Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PREACH, v.t.

1. To proclaim; to publish in religious discourses. What ye hear in the ear, that preach ye on the house-tops. – Matth. x. The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek. – Is. lxi.
2. To inculcate in public discourses. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation. – Ps. xl. He oft to them preach'd / Conversion and repentance. – Milton.
3. To deliver or pronounce; as, to preach a sermon. To preach Christ or Christ crucified, to announce Christ as the only Savior, and his atonement as the only ground of acceptance with God. – 1 Cor. i. To preach up, to discourse in favor of. Can they preach up equality of birth? – Dryden.