The new living pulpit of the Christian Church; a series of discourses, doctrinal and practical, by representative men among the Disciples of Christ; with introduction on the history of preaching and brief biographical sketch and halftone portrait of each contributor

Contents

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Publishers ' Preface 5

Introduction Editor £

Introduction

DEFINITION

PREACHING is the message of God set to the music of the human voice, animated by the Divine Spirit, and announced with the fervor of a regenerate soul, conscious of its great responsibility. It is not, therefore, intellectual gymnastics, nor is it simply methodized emotions. The intellect and heart are both involved, as well as the unction of the Holy Spirit. The message itself is a union of the Divine and the human. When it became evident that man could not govern himself and would not be governed by God, he was given a governor who represents in his great personality both God and man. Consequently, Immanuel — "God with us" — is an appropriate name for him who is the soul and center of the Gospel message which is the heavenly inspired theme for every discourse the preacher is commanded to deliver to a lost and ruined world. Hence to preach Christ in fullness is to preach the Gospel, and to preach the Gospel in its facts, is to preach the death of Christ for our sins, according to the Scriptures, his burial, and resurrection the third day, according to the Scriptures. This Gospel is sometimes called the "word of reconciliation," by which men are persuaded to ground their arms of rebellion and become obedient to the Divine Will. It is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. It is therefore the * ' good news ' ' of salvation to the lost, delivered by one who has been redeemed — the smile of heaven bedewed with the tears of human sympathy. It points out the pathway of light which leads out of the dark wilderness of sin, and lifts up the standard of hope again to those who are burdened with conscious guilt. True preaching being the appeal of a heart touched by the love of God to hearts bowed down with the load of sin, the preacher deals with life and death, with time and eternity.

It is safe, therefore, to affirm that the preacher's position is the most exalted, the most comprehensive, and the most inspiring. And if my definition be correct, then it is impossible for the sermon on the printed page to make the same impression as when it is spoken with the living voice. But it does not follow that the printed sermon is powerless to edify, strengthen and encourage those who read with the spirit and the understanding. The printed Sermon on the Mount is not equal to that sermon as delivered by the great preacher whose wonderful personality added impressiveness to every word. Nowhere is the charm of personality more distinctly felt than in the pulpit. The printed sermon, in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, which Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, in its effect on the reader, must be feeble indeed when compared with the spoken sermon on that memorable occasion. Hence there is a marked difference between reading a sermon and hearing a sermon. But the printed sermon has its place, and in that place it is a great power for good.

HISTORY OF PREACHING

We are mainly dependent on written and printed sermons for what we know of the pulpit during the past ages of the church. Preaching in some sense is recognized in the Old Testament, but it was not made a prominent factor in the advocacy of any cause until the coming of our Divine Lord. It then became an important means of propagating the facts and principles of the religion which Christ came to establish; and since the Day of Pentecost it has been the chief means for world-wide evangelization as well as for building up the saints in Faith, Hope and Love.

In view of the great importance of preaching in carrying forward the Banner of the Cross, it is certainly remarkable that no comprehensive and worthy history of it has ever been written; for no theme, in connection with the rise, progress, and development of the Church, is so vital, so full of important and interesting facts. Not less than a score of volumes could be filled with the most valuable and entertaining matter, and then the half would not be told.

Of course, no attempt, in what must be only a brief sketch, will be made to supply this need; but it seems to be highly appropriate that such sermons as are to follow in this volume, should be introduced with some account of the pulpit, both past and present, that the reader may have some idea of the rich field of sacred literature which has so long remained uncultivated.

FIEST PERIOD

During the early days of Christianity preaching was a very simple matter. The church also was very simple in all its appointments, while the Gospel itself was a plain, matter-offact story of Jesus and his love. There were no church buildings, such as were used at a later period, and the whole service was quite unpretentious in all its parts. The law that governed was: "Everything should be done to edification," while the mutual participation of the brethren generally in the service forbade the preaching of a sermon by one man, as at the present time. The fourteenth chapter of First Corinthians gives us an outline sketch of what took place in apostolic times when the whole church at a place came together. For the most part the Assembly met in private houses or in synagogues, and the service was somewhat like our modern prayer meeting, but doubtless very much more edifying. Short homilies, by one or more brethren, took the place of the modern sermon, while singing, prayers, reading the Scriptures, and the breaking of bread, occupied the rest of the time. There was no attempt at preaching in the modern manner. All the members were children of God, and as such were brethren, and this family idea prevailed in all the services of the Assembly.

