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PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 



THE PASTOR 



IN THE 



VARIOUS DUTIES OF HIS OFFICE. 



BY 

THOMAS MURPHY, D.D., 

PASTOR OP THE 

FRANKFORD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 
PHILADELPHIA. 



PHILADELPHIA: 
PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 

1334 CHESTNUT STREET. 



V,- 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877 by 

THE TRUSTEES OB 1 THE 

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 




WESTCOTT & THOMSON, 
Slereotypers and Electrotypes, Philada. 



PREFACE. 



AN additional book on the subject of Pastoral Theology is 
needed at the present time, because of the many changes which 
have of late occurred in the modes of carrying on the work of 
the Church, because of the great enlargement of that work, and 
because new and important branches of the subject have been 
developed within a comparatively few years. The field of minis 
terial operations has become wider, fuller of instrumentalities 
and more intensely active. The work of the Sabbath-school, the 
great schemes of benevolence which are in operation for build 
ing up the kingdom of Christ, and the various new agencies 
which are being matured for the extension of the blessings of 
the gospel, may be taken as samples of pastoral duties which 
could not have much place in older books on this subject, be 
cause they were scarcely in existence when such books were 
written. It is mainly with a view to meeting this want that 
the present work is undertaken. 

It is becoming that I should state the chief reasons which 
may justify me in attempting a task which is so responsible and 
difficult. My own experience as pastor for more than a quarter 
of a century of a large and growing church has brought me into 
personal and frequently repeated and anxious contact with nearly 
every practical question that can ordinarily arise in the minis 
terial work ; and my church and presbytery, being composed of 
families of both city and country, have afforded peculiar facilities 
for becoming acquainted with the duties of the pastor in their 
full variety. Then during all these years the subject of Pastoral 
Theology has been a favorite study, on which I have endeavored 

3 



4 PREFACE. 

to learn, not only from my own observation and experiment, but 
also from conference with many successful pastors, and from a 
treasury of scraps of recorded wisdom concerning the sacred 
office which I have long been accumulating and arranging for 
my own private use. There is one exceedingly valuable fountain 
of instruction pertaining to the subject from which I have been 
able to draw abundantly. When preparing for the ministry I 
enjoyed the very great privilege of listening to lectures and 
familiar conversations on the character, duties and responsi 
bilities of the pastoral office by the Rev. Dr. Archibald Alex 
ander, who from his pre-eminent Christian wisdom, learning 
and experience was able to give such counsel on the subject as 
was of the highest importance. These lectures, unfortunately, 
were not written out so fully by the venerable author that they 
could afterward be published. Had they been, they would 
have proved to be amongst the most valuable of all the con 
tributions made by that great and good man to the literature 
of the Church. While listening to these lectures I took very 
copious notes, which I have preserved as a sacred treasure, and 
by them have now been enabled to enrich these pages, some 
times using formal quotations, but more generally introducing 
their spirit and substance, and applying them either to correct 
or verify observations of my own. Advised by friends whose 
opinions I could not disregard, and justified, as I supposed, by 
such considerations as these, I set about this work, which has 
been one of great labor, but also of great pleasure. 

My object from first to last has been a very simple one. I 
have not attempted to discuss questions of doctrine or order, or 
merely to theorize about subjects of any kind ; but my single 
aim has been to present the duties of the pastor with as much 
fullness as possible, and to furnish such suggestions as might 
help toward their most successful performance. I have dwelt 
only on those things which are peculiar to the pastoral office, 
and which the young minister especially, though not exclusively, 
might need as aids in undertaking his great spiritual work. I 



PREFACE. 5 

ha 7e endeavored to present whatever experience teaches to be 
valuable as guides to success or incentives to earnestness in a 
work which pertains to the most momentous of mortal interests. 

In carrying out this undertaking, in which I am sadly con 
scious of having come far short of my own ideal of what it 
should be, I have consulted everything on the subject of Pas 
toral Theology that was within my reach, but have also relied 
very largely upon my own observation and experience as com 
pared and corrected by the teaching of others. I have endeav 
ored to learn from my own many failures, shortcomings, mis 
takes and omissions in the pastoral work, which I have had no 
difficulty in working up into lessons that might be profitable to 
others. As the teachings of Pastoral Theology must necessarily 
be made up to an important extent from the experience of many 
workers in the ministerial field, I have quoted largely from the 
writings of eminently useful and devoted ministers, living or 
deceased, in order that their names might add the more weight 
to principles which their lives have helped to define. I have 
endeavored to touch upon all points of duty which are likely 
to come up before the pastor in ordinary circumstances. Upon 
those which are of most importance I have dwelt more fully ; 
to others but brief attention has been given. I have not inten 
tionally shrunk from taking up any subject which my own ex 
perience has taught me the pastor is likely to need or to find 
of much importance. 

Though I am a Presbyterian, and have necessarily looked 
upon every question treated from the standpoint of that system, 
yet it is believed that nearly every duty indicated or counsel 
given is just as applicable to pastors of other denominations. 
Some nomenclature had to be used ; but, with that exception, 
the subject as it lay before me demanded scarcely anything 
but what was common to the duties of the ministry of all com 
munions. 

In the treatment of some of the more important subjects a 
considerable number of rules or counsels are given, not with the 



6 PREFACE. 

expectation that all of them should be put in practice by each 
pastor, but with the hope that, while some of them may be 
adopted, they may all be suggestive and lead to something use 
ful. Amongst the various plans which are indicated for the 
management of such important subjects as " conducting prayer- 
meetings," " the care of young converts," and " making collec 
tions for benevolent objects," each minister can select such aw 
are suitable to his own judgment and opportunities, or he can 
experiment upon them all, or he can adopt as many of them 
as are practicable. Sometimes I have simply endeavored to 
open the subject of some practical questions, so that each pastor 
may study it for himself in both its aspects, and then determine 
which to adopt, or modify it as he chooses, or correct extreme 
views, or decide upon some middle line of opinion or action as 
he may judge best. Among such subjects, the sections on " Hind- 
erances and Helps to Pastoral Piety," " Written or Extemporane 
ous Preaching," and " Management of Voluntary Associations " 
may be named. 

