God. Do not give the people theories nor illustrate your speech by fabulous
stories. Do not dwell too much with the surface problems of Christianity,
but spend more time in leading the people to a deep heart-experience. If
they get the inner man right its beauty will shine out through their entire
being. In short, speak to the people the oracles of God, so that if they
are at all susceptible to the truth, your speech will appeal to them as the
Word of God spoken through your lips of clay.

In preaching, guard against relating many touching incidents merely to work
up the human sympathy. We have to deal with the hearts of men as well as
with their minds and judgments. Any one that has a love for God's pure word
will find in it a force and power that will have a good effect when it is
presented in simple and plain language under the anointing of the Holy
Spirit.

In preaching on some subjects, it is necessary to have a large number of
texts, but ministers make a mistake who think that they must make every
sermon a Bible-reading. The use of too many scriptures confuses the
listeners; it is often better to concentrate the attention of the hearers
on one text until its full meaning is mastered. At the proper time
Bible-lessons are in order, but the admonition, "Preach the word," does not
mean that you are to read a large number of scriptures, but merely that you
should present the Word of God as paramount to everything else. The
ministry of Babylon have fed their people with much worldliness mixed
together with a small portion of the Word of God. For this reason God's
people scattered in Babylon have not fared well. At meeting their
intellects would be fed, but their souls would be starved.

You can not, however, feed others until your own soul is fed. This is done
by searching the Scriptures and by praying much. If it is laid upon any one