The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-26
PREACHING OF PHILLIPS BROOKS
His Sermons Remarkable for Their
Depth, C1earness and Simplicity.


Harper's Weekly.
The characteristics of DR.. Brooks
preaching appear TO combine two qualities
which are commonly held to contradict
each other, viz, depth and clearness. His
style is one of great simplicity. One may
examine his published sermons, and find
on page after page few words of more than
two syilables, few sentences with more
than one verb, and few paragraphs
that have not in them more words
Of Anglo-Saxon than of classic origin.
But the thought in these sermons searches
and explores realms in the soul OF the
reader which he has seldom examined for
himself. The quality is intensely subjec-
tive Slight reference is made 70 history,
TO art or science, and few generalizations
are allowed. The listeners thoughts are
not permitted to wander over the universe,
allured by the speakers descriptive power,
but ne is closely kept 70 the main point of
the personal relation between himself and
God. Il is quietly assumed that he
is better than he realizes, that he has in
him spark of the divine life, and that it
may be famed into flame if the rocky
debris of selfshness and worldliness that
stiles it can be removed. The different
qualities of the spiritual life are closely
analyzed, its manifestations are followed
out in all their subtle windings, while the
text is unfolded, depth on depth. until it
seems to speak with hitherto unsupported
voices to the listening soul. So rapid Is
the utterance of the speaker, and so intro
spectiye his style, that it requires the
closest attention to follow him, and to keep
at the exalted level of Observation-Disclosures
along which he moves. He hurries on like
the Greek youth bearing his laurel branch
from the field of battle with its message of
victory. and il seems to the hearers as il,
like him, he might sink breathless in the
market-place. overcome both by speed and
by emotion. When he has finished he
leaves them in such a mood that they feel
ready to follow Christian virtue at all
hazards, and 10 say Of Christian faith, in
the sublime words of milton:
$50 absolute she seems,
And in herself complete, so well to know
Her own, that what she wills to do or say
Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best"
The natural criticism on such preaching
Is that it requires somewhat more than
an average education IN the members of
the congregation TO be properly helped
by il. This is undoubtedly true. Al
though DR.. Brooks has more than once
preached with general acceptance at
meetings organized by Messrs. Moody and
Sankey for revival purposes. he is
phrase, preacher to the masses. The
writer well remembers the remark made
TO him by an uneducated man after listen
ing TO such sermon: at was splendid,
sir. but 1 couldn't keep up" But there
are multitudes who can, and among them
happen To be thousands of souls reached,
as already said, in no thorough way
by any other preacher No edu-
Gated person III with malarious
diseases of our self-conscious, NOR
bid, supercilious age can listen
to teaching like this without being
reused into nobler manhood if the root Of
the matter be in him. And it would be
equally desirable that year of such in
struction should be offered to those multi
tudes Of young men knocking at the door
OF all professions, confident that they
know it all, and prepared to sacrifice
earlier and better ideals TO the supreme
object of getting on in the world"