Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-08-04

wN.fF ne WsiHisiega are pfpsrhinG thry
srr rianHlhs ehai iiet wlii 10 a. the
slufe co. mkt aAy. n bow they win
ruf iaase tisssir fan rssis. ~ how they
can uHiefnsll flseif rivals Further.
u.ufe ~ know that vhsueter = mer
Ehauf m husiussss nlan ffies 10 carry
bis lamstr~s inis tiie shur,h pew. that
mgmeni even ti.s most brilliant and
sousesratssl - sermeus vii fan upon
ears ~ dead a. dHi lbe words q Paul
wheu b. aas pisadlng wifh Euiychus
~ tFsias vi b. fell out - tire window
AM hrske bis nesk "a the fast night
hcfona raul sailed away "a bis famous
missianary tour
Tie Ftneea aiasts ssrasa.
% - merchants and manufacturers
AMI professional men j. there no lesson
tof ysn b. lsan ~ this Truas tragedy
You have often said. ~ these ministers
were nmiy brilliant speakers and would
preach interesting SERMONS we would
eouie 90 churh and stay awake aud
listen a. theif dise0ur~es l. that truef
Was not Enyrhus listening 10 a bril-
liant discnurSeg Was be- not listening
/ 10 the m,ssi brilliant pulpit orator the
world has ever seenf An. no. Euty-
,.hus dil nat fan asleep because he was
| listening a. d siupid preacher ! believe
he fell asle,l, for the same reason that
80 many business mcn become drowsy
when they Try 10 sandwich a sermon
In between the lssigcrs OF their temporal
I "a A. IN
some 81 them upon the ny leaf % q
hymn book nr upon the church leafiet
arr trying Ia estimate how much profit
/ they can make upon some real estate
deal or how much they can cut down
their employees wages without having
them quit for good or 90 out on pro
| lOnge,i strike.
but some merchant SAYS ~ me.
the reason | get tired IN church II not
because our ministers do not talk
sense. hui because they preach 80
cvcrlastinely long. Now. II Paul had
only quit At a reasonable time, la all
probability Euiychus would never have
fallen asleep" You say II agree with
Emperor William OF Germany. He
never allows any VI his court chap
/ laius 10 preach over iifteen minutes.
\ fifteen minute sermon II good
length \ half hour sermon Is IN
abomination A three.quarter OF an
hour sermon n horror An hours
| sermon l. an Inferno. Aud yet SOME
OF our ministers 10 OH aud ON. and
they never seem 10 know when 20
stop" Oh. yes. my friends. | know
/ that line of protest But the more you
talk The more ! am impressed with the
| fact that the reason sermons are long
TO you is because you do not pray
enough beforehand TO prepare your
selves To- receive the messages OF God
which are delivered 10 YOU week by
week from the pulpit
Long Preachers.
You say the modern ministers preach
too long open the leaves VI your
church history and find the biographies
Of our great preachers. | defy you 10
lind any OF them who made a great
impression for Jesus Christ unless they
were long preachers And. further
more. you cannot show me any church
today in America which Is noted as u
deeply spiritual church unless the serv-
ices of that church are long services.
! Not only do the audiences OF that
church sit through long services. but
even after the benediction Is given the
members are loHth 10 leave They lin-
! In proIns In In ate and n oVtf
| the doorways. and nj last you find
those church members talking on the
street corners rs though they could
not tear themselves apart.
Was this hot John Wesley's and
George Whitcheld's experience as well
as PauTs? oh" but you say. II
would be willing TO listen for three
hours II could hear a Wesley preach"
Would you. my brother? Eutychus fell
asleep under Paul You would fall
asleep under Wesley unless you had u
change Of heart The reason the SER
mons Of our modern ministers are stu
pid ana long 10 some of you is because
you do not pray enough beforehand
and surrender your whole heart TO
Jesus Christ. The trouble with our
churches IL not due entirely TO poor
preaching II is also due to your hear
ing Too many. like Eutychus. when
they come 10 church. sit upon the win
dow sill OF Troas and keep their eyes
upon their bazaars across the street.
while they let their ears catch u few
stray words which ring from the lips
Of modern Timothy.
But this sleeping Eutychus is the
symbol also Of the theological liberal
list His actions bring 10 mind the
lives Of those who do not care to what
church they are going. as long as they
are listening TO some new minister
and delving into tie mysteries of some
creed Thus these modern Eutychuses
say. II must study all the novel creeds
and sit nj the feet of all the new
teachers. because | cannot tell but In
a few years one Of these new creeds
may become the accepted creed OF my