During the early days of the Campbellian Reformation the Lord's Supper, observed every first day of the week, was a prominent feature of the Lord's Day worship and was the chief attraction in bringing the Disciples together each Lord's Day. It was this observance more than anything else that held the Disciples in union during the formative period of their great movement. Nor has it lost its power to unify at the present time, when properly administered. When occupying its primitive place in the Lord's Day worship, nothing will do so much to illustrate the truth of the Master's statement when he said: "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." In the lifting up of Christ, on each Lord's Day, in this memorial service, the Disciples are certainly following the example of the apostolic churches.

The preaching of the early church was of two kinds, or rather there was teaching as well as preaching. Following the great Commission which Christ gave to his apostles, the early Christians went everywhere preaching the word, by which they made converts, and then these converts were taught the "all things" which Christ had commanded. Consequently the simple gospel was preached to the aliens and when these aliens were brought into the kingdom, they were instructed in whatever was necessary to build them up in their most holy faith.

We have scanty testimony with respect to the early postapostolic church, since most of the Christian writings were destroyed during the reign of Diocletian (303 A.D.). But the following quotation from Justin Martyr gives a trustworthy statement of what took place at the meetings of the Assembly:

1 1 On the day which is called Sunday all the churches inhabiting the towns or country assemble in the same place. The memorials of the Apostles and the writings of the prophets are read as time permits. When the reader has finished the president of the assembly delivers an exhortation and charges his hearers to imitate those holy examples. Then we all rise together and offer up prayers. After the prayers, bread is brought forward, and wine and water; the president then in his turn presents prayers and praises to God, according to his ability, and the people express their assent by saying 'Amen.' The Eucharist is distributed, and every one partakes of it, while the deacons carry a share to those who are absent. Those who possess worldly goods bring a freewill offering in proportion to their means. The offerings are collected and placed in the hands of the president, who, by this means, supplies the needs of the orphans and widows, of those who are in want through sickness or other causes, of those in prison, and of sojourners who are strangers. In a word he is the helper of the needy." (Justin Apol. 187-8).

Justin was put to death at Rome, A.D. 165, so it will be seen that during the first hundred years of the church's history, preaching did not occupy in the Lord's Day service the important place it does at the present time. Nevertheless, the evangelistic part of preaching was still the chief means of spreading the gospel.

SECOND PERIOD

In the next period, extending from the first of the third century to the close of the fifth, preaching was confined more definitely to a distinct class of men. In the Apostolic Age and for some time afterwards, there was no official distinction between preachers and people. All were "Kings and priests to God." But during this second period, preaching, as well as much else, was radically changed. (1) Changes in the constitution of the church now began to dawn. (2) The distinction of the clergy from the laity, or the formation of a sacerdotal caste, as opposed to the evangelical idea of the priesthood became a fixed and prominent feature in the historic development of the church. (3) The multiplication of church offices.

The character of the church membership was very different from what it was in the first period. There was room now for pulpit eloquence and also opportunity for educated men to enter the ministry. Two schools held the most prominent and influential positions — Alexandria in Egypt, and Antioch in Syria. At the head of the first was Origen, the most scholarly and eminent preacher of his age. Later John Chrysostom was the great preacher at Antioch. His preaching, though faulty in some respects, in real eloquence, boldness and masterly appeal, has seldom been equaled and perhaps never surpassed in all the history of the church.

But there was now opportunity for this kind of preaching. The union of Church and State under Constantine had changed nearly all the early forms and habits of the church, as well as some of the vital fundamental principles.

The separation of the Eastern and Western Churches belongs to the period now under consideration. Though Greece was conquered, it still had great influence. Through its language, literature and philosophy it exerted great power over its conquerors. Especially was the Eastern Church modified by Grecian philosophy. Dogmatic theology found willing help in the subtle forms of the Greek language.

The West was more practical, and gave much attention to organization and government. Consequently the removal of the seat of government from Some to Constantinople, by Constantine, did much to widen the breach between the East and West, until it became permanent, and the separation has continued to the present time.

All these changes helped to alter the character of the preaching, especially the preaching of the Eastern Church. The large increase in church membership and the character of this membership gave favorable opportunity for extending the sphere of preaching in both the East and the West.

