Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1909-06-01
Preaching to a Preacher.
BY Railev Willard

liver farewell address 10 the gentleman
whom you are honoring here tonight
have not been known in the community
as a churchly But while rarely
attend service | often ponder over the sacred
teachings of Jesus Christ and have the
utmost reverence for those few clear-slghted
broad-minded ministers of the gospel to whom
l have listened occasionally 1t IS noble
office, that of priest of Christ perhaps
the noblest that we have in all the world.
When Martin Luther arrived at the age
of nineteen wears he determined to become
a lawyer One day he out walking with
a friend and the two were overtaken by
thunderstorm Suddenly terrlhc bolt OF
lightning laid Luthers friend at his feet
''After all, reflected Luther, what is man
\ candle that is snutfed out by SINGLE
breath And how long, how terribly long,
is dead! 1t is as though the span OF
life were mere nothing. shall prepare
myself and help prepare others for death
and for the life after death. l shall not
What followed this quick decision you we'll
know. That stroke of lightning changed the
religious complexion of the whole Christian
world. Il shall become a PRIEST declared
Luther; and many man since his day,
without having suffered from lightning stroke,
save perhaps spiritual one, has said Il
shall become priest-a minister of Christ
Our friend the Rev. Mr.. Thomas, who is
known to all of you, has lately graduated
from theological seminary, and he IS now
a full-fedged member of the clergy say
visible to you, he has wings and he intends
to spread them and to soar. During his
undergraduate days he has been preaching IN
Palisade, but now he must leave and go
forth into broader fields. We of this village
are sorry to have him go and also we are
not sorry, for we know that 1t Is tor his
greater benefit that he shall embrace that
large opportunity which is the need of all
good men and of all good preachers.
Why" asks one, are not all preachers
good?" Wen, the difficulty is that they are
1oIIsI III h,,% A.
agree with the editor of a paper received
the other day-a paper called the IrnthSeeker. |
This editor had compiled whole column OF
the misdoings of modern clergymen did
not read that column only skinned II over, |
but / thought, what a strange creature this
editor is! He demands that preachers shall
be something more than men. Now to me 1t Is !
the very fact that they are men that seems
to make their teachings of value to other |
men. 1t was the fact that Christ, though |
divine, was born of woman, man and
followed the ways OF men, lie knew hte' he
knew the pangs of hunger his feet had been |
bruised by stones and by thorns. He knew |
and he knew women and he could preach |
to them and they could understand Him. But |
all experience shows that 1t is impossible tor |
a mere human being-even devout minister |
in these days to live like Christ. Many |
have tried it, all have failed. The best we
can do is to say shall live as nearly like |
Christ as we can For example it is not
given TO any man woman to be absolutely |
just and honest in all things. l have known
a man who would not take Tor MS private |
use a postage stamp belonging to his en- |
poyer, and yet would be perfectly ready to
rob man of his reputation or TO condemn
his because he did not belong to the same
religious denomination himself.
As a result of my own experience and
perhaps of my own perversity, l would ven
ture the assertion that l should not to
listen to the preachings of a fellow who |
deemed himself incapable of sin. We have
enough mealy-mouthed prigs and mollycoddles
in common life without elevating them TO the
pulpit
But Mr. Thomas being of broad
views. does not strike an attitude OF inn |
pecCabilty. Furthermore. not only Is he ready !
10 teach but he is willing to learn. and being
still a young man. he will learn many things
as vet unknown to him. But while his learn
ing will all be the side OF hberaliY,
am sure he will never become quite lib
eral as those college instructors who. accord !
ing to a recent magazine article. are blast
ing away the Rock of Ages. Do those learned |
collcgians know what that means? Suppose
they were able. with their higher criticism.
as it Is called. to drill into the rock and put
in such charge of dynamite as should rend II
to atoms what would they think they had
done then? What would they set up in the
place OF that rock Nothing. let me assure