The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-12-17

tlougbt 1ou would De Just as muC
Il hero in the same crisis"
Oh, In that coming sermon Of tn
Christian church there will be liyn
illustrations taken from everyday Ia
ca vicarious suffering illustration
that will bring to mind the ehastlie
OF Him who. in the high places OF th
field and on the cross. fought our ba
Ties and wept oar griefs and endure
our struggles and died our death
A German sculptor maze an image q
Christ, and he asked his little child
two years Old, who it was, and sh
SAID: That must be some very grea
man. The sculptor was displease,
with the criticism. SO lie got auothe
block of marbIe and chiseied away oi
II two or Lhrce years. and then h.
brought IN his little child, four or fiv
years OF age, md he said TO her: "Wh,
do you think that is!' She said: ''Tba
mast be the one who took little chill
dren IN His arms and blessed them9
! Then the sculptor was satisfied. Oh
| my friends, what the world wants /,
not cold Christ, not an intellectual
! Christ, not severely maGjsteria
| Christ, but a loving Christ, spreading
out His arms of sympathy to press the
whole world to His loving heart.
But remark again that the coming
sermon of the Chris tinu church will be
short sermon. Condensation is de.
tnanded by the age in which we live.
NO more need Of long introductons
ana long applications, and SO many di~
Visions 10 II discourse that it may be
said to be hydraheaded In otherdays
men got all their Information from the
pulpit. There were few books aud
there were no newspapers, and there
was little travel from place to place.
and people would sit aud listen two
and half hours to religious discourse,
aud 'hcventeenthiy" would find them
fresh and clipper. Ia those times
there was enough room for n man TO
take an hour to warm himself up to
The subject and an hour to cool off
but what WAS necessity then is u
snporiluity now. Congregations are
full of knowledge from books, from
from rapid and con tinuous
INSTRUMENTATION; and long dis
questions Of what they know already
viii NOT be abided. If a religious
teacher can not compress what he
wishes to say to the people in the space
pt 45 minutes, better adjourn to
some other day.
The trouble is. we preach audiences
INTO Christian frame and then we
preach them out OF IT, We forget that
'very auditor has so much capacity or
attention, and when that is exhausted |
ne Is restless. That accident ON the |
Long Island railroad came from the |
act that the brakes were out of order,
md When they wanted to stop the
ram they could not stop; hence the |
'asnafty was terrific. In all religious
'isconrse wo want locomotive power
md propulsion; we want at the same
line stout brakes to lot down at the
light instant, 1t il IA dismal thing,
Tier nearer has comprehended the
whole subject, to hear man say,
Now, to recapituInte, and ~ few
words by way of application" and
once more, and finally" and NOW
0 conclude,
Paul preached until midnight, and
'atychns got sound asleep, and fell
ut OF window and broke his neck,
ONE would say: Good for him." |
.ouid rather be sympathetic like Paul,
nd resuscitate him. That accident is
item quoted now in religious circles
warning against somnolence in
lurch' 1T is just as much n warning
ministers against prolixity. Euty- \,
ius was wrong in his somnolence, but =.
lul made mistake when he kept on
ntl midnight lie ought to h ave
oppcd at II o'clock, and there would
ave been no accident. It Paul might
I'VE gone on to too great length, let
those OF us who are now preaching
e Gospel remember that there is
limit to religious discourse or
ght to be, and that in our time we =
I'VE no apostolic power or miracles. :
ipoleon, in an address OF seven =
'nutes thrilled hls army and thrilled \
lrope. Christs sermon on the mount ;,
the model sermon-was less than IS :
nutcs long at ordinary mode OF de- ;,
cry. 1t is not electricity scattered !;
over the sky TINT strikes, but cleo ;.
city gathered into thunderbolt ;.
d hurled and it is not religious ;.
18th scattered over, spread out over y
vast reach OF time, but religious
It'll projected in compact form that :,
shes light upon the soul and rives :.
indifference. !,
When the coming sermon arrives in Il
is land and in the Christian church -
9 sermon which is to arouse the !,
rid ana startle the nations and usher :,
the kingdom-it will be brief SER -
N. Heart, all theological students, /,
ye just entering upon religious 81
NIX, all We men and women who in ~
bbath-schools and other depart h
nts are toiling for Christ and the 3;
walton OF immortals. Brevity. Brew ri
But remark also that the coming NJ
mon of which speak will be n pop a,
II sermon. There are those in these ~
les who speak Of populas sermon =,
though there must be something =.
ong about it. AS these critics are i,
Il themselves, the world gets the inn Il
'ssion that sermon is good in pro- i
ton as it is stupid. Christ was the \,
st popular preacher the world ever ~
v, and considering tho small number 4,
the wold's opulation, He had the a,
gest audiences ever gathered. He il
'erpreached any where without max n
agreat sensation. People rushed ont n
he wilderness to hear Him, reckless -,
their physical necessities. So great :,
8 their anxiety to hear Christ that, IN
ing no food with them. they would a.
70 tainted and starved had not =,
list performed miracle and fed i,
IN. Why did SO many people take !.