Let us never set off to preach without a message from God to the people,
then we shall make folks say, what a plain Yorkshire Methodist said of
Stoner, "Yon David's varry thick with the Almighty."
If the Lord send us, He will teach us how to talk, and most likely He
will take us off the pulpit track. Some of us have given up the old
"three-decker" style of preaching, feeling that it is as useless as last
year's almanack. Our hearers often knew what was coming, they heard the
heads of the discourse, and began to see the end before we got there,
wrapping themselves in a habit of indifference which shielded them from
the convictions we had hoped to produce. What "CALIFORNIAN TAYLOR" calls
"Surprise Power," ought to be in every discourse. David had no idea what
the prophet meant to do before he had ended his story, and we should wait
upon God until He has given us, not only the subject of our sermons, but
the skill we need to TAKE THE SINNER EITHER BY STORM OR HOLY SUBTILTY.
The charming story with which Nathan began his address is instructive to
those who wish to succeed as preachers. How interested the King became
as he heard of the rich man's greed and the poor man's loss, until he was
so stirred that he threatened the death of the tyrant! May not we
preachers learn something here, that is, to interest our hearers, in
order that we may profit them? Do we sufficiently care for this matter?
Would it not be well, in the preparation of our addresses and sermons, to
make sure that we are so interesting that our hearers cannot fail but
listen? We should not be content with soundness of faith, or
truthfulness of doctrine, but be so interesting as to command the
attention of our audience. It is a question whether any man, who cannot
make the people listen, should not be content to take his place in a pew.
It is better to be able to heat or light the chapel well, than to wear
out the patience of a congregation by prosy preaching, and it will be
more to our eternal advantage to have been AN INDUSTRIOUS CHAPEL-KEEPER
THAN A DULL PREACHER!
Nathan brought David to a stand. The royal hearer fell before the
faithful preacher. He confessed his sin and deeply repented. Well might
the prophet rejoice over his illustrious convert. It was indeed success
to hear the king acknowledge his fault. We do not read that he praised
the sermon, but he condemned himself. It is a small reward to hear it
said that we have preached a beautiful sermon, but it is delightful to
learn that a sinner has been convinced of his guilt and danger. Let all
of us who preach, determine that we will not call that service a success
which either allowed our hearers to be drowsy, or won their applause,
without causing a saint to be cheered on his pilgrimage, or an enemy of
God to lay down his weapons and sue for peace.
OLD FASHIONED DOCTRINE.
JEREMIAH, viii. 21 to ix. 16.
I.--He who is loyal to God is the truest patriot.--ch. viii., v. 21, ch.
ix., v. 10.
Jeremiah's distress disfigured him, and he felt that tears were not
sufficient to mark his sorrow for his country. Sinners against God
should never profess to be politicians; they are unworthy to be classed
on either side.
II.--Idolatry is the mother of all other sins.
Count up the different crimes these Jewish idol-worshippers were guilty
of--as lying, slander, adultery, &c. He who breaks the first commandment
has pulled down the fence, and can easily break the others. What an
argument for Missions!
III.--If God acts consistently, He must punish sin.--ch. ix., v. 9, 10,
15, 16.
Hell is as necessary as Heaven to a perfect God. Queen Victoria could
not be safe in her palace but for prisons, where felons are bound!
He who fears to preach future punishment is either an ignorant man or a
coward.
XXXVI. SELFISHNESS AND PRAYER.
A CONTRAST.
"_So Ahab went up to eat and to drink_. _And Elijah went up to the
top of Carmel_, _and he cast himself down upon the earth_, _and put
his face between his knees_."--1 KINGS xviii. 42.