If my work, which is now finished, shall be so blessed by the 
kind providence of the Great Head of the Church as to find its 
way into the hands of a goodly number of those who are al 
ready in the gospel ministry or who are expecting soon to enter 
that sacred office ; if it shall help them to a riper preparation 
for the pastoral work ; if it shall cheer them ever so little under 
their many discouragements and help them to solve some of 
their many difficulties ; if it shall assist in making their toils 
more easy and pleasant ; if it shall aid in giving greater efficacy 
to the efforts which they may put forth in the cause of human 
redemption ; especially if it shall contribute anything through 
them to the promotion of the glory of Christ our King, if it 
shall accomplish these objects, even in the smallest degree, then 
there will be more than a recompense for the years of labor and 
of prayer which have been devoted to its pages. 

THOMAP MURPHY. 
PHILADELPHIA, May 25, 1877. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

PAGK 

What is Pastoral Theology? 13 

History of Pastoral Theology , 15 

Sources of Pastoral Theology 17 

Necessity of this Study as a Branch of Training for the Christian Ministry. 22 

Importance of the Office, and of this Preparation for it 24 

Mode of Treating the Subject 29 

How the Subject should be Studied 34 



CHAPTER II. 

THE PASTOR IN HIS CLOSET. 

The Piety which is Needful for the Pastoral Office 37 

Importance of Eminent Piety in the Pastor 40 

(a) From the Names applied to Ministers in the Word of God 40 

(6) The Greatness of the Work to which he is Called 43 

(c] The Conversion of Souls and the Prosperity of the Church depend 

on the Degree of the Pastor s Piety 47 

(d] The Real Power of the Pastor is in his Earnest Godliness 49 

(e] Devoted Piety will make all the Work of the Pastor Easy and 

Pleasant 54 

(/) The Pastor is Appointed to be a Living Example of the Gospel 

which he Preaches 57 

(g) Eminent Piety is Expected of the Pastor 59 

(h] The Pastor is Warranted in Looking forward to Eminent Glory 

in the Heavenly World.. 62 

7 



8 CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

How the Piety of the Minister can be Cultivated 04 

(a) By Constant Prayer <> 4 

(6) Piety to be Cultivated by a Morning Hour of Devotion 71 

(c) Piety Increased by the Devotional Beading of the Scriptures 76 

(d) The Pastor should Cultivate his Piety by Preaching to Himself... 79 

Hinderances in the Way of Ministerial Piety 82 

Helps to the Piety of the Pastor 85 



CHAPTEE III. 

THE PASTOR IN THE STUDY. 

Close Study Indispensable 92 

Thorough System 99 

The Pastor should keep Ahead with his Work 107 

Incessant Study of the Bible 110 

Practical Suggestions for the Study of the Bible 115 

Committing Scripture to Memory 127 

The Study of Hebrew and Greek 129 

Preparing Sermons 135 

Heading and Books 141 

Newspapers and other Periodicals 147 



CHAPTEE IV. 

THE PASTOR IN THE PULPIT. 

Preaching the Minister s Chief Calling 152 v/ 

What to Preach 155 

(a) The Word of God 155 

(6) Nothing but the Word to be Preached 164 

(c) Christ to be the Sum and Substance of all Preaching 167 

(d) Doctrines should be Preached 175 

Courses of Sermons 180 

Manner of Preaching 188 

(a) With Deep Earnestness 188 

(6) Preaching should be with Tenderness 194 

(c) Preaching should be in Sympathy with the Wants of the People.. 198 

(d) Aiming Directly for Conversions in Preaching 200 

(e) Sensational Preaching 205 

Public Prayer 207 

Preparation of the Mind for Entering the Pulpit 215 

Written or Extemporaneous Sermons 218 

May Sermons Sometimes be Eepeated? 220 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER V. 

THE PASTOR IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 

PAGE 

Pastoral Visiting 224 

How often should Pastoral Visits be Made? 229 

How should Pastoral Visiting be Conducted? 233 

Visiting the Sick 237 

Visiting those who are in Sorrow 248 

Visiting the Aged 251 

Ministering to Awakened Souls 253 

Administering the Sacraments 256 

Attending Funerals 260 

Circulating Books and Tracts 263 

Circulating Religious Newspapers 266 

The Pastor should Identify himself with his People 269 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE PASTOR IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 

Activity in the Church Indispensable 276 

Every Member of the Church to be a Worker 280 

Devising Plans of Work 287 

Elders Work 288 

Woman s Work 290 

(a) Female Prayer-meetings 291 

(b) Pastors Aids 292 

(c) Visiting the Aged, Sick and Poor 294 

(d) Dorcas Societies 296 

Attention to Strangers 297 

(a) There should be some Agency for Making the Acquaintance of 

Strangers 298 

(b) Hospitality to Strangers in the House of God 299 

Prayer-meetings 302 

(a) Conducting Prayer-meetings 303 

(6) Cottage Prayer-meetings. 316 

(c) Not too many Prayer-meetings 318 

Missionary Enterprises 319 

Voluntary Associations 322 

Temperance 323 

CHAPTER VII. 
THE PASTOR IN THE PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 

Progress Essential 326 

Special Efforts to be Sometimes Made 326 

2 



10 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Revivals 330 

(a) Revivals of Inestimable Value 330 

(6) The Pastor himself should do Most of the Preaching 335 

(c) Meetings with Inquirers 338 

(d) The Pastor to be Informed who are Awakened 339 

(e) The Awakened should be Visited at their Homes 340 

(/) Books and Tracts should be Used 342 

(g) Danger of Reaction 344 

(h) Care for Young Converts 346 

Conversions to be Expected at all Times 354 

A High Type of Christian Life to be Cultivated in the Church 356 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE PASTOR IN THE SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

