St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-09-03
DR.. Heath g Sermon.

The sermon preached by Rev. Dr. A. II.
Heath of the North church. ST. Johns
bury, was from the text found in Cor.
2:2 For determine not TO know any
thing among you, save Jesus Christ and
Him crucitied.
In order to see the full beauty and force
OF this passage, it is necessary to remem-
Der it was written originally to the
Greeks, a people full OF investigation,
enamored OF philosophy, in love with
poetry, STEPPED in art; a cultivated and
refined people, lond Elegance and capti-
waited only by that discourse that was
beautiful in diclion, faultless in method,
and upon themes elegant and refined. 1t
has o ten seemed strange 10 me that the
apostle did not come to minister to this
cultiva ed people, making use OF all his
learning and art, and so win them at
once to himself and so, as it would seem,
pave the way Tor the proclamation OF
that wonderful gospel which he had
come to preach. There were
themes enough on every hand, the very
air of that classic isthmus was full OF
beautiful thought. How scholar like
Paul could walk the streets OF Corinth
and not be rwhelmed is more than |
can understand. should have expected
that in this center of ancient thought
and beauty, il he spoke at all, it would
be in sympathy with his elegant sur
roundings. With all his susceptibility of
soul to the influence OF Grecian thought
he stands in Corinth as unmoved as il he
had been standing in wilderness. This
ha 10 al la. fn m 10
occupied with more majestic thoughts.
grander history than that OF Corinth
absorbs his soul 1t is that history which
began with Abraham and ended with
Nazarene. A better philosopher than
any that had been coined by Plato, Aris-
totle or Socrates, filed his soul with the
radiant wisdom-even that OF the gospel.
A sweeter poetry than any that the
ancient bard of Greece had sung he heard
in the words OF the Redeemer. hei o |
more sublime and worshipful than any
that stood in temple niche or public
square was He whose pedestal OF glory
was always the bloody cross. These are
the themes that possess his soul so that,
scholar though he is, he can stand in this
centre of Grecian glory and yet think of
nothing but the cross. The cross fills
the whole field OF vision. 1t is the one
beautiful thing in all history. 1t is the
fountain OF his thought, the substance OF
his speech.
Generally Paul's ministry we Judge is
best described by his own words, "Icame
not with excellence of speech or OF wis.
DOM" He was not retner OF phrases.
He had one great, grand object in his
ministry, and that was to present Christ
to men Christ cruci6ed and Christ
resurrected. These were his two great
themes, he cared tor nothing else. He
depended for his power not upon human
culture, not upon philosophy; his power
is the power OF the cross.
Is it not grand picture which is thus
presented to us, and would it not be well
for us to carefully study it, Would it
not be well for us to invoke the spirit OF
this man to hover over our New England
pulpits today. We have fallen upon
times when we are tempted, even as Paul
was at Corinth, to preach poetry; to go
away into the dreamy land of phioso-
ply; to discourse on the subtle principles
of esthetics; to draw our material from
strongly to rely on culture; on human
learning on logic. We have culture in
our congregatlons-men and women
with itching ears, pleased with fine
sermons. There is a demand for polish
in the pulpit. The people are pleased
with poetic iancies; with rhythmic flow
of words. Daring speculation charms
them; a bold imagination wins them to
the preacher it not to Christ. To this
demand OF the pews the pulpit seems to
have been yielding, for there seems to be
fewer Pauls in the puipits of today, and
so it comes to pass that preaching is
mere essay writing. The power of the
pulpit is mere rhetorical power, and so
one might hear today multitudes Of
sermons that were well wrought, made
almost perfect as works OF art, full of
speculation, full OF poetry, full of learning
OF all sorts, but alas empty OF Christ.
Such sermons are like the statues OF
Corinth upon which Paul looked, white