New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-25
PHILLIPS BROOKSS SERMONS,
TIE SECRET OF THEIR POWER.

THE LIGHT OF THE w3RdP A Tfso 3r Of rhy
church Boston. Fifth Series. oVo' PIP ''''
f. p. DuttOn d Co.
II is a striking testimony to the preemihehoe y,
pbps Brooks as q preacher that the appearance "a
a volume OF his sermons has become an event IL Wv
,iciops world The sermons of great preacher arc
T., M means always readable when put in cola Npe'
In many cases they Hat, stale and unpf"n''"o.
The reader who has heard OF the eloqhehce anu ~
~ the authOr lays the book down WIN lo''''7
Nsappointment and comes 70 the CONCLUSION '''' '0
oreacher must he a very much OVerd'cu n"",
,b na,ur Of The case it is inevitable that ms shouu
he So Much OF the power OF the orator ho' ~
10, IN bis nersopality which cannot be transferred |"
naner lie charms and pcrsuades by the hatncl'S"i
n, his voice and gesture, and by inc ln''nt'O
~ svmpathy which he establishes between h'hsoi 'u
hie hearers Evanescent is the power OF orator.
1, x tremendous in it, own speclal sphcIc' anu ~ ~
human agency can just take Us pace 49,. ,o
II vonld not be true, therefore, TO say 'h"t ''0
,nin,od sermons Of Phillips Brooks are as powerful IN
Tho reading as they in the preaching D' =
lac, that there is about them singular c'Iri" NAV
fascnates even a blaSe novel reader II Is dll'"I ~
.noIyze this charm. but it is no less potent LOT ''
ro.son Part OF il is doubtless due To the clehiou'
character of Dr. BrOoks's intellectual processes anu "
the almost perfect expression OF thoSe Pio'o''0 "
indiomatic lmpd and elegant English HiosV oi"Vo'
arc content 10 be known simply as masters VI Va
Gift But the precious caskct OF eApres''o" Itch
holds only a cheap and tinsced jewel from "hlo"
after the first excitement turn away IN hoic'"''
or disgust - o,,v
In the sermons Of Phillips Brooks there is no empty
rhetoric lie never tries to preach up 10 or ,'t
,o- his hearers Every sentence is mosaic WIN"
helps 10 fill out the whole picture Every ili"''i'o"
has a mart in telling the story pertinent TO inc SuUJ
and as We read it we nstnctively feel That no o,'o'
Illustration could have told that story a. we'll a.
indeed We are deceived by the inlmltaDle dIu9' ~
ish OF the writer in reading some paragraph anu
ask ourselves in surprise why no one else eNei No. .
=, Gazing i, bcforc Dut our surprise is tribute u
rcnius: for what seems TO obvious ana easy "
saw could only have been said by a great '"'"''
and speaker. H., ,or,o,t
The humanity of Phillips Brooks Is another c'o.'0
Of strength in his preaching. lie Is 10 '"oV ', ~
dreamer or poet lie does not make the H>Nih0 v"
the one hand of living in the dead past, or o" INV
other hand of projecting himself into the ioIn''s
future. lie lives in the present Win al NV ,i
snce and intensity Of his nature. ana auuicSS ,'
self to the joys and sorrows and hopes anu i'' - ,,
mon and women who live in the present 10 nun
church systems and crecdS good just 50 Tar as @
aro bepful 10 the world to-day: and the modest u'd
of Christianity is that which is made luminous 10 nv"
in the life of some sincere follower OF jesus Ni,'''
This sympathv this feeling OF conradcshp VII" P''i'
men and women. no man can be a 80 :, 4'
however brilliant may be his talents. WIN II tir
nuuhIes, cxhorter nav do almost what he VIII VIII
those 10 whom he speaks Phillips hr'""s i W
seryedIv famous as thinker and scholar p"t Ms
greatest glory is that every word he u'teiN So"S ''
love for man.
OF the present volume Of sermons 1t may be sd'u
that they show no falling of from the high NtandaN
which the great preacher has set for himself III MS
pr,viously published sermons. No one at all lhrI
ested in the serious things OF life, whether III ~
formally a Christian not, can read the>e sermons
without being the better for it, Their beauty Oh ior'
q IL OUGHT nd n1SSIl
earnesness give them place almost their own among
the sermons published during the last year
Las, winter the Rev. DR.. Henry J. Van Dyke OF
8rooklvn delivered the stone course of lectures al the
Princeton Theological seminary. They are no" pun
ushed in book form a. ID. +. Randolph q Coz uhoer
tbe ti,lc The Church: Her Ministry and sacrament.
In his preface Dr. Van Dyke acknowledges that inc
views expressed by him differ in some respects from
the preyang practice and opinions in the PrcNDy tdh
Church on the hand his conception oil inc
Divine origin and authority Of the visible Church ana
its ministry will readers to regard MN as
High Chu~chman and the other hand the breadth
and comprehensvcness Of his views a to the consul
tton Of the visible Church. and his readiness to weld
nor. essentials for the sake Of promoting more per
feet Christian unity, will lead Others to CAL MN
BROAD Churchnan. But DR.. Van Dyke IS not aifad
30 meet both these charges, and to acknowledge tha'
he il at once high and broad in the best and nobe-t
meaning Of these words a careful study OF the cFee'ia
of Chrstendom he says, and especially a coTnpaf
son Of the standards Of the PRESBYTERIAN ana Ep'''
pal churches. brings the fall conviction that the agree
ments are unspeakably greater than the dihcreh'cS
and that it is the duty Of every ono who Is loyal 70
Christ 10 magnify the one and minimize the other
claim to be a minister not only OF the Presbyterian
Church. but Of the visible Church OF CHRIST ahc
The larger relation dominates and mouds my thousht
and desires 4 treatise the Church written III th'
spirt of that declaration ought to interest earnest a'
candid men in all the Christian bodies