers simple task for that
OF the orator. Even to-day they cannot see
or they will not admit that they have been IN
the wrong. With knowledge OF the human
mind which cannot but make them aware that
no more than single good sermon can be
digested by congregation in day, and that
every added word goes to the glut of intellect
and feeling, and the confusion OF Impressions
they still go on preaching twice and thrice. and
seem more averse than any others TO a change
OF policy. 1t ia all intellectual gormandizing
and no activity, and no rest and reelection. I,
is all cram and no conflict, and they seem Just
as averse to stop examining as they did before
they apprehended and bemoaned the poverty
Of its results.
But we are consuming too much OF their time.
The great dragon, with its multtudinous heads.
and arms, and feet, is to meet them next Sun
day with its mouths all open. It has done
nothing all the week but Sleep and 1t is getting
hungry. Woe to him who has not got his two
big sermons ready Insatate monster. will
not one suffice -?
No. says the dragon No." says his
keeper and feeder. Brains, paper, ink lungs
he wants al you can give, and you must give
him all you can. The house must be filed the
debt must be paid and you must be a popular
preacher or get out of the way. Meantime
the dragon sleeps, and meantime the city is
badly ruled drunkenness debau ches the
people under the shield of law, harotry jostles
our youth upon the sidewalks, obscene liter
AZURE stares our daughters out of countenance
from the news. stands, and little children with
no playground but the gutter, and no home
but garrett, are growing up in Ignorance and
wee. II this lazy, over-fed, loosely articuIated
dragon could only be split up into active men
and women, who would shut their mouths and
open their eyes and hands, we could have
something different But the sermon is the
great thing the people think 80, and the
preachers agree with them. We should like to
! know what the Master Thinks about it.