The herald., 1897-10-18
FooL1sHNEss OF PREACHING
Rev. David Walks Sermon at Christ
Church

For when the world had failed to gain
by its wisdom the knowledge of the wis
dom Of God, it pleased God, by the folly
of our preaching to save those who have
faith therein" First Corinthians, i:2l.
This was the text from which the Rev.
David Walk preached yesterday morn
ing at Christ church. He said in part:
Not foolish preaching, but the foolish
ness of preaching. The apostle means
that the instrumentality of preaching
which it has pleased God to employ for
the salvation of the world, seems very
foolish and inadequate as judged by a
worldly standard. If men had been
faithful to what Paul called the fool
ishness Of preaching" there would to-
day be many more humble, spirit-filled
and as consequence consecrated Chris
tians. And conversely, there would be
fewer skeptics and infidels in the worlts
large section of the pulpit is to blame
for much of the prevailing infidelity and
Godlessness of the masses. Doubts are
often raised in the pulpit which would
never be thought of in the pews. Many
sermons seem to be a species of apology
for the word Of God. We hear more of
Tyndall, Darwin and Huxley than of
Jesus, Peter and Paul.
The gospel is either true or it is false.
If true, it is the most momentous truth
in the universe; if false, it is, if that were
possible, greater miracle than any fact
or incident of which it bears record /
believe the gospel. In my view, the fate
of humanity is bound up in the gospel of
Jesus Christ No system of philosophy
of which have ever heard has power to
change the heart or to produce a holy
life.
The gospel lays the ak to the root of
the tree. 1t tells me that am a sinner,
and this l know to be true. 1t tells ME
that l need a Savior, and this l recognize
to be the greatest want of my soul. AL
most any man could devise what he
would regard as better and wiser
method Of saving men than that which is
set forth in the gospel, and adopted by
infinite wisdom; and it is as true now
as it was then, that "the Jews ask for
sign from heaven, and the Greeks de-
mand a system of philosophy; but We
proclaim Messiah crucified, to the Jews
stumbling block and to the Greeks
folly"
No nation, destitute Of gospel,
Now in the absence of the gospel and
the knowledge of the salvation of which
it treats, men may speculate and philos-
ophize; but this does not make them bet
ter. But the gospel does accomplish
this wherever and by whomsoever it is
received and adopted as the rule Of life.
Men may sneer at the gospel, but 'the
folly which is of God is wiser than mans
wisdom, and the weakness which is of
God Is stronger than mans strength
The truth is that every idea which we
now entertain of God, of heaven, of i'm
mortality, is derived from the gospel.
We have no occasion, therefore, to be-
come apologists for the gospel. No de-
duction of science can change the facts
of sin and holiness. We know that some
thing calls upon us to be pure, true,
merciful and just--that something holds
us to the great idea of duty. This to me
is God speaking directly to me, as he
does to all; and because he asks me to be
good I know that he is good. Here is
rock with which geology has nothing to
do.
No man should be more fully Informed
as to all phases of thought and intellec-
tual inquiry than the preacher; but sci
ence neither saves the soul nor makes
me better. 1t was not designed to do
this; hence there need be no conflict be-
tween it ard the gospel. 1t is the gospel
which is the power Of God unto saliva
ton, and its plainness and simplicity
adapt 1t to man as he is. Finally, the
"foolishness of preaching" consists irs
simple setting forth of the Lord Jesus
Christ as he is portrayed in the gospel,
and the salvation produced by it is found
in the humble and hearty acceptance of
the Christ as the only hope of the sinner,
the only savior of the soul.