The preaching was also affected by the new races that became hearers. Indeed, most of the hearers were not satisfied with preaching that was not eloquent. They demanded sermons that made the nerves tingle, and that they could taste on the tongue. It must have something in it akin to what was heard in the theaters, forums, and the market places. Even the educated and wealthy people demanded spectacular services, instead of the simple homilies and the religious oration became a sort of idol of those who had "itching ears" and whose spiritual food had to be seasoned with the spell of oratory in order to hold their attention. The result was, large basilicas were built for the pulpit orators, such as those at Milan, Constantinople, and other important centers. Thousands were drawn to these basilicas to hear such preachers as Origen, Basil and Chrysostom of the Eastern Church and Jerome, Ambrose, and Augustine of the Western Church.

In view of the weakness of human nature, it is not remarkable that the clergy fell victims to these influences, for it has ever been true, as the Scriptures affirm that "like people, like priests" (Hosea 4:9). Still, it is quite true that all the clergy did not yield to the general demoralization. Some remained faithful to the early standards, and these shining examples were all the brighter because of the prevailing spiritual darkness. But it cannot be doubted that at this time, most of the clergy were simply tools of the state, and gave little or no help in making the pulpit a forceful factor in keeping the church faithful to the Apostolic ideals. The result was that perhaps no period in the history of Christianity was so proline in departures from New Testament teaching as that of the fourth and fifth centuries.

These centuries have profound and suggestive lessons for the pulpit of the twentieth century. Upon this signboard of the pulpit of these early days is written this warning, "Beware, lest being carried away of the wicked, ye fall from your own steadfastness." (2 Peter 3:17).

Leo, the Great, was the first Pope who left any sermonic remains, and he left 96 homilies. These are generally short, and aim at a sort of smartness of style which has in it little to recommend. Indeed these homilies show many of the signs of degeneracy of the pulpit as compared with the preaching of Origen, Chrysostom, and Athanasius.

Gregory, the Great, is a better representative of preaching. He was better educated and attached greater importance to the pulpit. He wrote a treatise on preaching which was translated into several languages, and had considerable circulation, but did little, if anything, to improve the preaching of the period.

THIRD PERIOD

We are now compelled to pass over much ground, all of which tends to show a steady decline in the character of preaching. This period includes the reign of Charlemagne and the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire, and extends to the Lutheran Reformation. As this period is fairly familiar to most students of history, little more than a few facts need be given.

Charlemagne, next to Constantine, was perhaps the most unalterable friend of the union of Church and State of any of the emperors; and his extreme Eastianism led him to use the clergy in questionable ways to help in extending his empire. He well knew how to secure their influence, and to make it answer his purposes. The two schools which dominated the pulpit at this time were the Scholastic and the Mystic. One appealed to the head and the other to the heart. It has been truly said of the Scholastics that they were "light without heat, while the Mystics were heat without light. ' ' In any case, this separation of head and heart made it impossible for preaching to perform its legitimate function, and the result was that preaching went to the lowest possible point to be called preaching at all, and for about 400 years the pulpit "had a name to live by and was practically dead," and then a brighter day began to dawn. About the year 1200 preaching began to recover, and during the thirteenth century there were distinct signs of life again.

It would be interesting, as well as instructive, if space permitted, to notice some of the influences which operated in bringing about a better state of things, but an adequate treatment would require a large volume and less than this can be of little value to the reader.

FOURTH PERIOD

The scholasticism of the school of Thomas Aquinas was followed by such harbingers of the Reformation as John Gerson in France; John Wickliffe in England; John Huss in Bohemia, and Savonarola in Italy. These were the robins of the coming spring time, or the morning stars of the Lutheran Reformation.

This reformation ushered in a new era in the history of the world, and preaching was as much affected as anything else. Luther himself was the embodiment of those qualities which belong to the true preacher of the gospel. Though at first he distrusted his powers, and began to preach only at the command of his superior, and in the little dining room at Erfurt, the spirit of preaching grew upon him, and soon he was urged to preach in the town church of Wittenburg. This was in the second decade of the sixteenth century, about two years before he broke with the Eomish church.

It is undoubtedly true that Luther's preaching, more than any other force, was the main instrumentality in making the Reformation a success. His preaching was characterized by certain qualities which made it almost irresistible to the masses, and his was a movement from the bottom towards the top. It was a plea for freedom of thought, freedom of speech and the right of individual interpretation, and consequently it was a people's movement, and not a movement of the clergy or the ruling powers.

Luther inspired the kind of preaching for the whole period. Every sermon of his had at least three distinct marks, viz.: Boldness, Simplicity and Directness. He had no fear before his eyes except the fear of God. He could be easily understood, and his constant aim was to reach the human heart. These qualities made his preaching immensely popular, and finally brought all Germany practically to his feet. Of course there were other men and other influences at work; but it was Martin Luther, with his tongue of fire, like a second Athanasius against the whole world, and like Athanasius, he won out in the end.

