Morning journal and courier., 1891-04-11
rHEPRoPHEr,s1 r,s1NsTRUmENT.

Fourth Lecture by pr. Stalker-Some of Those Present = The Word the Prophets Weapon = How He Used tt-Some Practical Hints to Modern
 Prophets.
 The fourth lecture by Dr. James Stalker on prophetic preaching was delivered yes terday to the usual crowded audience, among whom were President | Dwight, Drs. Fisher, Day, Harris and Bras tow of the Yale faculty, Rev. H. P. Nichols of Trinity church, and others from the faculty. All but two or three pews and the aisle chairs were reserved for the theo- logical students. Having considered pre- viously the call of the prophet and his work this lecture was given to the discus sion of his instrument-the word of God. ssThe work" said Dr. Stalker, "was the prophets one weapon. The word has power over empires-it outlasts all the works of man. By it he was equipped for all fights. The word of the prophets was the word of God. It was their privilege to get so near to him, that they were lost in him, as it were, and we notice they often speak in the first person the words spoken by God. Yet these thoughts were not given them for themselves. A philosopher may retire from the world and mediate in solitude; but the prophets were impelled to speak, and that not abstract thoughts, but about what men should do. A man speaks to another for his own ends or interest, but prophet might, and, in fact, often must encourage opposition, though he would gladly have retired if he could. They spoke whether man would hear or not.
 HThe other side of their message was that it was to men. The prophet had to stand in two attitudes; he had to empty himself of worldly thoughts and turn to God, and then to put them on again and enter into humanity before he could give men the message. The prophets writings are form of beauty, and those who paid most attention to form are the most read. Isaiah, though believ- ed to have spent his whole life in Jerusalem, must have been at some time in the country, because he describes it with special sympathy, all the occupations of men.
 "Now, gentlemen, the modern minister is man of the word, and this means that he must have something to say and know how to say it. Let me make it more prac- tical. When we go into pulpit we must have message from God. We do not need to seek it,as the prophets did. Their work is for all time. But we must seek it in the word of God, with which we should have daily intercourse. No eloquence can make up for the power gained from it, and it is the inner impulse that comes from faith that gives it power. You can not begin too soon to mark passages, adding nOtas from lima to tirna and vou xui1l hava your sermons ready made.
 "But this carries me to my second point. He must be able to show his message in human words and make it acceptable. It is very good rule to hear the best preach CTS; but all of thege I have known have been well acquainted with the higher Eng fish literature Shakespeare, Thackeray, George Eliot-in this case the words ring | with maxims and examples. But the most important rule is, give yourself time; be- gin in time and get through in time, that you need not take the first thoughts that come to you, but may warm up to the sub ject, and your words may take on ring of genuine depth of thought. You must also be master of the oral word. This | part is not sufficiently dwelt on. It is very difficult to tell in what good de- livery consists. It is rethinking of the sermon on your feet. Very often minis ter has good thought and has put it in
 the right words, and yet nobody is listen l ing or can listen. don't know how it is
 among you, but our college despised it. Since then many of us have suffered for il and their congregations have suffered
 for it." Laughter. "We know very
 well how many attend at our services ir
 the country, but do we know how many
 listen to the sermonss" More laughter
 ''The prophets were Gods interpreters
 Perhaps no interpreter of God knows both
 languages perfectly. Some can address the people in words understood by chem, but
 their words are not from God; and some
 bear indeed the right message, but it is ir
 language to which their hearers cannot at l tain.
 cone word more. I want to draw youl
 attention to this. The prophets were mas
 ters of the spoken as we'll as the writer
 word. It is strange to me how few make
 anything of this part of the work Int
 clergy used to attempt fame by literature
 as far from theology as possible, and evan
 gelists therefore ridiculed it; but let u.
 hope these stages have passed. Wilbeforce
 Chalmers and many of our greatest divinel
 were converted by books and tracts-by
 chance, as it were; and no one can esti
 mate the influence of giving, or even lend
 ing, good book"