Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-04-25
ASKING BREAD and RECEIVING
STONES.

Preachers of the gospel in the olden
time never seem to have wearied of exhorting
their hearers to believe in Christ and to fol-
low after him. They were always finding
new beauties in the religion which he estab-
lished, always suggesting new thoughts, al
ways enforcing the truths of his plan of sal
walton by new arguments. Each of the nu-
tains something new. Almost every sen
tence is text upon which a score of SER
mons could be preached. There IS no re-
dundancy of language, no repetition OF ideas
save the central idea of Christianity-the
fact that Christ died to save those who were
lost. Though the new dispensation was but
in its infancy he seems never to have been
at loss for apt simile, cogent reasoning,
earnest exhortation or argument, or needed
reprOof and admonition.
In the later days of the church, during and
| for a hundred years subsequent to the refor-
nation, the preachers of the gospel were men
of broad intellectual capacity, wide research
and great originality of thought. Luther,
Melancthon, Wicklife, Knox and their COM
patriots were animated by but one desire
that of preaching the gospel as they under
stood it. They were intellectual giants who
had Titans to contend against, and they
brought to their aid earnestness, zeal and
originality. The manner of their preaching
was electrical, and they fired their converts
with their own determination to cast of the
superstltions and errors Of the dark ages and
to hold fast to the faith, even though perse-
cution should encompass them on every
hand.
In the early days of our colonial and fed
Grated existence the church possessed many
original minds, among them Edwards, Math-
er, Charming and Parker, and to-day few
remain who are worthy to preach and to
teach the doctrines laid down by the scrip
lures and to present to their hearers on each
recurring Sabbath something new and in
structive; some new phase OF the di-
vine attributes: something that will
cause the devout as they leave the house of
worship to exclaim, SIT was good for Us to be
ONAASONOA $1,000 S-~S
number of preachers who show themselves
capable of instructing congregation of in
telligent men and women is diminishing al
most every year. The trouble seems to be
that our clergy are falling into rut, and
are either afraid to search out new paths or
do not possess the originality required for
such task. Hence it is that we hear the
same thing preached from the pulpit Sunday
after Sunday-the same ideas promulgated,
though perhaps clothed in a slightly differ
ent garb, until we become nauseated and
long for some one to change the monot-
ony.
But this is not the worst form of pulpit
mediocrity. Few of our average clergymen
undertake to supply their Col gregations
with original sermons weekly. man who
has occupied the pulpit for ten or dozen
years usually has large supply of old SER
mons, and these he breaches with little alter
alton or amendment over and over again.
He does not seem to realize
that he is committing a fraud
upon his congregation or that he is dwarfng
his own mental capacity by so doing. His
congregation pays him for his best thoughts
the results of his latest research into theo-
Iogy and theological literature. Instead of
that they are receiving his thoughts of ten
years previous, when, perhaps, but callow
youth, fresh from the recitation room of some
theological seminary. It is absurd to say
that these sermons are as good as if freshly
written, for no man of intelligence can live
year without learning something new on
any given subject. If he is incapable of learn
ing he is not fit for the position he occupies.
Another fault with which the modern
minister is chargeable is his disposition FREE
quently to appropriate and palm off the ideas
of others as their own. We have in our pos
session sermon that is q striking though
perhaps an extreme illustration of this point.
The manuscript bears the appearance of
considerable age, and is well thumbed, show
ing that it had been read more than once
or half a dozen times.
1t is made up almost wholly
OF texts of scripture ingeniously strung to-
gether with only such original sentences as
are necessary to connect them into consecu-
tive sentences. Then comes an extract from
one of Theodore Parker's sermons, followed
by an extract from Jeremy Taylor's "Ductor
Dubitartium," cited to contradict the theo-
ries of the apostle of Unitarianism, then
few more passages of scripture, the whole
concluding with one of Watts hymns. In
the whole sermon, so-called, there are scarce
! ly fifty lines of original language, and even
| the little that there is does not strike one as
indicating very high order of intellect.
The man who preached this sermon SO often
that the paper is almost worn out, enjoys
the reputation of being one of the most as
tute and learned of the clergy of neigh
boring city, and draws a large salary Tor the
simple work of compiling the thoughts of
others. Though he is probably extreme in
manufacturing his whole sermons in this
manner, the practice is not exceptional
among gentlemen of the cloth.
The people who frequent the churches
pay the preachers and ask for bread.
They too often receive only stone, mentally