The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-05

a lot Of meaningless platitudes and
| the dying old man said. Look here
young fellow. II you don't know your
business better than that, you'd bet
ter go home"
| Well Emerson took the old mans
advice and he went home and he got
out of the church because he had no
"a GO. ~ ----'., ~ = :
A United Stairs senator was travel
ing ont ON train I'm Nebraska and he
met three preachers that were COM
planning that their audiences were
small. He asked the first prea cher II
he believed the Bible is the word of
God and the preacher smiled pityinR1y
and he said. mot in the crude ordin-
airy sense in which It is accepted. -
Then he got off a great string of
didn't amount to three whoops this
side OF perdition.
He asked the second preacher II he
believed In the future life. "Oh." he
said, mot I'm personal Immortality"
But ne believed in the essence Of life
and that II was indestructib1e and a
lot OF nonsense and popy-cock and
that sort OF stufY.
Then ne asked the third nsRn n he
u
Chrirt and this shepherd smiled a sort
Of sicktS smile and ne said, Wen, all
men arc divine"
Preachers Gave Reason.
And the preachers themselves had
given the reason why they were tafk
ing to wood and varnish.
The prime essential for a man. II
ne wants to succeed in the ministry,
In rvs tatkr f,t% fy~ia du
II is worth more TO him than all the
learning in the world. Tf that ien-n-
ing b going TO knock the Christian
fifth out OF him and n a. preacher
honestly can't believe, then I've no
quarrel with him but, I tell you. he
has no business to stay In the pulpit
and preach poppy-cock and nonsense
not a biti
Then. he rs taking money under
false pretenscs and IL preacher
doesn't believe to him 7 say, n he Is
decent and honest he win not stay in
the pulpit and vomit ont his unbelief
n you don't believe in God. don't stay
IN the pulpit win fight TO the last
ditch
And 80 think a Christian faith
al neceesnry TO the preacher as rnathe-
matics liz to an engineer. Just as nee
essary. all through. Now. the oues-
ton was once put by Moody. what
10 The best work i'm which a minister
can enrager"
| And the man answered me question
by saying, '-Thss - the work Of God.
that We believe ON Him whom He hath
sent and Moody agreed that that
wss the best answer to the question.
| I think that the clergy. today. Is
weakened by a spirit of compromise.
They are afraid TO preach Christian
| ity. many Of them. for two reasons.
First. they are afraid II won't draw II
they preach It, and second. they don't
believe II themselves. That is why,
arm telling Won exactly the whole
thing in a nutshell n Won want to
know what Is tho matter with our
clergy, today, T win tell you what Is
the matter with n. and tel, you, my
friends. the ungodlv have hearty re-
spect for the minister who IL ahso-
}iuteiv sincere and breaches the gospel
Oh. not politics. not socialism, and
la lot of other 'fsrns" and "sisms.@ tc
audiences Of men and women, who
read 1he newspapers every day. There
Is nothing more superfiuous and asin-
inc than to have n fellow drag politics
into the pulpit. for the average weasel
eyed, ward heeffng. whiskey-soaket
politician can give him cards and
spades and beat him.
i Durfne one Of the presidential cam
paigns. there was preacher I'm New
York who attacked one of the candi-
dates, night after night. His audience
gradually diminished and finally the
man he attacked was elected and he
stood up one night and said. Now
what Is there left for us to dor"
/ good old saint said, Nothing
Doc, but to preach the gospel
Il think thst the strength OF the
Catholic church Hes largely in theil
fidelity to principle ana their hatred
Of eompeornise They don't compro.
nise-rot at ANT No sir! And q
duty 10 to hold forth Christianity and
not sanitation and not politics and
| political economy and eugenics. Their
review some book and tack a verse Of
scripture on It and cali II a sermon
No! No.
| People Believe Gospel.
Il People believe In the gospel. whefh-
Or n Is set forth bv man like Phil.
HIPS Brooks or a man like Moody. The
great Boston bishop never had any
trouble about getting an audience
and. although he was a man OF ths
very highest culture ana cultivation
and education. he never resorted &c
amy tricks or anything but to preacf
the gc%rel. You were lucky to get ir
70 bear the fellow.
The pastor ought TO BE- a leader, no.
Ia follower. n he has less conviction
about scriptural truth than his audi
ence. n Z trumpet gives a certain
sound, n 10 for q charge. another
sound h for retreat and then a reveil
10 and then cali to taps. But II &
rrea cher isn't wholly convicted, who't
know what to dod? They'd all benuts
And the main difficulty in tn,
church today II that people IN TIT
pews don't have the gospel preac chez
to them. That 10 the great trouble
Another great trouble with man
church membe don't think the.
are Christians They can't stand tn
l.eets Jesus Christ gave them. Low
One Another"
! They are not Christians. becaus
they don't separate themselves from
the world. ana some Of the bigges
leaders In the worldly things are mel
and women whose names are on III
church records. and You know II. Tn
big-est devils, and You know that.
SO II isn't divorced from worldl,
enlargement. That h why you ar
L. H~fy -