, 1882-12-16
SO 90 PER YEAR
Decline of the Pulpit


\ great deal has bseu szid 4 w1itIea
of late. 90 the subjrot OF declns Of thr
pulpit A feeling that Is slmos, pseysd
in., has found expression in many qGsr.
tiers, rtst great al instramen, Of pns-
iic educa,,u as the pulpit Is ao; generally
SO effective ssit migh,or shoald ;e. When
We thlrk of the vast apparatus Of The pui
pat in this country, Of the tens of ;han.
sands OF sermons tha, are preached every
Sunday thriughcu,iis ljng,h and bseaGih.
Of the immense resources ,r weeSly opera-
tion for bringing important truths !. NE
to the m.nd and hearts ci the pe Pis, and
of the res, amount Of earnest ,utel!ec, II.
pended in III, Sc resources : and, on ths
otherhandlcok at what he Tes.:,s, the mor
al and prsct:calrcsulis, seem to De, / dos
occur as very pert'peol qnrsJ,on. Whe'a,
cr there Is not an SC uai, aEl sesircS
decline in the pulpit, IS a ChIi5,isuz
force. pf course, IN tils. As n sl gu.-
tions, there ia much Room :or jErresr-
Of opinion. The pU'p,y'is lvirg power
but whether as stTons uos as hcrci,fuc.
is the question. Tier, NE many rsas.ss
why the Office e tie y,y.-,che- sacu;i h,
lees ;lnpofjan, now, than n earlier ,ir,-s
s.. Paul's "a, siion. ''haw c,H Ley .a-r
withou, s pa sch - b,s Is, r.. ,i.n.a-
cenc.. The sri IT guu'lu, A4s cs.a'vt
one revolution: giving religious Is SCI. s'
other knosl.dg~; 'he mnrs!, uai Res L'n
political or scientific instructor. H.
many families the SCuday IL s.a.,,
where a good one Is printed, or he san
Jay magazine, has become srr1 OF -
me.tic chaplain, snpefcedng, t. 1 grs,l
ex,er.t the preachers work People .
to church nowadays, not 81 much as r.-
ligious duty. probably, nor iJ"m as,
eagerness TO hear the Scrman. Sy i0ru s
dse'run,, feeling thar 90
appear once week III good clothes
4 respectable thug To- a. And al ahuu
US We iini some os the ablcs; men. ,,-u
men in the pulpit. saying that tas P4Ver
Of the preacher is on the wac.
And thpre is another reascu |, ihls
chanoe. During the lss. d-cad,, or iu.'rc
perhaps. curtain Influences u..4H very
sIAibly To work, which have t,!d power
fully On the position oi the Palqir. y
d,.od II cheap, ani. 80 the Ahnl., ra.ui-
bic literature, has over pr.ad tie country,
and has entered humes hl'hcriom * je8i-
ou.lY guarded from intellectual -. j.
The fr-est Discussion uf the sacred truths
is carried On III perIrd,csls Of the hishrs,
character and widest circulation Il :
because of this that the pulPi' not only
Lew conditions, but a u,al ia Il
Of 10 ordinary power. Ii preacher holds
his own against this new pressure, 1t must
be- done by force of superior nature aud
culture. IL is If no use To deny the fact.
that for several years nov, there has been
An ever widening intellectual breach be-
~een the clergy and ,he lai'y. The IN
ieliigencs of the people Is no Nnger
asleep men are not only able to give a
reason for the faith that Is in th. ~, but
able to demand reason fvr ,hc Saith that
il presented 10 them.
But besides he diffusion Uf hnusiedge
which has shed neT meaning On ths
historical and political features Of th-,
there is un,iUubtcdiy.a trausl-
ion of thought Ill relation 10 religion !,
,elf going on IN the minds of Iaen. IL the
pre- scientific tunes were the aces Of faith,
ours is uuauestiouahly the age i seePll
ism. Yourg ard old are atlirst FOR truth
and in i,s search may choose the solitude
If nature or the study Of philosophy, to
he s'ereo'yp.d lessons oi the ordlnsry
preacher.
II may be said, indeed, that the value
md Importance of divine truth are iude
iendent Of the success Of he pTeasher---
that there are few lfany sermons, hawsver
feeble and unimpressiye in utieraHcs, hat
are not calculated 10 do g.cd. We may
not care to argue that point, now, but
the evil is not less. but the Insrs ,nelan-
choly on that account.
The change viii cone, when there Is
man Ill eachpalpi,, who vii, on each &c
cnsion, quicken your mentaifaculties. who
warns them into sunniest, brightest life,
and thrills your higher and better nature
With his own vigot Of intellect, his match
less language and thought.