The Progress., 1893-07-01
THE SAVING POWER.
REV. THOMAS DIXON ON THE NEED
or MORE EARNEST PREACHING.

Professionalism Apparently Failing Ia the
Great Cities-Causes Therefor Church
FormaIism-LacL of Nitality-Too Much
Dignity.
New YORK. June 2j.-Rev. Thomas
Dixon, .Jr.. closed this morning in Asso-
citation hall the series Of sermons that
have been running since the 18th of April
on The Gates Of Hell In Modern Baby
lon" The series have been one attended
with extraordinary interest from the be-
ginning The SUNDAYS work also cln 'cd
the years ministry in Association hall.
The months Of July and August he viii
have as vacation and will preach prob
ably in the south during those two
months somewhere on the eastern shore
of Virginia. n G. The pulpit in As
sociation hall will be supplied by the
Rev Frank Dixon of California, his
Younger brother. The subject of the
sermon this morning was THE Church
Triumphant. The text chosen was And
the gates Of hell shall not prevail against
il" Matthew xvi, lS).
There never was n time in the history
of Christendom when the church faced
graver problems than the church of the
modern city is now confronted with.
The past % years have been conspicuous
in church work for its dismal failure in
our cities. The progress Of Protestant
ism has been beneath contempt. Does
this mean that the gospel Of Christ has
failed? Does this mean that the church
is on the down grade and must perish IN
the twentieth century? All things ar,
surely being tested by the supreme test
Of the furn2ce of these latter times.
All things must stand the test or 60
the way of the past. Before all things
holy, all things sacred. as well as
all things traditional and secular, this
modern world has written large interro-
CATION point. The very existence of the
church is questioned by a large class of
thinkers, and the need Of priest or
preacher il called in issue. The Chris
tian ministry that survives must he
worthy, and the church that survives
must answer with n good reason for its
existence.
do not hesitate to say that | believe
as clearly as | believe in my own exist
ence that the church of Jesus Christ, in
its inadequacy, in its simplicity, iii its
power, will triumph. Jesus has GER
tainly promised that it shall. However
dark tho problems, however overwhelm-
ing the forces that oppose, The gates Of
hell shall not prevail against it," Upon
what is this promise of triumph based?
1t was based upon the confession of faith
made by the apostle. Peter said. Il be
lieve." If the church is to triumph and
receive this promise, it must be through
the exercise of triumphant, militant
faith. If the church really believes III
its mission and in its Saviour. three
things must come to pass in securing its
triumph and must come to pass of ne
cessity because of that faith.
MAGNETIC POWER.
First-Sho must present to the hosts
of evil in our civic centers a ministry Of
power. The preacher who survives in
the twentieth century must be Il man of
power He must be "a man called of God
to the work The ministry that will
survive cannot therefore be mere pro-
,.cssion. II must, in the highest sense,
'be a ealing, and that calling must be
based upon the bestowment of divine
gifts-gifts of brain, gifts of heart, gifts
of personality, gifts of magnetic power
incident to personality. A ministry OF
rower in tho modern city must show IN
the pulpit manhood first. The preacher
who il a man of power today must first
bea man-not clothes or ceremonies OF
ecclesiastical machinery nor churches
nor rituals-but man. The Office Is
nothing, the man everything. Manhood
is sacred; Office is name. The minister
Of the future who is q man of power
must be so from his mothers womb
He must ha the ordination of nature
The personal equation must grow neces'
sarily larger.
A man will be sacred not because h'
ia in the line Of traditions, but because
of the inherent, the irresistible force o.
his manhood. Jesus Christ declared tina
he had chosen men; that he had ordained
the personality of men. II have chosel
and ordained you and sent you fort
that you should go and bring fortl
fruit" A man delivered speech in tn
assembly rationale of France which fel
upon hstless ears. Rousseau heard II
saw it in its power, its thought, memo
rized it. and charged with his personal
ity as delivered the next day it electr
fed the assembly. Such must be tn
power of personality in the ministr
that will command the rushing thron
of the city that now is and that is grow
ing. A minister, finding the fire In tn
CRATE had gone out. asked his wife
bring in something dry with which
light it. The good woman went out an
pulled from II barrel an armful OF III
husbands old sermons. The day h'
gone by VIII, that sort of sermons ca
command even the listless attention I
the passing W.
COUNTRY CLERGYMAN.