Simplicity in Preaching

"My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. (1 Corinthians 2:4) To attain simplicity in preaching is of the utmost importance to every minister who wishes to be useful to souls. Unless you are simple in your sermons, you will never be understood, and unless you are understood, you cannot do good to those who hear you. Of course, the first objective of a minister should be to preach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as it is in Jesus. But the next thing he ought to aim at is for his sermon to be understood, and it will not be understood by most of his congregation if it is not simple. To attain simplicity in preaching is by no means an easy matter. I fear a vast proportion of what we preach is not understood by our listeners anymore than if it were Greek. When people hear a simple sermon or read a simple tract, they are apt to say, "How true! How plain! How easy to understand!" and might