The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-03-13
THE DRAGON OF THE PEWS.

In an article with the above title in Scri5-
ner's for March, DR.. Holland writes as fol-
lows:
Let us have a plain word about the greed
for sermons, SO prevalent in these latter
days. We doubt whether there ever was a
time in the history of the Christian Church
when its ministers were placed in so awk-
ward, difficult, and unjust position as
they are to-day. Great, expensive edifices
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 a large
and interested congregation. That congre-
CATION cannot be collected and held without
brilliant preaching. Brilliant preaching is
scarce, because, and only because, brilliant
men are scarce, and scarcer still the bril-
liant men who have the gift of eloquence.
So soon, therefore, as a man shows that he
cannot attract the crowd, "down goes his
house." He may be a scholar, saint,
man whose example is the sweetest sermon
that a human life ever uttered, lovely
friend, a faithful pastor, wise spiritual
adviser, and even a sermonizer of rare at
tainments and SKILL but if he cannot draw
crowd by the attractive gifts of popular
eloquence, he must be sacrificed to the ext
gencies of finance. The church must be
filled, the interest on the debt must be paid,
and nothing can do this but a man who
will "draw." The whole thing is man
aged like theater. If an actor cannot
draw full houses, the rent cannot be paid.
So the actor is dismissed and new one is
called to take his place.
There is an old fashioned idea that a
church is built for the purposes of public
worship. 1t is not bad idea; and that
exhibition of Christianity which presents
thousand lazy people sitting bolt upright
in their best clothes, gorging sugar plums,
is not a particularly brilliant one. 1t was
once supposed that Christian had some
thing to do, even as a layman, and that
pastor was leader and director in Chris
tian work. There certainly was time
when the burden of a church was not laid
crushingly upon the shoulders of It's minis
ter, 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
lived it, and thousand American churc hes,
particularly among the great centers of
Puiaoioh, oIC SiotuluS ONcl ulSCOuuJuIc
in the sad results. Instead of paying their
own debts like men, they lay them on the
backs of their floundering ministers, and if
they cannot lift them, they 60 hunting for
spinal columns that will, or tongues that
hold charm for their dissipation. 1t is
wrong and a shame which ought to be
abolished, just as soon as sensible men have
read this article
Who was primarily to blame for this con-
dition of things we do not know; but we
suspect the ministers themselves ought to
bear a portion of it. Beginning in New
England years ago, the sermon in America
has always been made too much of. The
great preachers, by going into their pulpits
Sunday after Sunday with their supreme
intellectual efforts, have created the de-
mand for such efforts. Metaphysics, didac-
tics, apologetics, arrayed in robes of rhet-
oric, have held high converse with them.
The great theological wrestlers have made
the pulpit the arena of conflict. Homllies
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, OF 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 a congregation in day,
and that every added word goes to the glut
of intellect and feeling, and the confusion
of impressions, they still 60 on preaching
twice and thrice, and seem more averse
than any others to change of policy. 1t
is all intellectual gormandizing. and no &C
tivty, and no rest and reflection. 1t is all
cram and no conflict, and they seem just as
averse to stop examining as they did before
they apprehended and bemoaned the pow
erty of its results.
But we are consuming too much of their
time. The great dragon, with its multitr.
dinous heads, and arms, and feet, is to meet
them next Sunday with its mouths all open
1t has done nothing all the week but sleep,
and it is getting hungry. Woe to him who
has not his two big sermons ready! 1nsa-
tiate monster, will not one suffice?
mo" says the dragon; d" No" says his
keeper and feeder. Brains, paper, ink,
lungs-he wants all you can give, and you
must give him all you can. The house
must be filled, the debt must be paid, and
you must be popular preacher, or get out
of the way. Meantime, the dragon sleeps,
and meantime the city is badly ruled;
drunkenness debauches the people under
the shield of law, harlotry jostles our youth
upon the sidewalks, obscene literature
stares our daughters out of countenance
from the news stands, and little children,
with no play ground but the gutter, and no
home but a garnet, are growing up in ignor-
ance and vice. If this lazy, over-fed, loose
ly artculated 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 peo-
pie think SO, and the preachers agree with
them, We should like to know what the
Master thinks about it.