The following dialogue between Dr. Pietus and Dr. Fastidious, occurred
in a social company, in a parlor, and, thinking it might be profitable
to some brethren, and even churches, we have concluded to publish it
entire, without recommending or condemning it; therefore, we let it
speak for itself:
DR. FASTIDIOUS.—I have, for some time, desired an opportunity to say a
few words, though confidentially to you, Dr. Pietus, touching our
preacher. I think he is not a suitable man, for such a prominent place
as this. You know that we frequently have men of distinction here.
Besides, our city is one of prominence, and we ought to have a man of
distinction.
DR. PIETUS.—I think our preacher is a good man, Doctor, a sound man, and
a man of great moral worth. I thought he gave us one of the best
exhortations at the prayer-meeting, on last Wednesday night, I ever
heard. Did you not think so?
DR. F.—I was not there. He is so uninteresting that I but rarely go to
hear him. I know that he is a good man, and sound enough. But then, he
is a very _common_ man, and not sufficiently showy and eloquent for us.
We need a first-class preacher in a city like this; a man who can draw
out an audience.
DR. P.—I never think of such a thing as a preacher to _draw Christians
out to meeting_. The Lord draws me out to meeting. He has promised
to be there, and I have never found his promise to fail. I am never
disappointed, for I go to meeting believing that he will be there,
and I always find him. But those who only go because they love some
preacher, frequently get disappointed; for the preacher being a
fallible creature, often fails to attend. But I do think our preacher
is a good preacher. I do not know where we could get a better man.
DR. F.—We need a man of distinction and notoriety, who will attract
attention, and draw out an audience. I would then go out and try to do
something. But, I have no faith in doing anything, till we have a more
attractive preacher.
DR. P.—My dear sir, we will never get a preacher who can draw
out an audience, unless _we draw too_. As much depends upon a church
in drawing out an audience as the preacher. No preacher can draw out
an audience unless the church does its part. We must do our part as a
church, or no preacher in the world can do us any good. I still think
our present preacher has done about as much for us, as any man could
have done under the circumstances. It is not a different kind of
preacher we need, but a _different kind of a church_. We need members
that will attend the public worship, sing, pray, exhort, and stand
at their post. In one word, we need a church that will stand by the
preacher, encourage, sustain him, and hold up his hands.
DR. F.—I never saw such a man as you are. You can be satisfied with any
kind of preaching. I never saw you present when any man preached, when
you did not appear satisfied, no matter how bungling he was.
DR. P.—I think but little about preachers, have fewer favorites, and
more rarely speak in praise or complaint of preachers, than almost any
man you can find. I am not thinking of the _messenger_, but of the
_message_.
DR. F.—I can not bear a prosing, stammering and dry preacher. I have
not heard our preacher present anything _new_ in three months. I like
to _learn something_ when I go to hear preaching.
DR. P.—When were you at meeting last? I do not recollect seeing you for
some three months in the meeting house.
DR. F.—I have been pressed with—I have not been very well—the preaching
has not suited me, and there are many in the church that should have
been excluded long since.
DR. P.—No wonder you have heard nothing _new_ from our brother; for
you have not heard him at all. If his preaching had been the best in
the world, it would have done you no good, while you did not hear it.
I will tell you, my dear brother, how to make preaching better to us:
Read the Scriptures every day; pray night and morning; talk to every
one you meet _about religion_, and your heart will be full of the
theme. You will then like to hear any man who can preach at all. Attend
all the meetings, participate in the songs, prayers, exhortations and
all the other parts of public worship, and you will then be interested
in all that you hear from good men.
DR. F.—Your notions of preaching will not do. Our city is one of
intelligence. This community, you must recollect, is highly enlightened,
and we must have a man here that keeps pace with the age. We frequently
have statesmen, lawyers, physicians and men of the first rank in
attendance, and it is useless to think of interesting these with any
_common_ talents. We must have a man of taste, refinement, and highly
accomplished.
DR. P.—When did our Lord ever try to arrest the attention of the elite
of this world by _show_, by mere human _polish_ and _flourish_? Never,
never, Doctor, as you certainly know. Are you not aware, my dear sir,
that the wisdom of God is not in this vain and worldly thing that you
speak of? Sensible people, those truly enlightened and great, can
understand the gospel, appreciate and receive it, when it is simplified
and made appreciable to the masses of the people. Not only so, doctor,
but the class you aim to please, though enlightened in the things of
the world, and accomplished, they are more unenlightened in the things
of the kingdom of God, than many that you never think of pleasing. I
am for a preacher that will try to please the Lord, whether he pleases
your distinguished men or not.
DR. F.—We have had some of the best speakers in the world here, and the
truth is, the people here know what good talent is, and they will not
be satisfied with ordinary men. The people here have been well taught.
No man can attract attention here unless he is a superior man.
DR. P.—That the people here have heard some men of good preaching
talent, is true; but that they are well-read and well taught in
christianity, is far from true. That they understand Jesus or the
apostles well, is far from true. Many perfectly country places and
rural districts contain far more gospel light than may be found in
the bounds of our congregation. We presume that we are wise, while
many plain men from the country are astonished when they converse with
us, that we are so ignorant. To be plain with you, my dear brother,
I know of no place where there is, at this time, more need of plain,
old-fashioned, New Testament preaching than here. It is not worldly
show that we need; we have that now in abundance. We need the simple
teachings of Jesus, solemnly and affectionately impressed upon our
hearts, by some good man who loves us and will try to save us. In the
place of being inflated with the conceit that we are well taught, far
advanced and highly elevated in christian attainments, so that no man
except one of the most exalted accomplishments can teach us, we should
be sensible of what is the true state of the case, viz: That almost
any plain and good man who preaches among us, can teach us many useful
lessons that we do not know.
