The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-09-20

deadwoOd in the theological SEMI
naries and more flaming evangels.
AT meeting of the general assem-
bly, of the Pres byterian church of the
United States a clergyman accus-
toned on the Sabbath to preach to
an audience of 200 or 800 people, in an
audience room that could hold 1900,
was appointed to preach sermon on
how to reach the masses. l am told
the incongruity was too much for the
risibilities of many of the clergy in
the audience. Now, a young man
coming out from such bedwarfing in
f1uences, how can he enter into the
wants and the woes and the sympa-
thies of the people who want on the
Lords day a practical Gospel that
will help them all the week and help
them forever?
Young ministers are told they must
preach Christ and Him crucified. Yes,
but not as an abstraction. Many a
minister has preached Christ and
Him crucified in such a way that he
preached an audience of 500 down to
200, and from 200 to 100, and from 100
to so, and from 90 to 20, and on down
until there was little left save the
sexton, who was paid to stay until
the service was over and lock up.
There is a greao deal of cant about
Christ and Him crucified. 1t is not
Christ and Him crucifed as an alb
straction, but as an Omnipotent SYM
pathy applied to all the wants and
woes of our immortal nature-a
Christ who will help us in every do
mestic, social, financial, political, ma
tiOnal struggled Christ for the par
lor, Christ for the nursery, Christ
for the kitchen, a Christ for the barn,
Christ for the street, a Christ for
the store, Christ for the banking
house, a Christ for the factory, a
bly,, a Christ for the courtroom, a
Christ for every trial and every emer-
gency and ever perturbation.
1t is often the case that the diff
ficulty begins clear back in the home
circle with misapprehension as to
which child ought to be consecrated
to the ministry. John is keen, bright
boy. He is good at a bargain. When
he trades at school, he always gets
the best of it. Make him a merchant.
He will soon gather a fortune and go
commercial princes. George has
great cerebral development. Phreno-
logically, language is large. Make
him a lawyer. He will argue his way
to the front, and he will take his
place among the Mansfields and the
Storys. Henry has a large girth at
the chest and is military in his step
and bearing. Send him to West Point.
We shall see him yet brigadier gen.
eral. William is fond of sketching
ships, and he knows as much about
a vessel as an old sailor. Make him a
The vessel that he builds
viii successfully wrestle with the
Caribbean whirlwind. Aleck is not
very we'll He has never had very
good digestion. Since that last ma
larial attack his spleen is enlarged.
He has a morbid way of looking at
things. He will sit for hours look
ing at one figure in the carpet. His
manners are so mild, so soft, so gen
tie, so affectionate, so Heavenly, and
he cries easily. Make him a minister.
Now, my friends, that is a great mis-
take. If you want to consecrate one
Of your sons to the Gospel ministry,
take the one widest awake, the
brawniest, the most brilliant, the
most irresistible, the most potent. A
work pens before pro-
fession whose one object is to lift
the nations toward God and prepare
them for Heaven.
All, my friends, churches will be
largely attended just in proportion
as we ministers can meet their
meet their sufferings, meet
their bereavements and meet their
sympat hies. If there be a church
with small help, small audience, medi-
nm help, medium audience; large
help, large audience. If there be a
family IN a city and three depots of
bread and one depot has 100 loaves
and another 500 loaves and another
depot 10000 loaves, the depot that
the depot that has 500 loaves will
have far more applicants, the depot
that has 10000 Ioaves Will have
throngs, throngs, throngs.
Oh, my brethren in the Chris tan
ministry, we must somehow get our
shoulders under the burden of the
people on the Lords day and give
them good stout nft, and we can do
t. We have it all our own way. 1t is
L great pity if with the floor clear
md no interruption, we cannot dur
ng the course of an hour get our
lymn or our prayer or our sermon
1nder such momentum we can, by the
1elp of God, lift the people, body,
mind and soul, clear out of their sins,
and troubles.
l think that ministerial laziness
often empties the church of auditors.
Hearers, who are intelligent through
'eading newspapers and by active as
ISOLATION in business circles, will not
IN the Sabbath sit and listen to plati-
udes. Hearers will not come to ST.
mons which have in them no impor-
ant facts, no information, no stir
ing power, no adaptation, no fire.
The pew will not listen to the pulpit
lnless the pulpit knows more than
he pew. Ministerial laziness has
feared out many churches. Such
minister's Sauuter around from parlor
o parlor under the name of pastoral
-isitation and go gadding about
hrougL the village or the city on err
'ands of complete nothingness and
wrap their brains around a cigar and
smoke them up, and then on Satur
lay afternoon put a few crude
thoughts together and on Sunday
morning wonder that the theme of
Jhrist and Him crucified does not