The Washington herald., 1907-08-25
A SUNDAY TALK.

And !. brethren. when / came to YOU came net
with excelieucy q speech OF Of wisdom. declaring
unto you the testimony OF God.
For determined not TO know anything among
you. save Jesus Christ, and him cFucihed-Corin-
thiaus. Hl-2.
In the first epistle which st. Paul adj
dressed TO his brethren at corinth he re-
viewed in a way, his labors among them
and he dwelt particularly on the fact that.
unlike the priests of the heather temples.
he had discussed no PHILOSOPHERS delved
into no subtle mysteries, had neither been
led into criticism OF the law or the rulers
of the land, and had taken no part In poll
dcs OF social questions. For / deter
mined not to know anything among you
save Jesus Christ aad him crucihed."
lie meant above all thing to emphasize
and they were close then TO the actual
fact-that the converts TO this new re-
Iigion OF Christianity had one hard and
fast fact to which. in the midst of
schisms and doubts they might cling IS
10 rock. Christ and Him cruciheo!
This was an appeal primarily 10 the faith
that was IN their hearts, an appeal 20
their spiritual side which st. Paul was
wise enough to set quite apart from
their natural materialistic side. He did
not seek. as so many preachers do now
adays, 70 make the spiritual facts Of the
Scriptures square with the discoveries Of
science, the revelations Of geology or the
theories Of the cosmogonists.
He held there was no comparison posi-
Bile between the things be was sent 10
teach and the teachings OF the materials
tic professors. They were TO be viewed
with different eyes. from any point OF
view; the relation between them was sub
tie and not 10 be reconciled. and so he
says. later on IN the same epistle:
Which things also wo speak, not in the words
whick mans wisdom teacneth, but which the Holy
Ghost teachsth; comparing spiritual things with
spiritual
II there was more Of st. Paurs sort of
preaching to-day. there would almost GER
tainly be less distress about the falling OF
of congregations, less empty churches,
less difficulty IN raising the preachers
salary. The trouble seems 20 be that,
not content with preaching Christ and
Him crucihed, the modern preacher must
try, perforce, TO invade the province or
the university professor. or the social
economist, or the INSTRUMENTATION the
special training necessary 20 allow him 10
speak with authority The result is that
the pulpit which should be & place OF
power becomes a place OF weakness, for
mono can respect preacher vino, with
grave face and solemn mien, talks about
things he knows little about. The man
Of the world who goes to church to hear
discourse on religion, the religion OF
Christ, and Him crucified, may well ex-
claim with Crabbe:
That from your meetings refrain. Is true.
meet with nothing pleasaut-noth:ng new
But tie same proofs. that not one text explain
And the same lights where all things dark remain.
The time is passing fast for those
preachers who want 10 turn their pulpits
into forums for the discussion Of public
questions. who:
= prove their doctrine orthodox
By apostolic blows and knocks
As II was In the days when Jesus Christ
walked a man among men and said:
Render unto Caesar the things that are
Caesars, and unto God the things that
are Gods" so should It be now. Let the
philosophers voice their phisolophy let
the scientists teach science; the evolution
lists have their classes. and the social
economists their theories. For the church
Christ, and for the ministers OF Christ
there can be no safer. more powerful, or
more glorious text than Christ and Him
T-,,ctgad