The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-02-04
REV. GEORGE H. FERRIS
TELLS HOW SERMONS ARE WRONG-
 LY TAKEN

In Sermon Yesterday at Calvary Baptist
 Church--PeopIe Take to Heart Lessons
 Intended for Others-Says Many Are
 Called Martyrs Who Are Not in Gods
 Catalogue of Saints.
 Rev. George H. Ferris preached in Calvary Baptist church yesterday morning on ''The Danger of Deranging the Conscience The text was from Matthew iv 23: "But if thine eye De evil, thy whole body shall be full or darkness If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great IS that darkness?"
 Mir. Ferris said in part: Sometimes when the preacher comes into the pulpit with strong and vigorous sermon he wishes he might ask some of the people in the audience to retire. He Is sure to see some man in the audience who needs nothing so much as seclusion for quiet thought and contemplation Tor will take to heart his exhortat1ons Tor active work, plunge into still greater activity-wh;le in another part of the church will sit man possessed of dreaming, mystical and sluggish nature who will in all probability regard the sermon as tiresome and inadequate.
 "In the case of a sermon preached to incte greater benevolence 1t is always the benevolent minded saint who takes the sermon to heart and upbraids her. self for her selfishness, pouring out further bounty which has already overtaxed her means. Within few pews sits a miserly nature for whom the sermon was intended, wondering how the preacher can possibly deliver such stupid sermons.
 ''So people are forced to turn the best of sermons into a poison rather than into an antidote. How often have you listened to sermon, some part of which applied particularly to the faults of your friend Glancing around you found to your joy that he was present. But undoubtedly at that moment your friend was not listening to the preacher but studying the ornamental designs on the walls of the sanctuary. He will presently come to. just in time to hear particular application to your own faults, and will smile to note that you are present
 There are many sins which people reconcile their consciences to call vfr- tues People don't call things by their right names. One of these sins is that of boorishness, which goes by the name of fearless honesty. And under this name paople blurt out the unkindest and most unmannerly things under the slightest preteXt.
 Don't call your bigotry love. The tyrannous desire to get the ascendency over our brothers and to judge and con- trol their actions don't call the pure flame of love.
 Don't call yourself a martyr when you are suffering as result of your own obstinacy. Hundreds of men have gone to the stake on account of their dogged pride. History proves that many who will to-day suffer for the sake of their dogmas are tomorrow, when they ascend to power, ready | themselves to torture and burn. So | there are those who when made to pay the penalty of their own dsagreeable | obstinacy and conceit call themselves | martyrs, but are not to be found on Gods calendar of saints
 Don't call indifference liberality. | There is certain class of people who | call a preacher liberal or narrow-nind- | ed according as he disturbs them or ! lets them alone in a life of self seeking pleasure. Now, while I would not wish | to rule reasonable amount of pleasure out of anybodys life it ought not to be made the main consideration. Make your religion the primary not the sec ondary principle of your conduct. Peo- pie who slide out from under responsi- bility in the church in the form of the and smallest excuses very of ten call themselves by one of the larg- est and most generous names in the English language of liberal mind- ed men,"