Importance of the Sabbath-school 361 

The Sabbath-school a prominent part of the Pastor s Work 363 

The Sabbath-school and the Family 367 

Relations of the Sabbath-school to the Church 373 

(a) The Church as such should Conduct the Sabbath-school 375 

(6) Difficulty of Harmonizing the Control of the Church and Freedom 

of the Teachers 376 

The Province of the Sabbath-school 378 

Direct Aims of the Sabbath-school 382 

(a) The Conversion of the Scholars 382 

(6) The Indoctrination of the Scholars 383 

(c) The Training of the Children in Benevolence 386 

Conducting the Sabbath-school 387 

(a) Exciting Interest in the Bible 387 

(6) Aiming Directly for the Conversion of the Scholars 391 

(c) Catechetical Instruction 392 

(d) Cultivating the Benevolence of the Children 398 

(e) The Sabbath-school to be kept in Sympathy with the Church 403 

(/) Improvements in Sabbath-school Work 406 

(g) Promptness in Everything 410 

(A) The Library 411 

(i) Prayer-meeting Before or After the Exercises of the School 413 

The Pastor s Personal Work in the Sabbath-school 414 

(a) Regular Attendance 415 

(6) General Supervision 416 

(c) The Pastor s Bible-class 419 

(d} Preaching to the Children 421 

(e) Promoting the Interests of the Sabbath-school throughout the 

Congregation 425 



CONTENTS. H 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE PASTOR IN THE BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 

PAQK 

Christian Beneficence the Great Practical Question of the Age 427 

Information Concerning the Benevolent Work of the Church 432 

(a) The Pastor should keep himself well Informed 432 

(6) He should Communicate this Information to the People 434 

Collections should be Taken up for each Benevolent Cause of the Church. 435 
(a) The United Wisdom of the Whole Church, surveying the Entire 

Field, has fixed on these 430 

(6) The More there is contributed to the Boards, the More will be 

given to one s own Church 437 

(c) Collections should be given to the Church s own Established 

Boards 440 

Systematic Giving 442 

Plans for Making Contributions 444 

Monthly Concert 447 

Woman s Missionary Associations 448 



CHAPTER X. 

THE PASTOR IN THE SESSION. 

A Large Session Desirable 451 

Work of the Elders 452 

Plan of Sessional Work 45-5 

A. Division of Sessional Work 455 

B. Oversight of the Families of the Congregation 457 

C. Meetings of Session 458 

Discipline 459 

Church Strifes 463 

The Pastor s Personal Difficulties 465 

The Pastor and the Finances of the Church... .. 469 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE PASTOR IN THE HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 

Attendance upon the Higher Church Courts 472 

The Pastor s Individual Responsibility in Church Courts 474 

Assuming the Duties assigned in Ecclesiastical Meetings 475 

The Presbytery should take p:trt in every good Work 477 

The Presbytery a Missionary Organization in its own Territory 478 

(a) The Territory of Presbytery to be regarded as its special Mission 
ary Field... .. 47 S 



12 CONTENTS. 

(6) If its own Territory is not Cultivated by Presbytery, it will not 

be by Others 480 

(c) Constant Outlook for New Localities 480 

(d) What Presbytery can Do in such Locations 481 

Speaking in Ecclesiastical Meetings 483 

Brotherly Kindness in Ecclesiastical Assemblies 484 

Writing Letters as a Presbyter 487 

Outlook for Young Men for the Ministry 489 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE PASTOR IN HIS RELATIONS TO OTHER DENOMINATIONS. 

Friendly Intercourse with other Denominations 492 

Exchanging Pulpits 493 

Proselyting 495 

(a) When Wrong 495 

(6) When Right 497 

A Neighborly Spirit to be Cherished with All 498 



PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 



CHAPTER I. 

NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF PASTORAL 
THEOLOGY. 



WHAT IS PASTORAL THEOLOGY? 

THAT department of study whose object is to assist 
the Christian minister in applying the truths of the gos 
pel to the hearts and lives of men is called Pastoral 
Theology. It is " theology " because it has chiefly to do 
with the things of God and his word. It is "pastoral " 
because it treats of these divine things in that aspect of 
them which pertains to the pastor. It is practical be 
cause it relates to the work of the pastor as he is ap 
pointed to influence men by applying to them the 
teachings of the Holy Scriptures. In its more strict 
and definite form it occupies a peculiar field of its own ; 
and it is well to keep clearly in view what that field is. 

The special province of this study is not systematic 
theology, or the exegesis of Scripture, or ecclesiastical 
history, or the sacraments, or homiletics, or even the 
theory of the pastoral office as an institution of divine 
appointment. It takes for granted that all these 
branches of ministerial training have already been cul 
tivated, and endeavors to teach how they may be best 
brought to bear upon the all-important work of gathering 
men into the fold of Christ and nourishing them there 

13 



14 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

by the food provided by the great Shepherd. Assum 
ing that the pastor has been called of God to the sa 
cred office; that he has had his mind furnished with 
the science of theology as a system of doctrines; that 
he has learned the methods of properly interpreting the 
word of God ; that he is skilled in the laws appointed 
by Christ for the government of his Church ; and that 
he has studied the art of sacred rhetoric, assuming all 
this, it would assist him in the great practical work of 
bringing all his preparation to bear upon the edifica 
tion of the Lord s people and the salvation of men. Its 
aim is not to make ministers thorough scholars, or even 
to guide them in the pursuit of ordinary literature and 
science ; but, regarding them as men already well edu 
cated, it would aid them in the sacred art of bringing 
souls to Christ and training them for the glory of God. 

In its broader sphere pastoral theology might include 
the art of preaching. That, however, is a department 
eo great and important in itself that it has been made a 
distinct branch of ministerial training. Hence pastoral 
theology deals with sermonizing only in its most gen 
eral aspects, and at the point of its immediate contact 
with the hearts of men. 

The pastoral office is one of such overwhelming import 
ance and sacredness that it cannot be successfully ex 
ercised unless it enlists the heart of the pastor. His 
heart, his whole heart, glowing with love to God and 
men, is one of the chief ingredients of its power. The 
cultivation of his heart, then, his personal piety, is the 
first thing that must be studied in this science of the 
gospel ministry. 

Such, then, we may consider a general description of 
the subject of pastoral theology. It places the pastor 
immediately face to face with his work, and teaches him 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 15 

how to keep his heart in a suitable frame for its solemn 
duties. It shows him how he may best succeed as an 
ambassador of God to men, as a teacher of the holy 
oracles, as a leader in the sacramental host, as a ruler in 
the house of God, as a guide and comforter to troubled 
souls, as a watchman on Zion s walls, and as strictly re 
sponsible in all the relations and duties of his office. 



