THE PREACHER'S TECHNIQUE
that severe and searching test. But that was two centuries ago, and is not for emulation to-day. Spurgeon confessed that the epistle to the Hebrews came near being ruined for him in his youth by a seemingly interminable series of discourses to which it was his fate to listen. "I wished frequently that the Hebrews had kept the epistle to themselves, for it sadly bored one poor Gentile lad. That epistle exhorts us to suffer the word of exhortation, and"—he added grimly—"we did so." The passion for comprehensiveness is doubtless a laudable virtue; but it can ruin a man's preaching unless it is held in check by common sense and by a judicious application of the art of omission.
Take, for example, the book of Jeremiah. Might it not be possible, by careful planning and wise selection, to concentrate the main message of Jeremiah into a course of six or eight addresses? The experiment is at least worth trying. It will certainly involve an immense amount of preliminary study, mental spade-work and spiritual discipline. But granted fidelity of preparation, such a course of sermons is likely to meet with an eager and deeply encouraging response. Let me—taking Jeremiah still as illustration—reinforce my plea for this kind of preaching by urging upon you three considerations. For one thing, the message of the book is so decisively significant for the present hour. Do you wish a vivid interpretation of God's will for a time of national crisis? You will find that here. Are you concerned about the part that organized religion ought to play in face of the challenge of the social and
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