“There is nothing more unworthy than to see a people bold to sin, and the preacher afraid to reprove them” (William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour, p. 62).
Don’t Go It Alone
It is not thy sermon in thy head, or notes in thy book, that will enable thee to preach, except God open thy mouth; acknowledge, therefore, God in all thy ways, and lean not to thy own understanding: the swelling of the heart, as well as of the wall, goes before a fall. How much …
Real Reform
“That minister . . . whose preaching results in the actual conversion of human beings, contributes far more, in the long run, to the progress of society, literature, art, science, and civilization, than he does, who, neglecting these themes of sin and grace, makes a direct effort from the pulpit to ‘elevate society’” (Shedd, Homiletics …
Almost Desperate Love
“Spiritual eloquence should arise out of the preacher’s almost desperate love for the gospel truth itself and the people for whom accepting the truth is a matter of life and death” (Keller, Preaching, p. 14).
The Democracy of the Dead
“Conservatism is dead and deadening, only upon the hypothesis, that the universal history of man is the realm of death” (Shedd, Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, p. 384).
Don’t Fall Off That Unicycle . . .
“The social manners of the clergyman ought, therefore, to be a just mingling of gravity and affability” (Shedd, Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, p. 374).
Be Careful Little Brain, What You’re Sure Of
“That which a man knows with certainty, will affect his character” (Shedd, Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, p. 338).
Study to Be Approved
“Study, close, persevering study, improves his religious character. An indolent minister is not a spiritually minded man” (Shedd, Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, p. 326).
He Is Not the Congregation
“In this connection, the habit of dialectically discoursing in prayer, should be guarded against . . . It is only when the clergyman forgets God, and addresses the congregation, that the prayer degenerates into a sermon” (Shedd, Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, p. 312).
The Telos of Preaching
“Yet, as it is the peculiar function of the preacher, as such, to address an audience, so it is the peculiar function of the audience, as such, to address God, as the result of the preacher’s address to them. Preaching should always end in worship” (Shedd, Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, p. 297).