The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-01-09
"0ld-FashiOned Preaching"

"Well, l am thankful to hear such
good old-fashioned preaching" she said,
as she came out of church on Sunday,
after hearing sermon on Luke xix: 10,
"The Son of man is come to seek and to
save that which was LOST "But,
auntie," said, "wby do you call it 'old-
fashioned preaching p" Because" she
replied, "because, like good old Mr.. Bsx-
ter's books, it makes one feel the awful
guilt of sin, and the wonderful mercy of
Christ in coming to save us from its con.
domination, and from its reigning power
in our hearts and lives" But, auntie,
is not almost all the preaching what, in
that sense, you might call good old
fashioned preaching?' Does it not all tell
us of the sinfulness of sin, and the mercy
of God, in Christ Jesus, to all who repent
and believe on him 2" "No, Henry, l
am sorry to say it don't. There is too
much preaching on the outskirts of the
gospel instead of preaching the full gos-
pei itself and some, am sorry to say,
that don't seem to get even to the out
skirts. Why, only six weeks ago heard
minister in Massachusetts give long
essay, which he would probably call q
sermon, on possible probation after
death for some who had not repented in
this life. And though he did say that he
supposed the doctrine referred particu.
larly to the heather l could not but
think that some who heard him might
believe they stood just as good chance
as the heather could, and so might put
off repentance now, while life and proba-
ton continue. And then the next Sum
day heard, from young man, a sermon
suppose he would call it, but L should
call it a discourse or essay on the beauties
of autumn and though it was well writ
ten and well delivered, there was no
mention of Christ, or of sin, or of duty
in it, and it might just as we'll have been
given by some heather moralist or poet as
by him." "But, auntie, you don't think
all the preaching is like that, do you ?"
"Well, 1 can't say all, by any means
but there is too much that has no kind
of gospel in it, Why, only last week l
read an advertisement in the daily paper,
by a minister in Harlem, N. Y, that he
would preach on Orange peel on the
sidewalk" and of another in Fort Plain,
N. Y, on Giving the wink" and still of
another who in his sermon had seventeen
quotations from the classics and the po-
cts and only three from the Bible What
do you suppose Paul, or Whitfield, or
Brainard, or Edwards, or Nettleton would
have thought of that ?" was telling a
friend afterward of all this and he said,
81 am sorry to say there is too much
truth in what your good old aunt has
been saying. If we had far more of the
faithful and searching preaching of the
law, like that of Nettleton and of Finney
in their best days, we should see far deeper
impressions of the exceeding sinfulness
of sin and of the need of the grace which
is offered in Christ Jesus, and the Chris
tian character of many in our churches
would be broader and more substantial
and more intelligent and serious than il
now is" And he added, There is great
truth and wisdom in what Spurgeon says
and which wish all our preachers would
remember, viz: Preach the law, tina
men may deeply feel their sinfulness
then the gospel, that they may be led tc
Christ for pardon; and then the Law
again, as the great rule of life, that they
may 80 live as to obey and honor Christ
and that all may so take knowledge O
them that they have been with Jesus a.
to be led to him as their Savior" Tt
all which could not but say " Amen Pr
Bezd, in Presbyterian.