Is there not a need now for straight gospel preaching? Of course, a preacher should be a Christian gentleman at all times, but he should not become too polished to preach the unadulterated word of God. He may suffer for it, but what of that? And some misguided souls may say that plain preaching keeps people away and injures the standing of the church, but the faithful preacher knows that that makes it the more binding upon him to preach the gospel straight. Because Jeremiah spoke the word of God faithfully, the people said: “This man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.” (Jer. 38:4.) And yet he was the best friend the people had. But they wanted smooth things spoken to them. They wanted him to tell them that no evil would come upon them. It appears that Jeremiah at times grew weary, and felt as if he might as well give up the strife, but he could not quit. “I am become a laughing-stock all the day, every one mocketh me. For as often as I speak, I cry out; I cry, Violence and destruction! because the word of Jehovah is made a reproach unto me, and a derision, all the day. And if I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing, and I cannot contain.” (Jer. 20:7-9.) Jeremiah loved his people, and could not be quiet as he beheld them plunging into ruin. A more heroic figure than Jeremiah does not grace the pages of Old Testament history. These are perilous times. Man’s schemes have broken down and the world is in chaos. Human wisdom has come up against a blank wall, beyond which man cannot see. The people are saying to their erstwhile leaders, “Cry”; and the leaders call back, “What shall we cry?” We have left God out of our scheme of things. We have dabbled in this monkey business till conditions have made monkeys out of our wisest men. But there is balm, there is healing, there is a physician. Preach the word. We want to convert sinners and edify saints, but there is danger that we put the main emphasis on the wrong things. We may become so busy as herdboys that we forget to feed the sheep. We may become so absorbed in keeping the young folks interested that we forget to fill them with the word of God. We may become so engaged in building fine meeting houses, that we forget to build fine Christian characters.