The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-15

consecrated ministers today than ever before. More brilliant and well developed heads and hearts are yearly being trained In our theological seminaries than ever before More eloquent sermons are being preached from the sacred desk on this Sabbath than on any Sunday of any other generation that ever lived. What, then, Is the matter? The pulpit has not lost it's old power, but the pew has abandoned It's duty. The great defect of the church today is that the pew has rel egated to the pulpit nearly all It's public duties, of preaching as well as public praying as it has depended on the choir for it's singing. The result is that when the pew ceases to speak the message or the pulpit is neglected. The pulpit of the Lord Jesus Christ is today grooming un- der the weight of the infinite load which the pew has piled upon it. No church is today a consecrated evangelistic church unless it has in its pews men who by life and testimony are preaching evan gelists as well as gospel ministers who stand behind the sacred desk. Jesus Christ is today speaking to the silent pews in the same way as he spake unto the dumb devil of old that were cursing the life of a young child He said unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit. come out of him and enter no more into him!' It Is not the pulpit that is dead; 1t is the pew which refuses to speak and there fore has lost its power to listen.
 Wesley and the Dumb Pew.
 John Wesley, one of the greatest men who ever lived, no matter how you take him. realized, and profoundly realized, that dumb pew invariably meant an ineffective pulpit and dead church. What did he do? John Wesley, by divine inspiration, made his pulpit one of the mightiest thrones of the ages when he kindled the pew into artlculate life. John Wesley also harnessed to the pulpit the power of Christian song. He started his brother Charles writing hymns. He gave those hymns to the people, the common people, and, like David, he cried: Praise ye the Lord; praise ye the Lord from the heaven! Both youths and maidens, old men and children, let them praise the name of the Lord!' Then John Wesley took the old Bible. the Bible of Martin Luther. He took that Bible out of the chancel and the cloister He gave 1t to the people, the common people He said to them as Paul said unto young Tim othy: Preach the word. Be instant in season. out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhortw Then John Wesley placed his hands upon the commonest of men In ordination. He took the cobbler from off his stool, the miner from the dark caverns of the earth, the farmer from the field and the clerk from the store. He said unto these men who had been study ing the word of God: Brethren, you do not need a theological training. Preach Jesus Christi preach; everywhere preach, preach, preaeh?'
 The older denominations of England at that time, sneered at the Wesleyans. In derision they called them ''Methodists' because they did everything unmethodi- cally What was the result7 Was Wes- ley's a foolish plan? Oh. no. When Charles Wesley started the people sing ing instead of relegating that duty to a trained choir, as many of our churches do today; when John Wesley started his people praying and pleading in the barns in the homes, on the street corners, Charles and John Wesley, by the power of the pew, reused all England for Christ. And today the greatest danger of the Methodist church Is that she Is developing too much an intellectual pulpit instead of a pleading, praying, testifying pew. John Wesley believed In that pew. John Wes- ley by the grace of God, compelled that pew to speak. Oh, thou deaf and dumb spirit of the church pew in the name of Christ I command thee to come out and be gone Into everlasting darkness! The caverns of the black inferno alone are suited to thy whitening and blasting and accursed silence. Let the silver tongue of Christian testimony hereafter speak from the pew. This plea, oh Christian women, Is spoken to you as well as to your brother.
 Would that the tongue of the dumb