Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-01-31
Perils of Pulpit No Less Than
Those of Pew

Those OF Pew
Rev. Paul Whitehead, D. D.,
a distinguished member of the
Virginia Conference, Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, and pre-
siding elder of the Norfolk District,
contributed an article to the Bal
timore and Richmond Christian
Advocate which appeared in a
recent issue Of that paper, on the
subject Of danger and perils in the
lives of the minietry. The artic lie
is timely one and is written in
the spirit Of friendly criticism.
Coming from a man like the ven
cradle DR.. WHITEHEAD. who occu
pies commanding position in. the
councils of great Church, . min
lister Of wide learning and deep
piety, whose ZEN is frequently
employed in discussing bedrock
principles of Christian faith and
correct living, the contribution in
question IL deeply significant, and
q note of warning 10 sounded that
some Of the ministry would do we'll
to heed. What DR.. Whitehead
discusses with reference to cities
may with equal application be az
serted of larger towns. He says,
by way of introduction:
"Notices have occasionally appeared
in the daily papers, OF discourses by
distinguished city preachers on the
'PsrIls OF City Life.' the 'Perils Of
Young Men in the City and the like.
Naturally the 'pSrilS' referred to are
those which beset the ordinary human
being, the unit OF those 'masseI
which are collected In large towns.
Very graphic and probably very lurid
ncrtrayals OF these. with realistic de-
scriptions, sufficiently thrilling. have
been given to open the eyes OF uninitlat-
cd hearers,
1T may not have occurred to these
speakers that they themsel YES were
| walking amidst dangers seen and I'M
seen.' The role OF watohman 10 ay hav e
produced an insensibllity to personal
peril, as IL they supposed the watch
tower to be too high for Its occupants to
be targets for the arrows Of the evil one.
There are two sides to this matter
OF city peril, however. The pulpit, as
we'll as the pew. may be in danger;
and the old adage, Physician, heal
myself may come to tho surface OF
many hearers thoughts"
| Continuing, DR.. Whitehead dis
cusses two classes Of preachers !:
one, who is embued with the terri
BILE RESP onsibility of his high mis-
sion; and the other who, although
rare, appeals to the qualification
of his own ambitions. The follow
ing paragraphs quoted tell the
story in Dr.. Whitehead's own
words:
"The,vain man, feverlsh for notoriety,
and the sensational orator prone to
exaggerate the function Of the pulpit
to excite and thrill men without much
watching and praying, will be serious
" endangered by the perIls which city
audiences and city affairs generate for
them. When one realizes that he Is not
In a village in the Alps, butin Rome,
1t will easily seem a worthy object,
not beneath the desire Of good man,
to be talked ABOUT and written about
and Razed at all over Rome; and II
ones weakness be on that side, how
1t grows upon newspaper puffs' upon
the Batteries OF special invitations and
occasions, and the pomps and lights
Of brilliant meetings and the
adulations and compliments Of kind
hearted II not always judlcious hearers.
81 doubt il Satan has ever cop-
pounded a more srtful mixture for
clerical use, to neutralize and raralyIe
the gospel, than when he invented
sensational topics, which, VIII ether
previously advertised or not, startlv and
astonish and interest by their bizarre
aud 'e1travagant' elements. pSrtaking
enough OF sacred character to make
them seem not entirely unsuitable for
the pulpit, but having their main at
Effectiveness and power OF impressing
mind and soul in What is not religious
at all.
"A class OF sensation-mongers In
city life are attracted to the material
furnished by the the political corrupt
ions, the official rascalities. the civic
pandering to vice aud scandals arising
therefrom, and all tho tricksries and
knaveries of munIcipsl 'bOsSism' and
graft. To such preachers, more and
more, the old, old story OF Jesus and
His love- must appear more and more
fiat, stale, and Improbable
THE society man, who longs to be
the idol Of the best people, the re-
fined, elegant, whose glory is to belong
to social clubs especially the most
fashionable. and be sought after for dis
tlngnished tsstiye occasions, will be
powerfully temptsd by tho life OF a
city"
Proceedings of the Legislature
Within the past week several sur.
priSes have been sprung on the public
by the introduction of certain bills in