attacks us as "One word more" is announced from the sacred
desk?

Simplicity in language, and in putting things; as much repetition as
may be needed; great care not to assume more knowledge in the hearer
than he possesses; much allowance for the fact that the minds addressed
may not be trained in the theme under discussion, and that there is a
wide difference between the catching of an idea which waits upon a
printed page and of an idea in flight of spoken discourse; clear and
memorable arrangement of the whole address--all these concessions must
be made if men are to be sent away from the sanctuary carrying with
them any considerable part of the provision with which the preacher
climbed the pulpit stair. And after all these concessions have been
allowed the _great_ effort to make things plain has yet to be begun!

This _great effort_ for the attainment of transparency will be made, we
need hardly say, along two lines, the line of illustration and the line
of application. Possibly it may be held by some that these two lines
are really one.

And concerning illustration:--The greatest preachers, and the most
effective, have been those who have shown the greatest mastery of this
art. The writing of these words brings to our minds names sufficient
to establish their truth. Who can forget the illustrations of C. H.
Spurgeon; the illustrations of McLaren of Manchester, whose expositions
of Scripture received illumination in this way at every turning of the
path along which the preacher led us, happy and entranced? It has been
pronounced by some a mistake to class D. L. Moody among the _great_
preachers. The answer will depend upon our definition of a great
preacher. _We_ would support the inclusion and our reason lies
here:--We heard the man in boyhood and so clear, by simplicity and
aptness of language, of phrase and of illustration did he make his
every contention, that we understood him from beginning to end. An
example happily still with us has already been named in the earlier
part of this chapter. Every preacher should hear the Rev. W. L.
Watkinson, if he walk a score of miles to do it!

But the art of illustration, excepting in those rare cases where a man
brings to its learning a natural gift waiting only to be brought into
use, is not easily acquired. Every preacher of experience will be
prepared to testify that in attempting to illustrate it is not only
easy to make mistakes but difficult to avoid maki