# Who was the best preacher?



## DanielC (Jun 7, 2004)

Who do you think? No &quot;how do you define best&quot; questions - just answer according to the standard you think is best.


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## king of fools (Jun 7, 2004)

That's a very subjective question. If each one was doing God's will, then they're all the best because it's God's word that is coming through them and they're just the instrument.

That being said, everyone is equal ... behind CH Spurgeon. :bs2:


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## Irishcat922 (Jun 7, 2004)

This was a loaded poll, Steve. Everybody Loves Spurgeon, But I love every sermon i have ever read by Whitefield. And some of the best sermons I have read have been Owens, He must have been a great preacher. It is hard to choose here I also love Edwards, but I gotta go with Whitefield, probably because of the unbelievable way in which the Lord used him at that time.


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## Scott Bushey (Jun 7, 2004)

Jeremiah, for his faithfulness. The Apostle Peter for leadership. The Apostle Paul for his conviction. Spurgeon for his &quot;vocal&quot; capabilities and Edwards for one of the greatest sermons ever to be chronicled.


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## Learner (Jun 7, 2004)

Scott,&quot;vocal capabilities&quot;of Spurgeon?That is what you would stress about that man of God?
I,of course,really appreciate C.H.Spurgeon.But I think there have been many unheralded preachers who were used of God in mighty ways.
Daniel Rowlands, according to J.C.Ryle and Dr.D.M.L-Jones,
ranked at the same level as Whitefield!Of course,many of his sermons have not been translated into English from the Welsh language.
I am sure John Owen was a very excellent preacher.But he regarded John B.to be much better.He said something like:&quot;I would gladly relinquish all my learning,to be able to preach like that man.&quot;
This topic is a fascinating one.I have other candidates that I will nominate at a later date.There is not one &quot;best&quot;one,in my estimation.Let's limit the field to preachers after the canon closed.


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## DTK (Jun 7, 2004)

All factors considered, I would have to cast my vote for George Whitefield.

Respecting Owen's comment on the preaching of John Bunyan, the following account can be observed in Vol. 1 of Owen's works as published by Banner of Truth Trust...
[quote:db8634c53b] The king is reported to have asked Owen on one occasion, how a learned man like him could go &quot;to hear a tinker prate;&quot; to which the great theologian answered, &quot;May it please your majesty, could I possess the tinker's abilities for preaching, I would willingly relinguish all my learning.&quot; Vol. 1, p. xcii. [/quote:db8634c53b]
Cheers,
DTK

[Edited on 6-7-2004 by DTK]


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## Scott Bushey (Jun 7, 2004)

[quote:d112551123][i:d112551123]Originally posted by Learner[/i:d112551123]
Scott,&quot;vocal capabilities&quot;of Spurgeon?That is what you would stress about that man of God?
I,of course,really appreciate C.H.Spurgeon.But I think there have been many unheralded preachers who were used of God in mighty ways.
Daniel Rowlands, according to J.C.Ryle and Dr.D.M.L-Jones,
ranked at the same level as Whitefield!Of course,many of his sermons have not been translated into English from the Welsh language.
I am sure John Owen was a very excellent preacher.But he regarded John B.to be much better.He said something like:&quot;I would gladly relinquish all my learning,to be able to preach like that man.&quot;
This topic is a fascinating one.I have other candidates that I will nominate at a later date.There is not one &quot;best&quot;one,in my estimation.Let's limit the field to preachers after the canon closed. [/quote:d112551123]

Sorry Learner,
I didn't mean to disregard his excellent preaching!!! It just always amazed me how Spurgeons voice must have carried; the acoustics and all.


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## Bryan (Jun 7, 2004)

I would agree with it being a loaded poll. 

Since I haven't actually heard any of these men preach I can judge only from their sermons and since they were Godly men who preached god's truth any judgment I make would be made on my personal perfrence. I love Edward's Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God as much as I love spurgeon's War War War, and just as much as I love some of Whitefield's...etc. I would also be willing to put J.C. Ryle in that list and Martyn-Lloyd Jones.

I actually haven't heard of Stephen Marshall before...should I have of?

Bryan
SDG


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## Craig (Jun 7, 2004)

Where's John Hagee on the poll uzzled:  :bs2:


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## DanielC (Jun 8, 2004)

[quote:c1f45bdb01][i:c1f45bdb01]Originally posted by Bryan[/i:c1f45bdb01]
I actually haven't heard of Stephen Marshall before...should I have of?
SDG [/quote:c1f45bdb01]

Stephen Marshall was the greatest preacher of the age of the WCF (yes of course that is subjective). It was said that if every Anglican was like Archbishop Ussher, every independent like Jeremiah Burroughs, and every presbyterian like Stephen Marshall, the division between the denominations would soon be healed.

How can no one vote for a man named &quot;golden mouth?&quot;

I put Bunyan in there because of Owen's opinion.

