Morning journal and courier., 1891-03-27
THE WAT TO PREACH.
pr. Hall of New York Gives tn

pr. Hall of New York Gives the
 Theologues Some "Pointers "-
 Faith, Sincerity, Earnestness and
 Reliance on God Exhorted.
 Dr. John Hall yesterday afternoon gave his third and closing lecture of the season to the divinity students in Marquand chapel to crowded audience. The sub ject was of "Power in the Pulpit" on which he said: ''I want you to have a definite purpose, distinct thought, about the subject of which you are preaching. You must have the power to make the gospel acceptable to men, and not merely to bring them in to the savior, but to ed ucate them after they are brought in. I have heard some of the famous European orators, and have never believed that the style of the pulpit was behind them. It is fully as powerful; and we are, moreover, dealing with temporary but eternal things. Here are some things the preacher needs: First, he must inspire his hearers with l confidence in himself as Christian man and a minister. He must make perma- nent impressions. He must be recognized as having his whole nature in sym pathy with the cause. In his very manner and bearing he | must have reverence in order to make 8 good effect. It must be his care 80 to live that men will see his sincerity. In the | second place, a man must show a firm and 1 undoubting belief in holy scripture. You l may give your hypothesis on this or that side in other things, but when you come to 'thus saith the Lord,' you must believe it and show men you do without hesitancy. We have to fight against agnosticism, and show men we are sure of the truth we preach. know a man who by simply stating the critical views of others actu- ally dissolved his congregation. You may make illustrations so far as you can, so far as they illustrate the truth Philosophy and science and ethics can be touched again and again to bring out com | parisons and contrasts, but it is the truth that we are to preach, and we must preach | 1t plainly; so that our hearers can under l stand. This seems easy, but it is far more | easy to assume that people are already ac- quainted with technical matters. We can | not speak in simple terms without some | effort, and it is good thing when people go away saying: "Well at any rate, he puts things so that anyone that wants can un- derstand."
 "Another element in this power is earn l estness. We have to persuade and appeal to persons who do not believe in things
 about which we have not the least doubt and all this demands the most intense
 earnestness. And you must make them feel from week to week and from day tc
 day that you are doing your very best te
 help them and guide them.
 "There is still another thing. We must
 make them understand that what we say
 appeals to every one of them, and to theil
 conscience-and that what we preach is
 not method of safety or way of get ting off from destruction, but
 an appeal to every part of their nature. ]
 am persuaded that many man fails 1T
 preaching because people go away with al
 idea that religion is getting away from
 hell, and not living communion with the
 king of kings and lord of lords.
 ''And let us look to the holy spirit te
 help us while we deliver our message
 That implies prayerfulness; it takes us
 away from self and self reliance, ant
 makes our message to have it's effect. Il
 is not not the preacher nor the Bible tha
 makes a new creature, but the maker O.
 souls himself. Then we say, not unto us
 o lord, but to thy name be the praise"