HISTOEY OF PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

This branch of preparation for the gospel ministry 
has always been considered most deeply important. In 
the best days of the Church it has been made very 
prominent. It was so at the first. When our Lord called 
his disciples to follow him, and then, during the years 
of his public ministry, educated them for their great 
mission, he laid special stress upon this part of their 
training. As he sent them out to their work he gave 
them special directions for their guidance. These in 
structions are recorded in the tenth chapter of Matthew, 
where they were doubtless placed to be of use for all 
ministers, as well as for the disciples in their first work. 
Afterward, when, under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, 
the apostles framed the order of the Christian Church, 
there was no part of it which received more attention 
than this. Three of the Epistles are taken up, mainly, 
with instructions to pastors in their sacred work. The 
immortal teachings in the Epistles of Timothy and 
Titus must ever be the model and the substance of all 
pastoral theology. It is most significant, and gives 
great prominence to this study, that so much of God s 
own word is directly devoted to it. 

And so it has ever been in the writings of those who 
have had most of the mind of Christ and most love for 



l(j PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

his Church. They have endeavored to give the gospel 
its greatest success by making its ministers skillful in 
their momentous calling. Books of casuistry, books of 
practical piety, books of scriptural commentary, and 
books expressly devoted to the duties of the pastoral 
office have come from multitudes of pens enriched with 
wise and holy counsels for those who are to be the 
heralds of life to their fellow-men. 

Moreover, this study has always occupied a very 
prominent position in all plans that have been adopted 
for the education of the ministry. For a long time 
candidates for the holy office received a very useful 
training by living in the families of active pastors. 
There they had an opportunity of learning by wit 
nessing and taking part in the e very-day work of the 
ministerial life. This was an education that had many 
advantages. It was eminently practical. It was easily 
pursued, and made impressions that were very perma 
nent. It was particularly adapted to give great skill 
in the department of pastoral theology. But there were 
difficulties in the way of this plan. Not all active 
pastors were suitable either as models or as teachers. 
Besides, this system of educating ministers was suited 
only to times when churches and candidates for the 
sacred office were few. When they had multiplied 
greatly, and when the duties of acting pastors had 
largely increased, then this old method had to give place 
to the present one. 

Now, almost universally, our ministers are educated 
in theological seminaries. This plan has the advantage 
of securing the instructions of those who, from their own 
eminent piety and talents and learning, are best quali 
fied to prepare others for the work of the gospel. Be 
sides, the efficiency of such teachers of the rising min- 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 17 

istry must be greatly enhanced by their being able to 
give their undivided time and thought to a profession 
which is the most noble of all human callings. In this 
way, moreover, there is provision made for the training 
of the largest number of young men. No matter how 
many of them are seeking the gospel ministry, they can 
all equally receive this ripest and best of teaching. 

In all institutions of this kind great stress is laid 
upon pastoral theology as a branch of study. It is felt 
that no young man can be well fitted for the ministry 
until he is trained in the rules and the art of bringing 
the gospel practically home to the hearts and the lives 
of men. However pastors have been prepared for 
their great work, this branch of their preparation has 
always been regarded as of vital importance. 

SOURCES OF PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

Whence are the facts to be gathered upon which a 
system of pastoral theology can be founded ? What 
principles are to be our guide in the pursuit of this 
study ? From what sources are the rules to come by 
which the Christian minister is to be guided in his 
great life-work ? There ought to be a clear under 
standing of these points. It will not do here to depend 
upon fancy or mere untried conjectures. On a subject 
with which such momentous interests are involved, and 
whose chief value consists in its direct applicability to 
some of the greatest duties of life, we must have guid 
ance that we know to be reliable. What, then, are the 
principal sources of information on which we can de 
pend in pursuing this study ? 

1. Manifestly, the word of God must be the chief and 
authoritative teacher of the rules that are to guide the 



18 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

Christian minister. In it are specified the great duties 
which must ever devolve upon him. What some of 
these duties are may be seen in 1 Tim. iv. 12-16, in 
2 Tim. ii. 22-25, and in the whole of the second chap 
ter of Titus. For instance, we find laid down such 
general principles as these : " Preach the word ;" 
" Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doc 
trine ;" "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doc 
trine ;" " Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to 
all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you 
overseers." These are examples of the many maxims 
announced in the inspired word for the instruction of 
the sacred office. It will be seen at once that these 
principles are very general and comprehensive in their 
character. They declare much, and they imply more. 
They are germs from which springs out a vast growth 
of wisdom for pastors. " Preach the word." This tells 
of the Scriptures, and nothing but the Scriptures, as the 
source from which the preacher must draw his subjects. 
" Take heed to thyself." What multitudes of duties 
as to personal piety and culture are included in this ! 
" Take heed to the flock over which the Holy Ghost 
has made you overseers." This lays open the whole 
field of pastoral, parochial duties. Such are the com 
prehensive principles which the Spirit has given. They 
are also permanent. Whatever the circumstances of the 
times and places may be, these are applicable. And, 
coming from the great Head of the Church, they are 
of supreme authority. No rules of man must set them 
aside. All other plans for the guidance of the pastor 
must be shaped in accordance with these. 

2. The general nature of the Scriptures and their 
great doctrines must determine the way in which they 
are to be applied to the hearts of men. If the word of 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 19 

God were a mere theory, or system of philosophy, or 
announcement of ordinary historical or mathematical 
truths, then a cold intellectual presentation of it might 
do. But when it is regarded as a light sent down from 
heaven, as a life to quicken the soul, as a power to 
shape the whole moral being and everlasting destiny, 
as the grand instrumentality for saving men, then it 
must be seen that no ordinary method of bringing it 
home to the mind will do. Its infinite importance de 
mands that strenuous and varied efforts should be con 
trived for awaking to it the deepest attention. The 
pastor is an ambassador from God to his fellow-men. 
The nature of the Master who has commissioned him, 
of the message that he bears, and of the objects he 
strives to accomplish, must all shape his character and 
his work. From the general information of the Scrip 
tures, too, there is light thrown on this subject by the 
examples of pastoral work therein recorded. We see 
how men who were directly inspired of God for this 
work discharged their duties, and their example be 
comes our guide. With almost the force of direct pre 
cept it comes to tell us what the Christian minister 
should ever be. 

