Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-10-03
METHODIST ANNUAL.
Gathering Of the Clergymen From
Minnesota and Dakota.
THE CONFERENCE SERMON.
A List of the Delegates and their
Quarters in the City.

4 List OF the Delegatesi and their
Quarters in the City.
Nearly all the members of the annual
conference of the Methodist Episcopal
church for the state of Minnesota and
North Dakota arrived in the city yester-
day.
The day was spent by the ministers of
less than four years standing and by the
candidates Tor admission, in examinations
in the required courses of study.
At p. m, q meeting of the church ex-
tension society was held in Jackson street
church and several appropriations were
voted,-notably, to the cyclone swept TO
gion of Rochester and Elgin.
Immediately thereafter meeting Of the
presiding elders occurred to nominate the
standing committees which Will be pre-
scented to the conference this morning.
Bishop Simpson, attended by his young
est daughter, arrived yesterday morning
from Iowa, and is the guest of Rev.
DR.. Marshall, The venerable bishop,
although in mis- seventy-fourth year, is III
the race of grey haired leaders Of the
world in all departments. The venerable
bishop is recognized as the leading preIate
in Methodism. Miss Simpson is charm
ing and vivacious young lady with super
ior attainments, and very agreeable man
ners.
Rev. DR.. Kidder, of Drew Theological
seminary, is one of the distinguished
visitors.
THE CONFERENCE SERMON.
The evening was devoted to the con-
ference sermon as it is called, being the
annual address which is delivered before
the body by one of their own number
The preacher of the evening
was Rev. A. Cressey, Of Plainview,
Minnesota. Mr.. Cressey is an earnest
preacher of the solid type who chose for
the text the words of Paul.
'sFor we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ
the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus
sake.'
Paul was a remarkable man and might
have been able to organize for himself,
but he rather chose to preach Christ.
Preaching is the chief work of the minis
ter. Pastoral or ritualistic work is all
| men take subject and attach text to it,
but depart at once from the theme, as
Webster says, they preach from the text.
But preaching is to expounG a text, i. g.,
discover and enforce the truth of the given
passage of scripture. Ezra's preaching
on the return from the captivity
who read the sense and gave the
people the meaning of the law, is
good example of preaching. Jesus
preached from the 61st chapter of ISAIAH on
certain occasion in like manner.
Paul says, 'we preacA," and he does not
say I'VE read" Reading is not pl eaching.
If a man writes good sermon and reads
it well, give him credit for what he has
done, but don't nickname the performance
preaching. Jesus used to preach to the
people, and not read.
I heard Bishop Simpson, seventeen
years ago, say: "Read the old authors, ard
write but few sermons" I thought until
then that he wrote his sermons and mem
er1zed them. I had heard so. After these
years of experience I understand some
thing of the wisdom of his remark. Like
the advice on matrimony, $40 those who
intend to marry-don't," we advise against
reading sermons.
| DIR. Curry says recently that the pulpit
is loosing its power; some others say that
the press will soon take its place. We
take no stock in these ideas. Why the
Methodist church alone is building two
churches day. This does not look like
dying out.
| The prerequisites of preaching are,
first, the new birth; second, a Divine cali
to the ministry; third, profound educa-
ton, including classical and theological
training.
The matter of the sermon should be
from the substance of the gospel. The sole
object of Paul was to present Jesus Christ.
have found some men who say study a
subject; then they look through the Bible
and find text to suit it; then they pro-
coed to preach away from if; in this sense
Mr.. Webster was right, for they did preach
from text of scripture. In preaching we
should always keep to the text and suit the
subject to the character of the audience.
1t was first duty to find
out text, and afterwards to
find out what the Holy Ghost taught to
preach; then what had been learned in the
closet should be preached from the house
| tops.
1t is said that when Jesus came to
Nazareth he went into the synagogue; he
found the text and said the spirit of the
Lord has Amounted me to preach the
gospel to the poor. Then he closed
the book and they we're
astonished at the gracious words that pro-
seeded out Of his mouth. Our text saws
we preach; can't make 1t say We read; it
is proclaiming and not reading. A scr
mon that is read should not be nioknamed
preaching. Jesus set no such example.
1t is said Of him that he spaks, and when
he got the disciples before him he taught
them by the scriptures that he
was preacher and not reader. The
speaker gave some interesting reminisen-
ces of the advice given him by the bishop
when he was ordained. Among other hits
of advice given the young preachers was
to study the old authors and to not write
many sermons. It was the business of
ministers of the gospel not to read but to
preach sermons.
The pulpit wrs not losing power; it had
been said that the press would soon occupy
the field now held by the pulpit; the
speaker was not believer IN this; the
church and the ministry were not failures;
they we're accomplishing grand work for
God; it had been said that two churches
were built each day; this meant two
pulpits and the time would
soon come when thraa oh,,robo, 1,o,Id ~