... the noble contents of the Word, must divide souls from the world and bring them near to God.

IN PRAISE OF PREACHING
by Wilhelm Lohe

Among the means which the church uses to save souls, preaching stands first. It is the means by which those are called who stand afar off, and those who have been called are rendered steadfast in their calling and election.
In preaching, the church does not aim to support the holy Word by human art, but the chief matter is not to hinder its power and operation and not to impose upon the Word any kind or manner of operation which does not befit it.
The preacher proclaims salvation in Christ Jesus with the consciousness that not what he does, but the noble contents of the Word, must divide souls from the world and bring them near to God.
Of course the preacher believes and therefore speaks, and it is a detestable contradiction to preach and yet not to believe; but a true preacher will not try to recommend the truth by imparting his faith and experience; that would be only to recommend himself; rather does he seek to bring his people to say with the Samaritans: “Now we believe, not because of thy saying; for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” [John 4:42]
An upright preacher does not purposely withdraw himself, nor does he purposely make himself prominent, but he comes with the Word and the Word comes with him; he is a simple, faithful witness of the Word, and the Word witnesses to him; he and his Word appear like one thing.
All his preaching is based upon holy peace. Even when he rebukes, and zeal for God’s house eats him up, it is not the wrath of the restless world, but the wrath of the unapproachable God of peace, that burns within him.
It is not he that speaks, but the Lord speaks in him and through him, and his execution of his office is worthy of the Lord.
The churchly preacher always may be known by his manliness and maturity.
In great confidence in the divine Word he therefore despises every sort of machinery. He has a method, the method of simplicity.
He does not seek to win friends for the Lord Jesus Christ by means of human eloquence, nor by exciting the feelings, nor by a meretricious excitement of the nerves.
His object is not a disturbed awakening, but the transformation of divine thoughts.
Just as vocation goes on to enlightenment, and all progress in the inner life is conditioned by the progress of knowledge; so he seeks before all else to make the holy thoughts of the divine Word rightly known and to bring them before the memory, contemplation, will and inmost being of his hearers.
He does not despise the feelings of men, but he awakens them by holding before them the heavenly light, or rather he sets up this light and is assured that with its ray warmth also will proceed from it.
His watchwords are not Awake and the like, but those words of Scripture which refer to the gradual, silent growth of the divine mustard-seed.
His insistence and compulsion are not the insistence and compulsion of human impatience, but a just patient waiting on the Word.
He gladly waits, knowing that precious fruits do not grow in a night.
And he waits upon all his sheep, for he knows that the Lord has his own hour, his own haste, but also his own delays.

Three Books Concerning the Church,
tr. By Edward T. Horn (Reading, Pa.: Pilger Publishing House, 1908), pp. 181 ff.