The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-15
Letters TO PREACHERS.
81 ZEKE JOHNSON.
No g

NO. ;.
One very common mistake among preach
ers and editors Of religious papers, f. setting
up straw errors in the form Of supposed in
| fidel arguments and knocking them down
/ 70 show their combative skill Preachers
often waste valuable time IN this way and
/ do much actual harm. preacher ouce
wrote very labored and learned book 20
refute infidelity; he tried to answer every
intidel argument he could think of. and
very many preachers congratulated him on
I his skill and ability. A common mechanic
read the book and said: at suggests more
doubts than it answers; my trouble Is in
the heart, not the head The average man
Is very far from being an infdel, IN fact
there are very few infidels, and they are not
church-goers. So don't waste your time
| preaching sermons for intldels, for they do
not hear you. If the visible universe, the
earth and the heavens, with all their
grandeur and order cannot convince a man
that there is almightiness of wisdom
and power-in word, that there
Is a God-then all your arguments will be
wasted upon his mental obtuseness The
trouble with men is not infldelity, but sin.
Do you go at their hearts and leave their
heads for the philosophers to work onl
When their hearts are right their heads will
soon find a way to believe-yes, TO believe
the ''sun stood still" and the great fish,
SWaAlOWtu JOuhus ludb JeTlCnO Iell' and
Christ raised the dead. Preach faith in
God, and leave the infidels and devils to
preach in6delity and doubt if they want it
done.
Before pass from this point: II could
get close to the elbows of the editors Of
religious papers l would shove their pens
through the paper whenever they start TO
write learned and lengthy editorials on in
fidelity, New Theology" aud Higher
Criticism" Why, not one in ten would ever
hear Of or be troubled by these things were
it not for their advertising them. Let the
devil run his own papers and pay the ex-
penses. The subscribers and advertiser
will not do it. Somebody handed me a
copy OF an atheistio paper; all ! read was
the editors appeal for assistance. The
thing was about 60 fail. You need not be
afraid that infldeIs will fiji the land with
tracts, books. papers. ETC., gratutously
'theY are not built that way"
The matter of illustrations Is very I'm
portant. IL the preacher would be forceful
he must illustrate. Good illustrations are
hard to find and harder still to use. To be
useful an illustration must be short and
simple, like the Savior's-the sower. the
builder the wedding garment. the pearl.
the rich man, the prodigal. How simple
they are! How easy to remember Sheer
force OF argument may conquer a mans
head. but 1t does not master his heart The
world combined could not conquer Caesar
with the sword, but Cleopatra conquered
him with smile. Did you over notice that
about all you remember of a sermon is the
illustrations l remember hearing
preacher tell a story illustrative of the
treachery of Satan, and though was only
a child it is vivid in my memory now.
illustrations ar 10 the average nearer what
a picture book is TO the child,
to everybody, for use. All love TO look
at pictures. Put plenty OF pictures in
your sermons. On a certain occasion
preacher illustrated an historical thought
by asking his hearers to suppose a pano-
ramic view Of the facts and characters
painted oa the wall Of the church. Begin
ming in the corner on his left he indicated
the places for the views with bis outs
stretched hand, the eyes of the audience fol-
lowing, and when he finished his picture
in the rear corner of the church every adult
bearer had twisted their necks in very
laughable fashion, and the children had re-
versed positions to see, so that one young
ster fell off his seat. l heard another tell a
story about shipwrock. He described the
| scenes on board, told what the people said a.,
how they acted and at last sunk the ship
and drowned everybody aboard. Next
morning the preacher and | were walking
| and we met a lawyer whom | had seen in
| the audience during the sermon. He said
"Parson. may | ask you question this
| morningF' Certainly" said the preacher
Then, il everybody on that ship you sunk
| last night was drowned. how did you find
out what was said aud doneP' The preacher
was speechless. "Parson, you would not
believe such testimony as that In a court,
and did not believe it in church. Let your
| illustrations be true.