3. The character of that human nature with which the 
pastor has to do must also suggest the best methods 
of reaching it. The various aspects of that nature 
its ruin, its corruption, its blindness, its prejudices, its 
longings, its aspirations, its susceptibilities, its sympa 
thies, its strange varieties amidst certain common and 
abiding qualities, these are elements which must be 
considered by him who would influence it through the 
principles of the gospel. The rules for the pastor s 
guidance must be shaped in view of the wonderful 
nature with which he has to do. The more thoroughly 



20 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

he is skilled in the workings of that nature, the greater 
will be his power in reaching it. 

4. The accumulated experience of other workers in the 
same general field is a vast storehouse from which the 
pastor can draw instruction in reference to all his duties. 
Indeed, this experience, classified and framed in accord 
ance with the teachings of the Scriptures, is itself a 
system of pastoral theology. Men of sound and dis 
cerning minds, men full of the spirit of Christ, men 
whose lives have been spent in the most unwearied 
activity, have filled the office of the gospel ministry. 
They have given earnest attention to every department 
of their beloved calling. Whatever plans were likely 
to give success to their work they have tried. It would 
probably be very difficult to conceive of any scriptural 
method of building up the kingdom of Christ on 
which they have not experimented. Long lives of 
thought, of wisdom and of toil have been spent in 
striving to make the ministry more effective. What 
one man or generation of men has attained to has been 
made the starting-point from which others have gone 
on in efforts to improve in doing the Lord s work. 
Even mistakes and failures in devising and executing 
methods have proved of great value in adding to the 
general store of knowledge on the subject. All this 
experience, whether written or unwritten, has accumu 
lated into an invaluable fund for the ministry. When 
it is sifted, and tested by the sure precepts of God s 
inspiring, and classified, it forms a system of rules by 
which the workman in the ministry may safely be 
guided. No wise pastor will neglect this help of 
experience derived from all those who have gone 
before him. He can no more neglect it than the ar 
tist or the mechanic can neglect those rules which 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 21 

the skill of centuries has wrought out for his assist 
ance. 

5. The laws Lnd customs of the denomination with 
which he is connected must give some shape to the min 
ister s study and work. The different modes of worship 
must influence the peculiar preparation to be made for 
them. The different forms of church government will 
open the door into different classes of duties. The very 
spirit and doctrines of the denomination will necessarily 
give some direction to the life of its ministers. Differ 
ent modes of performing the same great work, or even 
different kinds of services, may result from these denom 
inational peculiarities. 

6. The circumstances of the times are another element 
which must be studied in constructing a system of pas 
toral theology. " Knowing the time, that now it is 
high time to awake out of sleep," is a scriptural inti 
mation which must guide us here. The peculiar cha 
racteristics of the period in which we live are a deeply- 
important subject for the minister to investigate. The 
great principles of the gospel are ever the same ; these 
cannot change or be improved. But there is change in 
man, and change in the obstacles which are ever rising 
up in the way of the truth. Each age of the Church 
has its own work to do and its own important questions 
to solve. There are times of peculiar errors, such as 
Arianism, Popery and Ritualism ; times of the preva 
lence of special sins, such as intemperance and Sabbath 
desecration ; and there are times of dominant fashions 
and customs that are detrimental to godliness. There 
are states of society which are characterized by great 
ignorance, and others by special enlightenment. There 
are periods which are distinguished by particular tend 
encies of thought and aim, such as skepticism or util- 



22 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

itarian worldliness. There are also certain forms of re 
ligious activity and benevolence that prevail in each 
age. The Sabbath-school, at the present time, calls for 
a class of ministerial duties that were formerly un 
known. Modern enterprises of benevolence make de 
mands upon the pulpit which were not heard of in past 
ages. All these things must be carefully observed by 
him who has been placed as a watchman in Zion. He 
must look far and near, and learn from all the move 
ments of both friends and foes. 

There may be other sources of pastoral theology, 
but these are the principal ones, and these should be 
very diligently studied for the guidance of the minis 
ter s life-work. An intelligent view of what that work 
is, and of the principles upon which it rests, will con 
tribute greatly to success in the discharge of its duties. 



NECESSITY OF THIS STUDY AS A BRANCH OF TRAINING 
FOR THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 

Pastoral theology comes to the help of the young 
minister, and spreads out before him the teachings of 
Scripture, the accumulated experience of ages, and 
all other information that may have a bearing upon 
the successful pursuit of his calling. This knowledge 
it lays before him in a systematic form, so that he can 
easily find information on whatever point he chooses. 
In this way there is needful guidance furnished him 
before he has had opportunity of making experiment 
for himself in the various branches of his work. He is 
not left to go unaided through the whole process of in 
vestigating what is scriptural and what unscriptural ; of 
trying what is wise and what unwise, and of proving 
for himself what is practicable or impracticable. If 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 23 

each young minister were under the necessity of work 
ing out this tentative process for himself, there would 
necessarily result innumerable mistakes and failures. 
Then there would be discouragement, and perhaps 
serious evils that otherwise might have been avoided. 
This study comes, chiefly to the inexperienced, as a 
comparatively safe guide. Aided by it they need not 
work in the dark, but with the light of Scripture and 
experience beaming around them. They can go upon 
ground that has been tried and proved to be substantial. 

Moreover, plans and experiences are here accumulated 
and presented to the minister which he might not him 
self have thought of, and which it might have taken 
him many years to discover. In this study are unfolded 
successful methods of spiritual and mental culture, of 
sermonizing, and of performing other work of the gos 
pel ministry. It points out scriptural plans that have 
proved effectual in awaking interest in divine things ; 
helps that many have found reliable are indicated here. 

No less important are its warnings of what should be 
avoided. The mistakes into which others have fallen, 
the failures and the causes of failure, are among its 
instructive lessons. Proved means of overcoming dif 
ficulties, or of avoiding them, are here suggested for the 
relief of the overwrought pastor. This vast store of 
experience ought not to be lost. When it is spread out 
before the minister at the commencement of his life- 
work, and diligently studied by him, it will prove of 
incalculable value. 

