The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-02-22

friend to see how such strains had touch
! ed that countenance all unused to such
melodies, he found that deep sleep had
j already come to the good soul to bear II
AWAY from the violin and flute. Now the
/ Brooklyn minister would say: Away
Z with such music from the earth, and LET
1 us have cannons and kettle. drums and
lsfifes for an orchestra, that all may be kept
4 roused,n but the teaching of history is,
I"Iet the music follow its own high life,
and let the poor man sleep on 1t is inn
portant that the art be high, it is not inn
Il portant that one man should be awake.
i Music has other errand than to stand as
i vigil over weary or dull brains.
i The power of the clergyman must, it
would seem, be simply the lawful power
of strong mind dealing with the best
things of his profession. He must, in the
best language OF his times and in the best
manner of his times, present the best
truths of his divine religion, that is, its
best truths for his era. It does not seem
that one will dare aspire after any more Of
sensation than these forms of merit will
produce. II such preaching seems heavy
| to some hearts it were better some should
doze than that truth should be set forth
that all should laugh to-day, and in,the
morrow be more and more unable to fol-
low calm thought or be themselves calm
thinkers. There have been men in the re-
cent past who have walked up their audi
ences to a full realization OF the duties OF
| life and O full sense ola life to como. Dos.
suet and Fenelon did this among Cath
olics. Robert Hall and Chalmers did
this among Professionals. And If you
will read their discourses you will find
an explanation of their power in the
wonderful adaptation of their sermons to
their places and periods, in subiect-man-
ner and in literary manner. As poetry
changed when it passed from Dryden to
Cowper, from Chaucer to Wordsworth, SO
the sermon changed when it came to Hall
or Chalmers. The theme changed, the
argument changed, the complex divisions
and subdivisions passed away philosophy,
like that OF the sohool=man or OF Edwards, |
gave place to the study OF human life,
reason displaced superstition, love displac- |
cd higotry, hell grew less lurid, and
heaven sweeter and larger. From Chal- |
mers's sermons you would not perhaps |
learn that he was Presbyterian, nor from
Robert Halls that he was a Baptist, be-
cause they both so loved the essential truth |
of this fworld and OF the next that they
had little heart for allusion to the little |
tenets of denomination. Look at the man
Robert Hall and look at his subjects of
discourse, and you will see by what gate
the only valuable sensationalism for which
some plead can come into the ministerial
office. He was born with an unusual
brain In his head. This fact must be get |
down as an important part of an outfit.
So powerful was his memory and so strong |
his reasoning faculties that when he was
IL years of age he had read with delight
much of modern philosophy. In all the
stood always first in his class. He entered
the ministry carrying with him power
enough to have made him great in any
pursuit. DIR. Parr said of him: "1e has
the piety of saint, the eloquence of an
orator, the acuteness of school-man,
the fancy of poet, the profound
ness of philosopher" Such was
Now mark his subjects. He upheld
all the charities of his age. He
preached on the "Value of knowledge for
the Lower Classes" Reflection on War;"
''The Value of q Free PRESS" on "The
Ambition of Ronapartei" on "The In.
fidelity OF Our Times;" on "The French
Philosophy;" by which argument he is
said to have surpassed Burke and Paley,
in hurting back from English shores the
invading atheism of France. Thus these
themes show how that one clergyman
aroused society by simply discussing with
broad reason and infinite labor those
questions which were filling the public
heart with deep interest and even painful
anxiety,
Those few names will indicate from what
fountains the vitality of the pulpit is to
flow. Out of natural power, out of learn
ing, out of hard labor out of adaptation to
the times, and out of simple piety the
most and best awakening force will come.
These elements combining will best break
up the deafness of all our hearts. If any
other sound than voice full of judgment
and toll and piety, wake us, nothing will
remain to justify the waking, and we shall
soon slumber again.
But this will always be true, that after
the clergyman by all prayer and labor
and faithful study OF human neod, shall!
have attempted to kindle In the human
soul some flame OF religion, he will finu
still many hearts that will sleep on and
heed not, hear not his message from the
Eternal. But not on account of these
heavy eyes must he suffer one pang of pain,
for the considerations of religion in their
hest form will not seem to all hearts to he
Mr.. Gladstone says that one reason why
so many old men fail to make a last will
and testament, comes from their inability
to believe that this life can come to an end,
and that they will cease to move about the
streets. This reason reappcars in the
and make the best eloquence
seem like the most empty of all
pulpit not only of mental power and learn
ing, and labor and adaptation, but also of
a patience which will accept of some i'm
passive hearers and OF some discouraging
days. In our world, made rs it is, it must
he enough if some eyes shall keep bright
with waiting. All pursuits have their
hours of emptiness, and all toilers seem
at times to spend labor for that which is
noqght, R4t to find 2 freut profession;
Of life, involves the whole duty of these
years. Society must gather up results.
Men slumhered and slept under Hall and
burke and st. Paul, and oven around the
divine Christ, and yot thoro remained a
vast multitude who walked at the COM
mand OF these faithful lips, and who ran
forward to become the heroes OF liberty