DR. F.—I can not agree with you. I have had my face burn more than once,
in listening to some ignorant brother, blundering and trying to preach,
who evidently did not understand his mother tongue, and that, too, in
the presence of some distinguished persons. I can never countenance
such a state of things.
DR. P.—Doctor, I had rather hear some good man, who can not speak his
mother tongue correctly, tell the plain story of the cross of Christ,
in the love of Jesus, and in the spirit and power of a holy man of God,
a thousand times, than to listen to one of your _showy men_, who can
preach a beautiful sermon without any Jesus, Holy Spirit, love of God,
or anything else, but _the man himself_ in it. I desire preaching that
will convert men to Jesus—to christianity and not to men. The converts
will then love Jesus, meet and worship him and do those things that are
pleasing in his sight. We do not want a man here to _worship him_, but
to preach Jesus to us and teach us to worship Him.
DR. F.—With your views of the subject, we shall never do any good. We
shall never draw out an audience, nor accomplish anything. I am in
favor of procuring a man at a salary of $2,000 or $2,500, that will
command the respect of our city. Then we shall do some good. I am
willing to give liberally when such an arrangement can be made, but
I do not think our preacher is doing any good, and shall not give
anything for his support.
DR. P.—I am sorry to hear you speak so. Nothing, in my estimation could
be more disastrous to us. This would consume about all we could
possibly raise, so that we could not raise a dollar for missions, for
colleges, the poor or anything only to pay a man to preach _to us_. At
this rate our large congregation would only just be able to support
itself and bear its own weight! Who is to convert the world at this
rate! If we can not do anything more than sustain ourselves who are to
support missions, build colleges and take care of the poor? If you had
such a preacher as you want, he would have to do everything himself,
or you would not be satisfied. Not a brother in the church would ever
pray, exhort, or do anything that would call forth a gift, or develop
any talents that might be among our numbers. Hence in all these city
churches where some great man is the center of attraction, they rarely
ever bring forward any young preachers, or develop any new talent. They
simply monopolize talent brought out and developed some place else. I
am in favor of preachers of ability, not only in our city churches, but
as far as possible, in all the churches. But the way must be opened
among us for the development of talent in the church. Our pride must
not despise incipient efforts—plain and humble men, nor human weakness.
It is in all men more or less, though not always developed in the same
form.
DR. F.—I think if we had such a preacher as I wish, we would draw out
an audience, convert many people and greatly extend the cause in one
year.
DR. P.—No, Doctor, that would not be the case. The preacher we have is
just as good as any man we can get. He is a man of unquestionable
talents and piety and if we stand by him, aid him and encourage him,
thus showing to the world that we respect him, those without will also
respect him and he will succeed. If we had the most gifted man on
the continent and the members of the church would treat him as they
have done our present preacher he would do nothing. By our absenting
ourselves, we virtually say, what you have in so many words said, that
_our preacher can do no good here_. When the members of the church thus
speak and act, neither a man nor an angel can do any thing; and, if I
were the preacher, I would not stay a moment with brethren who would
thus treat me. I would go where I could be appreciated. Doctor, come to
meeting and let us make one good effort and see if we can not bring our
church out. Let us produce a change in the church, and then probably
our preacher will do well enough. I think we need a change in the
church more than in the preacher, or preaching.
“THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINS.”
The preachers who love Christ better than partyism, will preach Christ,
will call the people to Christ, and induce them to love him, and love
all that do love him. They will inquire _his_ will, and do it. They
will exchange the love of party for the love of Christ, and find it
so much higher, holier, purer and happier, that they will ignore all
party feuds, wrangling and strifes, and maintain simply “the faith once
delivered to the saints.” No doctrinal corrections, or corrections in
ordinances, or in organization and government, will ever amount to
anything, or save a people, who have not the _love of Christ_. We may
be told that we may be mistaken, that they do love Christ. We cannot
be mistaken in this, for the Lord says, “From the abundance of the
heart, the mouth speaks. A man full of the love of Christ, will speak
of Christ. The theme of his heart will dwell upon his tongue. Where
Christ has promised to be, they will be with him.” “Where two or three
are met together in my name, there,” says the Lord, “_I will be_.” How
many go to these places where Jesus has promised to be? How many go to
the Lord’s table, to remember his dying love? How many of the preachers
will sit down together, as loving disciples, and meditate upon his
dying love, his great suffering, as he bore our sins on the accursed
tree?
When we have lost friends, we go to the grave, and think of them, try
to bring them up in our memories. We talk with our friends about them,
and about seeing them and meeting them in another state. How often do
the professors of religion, in our times, think of the grave of Jesus,
his resurrection, his coronation? How often do they commemorate his
sufferings, and meditate upon his great love to us? His name is almost
set aside, his sufferings almost forgotten, his love, even his dying
love, scarcely mentioned! Yet the word of the Lord, when translated
into English, thunders in our ears!—“If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, he will be accursed when the Lord comes.” We shall hear
these words, and be judged by them, in a day when we shall feel their
force. Jesus is the “one Lord,” the one object of love, the one head
and king. Shall we make an effort to rescue the people from party
influence, and win their hearts and affections from all the frivolous
objects upon which they are placed in partyism, and place them upon Him
who is the express image of the invisible God, the brightness of the
Father’s glory, and in whom all the fullness of the godhead dwells
bodily? Who, with the love of Christ in his own breast, can fail to see
that the work now for good men, is to call the attention of all men to
Christ, to his word, his cause, his church, his salvation, his way,
that they may love him supremely, and be his for evermore?