All possible helps should undoubtedly be furnished 
the pastor, that he may thereby work to the greater 
advantage. If his work is toilsome, and is thus made 
more easy ; if it is trying, and may in this way become 
more pleasant ; if it involves the greatest interests, and 



24 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

these things may make it more successful, then surely 
such helps cannot be too diligently used. The same 
amount of pastoral labor may thus be made to accom 
plish greater results. And in this way, too, time may 
be economized. And when it is considered that the 
work of the minister is to cultivate the heart, to cultivate 
the head, to preach, to lecture, to visit the sick and sorrow 
ing, to attend to the aged and the young, to assist in ec 
clesiastical affairs, to be busy outside and inside of his 
church, and to discharge many other duties, then it will 
be seen how important it is to use all means to make his 
time go as far as possible. He should have every help 
in a work so complicated and so momentous. 

The lawyer, the physician, the teacher, the artist, the 
farmer, the machinist, all have their books of instruc 
tion to assist in the practice of their calling, and the 
study of these leads to the higher proficiency. Un 
doubtedly, they become far more successful by the use 
of these aids. How much more needful is it that this 
art, the highest arid most important of all, be studied 
and guided by well-matured rules ! It is a holy art, 
and its results will be eternal how can it be too care 
fully cultivated ? 



IMPOETANCE OF THE OFFICE, AND OF THIS 
PREPARATION FOR IT. 

The nature of the office of the gospel ministry is 
such that its duties cannot be too thoughtfully regarded. 
It is an office which was established by Christ himself, 
the great Head of the Church. Its commission is held 
from the authority of Heaven, and its duties are con 
nected with the kingdom of God. Would it have been 
ordained by this special appointment of our Lord for 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 25 

any other than the most important ends ? What dig 
nity it receives from the consideration that it has not 
come from the contrivance of human wisdom, but that 
it emanated directly from Jehovah ! Do we know of 
any other office, held by mortals, that can be compared 
with it in grandeur ? 

Then the objects for which it was established are 
such as to claim for it the highest consideration. Its 
grand aims are to exalt Jehovah, the Creator, Redeemer 
and Judge of the world ; to overthrow the power of 
Satan, the prince of all evil ; to save mankind from sin 
and hell ; to banish vice and all other evil from the 
earth ; to bring true happiness to the lost children of 
Adam ; to build up a glorious Church amidst the ruins 
which sin has wrought ; and to prepare citizens for the 
heavenly world who shall behold and share the infinite 
blessedness of the Son of God. Surely it must be a call 
ing of no ordinary importance which God has appointed 
for such ends. Who can describe its solemn grandeur ? 

The interests committed, in a most important sense, 
to this office are such as may well lead him who holds 
it to seek every possible help in the discharge of its 
duties. These interests are unspeakably momentous. 
They pertain to Christ s kingdom and to the honor of 
Christ himself. They have to do with human destiny 
and with the eternity of human souls. They involve 
time and eternity, earth and heaven. 

The fact that God has committed these interests pre 
eminently to the Christian ministry clothes the office 
with an importance and responsibility that are most 
solemn. He does not conduct them directly by his own 
omnipotence. He has not seen fit to commit them to 
the hands of angels. He does not chiefly prosecute 
them by any supernatural agencies, but by the ministry 



26 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

of men whom he has ordained to that office. He has 
appointed men to be his heralds to their fellow-men. 
Then what overwhelming importance does this give to 
the thorough training of ministers for their great 
work ! What emphasis is there in the startling asser 
tion of the devoted McCheyne : " A word to a minister 
is worth a word to three or four thousand souls some 
times"! How unbecoming to undertake such an office 
as this without all the assistance that can be derived 
from the word of God and from the wisdom and ex 
perience of the most devoted of men ! 

Who is sufficient for such a work as this ? This ques 
tion must become the more solemn to the minister when 
he considers the many defects that are found within him 
self. His unbelief, his infirmities, his ignorance, his 
sloth, his cold-heartedness, his many temptations, all 
rise up as hinderances in the way of his progress in the 
spiritual work of Christ. These demand of him the 
most diligent preparation and the most efficient aids. 

Then we must also consider the obstacles that he will 
meet with from the world, and from those whom he has 
been appointed to influence by the self-denying truths 
of the gospel. How shall he be prepared to meet them ? 
He will have to do with hearts that are hard, and cold, 
and blind, and utterly insensible. In the exercise of 
his ministry he will have to encounter sweeping currents 
of worldliness. He will be surprised in his work by 
meeting with stupidity of heart, the deep enmity of sin, 
dark Satanic influences, and with the most desperate 
opposition to God and everything pertaining to God. 
Would it not be foolhardy to enter into such encounters 
without the most careful training ? For all this need 
there not to be weapons drawn from the armory of 
God, weapons brightly polished ? 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 27 

This work is too urgent for each pastor, as he enters 
it, to be under the necessity of going through a long 
process of experimenting for himself. It is too great 
and arduous for any one to undertake it without all the 
help that may be gathered from the teachings of those 
who have gone before. It is too momentous not to 
awaken a desire for all the assistance that may be ob 
tained from men, from experience, from the past, from 
Scripture, and, above all, from the Divine Spirit of all 
wisdom and strength. 

A very high appreciation of his office is one of the 
first qualifications for him who would be an efficient 
pastor. Without this there will not be that thorough 
practical preparation for its duties that is requisite. 
And it may be safely said that it is not possible to 
over-estimate the grandeur of this calling. It is an 
office that may be little thought of among men, but 
it is highly esteemed by God and by angels, and its 
results extend away into everlasting brightness. It is 
the highest and grandest office in the world. It is an 
office which an angel could not hold a calling which 
constitutes man a helper with God. It is an office the 
faithful discharge of which is, of a truth, to be followed 
by the brightest crown, and which has a sure promise 
of a place near the throne of the glorified Immanuel. 
As the minister appreciates the work to which he is 
called, so will he fall down before God for help in 
its duties, and so will it call forth all his energies, 
and so will he strive to equip himself for the under 
taking. As he prizes it, so will he become imbued with 
its spirit, and love it, and find its avocations growing 
into his greatest pleasure. A man who has but a low 
estimate of the work of the ministry, or who looks 
upon it as a mere profession, should never enter the 



28 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

holy office, or, if he be already in it, should leave it. 
A high estimate of the importance of this calling is a 
necessary qualification for holding it. Whoever has 
this will strive to be thoroughly skilled in every depart 
ment of the work which he considers the most exalted 
of all human vocations. 

