p. 9 | ONE OF THE TROUBLES by M. E. O.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 4, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 18.

ONE OF THE TROUBLES.

By M. E. O.

["M. E. O." in London Present Truth.]

AFTER all, the preaching is the great test of the church. Is the preaching of to-day loyal to the Word of God? and does it bear the character of a divine message? We fear not. The so-called Higher Criticism is permeating our pulpits, and leavening the churches. The minister who gives up the divine authorship of the Bible, can not preach with authority any longer. He loses his character as a servant of God, and becomes a sort of a teacher of philosophy. His sermons may be perfect from the æsthetic standpoint; they may be suggestive, thought-stimulating, inspiring, uplifting; but they will not be soul-saving. His congregation may be pleased; they will not be fed.

Philosophy is attractive to the educated classes,—to the men and women of leisure; it never has appealed to working men. To the extent, then, that the pulpit has degenerated into a chair of philosophy, and the minister has taken to discussing the problems of life without offering the divine solution of them, the working classes will stay away.

There is to-day an urgent need of positive preaching. The Word of God must be expounded, its lessons enforced. The trumpet must give a certain sound. Men must repent and believe, if they would be saved. Sin is a terrible reality from which Christ alone can save. Sin must be plainly pointed out; the ax must be laid at the root of the tree. God's Word is to be magnified as the sole test of doctrine, and the perfect guide to right conduct in the daily life.