The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-06-05

The one hundred and sixth session
Of the Wyoming District Ministerial
association began its services last
evening in the Methodist Episcopal
church at Kingston, Pa. A full num-
Der of the clergy were present, as also
a large audience of the townspeople
and students of the seminary. The eX-
ercises consisted of a praise service,
led by Rev. stephen Jay, with devo-
tions conducted by Rev. ]. r. Wag-
ner. The Association address was de-
livered by Rev. DR.. G. NJ. Giffin, of the
Elm Park church, he having been
ele&ed by The last association for
this task.
His subject was: Are Methodist
Preachers of Today Measuring up to
their Fathers?" He defined this as an
important inquiry, since a degenerateI
ministry means q decayng church,
The press often prints "the prime of
the pulpit is past" although millions
come to hear living men tell of the
loving God. 1t would not be so i'm
portant If only the papers printed this,
did not many of the church members
join in lamentatlon over the loss OF
pulpit ability and efficiency. A great
divine in England said, "the early
Methodist preachers had only three
points-sin, redemption, holiness, but
with these they did more than we with
all our theologies."
A PITY IF TRUE.
If so, then 1t is a pity the church
has been by her institutions of learn
Ing, comforting on her pastors so
called endowments that are encum-
brances.
This charge of weakening upon the
later preachers is part of the pessimis-
tic waillng that the world grows
worse, that the church Is los
ing its spirituality. The same
spirit which says that our sem
ators are waning to weeness.
Where is our Webster, Clay or Cal
houn? Men in some respects inferior
to the sage of Marshfleld have done
good work as national statesmen.
Preachers are for the whole work of
the ministry and some do more and
better work in one department than
do others. This combination is the
source of success for the church.
to our predecessors in preaching as we
have advantages they did not. Many
of them We're educated in Brush col.
lege as it was called. With a higher
culture we are located in new condi-
tons. Are we as competent in our
situation as they were in theirs.
We should remember that the signal
successes in preaching We're achieved
on occasions when time was allowed
the speaker to produce great effects.
Our fathers took turns to open, elab-
crate. enforce. We have to throw out
samples, suggestions, sketches. A
pastor now gives sections of truth and
must run serials like the novel writ
ers, Ito be continued in cur next"
Great sermons cannot be preached in
fifteen minutes, All the great efforts
of the pulpit you have heard, or heard
about, were long discourses.
DIFFERENT AUDIENCE.
ent character than that before the
earlier Christian teachers. We face
nervous bankrupts, often so torn anu
tired they remind us of a moth-eaten
cloth with hardly enough of the fibre
to hold together! Put such congrega-
tion before the speaker, watching their
watches and wishing he was done be-
fore he begins, and expect him TO
equal the control of his hearers as had
the 'camp meeting orator addressing
the throng out of doors, full, most of
them, Of vital nerve force. 1t is un-
fair.
Then our comparisons are usually
made between the greatest of the past
pulpit orators and the ordinary preach
ers of this age. Why expect the usual
minister to size up with Bishop Simp-
son who had no peer in his day?
When he scared he swept the stars.
But he had times when he paved the
ground and could not ascend. To do his
work he required pet themes and IA
Vorable occasions. Mind that when you
measure ministers now
The speaker showed by quotations
from the annals that the earlier
preachers differed in talents as the
clergy do at this date. He then proceed
ed to discuss with many illustrations
from assertions, viz: that the Method
ist preachers of today equal those of the
yesterdays in eloquence, earnestness,
endurance and effects. Under these
heads he voiced his opinion that the
brethren were not all giants once, nor
| all so holy we dare not touch their
robes, nor that suffering from short
allowance was a past cramping of the
pastor He stated incidents of former
hardships and of present smallness Of
pay equal to the greatest deprivations
of the pioneer itinerants.
THE SUCCESSES.
Considering effects of preaching he
| showed how that the famed ones Of
NAEn did nAI all hn rrnnnt a,,linI.a.-.