It may be added that this subject demands special 
attention in this practical and active age of the world. 
The present is emphatically an age of restless energy. 
Men are not satisfied to rest in mere theorizing, but 
everywhere the tendency is to carry out ideas into 
operation. The whole tendency of human thought and 
energy is to advance, to add to the conveniences of life, 
to awaken every power into activity. There probably 
never was such an age of energetic progress. Every 
thing indicates it. All are awake to it. In arts, manu 
factures, mechanism, government, science, agriculture 
in everything there is intense motion. There is no 
standing still. It requires wakeful observation merely 
to keep up a knowledge of what is going on in the 
world. 

A similar activity exists in the Church. It is one of 
the most hopeful signs of the times that the people of 
God are becoming more and more alive and diligent in 
the work of Christ. Denominations seem to be emu 
lating each other in active zeal for the progress of the 
kingdom. In enterprises of benevolence, in reforms, in 
missions, in plans of evangelistic work arid in efforts 
to spread knowledge and save souls, there is more and 
more vigor. 

Now, this active spirit of the age must be carried into 
the work of the gospel ministry. The pastor must par 
take of it in order that he may keep up with the grand 
movements that are in progress, that he may be success- 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 29 

ful in his office, and that all his powers and influence may 
be exerted in keeping that restless activity leavened with 
the truth of Christ. He must work hard, and work with 
the advantage that all possible helps can give him. Amid 
the keen rivalries and activities of the age he must 
know how to work, and how to keep up with the rapid 
currents of human life. 

And all the more need is there for thoughtful at 
tention to this subject at the present time, when young 
men are trained for the work of the ministry, not amidst 
the activities of pastoral life, but in the retirement of the 
theological seminary. Very loud is the call for the 
seminary to redouble its efforts in this part of the train 
ing of its young men. It must not allow them to go 
out unfurnished in this respect into a world seething with 
motion. It must see to it that no part of their training 
be more thorough than that which prepares them to 
meet an intensely practical age. In the seminary stu 
dents should be prepared to exercise great skill, not 
only in the Book of God and the book of the human 
heart, but also in the pages of a living world. The 
more fully the work of training is in the hands of 
seminaries, and the more stirring the times and fierce 
the battle for the kingdom, the more diligently should 
such institutions apply themselves to the work of fit 
ting their students for immediate and intense activity 
corresponding with the spirit of the age and of the 
Church. 



MODE OF TREATING THE SUBJECT. 

In constructing a system of pastoral theology it 
should ever be kept in mind that the object is not to 
afford assistance in the usual branches of culture. It is 



30 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

not to make young men more accomplished in the ordi 
nary amenities of life. It is not to train them up to a 
riper scholarship. It is not even to make sure of their 
Christian character, calling and devotion to the work 
of the gospel. All these are indispensable as prerequi 
sites for entering upon the office. They are taken for 
granted. 

1. Not these, but all those things that are peculiar to 
the character and necessary to the highest success of the 
pastoral office, are the subjects of which it should treat. 
Everything that might animate and guide and assist 
the pastor in bringing home the truths of the gospel to 
the hearts and lives of men is its appropriate theme. 
The subjects on which it should endeavor to throw light 
are such as these What is the great and direct work 
of the pastor? What can be done to enkindle or 
intensify his own heart s zeal in that work? What 
rules can be adopted to give the greatest success ? What 
things should be avoided? What opportunities should 
be improved? What agencies should be used? What 
holy arts should be tried ? What principles should be 
adopted as a guide? In what manner should its duties 
be performed ? Everything of a practical nature that 
can tend to make the minister of the gospel a more 
perfect workman should find its place in a system of 
pastoral theology. 

2. Only such plans of work, rules for study and prin 
ciples of ministerial life as have been well tried and 
proved wise should be inculcated. Mere guesses, specu 
lations and theories should be avoided. The work of 
the young pastor is too pressing for him to spend time 
in plans which may very soon prove worthless. Too 
many principles of the sacred calling are settled to 
make a resort to those which are doubtful necessarv. 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 31 

Fancy might easily be indulged here to any extent, but 
it would probably be found a waste of time and energy. 
The young minister wants to know with some certainty 
what it is practicable and necessary for him to do. His 
own experience will doubtless teach him much after 
ward. But what he looks for in the instructions of 
pastoral theology is that guidance which is reliable, not 
mere conjectures or unproved opinions. 

3. The rules suggested for the guidance of the pastor 
should always be as definite as possible. Mere general 
ities do not amount to much in so practical a subject 
as this. They mean scarcely anything. What is wanted 
is something exact and precise something so clearly 
defined that at once it can be attempted. A mere general 
statement of the importance of a certain course disap 
points him who asks what he is actually to do. Some 
times the indefiniteness discourages him from under 
taking anything. Hence the instructions should specify 
exactly, if possible, what is to be done. If I am told 
that it is highly important that I should visit my peo 
ple very often, I do not know precisely what that means. 
But if I am advised to visit them twice or three times 
a year, then I am impressed, and will be likely to take 
the advice. If I am counseled in the general to 
preach series of sermons, I am not likely to give the 
thought much attention ; but if certain series are de 
scribed and the subjects enumerated, then my attention 
is fixed, and possibly my purpose formed. I will see that 
the thing is quite feasible, and probably adopt the plan. 
If I am told simply that my visits to the sick room 
should be very brief, I am left in uncertainty ; but if 
an exact length of time is suggested as a guide, then I 
have something tangible and satisfactory. Of course, it 
is not always possible to give such precise directions 



PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

nor is it possible, in all circumstances, to adhere to the 
same exact rules. Peculiarities of persons and occa 
sions will necessarily lead to variation. Still, it is highly 
important that some medium standard should be set up. 
Then the principles will be better understood, and the 
course advised far more likely to be entered upon. 