It is not needful to speak of other preachers of this period. Great names could be mentioned in Germany, France, England, Scotland, and other countries who were conspicuous in the pulpit, but my space forbids any special notice of these. It is sufficient to say that preaching had received a new impulse and again became a great power for good.

FIFTH PERIOD

This period extends from the death of Luther (1546) to the beginning of the nineteenth century. For about 300 years preaching was very irregular in its development. The whole of Europe was more or less convulsed during this time. The thirty years' war, from a political and social point of view, had considerable influence on the pulpit. Then there was the war of doctrines. Protestantism had to defend itself not only against the Roman Catholic church but it was soon divided within itself into antagonistic religious parties, and these were as bitter in spirit towards one another as the opposition to the common enemy, — the Eoman Catholic church. This spirit was fed on Dogmatism with respect to creeds and confessions of faith, and strongly reacted upon the preaching of the period. In most places the pulpit echoed polemics, instead of the gospel, and in all places the preaching was cold, formal and lifeless. It was all head and no heart, while the people generally lost what little interest they had in the pulpit of the times. Some great souls still maintained the best ideals of preaching, and did valiant service in counteracting the dominant influences. But even the eloquence of John Knox, the learning of Calvin, the earnestness of Richard Baxter, and the preaching of the Illuminums in Germany, could do very little in turning the tide of the dogmatic spirit which prevailed all over Europe.

During the latter part of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth, Pietism, led by August Hermann- Francke, had considerable influence in Germany, in effecting a reaction from the extreme of Dogmatism, which so long dominated the preaching after the death of Luther. But Pietism went too far in the opposite direction. It practically made religion to consist of feeling only, and therefore gave little attention to questions of the head. Later on Count Zinzendorf and the Moravian brethren continued the Pietism of Francke in a modified form, and the Moravians taught the Wesleys "the way of the Lord more perfectly" and thereby enabled them to correct the Mysticism of William Law, and to contribute to the Evangelical Revival many things that helped to make it a success. The Wesleys borrowed from the Moravians the Watch Night service, the whole church as a missionary society, the Love Feast, the use of Christian songs, and some other elements, since belonging to the Methodist system.

It will be seen that toward the end of the Fifth Period, preaching had swung around from the Dogmatism of the schools, and the classic finish of the French pulpit, to the other extreme — the subjective reign of Pietism though at times modified by certain reactionary influences. Nevertheless, the swing was far enough in most cases to make religion a matter of the heart to the exclusion of the head. The historical aspects of Christianity were reduced to a minimum, while the emotional nature was emphasized far beyond the point of safety.

The causes which produced this state of things are not far to seek. The first of these was the activity pi the Roman Catholic propaganda by the Jesuits. Germany and England were the only influential Protestant countries in Europe, and the effort at this time by the Jesuits was to Romanize these two countries, and especially Germany. Hence, about the middle of the eighteenth century, numerous Jesuit missionaries were turned loose on the country who, by their insidious influence, did much to make infidels where they could not make Catholics. But a still greater influence came from the universities. These became hotbeds of infidelity. The pulpits followed the universities, and consequently, the preaching was either saturated with the skepticism of the times, or else, for the most part, it broke with the historical and made religion simply a matter of feeling.

SIXTH PERIOD

At the beginning of the nineteenth century Schleiermacher was the great preacher of Germany. He was educated by the Moravians, and he imbibed much of their Pietism ; but he made a new use of the' heart life. Seeing, as he did, that even Methodism, though a reformed Pietism, was constantly in danger of making religion wholly an emotional matter, he proposed an irenicon between Dogmatism and Pietism. His proposal was not much different from the more modern school represented by such men as Harnack, Sabatier and Loisy. In Schleiermacher 's system of religion the authority is not placed in Scripture, nor is it placed in the pure reason, but in the religious feeling which he held to be inherent in man, but quickened and unfolded in Christianity. This view is fundamental in all his thinking. While holding to the main features of the historical aspects of Christianity, he has in fact little use for either Testament, and especially the Old, so far as authority is concerned.

Of course this is no fair statement of his whole system, but simply refers to the question of authority. He held to neither Rationalism, nor to the scriptural testimony, but to the feeling that the Christian religion is true because it completely harmonizes with the inner consciousness, which is the measure of right and wrong.

