“How one longs on one side for the clear spirit of Fénelon,” wrote Sheila Kaye-Smith in a commentary on modern preaching, “for the piercing grace of Francis de Sales, for the light and sanity of Pascal; on the other for the fire of Savonarola, for the enthusiasm of the Wesleys, or even of George Fox shouting, ‘Woe! Woe to the bloody city of Litchfield!’ I know that there are preachers today who shout, ‘Woe!’ but it is always from a safe distance. They will not shout woe to Litchfield or any bloody city from its own market place.”
The point
Sheila Kaye-Smith voices a longing for preachers with the fearless prophetic spirit of Fénelon, Francis de Sales, Pascal, Savonarola, the Wesleys, and George Fox, while criticizing modern preachers who preach 'woe' from a safe distance rather than from the marketplace.