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9. We have used words of man's wisdom. We have forgotten Paul's

resolution to avoid the enticing words of man's wisdom, lest he should make the cross of
Christ of none effect. We have reversed his reasoning as well as his resolution, and acted as if
by well-studied, well-polished, well- reasoned discourses, we could so gild and beautify the
cross as to make it no longer repulsive, but irresistibly attractive to the carnal eye! Hence we
have often sent men home well satisfied with themselves, convinced that they were religious
because they were affected by our eloquence, touched by our appeals or persuaded by our
arguments. In this way we have made the cross of Christ of none effect and sent souls to hell
with a lie in their right hand. Thus, by avoiding the offense of the cross and the foolishness of
preaching we have had to labor in vain, and mourn over an unblest, unfruitful ministry.

10. We have not fully preached a free gospel. We have been afraid of making it too free,
lest men should be led into licentiousness; as if it were possible to preach too free a gospel, or
as if its freeness could lead men into sin. It is only a free gospel that can bring peace, and it is
only a free gospel that can make men holy. Luther's preaching was summed up in these two
points—"that we are justified by faith alone, and that we must be assured that we are
justified"; and it was this that he urged his brother Brentius to preach usque ad fastidium; and
it was by such free, full, bold preaching of the glorious gospel, untrammeled by works,
merits, terms, conditions, and unclouded by the fancied humility of doubts, fears,
uncertainties, that such blessed success accompanied his labors. Let us go and do likewise.
Allied to this is the necessity of insisting on the sinner's immediate turning to God, and
demanding in the Master's name the sinner's immediate surrender of heart to Christ.
Strange that sudden conversions should be so much disliked by some ministers. They are the
most scriptural of all conversions.

11. We have not duly studied and honored the Word of God. We have given a greater
prominence to man's writings, man's opinions, man's systems in our studies than to the
WORD. We have drunk more out of human cisterns than divine. We have held more
communion with man than God. Hence the mold and fashion of our spirits, our lives, our
words, have been derived more from man than God. We must study the Bible more. We must
steep our souls in it. We must not only lay it up within us,

but transfuse it through the whole texture of the soul.

12. We have not been men of prayer. The spirit of prayer has slumbered amongst us. The
closet has been too little frequented and delighted in. We have allowed business, study or
active labor to interfere with our closet-hours. And the feverish atmosphere in which both
the church and nation are enveloped has found its way into our closet, disturbing the sweet
calm of its blessed solitude. Sleep, company, idle visiting, foolish talking and jesting, idle
reading, unprofitable occupations, engross time that might have been redeemed for prayer.