May This Not Be True of Us
“It was a wise reproof which a grave divine administered to a young preacher, who entertained his auditory with an elaborate discourse: after he had commended his parts and pains, there was (said he) one thing wanting in the sermon: I could not perceive the Spirit of God was in it.
And though morality is good and necessary to be taught and practiced, yet it is much to be lamented, that many preachers in these days have hardly any other discourses in their pulpit than what we find in Seneca, Epictetus, Plutarch, and some such heathen moralist. Christ, the Holy Spirit, and (in a word) the gospel is not in their sermons.”
Increase Mather
December 27, 2006 at 5:32 pm
I believe TV has influenced people, negatively, when they might not even have noticed it. We may expect our pastor to be just as entertaining as Seinfeld or some other programs. An orator needs to be engaging, but if he’s not, we may need to remind ourselves that the point is not to be entertained.