The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-04-07
CORRESPo NOE.
Our New York Letter.
New YORK, March q, 1880.
Preaching and Preachers.


MeSSrs EdGt0rS,-The Presbyterian
Church is now, much more than one hun
dred years ago, undergoing the test of
running counter to the natural craving
of the human mind or heart for ritualstic
services in religion With our simple SER
vice, without any form, there is no way
in which the Church can become popular,
as the word is, except through the attrac-
ton of the pulpit-this is perhaps the
key to the unrest which has existed par
ticularly for past fifteen years in the pas
toral relation in Presbyterian Churches
In this part of the country, perhaps all
over the land We have scores of wv.
C.s sound in doctrine, many Of them
men of learning but who go unemployed
from year to year, until at last they are
to all intent and purpose, driven out of
the ministry. The vacant church, seek
ing pastor, starts in the search for one
with few leading propositions which
they hold to be of prime Importance
First, we must have man that will dralO,
if not by his eloquence, by his magnetism,
or by some other quality that will meet
the want of the day. The question is,
what is the want of the day? Have we
not an answer to this in a close observa-
tion of the success of some ministers, and
failure of others of equal or greater intel
lectual gifts. DIR. John Hall succeeded
DIR. n L. Rice in the 5th Avenue church
of this city-all who ever heard DR. Rice
know that he was man mighty in the
Scriptures logic, if you conceded
his premises, was simply unanswerable
Yet he did not draw. DR.. Hall does now,
and has done so from the start What
ever his learning may be, he makes no
show of it. One cannot tell why it is
exactly that his preaching pleases- is
not startling in his statements-an an
acute critic would probably write him
without imagination and not pathotic.-
His gift of language is striking, but this
is a very common gift-while his dis
courses, written out and read, are not
particularly pleasing, and when the sound
of his voice has ceased you cannot re-
member any striking thought but you
do carry away the impression that you
have heard sermon which, as whole,
was an earnest appeal to believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and lead godly life
Coupled with great tact and wisdom, the
secret Of DR.. Halls power seems to be
SSSSOSeOfC
play on the human heart-strings but he
does find his way to the seat of those fa-
cultles of the mind which arrests his
hearers. Of course he could not be what
he is, and do what he does, if he was not
penetrated to the core of his soul with
the greatness of his theme, and the truth
Of the gospel he proclaims
Skepticism and scof cannot meet sue
cessfully the e7atreotses of the gospel
preacher. We all, skeptics and believers.
carry within us that which is the strong
est testimony to the divine power of
Christianity. The estate Of sin and mis-
cry in which the gospel places us, an
swers to the common consciousness
Scientists may bewilder the mind, but
sooner or later the bewilderment will
lead us back to what we knolO, and that
Is, that the lives that we live are dark
ened by sorrow and suffering, and that
the source of it all is sin. The power of
the preachers of Christ gospel is to know
and meet the wall Of the human heart
They greatly mistake in supposing that
men and women want to hear about evo-
luton or any other matter outside of
themselves. st. Paul departed from his
accustomed form Of address in his sermon
on Mars Hill, but there is no record that
he established church in Athens. He
quoted from Greek poet, and realized
that he was in the presence Of cultured
people. Perhaps he might have done
better if he had determined to know
nothing among them but Christ and him
cruclhed Yours truly,
MANHATTAN.
We do not concur in our correspondepts re-.
mark about Paul. We have been struck with
what he says about Or. ~ L. Rice-that he
did not draw" in New York it shows that
people nowadays are hard to plesse.-BDs.l