Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1879-01-24
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ENTHUSIASM.

VIC puipil, III illSi dtuiS, al OIL
life. There is no genius without
it, no heroism without it, no
saintship without it. 1t is a
power, charm in social life.
1t fuses surrounding hearts, and
renders them malleable to the
moulding power of the master
mind. Itexalts theology above
mere ethics, religion above mere
morality, into divine and living
reality; and of all places in the
world the pulpit should be its
focal-centre. A man standing
between heaven and earth, call
ing the multitudes from one to
the other, what is he but a per-
sonal caricature without enthu-
siasm?
But is it not a matter of mere
temperament, and therefore inn
possible to many men-men of
cool, logical minds? And are
not these men, however impas-
sive, important defenders of the
truth, and therefore legitimately
in the pulpit Now, as Sir Rog-
er de Coverley used to affirm,
"there is much to be said on both
sides" of this question. The
logical preacher is indeed an i'm
portant man, but is it not a COM
monplace fallacy to assume that
the logical mind must necessari-
ly be a frigid one? Should nota
man who, by his logic. feels him
self mighty in his convictions,
be also mighty in his earnest
ness, in the fervor of his convic-
tons? What is true rhetoric
but ignited logic? The theo-
retical fallacy on the subject be-
comes a practical fallacy, chiefly,
we think, by the mere consent
of the logical thinker. There
are few men who would not kin
die with inspiration under their
logical augmentation, were it
not that they so often assume
that, because they are logical,
they ought not, or cannot, be
anything else. Let them resolve,
by Gods grace, to "fre up" as
they launch out their logic, and
they will soon find that there is
a heart as well as brain within
them; that God never designed
that men who have strong heads
should have feeble hearts. How
many really able men fail pre-
cisely at this point! How often
toward the close of a strongly
logical discourse have intelli-
gent hearers felt that now is the
time for overwhelming power
for what the simple African
preacher called the "rouse-
ments," that if the speaker
would only strike home from the
vantage ground of his reason
with real heart-earnestness he
would be omnipotent?
Many a man, who now passes
for dry, ineffective preacher,
mere doctrinal logician, would
leap at once into the rank of a
first rate pulpit orator, if he
would only resolve to substitute
his heart in the place of head
through the last ten minutes of
his sermon. He could thus
clinch his logical spikes, and
sweep down all that stands be-
fore his logical battery.
All men have hearts, all men
are, therefore, susceptible of this
great power of enthusiasm; but
it needs to be cherished. The
logical speaker needs to aim at
the use of it. He should pray
for it. He has been promised
the power from on high" let
him pray for that, and he cannot
fail of feeling, and of making
others feel!
We have not, however, wished
to treat of the subject as appli-
cable only to preaching. 1t is
appropriate to ali religious la
Dor, all religious life. What is
prayer-meeting without more or
less enthusiasm? What Ills
sionary or temperance meeting?
What the influence of a Sab
bath-school teacher over his
pupils? What the influence of
a christian man in any sphere of
life? Religion is, indeed, a creed
in part; but it is more a senti-
ment-more in the heart than in
the head; it should be in both:
it is a life and a power. Guizot
was right, then, when he said:
"Be not afraid of enthusiasm
you can do nothing effectively
without itl'