The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-12-02

W\M that will De Ino
" realm sermon1c,
GO thou and preach the Kingdom u
God" We hear great deal IN theso
days about the coming man, ana ZIG
coming woman, and the coming time
Some one ought to tell of the coming
sermon 1t is a simple fact that every
body knows that most of the sermons
of today do not reach the world. Inc !
vast majority of the people OF our
great cities never enter church.
The sermon of today carries along
with it the deadwood of all ages Hun
dreds of years ago it was decided. what
a sermon ought to be, and it is the at
tempt of many theological seminarles
and doctors Of divinity to hew the
modern pulpit utterances into the same
old-style proportions. booksellers
will tell you they dispose of a hundred
histories, a hundred novels, hundred
poems, to one book of sermons. what
is the matter? Some say the age is the
worst of all ages. 1t is better. Some
say religion is wearing out, when II Is
wearing in. Some say there are 50
many who despise the Christian rell-
gion. I answer, there never was an
age when there we're so many Chris
tians, or SO many friends of Christian
ity as this age has-our age; as 10
others hundred to one. What is the
matter, then? 1t is simply because
our sermon of today is not suited to
the age. 1t is the canal boat in an age
of locomotive and electric telegraph.
The sermon will have to be shaken out
of the old grooves or it will not be
heard and it will not be read
Before the world is converted, the
sermon will have to be converted. You
might as we'll go into modern Sc
dan or Gettysburg with bows and ar
rows instead of rifles and bombshells
and parks of artillery as to expect to
conquer this world for God by the old
styles of sermonology. Jonathan cd
wards preached the sermons best
adapted to the age in which he lived,
but if those sermons were preached
now they would divide an audience in
TO two classes; those sound asleep and
those wanting to go home.
But there is a coming sermon-whC
part of the earth it will be born have
no idea; in which denomination OF
Christians it will be delivered, 1 can
not guess. That coming sermon may
be born in the country meeting house
or on the banks of the St. Lawrence
or the Oregon, or the Ohio, or the Tom
bigbee, or the Alabama. The person
who may deliver it may this moment
lie in a cradle under the shadow of thu
Sierra Nevadas, or in a New England
farmhouse, or amid the rice fields O.
Southern savannas. Or this momen
there may be some young man in som,
of our theological seminaries, in TIL
junior, or middle, or senior class, shap
ing that weapon of power. Or Their,
may be coming some new haptisms O
the Holy Ghost on the churches, s.
that some of us who now stand in tn
watch towers of Zion, waking to tn
realization of our present inefficiency
may preach it ourselves. That comin
sermon may not be twenty years of
1Ahu lCI ~ dy NOu l11dl us aTrlV9
may be fastened, while 1 announce t
you what I think will be the chief char
,acteristics of that sermon when it doe
arrive; and I want to make the re
marks appropriate and suggestive t
all classes of Christian workers.
First of all, remark that the CON
ing sermon will be full of a Twin
Christ, in contradistinction to didacti
~iechnicalities. A sermon may he Fl,
of Christ, though hardly mentionin
his name, and a sermon may be empt
of Christ while every sentence is rep,
'titious of his titles. The world wan
"a living Christ, not Christ standir
at the head Of formal system of tn
ology, but a Christ who means pardc
and sympathy and coincidence ar
brotherhood and life and heaven.
poor mans Christ. An over-work,
mans Christ. An invalids Christ.
farmers Christ. A merchants Chri!
An artisans Christ. An every mar
Christ.
A symmetrical and finely word
system of theology is we'll enough {
LASOlOSlCcal C1dooSS, UuI IL lids no ma
business in a pulpit than have t
technical phrases of an anatomist,
a physician, in the sick room of a 7
5tient. The world wants help, INN
.diate and world uplifting, and it W
come through sermon in which Chr
shall walk right down into the i
mortal soul and take everlasting D,
session of it, filing it as full of liz
as is the monday armament. I'll
sermon of the future will not deal W
men in the threadbare illustrations
Jesus Christ. In that coming serm
there will be instances of vicaric
sacrifice taken right out of every-d
life, for there is not a day somebc
is not dying for others. AS the ply
clan, saving his diphtheric patient
sacrificing his own life; as the sh
captain going down with his ves
while he is getting his passengers
to the lifeboat; as the fireman, G
Stunning in the burning building. wi