The semi-weekly messenger., 1901-02-19
Mr<rAKEs NOTED AS TO RELIGION

Some leading pastors in this country
complain of the extreme and unparal-
Ieied spiritual barrenness in their
churches. 1t is wide spread now.
and can be found in all sections OF this
country. The fault may be in some
instances in the character Of the
preaching. 1t is too sensational and
too barren of scriptural truth. Least
wise Rev. DR.. Paul F. Sutphen, of the
large Presbyterian church at Clevel-
and, Ohio, said "he had been preach
ing along historic and literary lines,
with a house packed with people, and
when he had gone back to preaching
the gospel, the crowd had melted away
Brethren he said, Il do feel deep
down in my heart of hearts, a minister
has to go out of his head and heart the
hungering for a crowd, if he is destin-
ed to be real ambassador for Christ"
A minister of the gospel must be very
true and loyal to the gospel if he is
to win souls to Christ and build up a
congregation in holy living and en-
tire conservation. Any other preaching
church such as shall not be saved"
In contrast look at the sensationalism
of Rev. DR.. Whitaker, a Methodist pas
tor at Ashtabula, Ohio. The Washing
ton Post gives an account of this par
ticular minister's ways to win. He
says:
Like all up-to date business men,
DR.. Whitaker holds to the theory that
ads. should be written in an attractive
style, and the element of novelty must
not be overlooked. The aim of the ad.
writer should be to fasten the atten-
tion of the reader with the first line
and to hold it with increasing absorp-
tion to a grand elimination in the last
word. His style is certainly novel, as
the following example of a displayed
ad. sufficiently attests:
''Wanted-A few more saints; a few
more men; a few more Methodists; a
few more sinners to become saints.
Meeting tonight at the First M. E.
church; subject: a fool and his COM
panion.'
"Just immagine that appeal spread
over ten inches double column, and you
get some idea of DR.. Whitaker's notion
of pulpit proprieties."
Another enemy to genuine piety is
the NOVELETTE, book that attacks re-
iigion, ridicules the true disciples, eX-
alts science, and gives a fatal stab to
faith, to belief in the Bible, in God,
in a future state of reward and pun
fshment. Such books whether in the
form of an essay. short story or a
novel, may lodge in the receptive and
uninformed mind a bit of poison, of
Scepticism that may result in a lost
soul. To get ones ideas of life, OF
duty, of knowledge of God from latter
day essays and morals is to have the
mind polluted, reason perplexed if not
-dethroned, and a life made complete
failure in so far as God and the true
fife beyond are involved. The Boston
Congregationalist lately had an article
on the most assertiye foe to religious
faiths" and from it we take the fol-
lowing:
ITO look back over the century and
mark the wonderful progress in dis
covering the secrets of nature and the
processes of developing life is to be in
spired with new hope. Every advance
in knowledge must in the end bring
men nearer to God. Science, theology
literature all are paths which - in
to His presence. To attempt to follow
them without approaching Him is to
leave them, to fail into finding what
they have to reveal. and to lose ones
self"