The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-05-09
Sermons That Feed.
BY REV. THEODORE l.. CUYLER

BY REV. THEODORE L. CUYLER
Dean Stanley preached his first ser
mon in a little village church neal
Norwich, and an old woman was
heard to say after the service. "Well,
do feel rather emty like. "Yes," re-
piled another venerable dame, "that
young man did not give Us much to
feed on" Those two old saints under
stood what nutritious preaching is,
and they had probably come to church
with good appetite. Their comment
on the maiden effort of a man who
was yet to become famous, was very
different from the remark of o devout
Christian who told me the sermon of
his pastor were "roast beef and plum
pudding to US for q whole week."
That was high praise, and it bespoke
honest work and a full larder. What
are some of the characteristics of nour-
Ishing sermons?
I. They must have great deal of
Bible in them. Not an occasional
scrap, or text introduced to beautify
sentence, or round out a period.
The strongest sermon is that which is
most saturated with Scripture. The
minister who never wears out, nor
wears out bis congregation, is the
spiritual miner, who digs deepest into
the golden ore-beds of divine revela-
tion. 1t was said of Chalmers that
his discourses "held the Bible in solu-
tion." The same thing may be said of
the sermons Of Spurgeon, Maclaren,
F. B. Meyer, and DR.. William M.
Taylor. All these strong men had a
strong faith in the perfect and plenary
inspiration of The Book they felt
that when they spoke the Holy Spirit
was speaking in every line of Scrip
ture which they were weaving into
their discourses. "Thy words were
found" said the ancient prophet, "and
I did eat them and they were unto
me a joy and the rejoicing of mine
heart"
2. Nutritious sermons have great
deal of prayer over them. 1t is not on
ly devout Quakers who hold that q
person cannot preach Alright unless
1.-THE Spirit moves him." Prayer is
the ladder by which this divine power
descends into godIy minister's study
when be is preparing his beaten oil for
the sanctuary. This same power fires
his soul in the pulpit. Feeding the in
tellect is not enough; the conscience
and the affections must be quickened,
purified, and made strong. A very
eminent minister wrote to me forty
years ago: II am convinced that
even aesthetially considered, one hour
1f 50
sermon writing than q whole day of
study" A sermon that will not bear
to be prayed over is not worth preach
ing.
3. The preaching that feeds people
has great deal of what may be called
everyday religion in 1t. During the
week their parishioners have been
driving pen or plough. hammering
an anvil, or pleading in courtroom
or up to their eyes in stocks, or sugar
casks, or cotton-bales. The women
have been busy with their needles or
their nurseries. When the Sabbath
comes, they bring their everyday
wants with them to church, even
though they wear their Sunday
clothes. They want preaching that
tells them how to live and what to
believe. They want plain, portable
preaching that they can carry home
with them. Doctrinal sermons
Yes, provided that it is stiff, vital,
Bible doctrine, not in dry -four barrels
but baked into Gospel-bread for every
day consumption. Truth, all divine
truth they want, but not in hard,
scholastic technicalities. Young men
deliver "trial sermons be-
fore Presbytery," when they apply
for licensure, that smell strongly of
the class room, and are garnished with
such words as "predicate," Sub
iective," and "ratiocination." When
they have learned to preach they will
do with such fodder what DR.. Edward
N. Kirk did with his first "six splend-
id sermons" they will stick it into
the crate.
Sermons for everyday use will not only
be Scriptural and spirtual: they will
be simple in language. They lay one
Of the great elements of Spurg cons
world wide popularity and power. A
discourse that q minister would not be
willing to read to his boy of twelve
years old, or to an intelligent servant
IN his kitchen, is not generally safe
to take into his pulpit. There
may be exceptions to this rule, but the
average preaching must be to the av-
erage mind of young and old rich and
poor, cultured and ill-taught in the
A poor woman in the
of old DR.. Ashbel Green
Of Philadelphia, once asked her pastor,
"Dr. Green, what do you think is the
great business of the shepherd?" ITO
feed the flock, madam" was his reply.
"That is my notion,. too. sir" said she
and therefore l think that he should
not put the hay up 80 high that tue
sheep cannot reach it."-Evangelist.