by Hugh Davis
Synopsis: In his article, Joe Price alluded to the poem, "To A Hireling," by Hugh Davis, that was quoted several years go by Connie Adams in a prior issue of Truth Magazine, which we reprint here.
Preach a sermon, preacher,
Make it short and sweet;
Our stomachs strike at 12 o'clock
A hungering for to eat.
Preach a sermon, preacher,
With words both smooth and fair,
For philosophy and theory we thirst;
For scripture we don't care.
Preach a sermon, preacher,
Punctuate it with jokes;
Fill it with your yarns and tales,
And entertain us folks.
Preach a sermon, preacher,
But don't get too specific;
As long as you will generalize
We think you are terrific!
Preach a sermon, preacher,
Make it good and plain (?)
But don't you dare to get so close
As to call sin by its name.
Preach a sermon, preacher,
Preach it round or flat;
We love to play at hide and seek
And guessing where you're "at."
Preach a sermon, preacher,
Make it what we love to hear;
We'll pat you on your spineless back,
While you scratch our itching ear.
Davis, Hugh. "To A Hireling," quoted in "Editorial Left-overs" by Connie Adams. Truth Magazine April 20, 2006. Page 4. http://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume50/08-april-20.pdf.