Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-07-10

The audience at the First Methodist
church Sunday night was consider
ably reduced on account Of very in
clement weather The pastor, Rev J :.
S. Hawkins. preached upon "What
Should a Preacher Preach2" and his
text was from the second verse, fourth
chapter of Second Timothy:
"Reprcve, rebuSe, eXhort.'
Rev. Hawkins discourse was as fol-
lows:
In response to the question: sWhat
Should a Preacher Preach?" many
different answers are given.
Says one "No matter what. so he
Another. 'No matter what. so he
does not antagonize anybody. nor any
thing"
Another. 'fNo matter what, so he
catches a crowd. and makes our
church popular with the largest crowd
in the city
We have such people tc deal with
Eut, after all, the people are not all
tired CT the old gospel truth There
are times when we feel. with Elijah
that we are alone. But the Lord
would have us know we are not alone
No man was ever better qualified
to instruct a young preacher how to
preach than was St Paul He tcld
Timothy how to preach. We are us.
ing just bit of that instruction for
text tonight.
Timothy was young man. just be-
ginning in the great work of the
ministry. Paul tod him to "exhort
rebuke, reprove." s.Never be popular.
never. never. never. Think ef man
suggesting such a thing as being
Popular to Paul To this old soldier
of the cross who had slept many
night behind the bars. whcsa back
was SCARED with the lashes: whose
head was afterward cut from his shOul-
1ers for his faith BY his earnestness
he impressed humanity with the truth
and beauty of his Christian faith. He
would have Timothy know that what
he stood for was not himself. nCr
creed. nor doctrine Of his own. but
the gospel of our LCrd. pure and sim
pie. and that people would hear him
for the sake of the message.
The church takes both happy and
serious view CT life. We believe that
a Christian ought to be a happy crea
ture, happier than anybody else. But
since to us is opened up the realities
of a life beyond the grave. we feel
that life is too precious to waste.
Popular preaching! The popular
preacher may not be popular because
Of his ability to preach.
have seen men whose force OF
character. sweetness of spirit. and
general interest in other people,
binding up broken hearts. made them
popular regardless of the lack of
strong pulpit ability. On the other
hand. have seen the patronizing
lreacher whose every effort was to
please.
The sublime duty CT preaching the
word of God is too sacred to be dealt
with lightly.
Knowing something of the short
ness of the time we are going to work,
how little will be remembered. The
preacher wants to plant some seed
which are sure to grow.
Retrospective.
Ninety per cent of the sermon mat
ter I have presented you has been
other than reproof or rebuke, rather
exhcrtation. A little more than a
year age I received postal card from
Bishop Key instructing me to come
over here and take charge of the First
church. did not ask my presiding
elder. nor my board, nor the bishop
what to preach. Commissioned of God
have tried to do my duty. There
have been some obstacles. I have
paid just as little attention to them
as possible. and preached to more
different people than any man in the
city. Seeing the situation as do, as
minister, with the experience of
teacher citizen and father, I should
feel myself criminally a coward to
not have tried to enforce upon the
minds of my hearers higher concep-
ticn of Christian character.
Things Condemned.
Among the things I have condemn.
ed, trying to use such terms of con-
6emnation as you would not forget,
are:
;o,o, dr;r1>;ror ond attendant OWLS