Preaching and Preachers

Illustrations, Eloquence, HumourLast Judgment and eternal perdition. In spite of all warnings thesinner goes on exactly as this poor blind man who having lost his stick,and the dog having run away, went on walking and got nearer andnearer to the abyss. Whitefield had been elaborating and painting thispicture in most vivid colours for some time, in a most dramatic andimaginative manner, and with such effect, that at a given point LordChesterfield sprang to his feet shouting, 'By heavens! the beggar'sgone!' What do we say about that? Had Whitefield crossed the line?What was it that influenced Chesterfield? This is where the problemarises.But let me relate another authentic story. There was a preacher inWales at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenthcentury called Robert Roberts. He also had this great gift of imagination-ifanythingeven more so than Whitefield. He was preaching oneday in a very crowded chapel, and again was dealing with this samepoint about the sinner not heeding warnings-enjoying himself andignoring the intimations of the coming Judgment. To enforce this heused a vivid illustration. Some people staying at the seaside had gonewalking along the beach. There were rocks leading out into the sea-asort of promontory of rocks going well out. The tide was out so theyhad walked along to thevery end of the little promontory, and havingdone so lay down on their backs basking in the sun. There they wereenjoying themselves tremendously, sleeping and reading and so on.But they had not noticed that the tide had turned and was beginningto come in again very slowly. They paid no attention to this; but thetide continued to lap the rocks on both sides and slowly to encirclethem and their promontory. The preacher worked this up graphicallyto the pointat which the people 'came to themselves' and realised theirpredicament. There was still just enough time for them to get back onto the beach and to listen to the warning voices from the shore.Roberts so worked up this illustration with his powerful imagination,that when he used his equally powerful voice to represent the shoutedwarnings and appeals of the people on the shore to the others toescape immediately for their lives, it is recorded, and said to be237