THE TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE 251 



about your preaching. You will need to preach many 

 sermons of warning against, and denunciation of, sin ; 

 many of instruction in duty. The Bible is a store- 

 house of instruction and men need it, and you must 

 make it clear to them. All this is good and necessary, 

 but it is not enough. Learn from the experience of 

 the greatest preacher, perhaps, who ever lived. 



Paul, the greatest philosopher of ancient times, 

 came to Athens. You can well imagine how he had 

 waited and longed for the opportunity to speak in 

 this home of philosophy and intellectual life. Now 

 he was to speak, not to uncultured barbarians, but to 

 men who could understand and appreciate his best 

 thoughts. He preached in Athens the grandest ser- 

 mon, as far as argument is concerned, ever uttered. I 

 doubt if ever a sermon of Paul's accomplished less. 

 He could not even rouse a healthy opposition. The 

 idea of a new god, Jesus, and a new goddess, the 

 Kesurrection, rather tickled the Athenian fancy. He 

 left them, and, in deep dejection, went down to 

 Corinth. There he determined to know only " Christ 

 and him crucified," and thus preaching in material, 

 vicious Corinth he founded a church. 



Some of you will go through the same experience. 

 You will preach to cultured and intelligent audiences, 

 and they will listen courteously and eagerly as long 

 as you tell them something new, and do not ask them 

 to do anything. The only possible way of reaching 

 Athenian intellect or Corinthian materialism and vice 

 is by preaching Christ, " the power of God and the 

 wisdom of God." And you will reach more Corin- 

 thians than Athenians." 



You may preach sermons full of the grandest phi- 



