The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-01-23
rottenness; they don't want to have
their conscience disturbed.

rottenness; they don't want to have
their conscience disturbed.
No! They have been crying,
"Peace. peace when there is NO
peace. saith God to the wicked, For
the wicked are like the troubled sea- -
they don't want the smell Of brim-
stone and hell fire as II vomits from
the inferno below. They want the
d6odorixed, disinfected sermons OF
the tabloid sister, they want the SER
mons about the birds that sing In the
s~f|- ,~-%. ~e~~-- tA~t N,~s>-,, t.. tx
sprinf. trails about stbec yhxan y
brooks that sting on their way to the
ssA, rather than the sermons about
the songs Of the redeemed, the Rose
Of Sharon and the waters Of life.
Oh! There are some women Of cul-
ture, perhaps and OF society who
won't come because their pink teas
ana their beitgs ana their theater
parties and their cocktails and the
caro- OF their poodles and the pomer-
anians, they have not time to come.
Oh! No! No! No! Why should they
cut out such thing and cit on q
wooden bench with their feet In
baled shaving and sawdust. to hear
= man preach OF Righteousness and
temperance and Judgment to come.
when there are still pieces OF cut glass
and chocotats pots ana bri-a-brac to
be won By shu6ltng the paste boards.
when F.inney went to London to
preach, q noted inndel went around
to hear him and his wife noticed =
difference In his actionA One day
she ventured the opinion ~ to the
cause, BY saying.
Il know what IL the occasion Of
this change IN you. which Ii to me
such q blessing, you have been to hear
that man from America Finney.
preach"
He said. .'Ycu Insult him That
man, Finney, doesn't preach. He
makes plain what other fellows
preach
wish you might say that about
me while am here
II good preaching makes you be
good: II good preaching had saved
You, you would have been In heaven
long ago.
you need something else, now. but
good preaching.
And the foremost preacher Of his
day was the Apostle Paul. What he
preached was not 20 much an ideal
ity, or a practically, or \ theology,
or didaetics, or an exegesis but a way
oi iAc--f1A! ma! anu IeA0 1Oou1 MS
ministry In Ephesus that there was no
small stir that way.
When Paul Was On the Job.
tell you things got a move on
them when Paul was on the job for
Gcd. Paul was no perfunctory par
son dealing out soothing syrup to a
fashionable congregation in silver
plated spoon. careful not to renuke
their sins lest they might reduce his
salary.
Oh. there is a kind of preaching
under which men will sleep and the
devil will never he aroused to roar.
faithfully preached and proclaimed.
interferes with every form Of iniquft-
Gus business. every species OF Illicit
pleasures It makes war upon every
false faith. ard peace 10 q thing great
ly TO be priced but not peace at any
price
read where the parish priest OF
Osterty climbed up In 4 high church
steeple 80 that he might be near God
and hand his word down to his peo-
pho. and in sermon script he daily
from heaven and he dropped it down
on the peoples heads-two times one
day in seven and In his day God said.
Come down.
And the parish priest of Osterty
cried ont from the steepie where
art Thou Lord7''
And the Lord made reply. 'T am
down here on terra arma, come
down"
Too much OF the preaching now
adays La too pretty, ii Is too dainty,
it doesn't kill, it is given for the lit
erary excellence OF the production
and II you got an adverb or an ad-
3nstsrs or 81 nnEss ar pronoun cut Of
Joint, then it La all off.
/ had friend and when I tell you
newspaper boys that ne reported the
Japanese and the Chinese war and the
brazilian rebellion you will get an
idea of his ntiliiancy. He was con-
verified and he was in great demand to
tell his story out in the West. One
time he WAS approached by a pas
church out In one Of our elite. little
suburbs to come out and give his
story. and they sat on the platform
waiting for the choir to finish up
their vocal gymnastics and the
preacher leaned over and said to my
friend.
May ask you. without seeming to
trespass, upon what you intend to
preach this evening"
my IFienu estl0y i am tIytn4 I'd &et
a. line on that now doctor"
II you would, permit mo to make
u few suggestions without seeming to
to further trespass," he said, don't
talk about tha liquor question. that
subject has been tabood from this
pulpit" And he said. Don't speak
about the dance and the cards, tho
bridge" he said. those subjects are
tabood too"
My friend said TO himself, That
IN all the evidence that I need, that
the gang needs preaching to right
along those lines
Rut the preacher said to my friend.
ne said. do you see that woman sit
ting down there about fifteen seats
from the front, a finely dressed wo-
man"---great diamonds flashed In her
ears.
Yes"
Now he said, '.She il IL the lead
er OF her social set and he said, :'I
am trying to get her into the church.
and I'm afraid IL you talk on those
subjects you will offend her. She
has dances and has a ballroom in her
hone and she has all these Accesscr-
les Of society and" he said, "her boy
died OF delirium tremens and / am
afraid. you will offend her and drive
her away"
My trend got up, announced his