I voted Edwards, cause I like reading his sermons on heaven, but I hear that he read his sermons with an elbow on the pulpit and one hand over his bad eye the whole time. Not quite the theatrical presence of a Whitefield.


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## Irishcat922 (Jun 8, 2004)

[quote:d5c9c34d3f][i:d5c9c34d3f]Originally posted by Bryan[/i:d5c9c34d3f]
I would agree with it being a loaded poll. 

Since I haven't actually heard any of these men preach I can judge only from their sermons and since they were Godly men who preached god's truth any judgment I make would be made on my personal perfrence. I love Edward's Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God as much as I love spurgeon's War War War, and just as much as I love some of Whitefield's...etc. I would also be willing to put J.C. Ryle in that list and Martyn-Lloyd Jones.

I actually haven't heard of Stephen Marshall before...should I have of?


Bryan
SDG [/quote:d5c9c34d3f]

You can go to Lloyd-Jones' website and listen to him preach. He was an excellent preacher.


[Edited on 6-8-2004 by Irishcat922]


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## Puritan Sailor (Jun 8, 2004)

[quote:def6feabfe][i:def6feabfe]Originally posted by DanielC[/i:def6feabfe]
I voted Edwards, cause I like reading his sermons on heaven, but I hear that he read his sermons with an elbow on the pulpit and one hand over his bad eye the whole time. Not quite the theatrical presence of a Whitefield. [/quote:def6feabfe]
I've never heard about the elbow or eye thing about Edwards but I know he did read his sermons in his earlier years. But, as Iain Murray's biography points out, Edwards grew out of that practice in later years as he grew more experienced.


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## Puritan Sailor (Jun 8, 2004)

[quote:81e98219f7][i:81e98219f7]Originally posted by king of fools[/i:81e98219f7]
That's a very subjective question. If each one was doing God's will, then they're all the best because it's God's word that is coming through them and they're just the instrument.

That being said, everyone is equal ... behind CH Spurgeon. :bs2: [/quote:81e98219f7]

All preachers are equal, but some are more equal than others :bs2:

I voted Calvin simply because he started Reformed experiential preaching. All others stand on his shoulders. And I personally don't like the dramatic preachers. Simple exposition and application works for me. You may be cut to the heart by a flamboyant knight who dances about you before he strikes. Or you may be cut by one who simply just walks up and stabs you out of the blue.


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## brymaes (Jun 9, 2004)

Spurgeon all the way.

If I could add one, perhaps I'd mention the Welsh preacher Christmas Evans.


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Jun 9, 2004)

I'm not sure we can make a judgment on dead guys - we have not heard them - we have not seen the white's of their eyes glaring at us.

We can certainly judge their content. Based on content, I would have to say either Calvin, Edwards or Owen.


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## RamistThomist (Jun 9, 2004)

[quote:2cf33731af][i:2cf33731af]Originally posted by webmaster[/i:2cf33731af]


We can certainly judge their content. Based on content, I would have to say either Calvin, Edwards or Owen. [/quote:2cf33731af]

Have you read and Would then you recommend the book by THL Parker, [i:2cf33731af]Calvin's Preaching[/i:2cf33731af]? I saw it in a bookstore today and was wondering.


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## Learner (Jun 10, 2004)

George Whitefield has been regarded by many to have been one of the finest preachers since the time of the Apostles.Yet,J.C.Ryle said that if you examine his works there isn't much solid matter in some of his sermons.(or words to that effect).
I think content,of course,is critical.However the mark of the best Gospel proclaimers has been the special stamp of enduement of the Holy Spirit on their preaching.Calvin and Owen and few others have had such a vast storehouse of spiritual knowledge.Yet Robert Olivetan(Calvin's cousin)was regarded as the better preacher by the folks in Geneva.Calvin was blessed by God in so many excellent gifts.But that did not guarantee him the place as the most gifted preacher in that God-honoring community.
John Bunyan was thought to be superior to John Owen in preaching.Bunyan was no dummy but compared to Owen he was deficient in knowledge.I'm not saying that the more knowledge one has,the less spiritually endowed he is as a preacher,but...
Another observationr.D.M.L-Jones noted that the best preachers were physically ugly men.That may be true.Look at Christmas Evans (mentioned earlier in this thread).He didn't have the most winsome looks.But he was the greatest preacher of the first half of the 19th century say some.


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## Learner (Jun 10, 2004)

The smiley-face was unintentional.


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## FrozenChosen (Jun 10, 2004)

Not only where's John Hagee, where's Benny Hinn??

I doubt these guys on the list slayed people in the spirit! What a shocker!


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## bigheavyq (Oct 18, 2004)

Actually, my favorite is Ern Baxter, excellent teacher of God's Word.
Although, he was a charismatic, he taught me to rethink most of my doctrines. It was through him that I became reformed.


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