POLICY IN PREACHING.
P
PUBLICmen must be prudent, judicious and noble in their bearing, presenting the truth in the love of it. Men must not miscalculate their influence, their power, and time for presenting things. Preachers must knowwhenandwherethings are to be said and done. Many men drive their audiences away, by their repulsive course, and think it the opposition of the people to the truth, that drives them away. We speak plainly on all the great issues between ourselves and the parties around us, in the pulpit, and yet seldom give offense, and never fail to have a good hearing from the parties around us, and seldom fail togain some of them to the truth. And, what is better, when they are gained,they are gained indeed—not by persuading them that there is but little difference between us, but by making them bothsee and feelthe difference,and convincing them of the truth. Any thing short of this is of no account.
Some men are for using a little Jesuitism. They would preach on common ground matters till they draw their hearers on and gain their attention. But we have nothing to do with any such policy. There is a vast amount of the most important and plain truth in the gospel, that the parties around us know comparatively nothing about, and consequently have no objection to it. They will hear it and be pleased with it. The main matter is to develop fully and largely, in the simplest style possible, with heart and solicitude for the happiness and salvation of the people, the whole scheme of redemption from the beginning, as if the people knew nothing at all about it. This must be done with power, and not in a prosing, indifferent and unfeeling manner. It will find way to honest hearts, in almost any community in this country.