Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1911-06-14
Hypocrisy i'm the
Pulpit
to Be Deplored

Stk me. heard or saw 1t
q somewhere. and wondered
WlN what II meant. and when
Is heard II defined I thought
II convenient phrase. Hypocrisy is
supposed to be a pretense OF being
better than one really Is. But there Is
another form OF hypocrisy which
thrlves on specious pretense OF be-
ing worse than one really is. Years
ago, when was preaching in tho
Tennessee mountains. we had a con-
vert. so called. an ex-gambler, and
saloonkeeper. who forthwith became
an exhorter. I never believed In him.
But see how humble no Is" expos.
tulated my friend. to whom / confided
my misgivings. who can hear him
confess his sins and doubt his genu-
Inc conversion!" To which replied,
III ever he confessed that he had
been miserable sneak and dupe. and
then felt so ashamed OF Il he never
spoke OF IL again. ] would trust him.
But to hear him boast OF having been
leader In sin. of having made havoc
with all the ten commandments at
once. incline TO think he Is still
breaking one OF them. / believe he Is
still liar and a hypocrite" And he
was.
Public Confession Of Sin.
The public confession OF sin Is
sometimes n very wholesome exercise.
But nine times out OF ten l doubt it's
value. and at least one time out of ten
1t Is hypocritical. egotistical, and a
self-righteous delusion.
Now there Is an element OF this
vice In the ministry. 1t calls itself
humility. but 1t is egotism. and is q
mild form OF hypocrisy, of the invert
ed sort.
Years ago / attended a meeting of
the Lake Shore association in Cleve-
land, at which young minister read
paper. and n very good one. He
prefaced II with the words, This pa
per is somewhat homiletic In its form.
and 1t is the substance OF a sermon
inflicted on my people last Sunday"
Doctor Leavitt was there, and when
the discussion began, he said: II like
that paper. but not the introduction.
No man ought to speak OF 'infiicting a
sermon on his people. Let him mag
nifty his Office"
IL was brand new idea to me then
1t had not occurred to me that II was
unseemly for a minister to make jok
ing and deprecatory remarks about
his own sermon. But I began to no.
tice then. and I have never enjoyed
such reference since. II do IL myself
think of II afterward and am
ashamed of myself If hear another
man doing 1t, feel like saying to him
what / heard Doctor Leavitt say.
Apologies In the Pulpit.
learned some years ago the folly
of making apologies In the pulpit
What is the use of saying. II trust
the congregation will bear with me
this morning, as have a cold?" They
Will learn soon enough that you have
a cold, and will respect you all the
more for not making an appeal for
pity. Let them forget you, II they
can. and you forget yourself and your
cold, II you can, and preach the word
And If a sermon is felt by the preach
er TO be below his average, why
should he say, II have been inter
rupted in my preparation, and this ser.
mon IL not as good as / had hoped
to preach?" They Will find out how
poor II is. Or, what is better. maybe
they will not find out! II the min
lister says to his God that morning, 20
Lord, thou knowest I have not been
negligent / chose this text expect.
ing 10 have many hours to study this
week. But / had to go out and visit
the sick, and comfort the mourning,
and ! am not taking beaten oil to the
sanctuary. Oh. God, make the mes
sage strong through thy spirit, and
let not the weakness Of thy messenger
prevent the operation OF thy grace
n he says that To his God on Sunday
morning, and can say II honestly, may.
be no one will ever know how poor a
sermon II really isl For sometimes "A
really great sermon grows out OF those
conditions. Yet the minister better
not assume upon one such experience
to the habitual neglect of his study.
or some day he viii say as Samson
did. Il will now go out and shake my
self as at other times" and Will wist
rot that the Lord is departed from
him The Advance.