The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-04-11
NEW BOOKS.
The Preacher and His Place.

The Preacher and His Place.
THE LYMAN BEECHER LECTURES ON
PREACHING. BY David H. Greer, DID,.
New YORK Charles Scribner's Sons ~ mo-
Price 81. 80.
DR.. Greer is the Rector of st. Bar
tholomew's Episcopal church in New
York city. Judging from the volume
before US, he was chosen as the preacher
OF the Yale lectures of 1895 not alone on
account of his high standing in the
Episcopal church, but as a representa-
tive of that order of preachers who find
ideals of pulpit work in the most direct
and common applications of Christianity
to the needs and demands of the present
day. DR.. Greer is good representa-
tive of this class of preachers. He is
alive with the responsibility of the
preachers Office, and the manifold op-
portunities which the modern world
presents for direct appeal in the name
of the Great Teacher to the hearts and
sympathies of those who may be won to
the church and the Gospel by plain
and practical style of pulpit address.
The heading of the several chapters, or
successive lectures, will give an excel
lent idea Of the stimulating and emf.
nently practical character of the vol.
ume. DR.. Greer discusses the following
themes: The Preacher and the Past,
The Present, His Message, Other Mes
sages, Preparing his Message General
and SpeciaD, The Preacher and the Par
ish, and The Preacher Making the
Most of Himself. Around these topics
the lecturer groups fine series of re-
Elections and observations based on
sufficient experience to make them valu
able to students of preaching and pasto-
raj work. We commend the volume to
young clergymen who desire to be ''up
to date" without falling away from the
religious character Of their pulpit work.
These lectures will readily show how it
is possible for preacher to adapt him
self to the life of today without plung-
ing into the secularism which detracts
so largely from the influence of the pull
pit when it is allowed to overshadow
the religious element which is the source
of power in all true preaching.
AS an example of the direct and for
chile line Of thought which DR.. Greer
follows in this volume, we select para
graph touching the general needs of the
people, with his word in regard to illus
trations. He says:
illustrations in preaching are good;
but they must be illustrations drawn,
not from books of stories and encyclo-
pedias of anecdotes. but from that gen
eral fund of knowledge which, by his
personal study. the preacher has made
his own. Then they are good and help
The people who go to church today go
there to be bel ped. They have been
working hard all the week long, and
they want to hear something that shall
strengthen and refresh and inspire
them, and lift them up toward better
and purer life. They have been listen
ing to the words of man, which are not
always inspiring words. and now they
want to listen to the word of God for a
while, and lay hold on eternal life, and
to touch. as it were, the hem of the gar
ment of Jesus Christ. and that will be
the best and most helpful kind of
preaching which will enable them to do
it."
DIR. Greer's volume is valuable addi-
tion to the series of lectures delivered
on the Lyman Beecher foundation,
which has already yielded half dozen
remarkable volumes on Preaching. 1t
is worthy of its eminent predecessors in
this series. 1t is fresh, stimulating
and instructive volume, and can be
studied with profit by preachers young
and old.