I laid them, in substance, before
my brethren. I explained them. I illustrated them by quotations from
books and sermons. I gave them instances of the various faults pointed
out by Foster, taken from their favorite authors, and in some cases from
the discourses of living preachers. I wrote several essays on the causes
of the slow progress made by Christianity, in which I embodied and
illustrated many of Foster's views. I wrote essays on "_Preaching
Christ_," in which I embodied and illustrated Wesley's views on the
subject, including his condemnation of what, in his days, was falsely
called "_Gospel Preaching_." I wrote quite a large volume on these
subjects, and read the contents, so far as opportunity offered, to my
colleagues at our weekly meetings. I was badly requited for my pains. In
some cases my colleagues listened to me and stared at me with amazement.
They thought I "brought strange things to their ears." One, who is now
dead, said I should be really an excellent fellow, he believed, if I
could only get the cobwebs swept out of my upper stories. Everything
beyond his own poor standing common-places was cobwebs to him, poor
fellow. The remarks on this subject in the LIFE of the preacher
referred to, show that my ideas and plans at that time are not yet
understood by all his brethren.
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