The age-herald., 1900-01-09
FOUR GREAT MINISTERS
 AND THEIR WORK

 The Rev. Newell Dwight Hills dn the Pitts
 burg Dispatch.
 When long time hath passed some his- torian, recalling the great epochs and re- ligIous teachings of our century, will say: There were four men sent forth by dod." Their names, Charles spurgeon, Phillips Brooks. Henry Ward Beecher and Dwight L. Moody. Each was a herald of good tidings, and each made a permanent con- trfbution to the Christian church, while of all it may be said their sermons were trans lated into many tongues and their names known in every town and city where the English language is spoken. For our in- struetion. rebuke and inspiration God hath raised up other preachers representing a high order of intellect, naked eloquence and permanent influence, but as to the first der of greatness there have been perhaps these four-no more. God girded each of these prophets for h.s task, and taught him how to ''dip his sword in heaven"
 In characterizing the message of these men we say that Sturgeon was expositional, Phillips Brooks devotional, Henry Ward Beecher prophetic and philosophical, while Dwight L. Moody was herald rather than a teacher, addressing himself to the com mon people-the unchurched multitudes. The symbol of the English preacher is a lighted lamp the symbol of Brooks f1am- ing heart the symbol of Beecher an orches- tra of many instruments, while Mir. Moody's was a trumpet, of marrow range, perchance, but sounding the advance, sometimes through inspiration and sometimes through alarm.
 If preaching is man-making and man. mending. then MT. Moody was ver1fabie prince among preachers. In view or une great audiences of 15,0OO people tnae thronged into or about the hall in Kansas City. where he preached his last sermon, all must confess that no preacher in the land since MT. Beechers time was com- parable to MT. Moody in personal popular ity or in the power ito hold the masses. Any student skilled in the art Of reading human nature, and, while listening to his words, has noted their effect upon the faces of the vast audience before him, must make haste to affirm that MT. Moody knew the human mind and heart as skflful musician knows his instrument, and sweeps all the banks of keys before him. In the addresses that were given no element of great speech was lacking. The way in winch MT. Moody moved his audience from tears to laughter reminded us of MT. Beecher's assertion that if he could make a pan of milk slop over on one side he was always sure he could make it slop over on the other.
 Life is determined by the motions of the heart quite as much as by the arguments of the head. No matter how scholarly or intellectual the preacher may be, he is at hest a second-rate preacher whose truth burns with cold white light. Truth in the hands of intellectual philosopher. who has found his way into the pulpit, cuts with keen edge, indeed, but truth in MT. Mcodys hands has been heated redhot, and the edge of his sword burns as we'll as cuts. like the word of God, dividing be- tween the joints and marrow, and separat- ing the sinner from his evil deeds.
 No misconception be greater than to suppose that Mir Moody succeeded In spite of his lack of Theological preparation. My old professor of dogmatic theology criti- cised me harshly during my student days for going to hear Mr. Moody on Sunday morning. Because the great evangelist was a layman and unordained, this distinguish ed theoFogian said that he declined to at- tend any of MT. Moodys meetings during his great campaigns in city in which this professor had formerly resided. ra5.
 It is true that MT. Moody had never crossed the threshold of college tffeolog- ical seminary. Moreover, in his enthusi- asm he often used the vernacular homely idioms, and in every sermon broke some of the laws of grammar or of rhetoric. But nothing is risked in the statement that 1t was a great good fortune for him that he never found his way into theological seminary. Nevertheless, he was a past master in his chosen art-he reached men, not because he knew so little about preach ing, but because he knew so much. Could some scholar take volume of MT. Moody's sermons and condense his thoughts meth- ods, appeals and illustrations into a vol ume of homoetics, the book would be so large and comprehensive that the ordinary work on the art of preaching would not make an introduction thereto
 Taken all in all, fer the work of an evan- gelist this man represented more culture and more thought about the methods of reaching the common people than any other man in his generation. To him it was given to meet all the great preachers of the day and to work with them. He had also the power of selection from each Sturgeon, or Maclaren, or Brooks, or Beecher of his spe- cial gift and excellence. Having spent eight months of the year in working with the foremost pastors at home and abroad, he had four months in summer for study and conference. Those who have seen MT. Moody's library know that this man was a student of books as well as mem Super- ficial indeed the judgment of those who think that Mr. Moody was without eduea- tion. or training. or logic, or knowledge of preaching as science. With him preach ing was a fine art, an art that conceals the art. Did our theological semiraries multi ply their three years by two they could not hope to equip their students as well as ex- perience with men had equipped MT Moody.
 Perhaps of all the arts and occupations in our age not one is comparable to the rt of demands highaSc