The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-15

The church member threw it UP to
the preacher that he the preaCher)
had recently gone TO a circus.
81 Just went to see what Il circus
looked like" answered the preacher,
iIlnocently.
Said the church member, That's ex-
actly what | went TO that gambling
hell for--to see what it looked like"
but you kept on going" said the
preacher.
".tnd how do l know but what
you'll keep on going 10 the circus"
the member asked by way of reply.
Speaking of what preachers should
or should not do, / will say in the
second place, a preacher deScendS 10
the level of the ordinary mortal when
he breaches to tickle itching ears or TO
make himself popular with all classes.
While, as st. Paul puts il. a man
should covet the best gifts he should
never forget that he is to preach
Christ and not himself; and that
Christ and not the preacher should be
magnified.
But, how prone we are, eve preach
ers) TO stand in the way that Some
brother or sister may tell us what q
fine sermon we've preached! DR. Skin
ner speaking of this weakness, on the
part of preachers, said, in the course OF
some remarks he made In the Second
Presbyterian church, of this city,
twenty odd wears ago: "A man don't
know himself L thought" said the
doctor, 81 was indifferent about the
opinion of people, as to my preaching.
hut l had an experience once which
convinced me that | was not altogether
SO Indifferent TO tiattery as | thought
l was. When l returned from the
South. and again became the pastor
of the First Baptist church, i'll this
rif iSTa X no
We're glad to have me back here,
would crowd around the pulpit, every
time / preached, shake my hand and
tell me I had preached 'such fine
sermon" I would thank them and
say: while I am as grateful for your
kind words as / can be- I rather you
would not praise me or my sermons,
lest l become vain They took me
at my word. And would you believe
it? I was disappointed and hIrtl
when the next time / preached, no.
body came TO praise my sermon
! The doctor made that talk, at as
have said, the Second Presbyterian
church. during a week of prayer after
Rev. Il. f. Bumpas had preached q
sermon, his subject being: Pride al
hindrance to blessing" using as a
text: IF the prophet had bid thee do
some great thing" &c, | never shall
forget the occasion, the subject so We'll
discussed by Mr.. Bumpas. nor the doc
tors talk.
A preacher is in bad way when he
falls in love with himself, and gets to
be so spungy as to be able to absorb
all the fattery, which favoritsm or
friendship may thoughtleSSly bestow
upon him. Like "A spoiled child he is
all the time looking for something
TO satisfy his eVer-increasing want;
until after awhile nothing, less than
absolute fiattery Will do.
Il was no secret that I preacher who
came 10 Raleigh, some th.rty-live years
ago absolutely quit his work left the
city, and, finally left the State, because
ne was not fiattered here as he had
been on a former work. He was all
eloquent preacher; but his friends i'm
prudently told him of his fine abilities
until they spoiled him. If, after he
had preached one of his eloquent ser
mons. the people did not gather about
the altar and praise him he would go
To the parsonage. fall on bed and
groan as II he had lost h S last friend.
[ was his nearest neighbor, and, on
more than one occasion / was called
in by the wife. to talk with the suffer-
ing man. The burden of his complaint
to his own language was: Il am
not appreciated here Nobody compli-
ments me. i wish / had not come to
this place. O, how can l stand such
cold Indifference
Yes, a preacher is in bad way
when he falls in love with himself.
especially if friends give him too much
taffy. Human nature can't stand but
Just so much. / imagine the serpent
used f!attery pretty literally in the
case of mother Eve; and, succeeding
so we'll in turning her head, 1t opened
his eyes To the fact that, when other
things fail, fiattery Will ruin the aver
age mortal.
Some people have a way of fishing
for compliments. 1 have heard preach
ers, after they had preached as [
thought, very good sermons complain
ing OF their utter failures" as they
would sigh and groan. OF course /
knew why they did it; and L FASTENED
to assure them their sermons We're
splendid The cloud would Immediate
~ pass away and they would sag:
Glad to hear you say so, brother:
on are a judge of good preaching"
Whether q judge of good preaching
or not | knew they were fishing, and
| love to make people happy If 1t can
be done without straining the truth.
In tn s connection L Will take the
liberty OF telling a little story, which
I am sorry to say will show UP Il |
preacher in a rather bad light, as TO
galiantry. He was a young circuit
rider and had just gone to his new
circuit Of course he was a stranger
to everybody and everybody WAS
stranger to him. But as he went
around he learned very rapidly, be-
cause there are plenty of people: ev-
e1ywhere who feel It to be a duty 10
tell what they know about other peo-
pie, so, by the time preacher makes
one full round. he gets all the news.
good and bad. | say he was a circuit
rider which means, OF course, he was
a Methodist preacher-an unmarried
Methodist preacher,
! There was on that circuit an UNI
married lady who nai been looking
out for unmarried preachers for many
long and weary years: in fact, to be
plain-spoken, she was an old maid,
perhaps twice the age Of the young
circuit rider. She had tried her hand
on all that had come before. and now
she was determined to make a dead
set for the new one. She had sharp
nose, a sharper chin, and thin lips;
wore cork curls Of false hair,
and used, unstintedly those delusive