witty ministers

WITTY PREACHERS 6 THERE is a class of preachers we hope it is a small one who come within the descriptive line of Cowper of those who court a grin where they should woo a soul aiming to say amusing and funny things to move the risibles of their auditors seemingly forgetful that their vocation is something far more serious than this A care ful study of the ministerial epistles of Paul would fail to discover any directions on the value of securing attention by keeping an audience in jolly good humour Paul himself was a model minister in matter and manner We hear of his earnest exhortation and persuasion of his con suming self sacrifice and zeal of his weeping and tears while beseeching sinners but never of his effort to make his hearers laugh He had too awful a sense of his responsibility in deliver ing his message which was to prove a savour of life or death to others and of his anxiety to be free from the blood of all men But where do we hear of his studied attempts to amuse He habitually remembered the ministry of his Master who wept over the incorrigible and was even occasionally angry at their obstinate unbelief without once being jocose or comical The dis covery was left to more modern times to visit an infirmary in a merry mood that the diseased and dying might be diverted from their real condition If there is a time to laugh it is certainly not in the sanctuary or when sacred and momentous truths are to be enforced on the attention of dying sinners Make merry over the prodigal returned if you will it is out of place while he is spending his substance in riotous living A bishop should be gravely in earnest whether he occupies the pulpit or platform serious while he handles serious things and tremble at the thought of putting sinners into good humour with him or themselves by the outflowings of an eccentric wit What it may be said would you recommend ministers to be stupid in the pulpit Surely this is not the alternative He that would be in danger of be coming stupid in fulfilling God's solemn embassy to dying men in a solemn way may possibly have mistaken his vocation altogether

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