The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-01-10

New YORK WorlIA lseport OF sermon ~ fIyHloutu
Church.
In many respects l don't look at sub
jects as the old %theologians do; l have a
different philosophy from that which pre-
walls in their confession Of systematic the
ology. In my own way OF looking at it,
it seems to me that my ways Of teaching
are far in advance OF the old ways. l hold
a profound sense OF the sinfulness OF men
that it leads to a greater impulse 10 free
ones self; it brings in with more force,
with manifold more power5the Saviour
and the souls need Of salvation. In the
recognition Of sin, in the confession Of
sin, in the use Of Jesus as the Saviour
from sin, l hold myself to be a great deal
more orthodox than the orthodox, a great
deal sounder than most men. Imake
this personal because I have a right. For
more than twenty years / have had no
such such thing as private mi~nistration,
such as belong TO ordinary pastors.
Whether in the great congregation or in
private meetings, nothing Is private.
Now, in preaching, as you all know, l
write nothing, and,therefore there must
needs be those imperiections common to
all men OF an impulsive imaginative tenn
permanent, and l sometimes give to things
more emphasis than / should it'll had
written the sermon In the GOODNESS OF the
study. Sometimes l ~exaggerate, and some
times inthe fervor oficoncentrated feeling
say things which lead men to believe !
am not as charitable as | should be. l find
no fault with men that c~riticise me, yet
on certain great points l would not be
misunderstood. l have a profound con-
viction OF universal sinfulness, and 1t is
founded on the very divine method OF hui
man life. l entirely understand what the
%theologians are after when they undertake
to prove that sin was the necessary means
for the greatest good, but they explain 1t
differently. 1 hold that 1t is not possible
but that there should be, and In long
service, great transgressions and sins:
You might as well attempt to bring achild
up thai, being helpless, should never
make mistakes, or in learning TO walk
should never fall; you might as we'll at.
tempt to teach language to o child and
never have 1t mispronounce as to attempt
to take n race and introduce them into life
at the lowest point and bring
them up through all the successive
stages, and have no room for manifold
faults. That a man should grow up
without a violation Of law each day be
lives is simply impossible. l reject-of
course I reject-the~ theologians' teaching
as to the imputaticns OF Adams sin TO his
posterity, / believe that men manufac.
ture their own sin, and that 1t does not
come down as an heirloom from their an
cestors, Ibelieve that certain tendencies
or faculties go down with the race, andthat
10 a limited extent there Is hereditary sin,
lisa fact which / recognize. lind fault with
the use OF tie phrases sin and sintnlness
Us they are largely taught, largely employ
ed, by Christians personally. While hold
Ing, and holding with immeasureable con-
yiction and strength, the reality OF human
weakness and sin, l don't hold TO the way
lin which the doctrine Is taught or employ.
ed, in excessive generalization vague and
cloudy instead OF specific and special
, Men should be taught that sin is In the
first instance specific. l also object to .
great many ofthe Inaccuracies on the sub
ject OF the venomousness OF sins. believe
that some are as venomous as a serpenti
tooth, but l don't believe they all are
There are gradations all the way through
and It Is not wise for men so 70 preach o
so to teach as that there should be no dis
elimination between n sort and another
sort.
!, hold that this method has no warran
!. in the Scripture, and nowhere can yol
Z find a model Of any such thing in Jesu
: Christ. And 1t Is the same with tn
I Apostles. l object also to morbid dwell
! ing on past sins. There arc people who
) having done wrong, sit down over It an
4 stew, and stew, and stew. The only. OF
: iect In looking back on sin is to avoid
. In the future, 10 do better. Having serve
ihis object, ills 70 be forgotten. TINS