The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-04-27
THE EVANGELISTS.
What IL the Secret of their Success

Is il because they have something to say,
" Is it iii because they point a moral by dwelling
on current or on local events, 10 enforce
Scriptural texts or TO impress moral pre-
Is IL because they are endowed with grenter
ability 10 throw light on the plan OF Saliva,
ton, than have the regular orthouoN oiu
style out-Of-the- world pi eachers?
fs IT, because their words and speeches are
altogether and mainly on the iar-oll world of
which they and We know so little, or Is IL De-
cause they preach OF daily me IN ,md s piae1 nd
cal pursuits or events Whlcn surTouhu US anu
encompass us on every hand:
Why IL IT, that ont OF whole town luil ol
people SO few 20 TO hear the local preachers,
and why is 1t that so many llock 10 the iiihis'
trationS of the evangelist?
There is Il reason for al this Is II not
then worth the while OF our preachers 10 Try
TO solve the problem? There Is certainly II
reasoI-u practical every day, common sense
reuson-aIid they might profit by giving some
attention and some thought TO the secret
which brings greater practlcal results to the
efforts of the evangeliStS. 49,
Wcnre perfectly certain that inc evhhee,
lists bring us no new revelation from the Al
| mighty. ,,,,. ,,,,,,
have not more ability than the local preach
er. -, .,
And we are fully as certain that in average
personal, all-ruund character, they do not eX
| Gel the local preacher.
n,
prOach of an evangelist q Whole town VIII
| run mad lay aside their daily avocatlons ana
Indulge in religious dissipation ior weeks al
Il time? ,, ,.
Is IL any compliment TO the local preacher
| when he compares the enthusiasm q! iull
churches with bare benches or sound sieepers.
Does not the fact OF our empty churcnes
rest I'm that other fact, that the services are
| too often dull and mOnotOuouS? ,,
Are not many breaches trying TO insult re.
! lisious doglnas, while their whole discourse
! rs about the world to come. instead OF glVine
us practical lessons in this world IS allalrs
and thus teach US now 10 reich Tue haPPS
land. ~
| Do they not too often attempt to make o.
| themselves infinite little copies OIL the apOs
| Ties and then assume TO make new IeVela
| tions or II not new revelations, 10 of1er Ut
| learned (?) criticisms on the mistakes OF tne
revisers of the Holy Scriptures? (NoTE.-i
| there is one thing above all others ChaG VIII
bring ridicule To- him WHO cannot SPEAK ni' ,,
own language nuently. 1t Is his 1ooilsh AT
| tempt TO rriticise the translation OF tue HOLY
ScriptureS.) -,
+ DO they not too often try 10 depict the hap
piness of those who have been Waraeo
crowns Of unending glory, instead OF trylps
| TO show the livingshow they may see tneii
feet in the paths that lead TO the city OF goio-
en- streets? ,,
| DO they not too often attempt to describe
the horrors of the lost Instead Of making
proper effort To preach the hideousness of Sill
| in all Is ueiOrml ties?
Do they not TOD CIten preach dogmas, ana
pronounce anathenas, tnstead OF presenting
| In al their force and beauty the WelSnLier
matters OF the laW?
| DO they not preach as II Christians were
citizens Of Il ial-Otf world, and are not theli
words so general and indefinite that II they
| were printed and sent abroad, the reaucl
could lot toll whether the preacher was an
inhabitant of the eurth, the sun, The moon
or amy one OF the myriad OF stars? Anu are
they not so shaped us To leave no mint as tC
] ,nti angels
devils?
Is it not fact that our preachers as a class
are nearer out OF the world than any otnef
class OF men?
AsaruIe, are they not more ignorant o
the country and the people to whom they
preach, than any other class OF educated men
on the continent?
Men and women, who go as missionaries u
China, or other foreign lands, Will spend
years OF time in the study OF the language
The people, the manners and customs OF those
| to wnouI they 20 to preach, ana Wnen they
return TO US from their mission they teli US
| in most Interesting terms OF the pecullarlhes
and every day lie Of the heathei 10 wnoh
they have broken the bread of life.
But right here in the land of religious lree'
dom and in The light OF the Bible, and at the
home of the printing press, are there MOI
preachers amongst us who would assert lhai
they were so much absorbed In ihe work OF
the Master that they read only their Biole
and their church paper-that they ala nol
|
| newspaper? We lenve our readers To say II
they nave ever heard such damaging adInis'
SiOns from their pastor.
But we may be pardoned If we ask II sucn
preachers are not the most ignorant oil the
educated men on the face OF the earth? ALu
we venture the assertion that no man Is de-
Gently equipped for preaching the gospel VINO
does not read of current events and keep
abreast with the literature OF the day. No
man who reads only his Bible and The
religious ppcsS can attain crediiable sue
cess in preaching the gospel Of Jesus Christ
| He must be man among men. lne
preacher must put himself In touch u
| The elbow with the people. He must preach
| OF the great events ot the day, and he should
Instruct them in he religious truths rs applied
| 10 our every day life
Let the preacher occasionally refer to the
| world In which we liveand let him sometimes
speak TO the people who SO much need the
| impress Of religious truths.
| II further comment was needed to show the
utter lack OF labor, fitness and adaptabiliiy
! In many OF our sermons, IT. would be only
| necessary to ask the reader how many Ol
them would he like to see reproduced In his
county pnper? How many OF them are
worthy TO he reproduced How many o
them In point OF style, language and thought
| come ND To the standard OF the secular press
| How seldom Is t. that the average preacher Is
willing To publish his sermon?
| Let them not be like the astronomer who
couI Id describe the mountains, rocks and val
| leys OF the moon, but who knew not whether
the potatoes which were gIOwn in his own
garden were gathered from the branches of
the roots of the vine.
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