The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-06-12
BILL ARP on PREACHERS.
6s Does Not Like tie Modern Sensss
tional Sermons.

Out CT TWO or L8Eee uNQuIeu ClAtIeuG
Christian creeds AID forms Of worship,
one would suppose there were already
enough to choose from, but some new
aid stat tling ones keep c,nling IN and
the eager, craving miDds ct the un-
settled people are falling out with the
old and falling in with the new theories
aOd doctrines. There is no Cause for
very great alarm in this, fer it proves
tie natural in5tinotive desire Of weak
ard unsettled minds fer some religion
that will satisfy ard comfort the lorg
Jig heart II proves the universal
baiiefin COD the creator and the uuiver-
sal dts re to secur: His favor. There
is nothing new CT strange in this. 1t is
history repeated. Oae hundred AID
eighty years aga Alezard Pope, tie
grest poet and philosopher, wrote:
For modes of faith let grace!ess zealo's
fight;
He can be wrong whose life is in the right.
In faith and hope the world will disagree,
But all mankind concern is charity
Pepe was great and good man and
die6 Christian HIS devotion to bis
mother was intense and beautiful He
took the tenderest care of her and she
lived with him until she died, IN her
ninety third year. This is tribute
enough for any man.
There are many men of many minds.
There are some in our day just like
those of athens Of whom ST. Paul
wrote, Who spent their lime in telling
or hearing some new thing" Even
some preachers have morbid craViog
for sensation, ard thet create COM
motion wherever they 60, They be-
long to the church militant snd believe
in thunder and lightning ard cyclones
and even war as sgepcies for the prop
agasioa Of Christianity. The news
papers are crowded with abstruse
essays on the ueW religion both for
and against. These distract the skep;i.
cal and unsettled minds Of many, but
only for time. Spi7ltualism did the
same thing for half century, but
happily it has run its course as the last
census shows large decrease 10 the
number OF it's folloWsls. But true
Christianity moves on serenely amidst
all these connections. Meteors and
comets msy come and go-e7en the
SUI itself may for q brief interval be
eelipsed; but, like Christianity, it
shines on year after year, century after
century, bringing light and life to the
world.
May be this sensational preaching is
needed in these degenerate times,
when the spirit of war and the love Of
money seems to b we demoraiizsd the
young men Of the land; when murder
and suicides are Of daily occurrence,
and getting money by gambling in
stocks and other short cuts to fortune
has become q national sin. But to my
mind, the old, conservative modes are
still the best. l don't like the preach
er who ascends the pulpit with whip
in his hand and cracks its lash at every
malediction. That would be al right
if every man hsd pulp AID 8 whip,
20 that be could fight back. If were
good enough to be preacher | would
take text and stick to it reverently
and plead with the people in the name
Of the Lord. Old Dr.. AxsoD, Of
Savannah, was ny ideal of a preacher;
a man OF God whose very presence Ia
he pulpit increased our reverence foE
it. HIS texts sill .inger in the memo
ries of thoso VINO listened sEd carry
with them more endxriDg solemnity.
When Dsvid pleaded with tho Lord
for forgiveness and said, ''Remember
not against M the iulqu' ties CT my
youth" every one recalled with grief
and sorrow the many, many erroIs Of
his young life. What g1ief to every
man are sha sins Of his youth ard how
earnestly be wishes they could be
eIolted out from Dis own memory. l
recall another text, when David ez
claimed in the agony Of his hesri,
My sin is ever before me-" Waat a
subject for an earnest, eloquent divine
the in upossibi:ity Of escaping from the
memory of sin.
But the love of God was his favorite
| theme, and the helplessness Of man IN
contrast. We know not whence We
came nor whittier We ara going. We
cannot add day nor an hour 10 our
existence. We cannot foresee a&;c-
tions nor calami:ies nor fortify against
them. We are utterly helpless and
are dependent on the Cteator. Then
he gave a poetic picture Of the won
drous love Of the Creator for His crea-
lures ard proved it BY the sdsptstion
Of our scenses to the besu.ies and
| luxuries Of 1ature-the moon and stars,
the mountains, rivers, trees, fruits and
flowers; the birds to sing, the flowers
to bloom, the earth TO bear US food,
and how carefully He holds the rolling
earth in His mighty hand while We sleep
unconscious Of any danger, and too
of.en forgetful that our Maker is at the
helm, watching over US and counting
every pulse that beats. Young man,
you0g man, stop and tbinkH he ex-
claimed, in tender, fearful pleading.
That is the kind of preaching like.
1t 1S we'll 10 nave cTeeos anu 1a1lA Al
them; but creeds are at last the work
of men and are controve1ted AID hawk
el at by those Who difsr; but when
the Lord ssys, "Do justly, love mercy
and walk humbly with thy God,
"Hunble yourselves under tie mighty
hand of God," Love the Lord with
all thy strength and thy neighbor as
thyself," and Love is the fulfilling Of
the law" there is no need Of any better
creeds. Humility is one of the chiefest
cardinal virtues. A man who is vain
or co2ceited is close akin 10 an idiot.
The poet says, "Oh, why should the
spirit Of mortal be proud" and the
paalm;st says, "Lord, what is man that
Thou art mindful Of him?"
But I didn't start to preach ser
non, although could preach one If !
had a puipit and conversation of