His teaching became dominant in Germany, popular in England and influential in America. Perhaps it was not generally understood that he was the author of the prevailing views, but his ideas for a time spread rapidly and at the beginning of the nineteenth century had reached America, where they received new increments until, in the early days of the century, the combined product resulted in those strange religious frenzies, called the " Jerks," which prevailed in several parts of the United States.

AMERICAN INFLUENCE

At this time America had begun to have considerable influence in the national life of the world. Situated as it is, right on the road of the progress of the religion of Christ around the world, it seems providential that it became a sort of melting pot for all religious views and the final resultant will be a united church with a forward march to the conquest of the nations lying westward. But America had to experience its Gethsemane and Calvary, before it could reach its final resurrection. It passed through its Gethsemane during the reign of Puritanism when church and state were practically united; and it passed through its crucifixion during its Civil War. Its resurrection is still in progress.

The American pulpit has kept pace with these steps of progress. We have seen that it was at a very low ebb at the beginning of the nineteenth century. But, as Thomson expresses in his fine lines on Providence:

"From seeming evil still educing good; And better thence again and better still, In infinite progression. ' *

THE COMING OF THE CAMPBELLS

In the year 1807, Thomas Campbell came to America, bearing letters from the Presbyterian Association of which he was a member, and having joined the Presbytery of Chartiers, located chiefly in the County of Washington, Pa., he soon perceived the sad condition of religion in the States, and was accordingly moved to write an appeal to the divided Christendom which he found, urging them to cease their warfare upon one another and return to the ''unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."

His son, Alexander, having been left behind, as a student in Glasgow University, followed in 1809, arriving just in time to read the proof sheets of his father's remarkable "Declaration and Address," which was soon published as their joint conclusion regarding what should be done to heal the divisions of Christians. Alexander was not more than 23 years old at this time, and yet at that early age he began the defense of the principles which his father had formulated, and ever afterwards he was the acknowledged leader of the religious movement which finally became known as the "Reformation of the Nineteenth Century," representing that communion of Christians historically called "Disciples" or "Churches of Christ."

It was in these early days that Mr. Campbell developed those remarkable gifts of speech for which he was so justly distinguished. He was kept busy explaining and advocating the great movement which had for its object the restoration of primitive Christianity in its purity and simplicity, its facts, doctrine and life.

In order to study Mr. Campbell as a preacher, it is necessary to know something of him as a theologian. His religious system completely dominated his preaching, and did much to make him one of the greatest preachers of the nineteenth century. If he had been the pastor of a church in some important center of influence, such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, or Cincinnati, he would doubtless be known as much for his pulpit work as he is for his voluminous writings. His pastoral preaching was done in Bethany, an obscure village, with few hearers of special culture; but a number of college students attended his ministry, and we are indebted mainly to these for what we know about Mr. Campbell's regular preaching. These students could not hear with patience any one else in the Bethany pulpit.

Just how he struggled with the conditions which held him at Bethany are clearly indicated in the following remarkable letter addressed to the elders of the Christian Church, at Cincinnati, Ohio (now the Central), in answer to a call from that church. The letter reads like an Apostolic Epistle, and should be useful to ministers of the present day in both the spirit of its splendid courtesy and its high sense of duty:

Bethany, Va., Dec. 6, 1837.

To Bros. Donogh, Lawson, Crane and Bay, elders of the congregation in Cincinnati, grace, mercy and peace be multiplied from, God our Father, and Jesus Christ our Lord:

Dearly Beloved Brethren. — Your favor of the 1st ulto. has been under consideration for some time. I trust you will not regard my delay in answering it as either neglect or disrespectful. My frequent visits from home, my many duties at home, and the weight of the communication with which you have honored me, are my excuses for my delay in replying.

To be so unanimously invited by the whole church of Christ in your city to settle among you, and to co-operate with you in the great work of the Lord, imposes upon me a more serious consideration of the matter of my removal from Bethany than I have hitherto paid to it. All that you say concerning local advantages I duly appreciate, and concur, in judgment with you, on the whole premises.

I have, moreover, more partialities for your city and society than any one west of the mountains, and I might, indeed, add, east of the mountains. I do regard it as destined to be a very conspicuous radiating-point for good or for ill, placed in the midst of this immense valley.

Still, with all the pleasing and promising prospects before me in that location, and, above all, the contemplated happiness that I would enjoy in your society, together with the enlarged prospects of personal usefulness,

I can not make up my mind to pull up my stakes and emigrate from this mountainous country and all the advantages of retirement for study and reflection and extensive usefulness which it has hitherto afforded me.