Linhardt and Guttag (Volume 2)

Author: (Switzerland) Pestalozzi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: Brief Observations on a Sermon Meeting
Everyone who stepped out of the church door praised: "This is truly a sermon!" In fact, it meant that this kind of speech was not only something others could not deliver but also something they dared not say. The tone he adopted at the pulpit and the things he was ordered to deliver were all carefully thought out, both in manner and in example, and were entirely different from the simple narration of Hummel's scattered life stories. Perhaps someone might say: "But there are still shortcomings!" The author need not defend himself and continues to the next point. That day, the county magistrate, during the entire time the pastor was preaching, not only listened to the teachings but also seemed to see the appearance of the townspeople with his own eyes. The more the pastor spoke, the more distressed the county magistrate felt in his heart. Because the more he listened, the more clearly he realized that all the evil deeds were intricately linked to the cases that had occurred in the town and were related to the previous cases he had handled, which had not yielded results. He felt as if he were standing on a precarious cliff, with a loose and unstable foundation beneath his feet. He was deeply moved and, the more he thought, the deeper the thoughts became, to the point where he could no longer hear what the pastor was saying next. In his astonishment, an idea occurred to him: he must thoroughly understand the situation of the townspeople, and only after gaining a deep understanding should he begin to organize the work and arrange everything. This would allow him to identify the root cause and make the work more practical and appropriately implemented. After making this fundamental decision, he listened to the pastor's sermon word for word without missing a single word. After the service, they returned to the pastor's home. The county magistrate asked the pastor many questions about the church. Suddenly, the pastor remembered the cotton merchant Meyer in the town and praised him to the county magistrate, saying that among those who now followed the county magistrate's wishes, acted with public spirit, and were willing to help others, Meyer and his sister were the foremost. During the meal, they discussed many things about these outstanding individuals. The county magistrate was deeply moved and longed to get acquainted with them immediately. He could not even finish his soup and, as soon as he left the table, invited the pastor to visit Meyer together. P433-434