4. The directions given for the guidance of the pas 
tor should also be practicable. If they are not, they are 
valueless. They are to be carried out into real opera 
tion or they are nothing. What may actually be done 
done without unreasonable exertion, and done by 
persons of ordinary talents and opportunities is what 
may wisely be laid down as a general code for the pas 
toral office. Men of great powers, or in churches of 
large wealth and influence, or in other circumstances 
which are peculiarly favorable, may carry out plans of 
usefulness which to others would be utterly impossible. 
But the aid of pastoral theology should be general, 
adapted to all, and susceptible of being put in practice 
by those who have but ordinary advantages as well as 
by those who are more highly favored. The design of 
the study is not to speculate upon what might possibly be 
accomplished, but to indicate clearly what is feasible, 
and should therefore be attempted in ordinary cases. 

5. Moreover, too much should not be asked in treating 
of this subject. To demand too much, or to undertake 
too much, is a course which is almost certain to result 
in nothing. If the standard is so high that it mani- 
ifestly cannot be reached, then there is danger of such 
discouragement as will keep back from any effort. Or 
if too much is undertaken, and life becomes an inces 
sant race to keep up with duties, and every hour is bur 
dened with a load that presses heavily, then it is to be 
feared that a recoil will come, the burden be shaken off, 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 33 

and, because all cannot be done, scarcely anything will 
be attempted. How often have we all seen utter fail 
ure in life as the consequence of attempting too much ! 
The true course, then, is to indicate what may commonly 
be done without overcrowding or overtasking. Then 
there will be some encouragement to enter upon duties 
which are within reach, and which it is possible to over 
take with ordinary care and toil. 

6. That it must be up to the demands and peculiari 
ties of the age is another thing which should be observed 
in treating of the subject of pastoral theology. This is 
the chief element in the Christian system in which 
there can be any change. There can be no change in 
the principles of the way of life. Truth is truth, and 
it cannot alter or be improved. Salvation is ever the 
same, the Bible is the same, and the depravity of the 
heart is the same; but the modes of applying the truths 
of the gospel to the heart, so far as human agency is 
concerned, are constantly changing. As the heart is 
better understood, and experience teaches how it may 
be better reached, and views of the whole work of the 
gospel become clearer and broader, then the modes of 
carrying it on must be modified. New agencies will 
constantly arise, and old ones will be remodeled. As a 
matter of fact there are now in existence great plans 
for promoting the cause of Christ which were in other 
days unknown. We may instance the Sabbath-school, 
the great schemes of benevolence in the Church, the 
seminary for training young men for the ministry, and 
the evangelistic work of the press. These are new 
agencies which must necessarily influence the work of 
the pastor, and of which pastoral theology must take 
notice. As a system it will not do its work fully unless 
it comes up to all these and other modern modes of 



34 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

thought and action. On this account there must be 
new works on the subject from age to age. All that is 
valuable and unchanging in the past must be retained ; 
all the experience of the passing years must be added ; 
and all that is stirring in the present and looming up 
in the future must receive its carefully discriminating 
attention. 



HOW THE SUBJECT SHOULD BE STUDIED. 

This is a point which must here receive a passing 
notice. 

1. Ministers, especially younger ones, should regard 
the acquisition of knowledge as to the duties of their office 
as one of their most important pursuits. It is an indis 
pensable preparation if they would be efficient workmen 
in the gospel. Its study should therefore be entered 
upon with the conviction that it is a real and moment 
ous subject. It should not be thrust into a corner as if 
it were some merely incidental matter added to fill up 
the curriculum of ministerial training. Most promi 
nent should be its place, most earnest the thought given 
to it. The Spirit of God lays great stress upon it when 
he urges upon the pastor, " Take heed to the ministry 
which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill 
it." If God himself has put upon it this stamp of divine 
approbation and urgency, we must regard it as a sub 
ject not to be slighted. Undoubtedly, it will give great 
advantage in his work to the pastor who studies it care 
fully. On every account its study should be entered 
upon with earnestness. 

2. It ought to be studied with all the thoroughness 
to ivhich hope of success in the most blessed work would 
lead. Success will ordinarily be in proportion to the 



ITS NATURE AND IMPORTANCE. 35 

skill and zeal with which the duties of the office are 
undertaken. The pastor s own happiness and honor 
require him to be thorough in this as well as all other 
branches of preparation. The interests at stake in his 
work are of such transcendent moment that no amount 
of preparation for wisely conducting them would be too 
great. Nor is he left at liberty whether or not he 
will make this preparation. The great Head of the 
Church demands it of him. The obligation under 
which he rests is, " Study to show thyself approved 
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth." No part of this 
preparation is so insignificant that it may be safely 
overlooked. Everything that is carefully treasured now 
will come into use on some future occasion. Thorough 
study of this subject now will greatly help to prepare 
the way for an easy, happy, continued and useful min 
istry. 

3. Then this study should be pursued with the full 
purpose of putting it into practice just as soon and as 
fully as opportunity may permit. This is eminently a 
practical branch of study. Its whole aim is to influence 
the active work of life. Its directions must be put into 
operation or they have been given in vain. And their 
use is to commence the very hour the pastor sets his foot 
upon his field. He may afterward discover for himself 
certain more appropriate methods of thinking and work 
ing, or he may improve upon those which his system of 
pastoral theology suggests, but he cannot wait. He is 
in the field, and must put his hand to the work to-day. 
Life is too short for ministerial work to be done in an 
unnecessarily defective manner. The pastor should study 
to do his best at once. And there are some things, for 
which instructions are given in this study, which it will 



36 PASTORAL THEOLOGY. 

not do to delay. The catechising of the young, the per 
sonal improvement of memorizing Scripture, the study 
of the original languages, the daily consecration of self 
to God and his service, and many other such things, are 
matters which cannot be put off one day without loss. 
They should be understood and entered upon at once in 
order to yield their full benefits. Even little matters, 
that might easily be overlooked, will have great influ 
ence upon the whole of the minister s life. His work 
is so unspeakably momentous, for the glory of God, for 
the welfare of souls and for his own happiness, that 
its very first hours should be filled with the greatest 
efficiency. 



CHAPTER II. 
THE PASTOR IX THE CLOSET. 



THE PIETY WHICH IS NEEDFUL FOR THE PASTORAL 

OFFICE. 

IT should be laid, down as our first principle that 
eminent piety is the indispensable qualification for the 
ministry of the gospel. By this is not meant simply a 
piety the genuineness of which is unquestionable, but 
a piety the degree of which is above that of ordinary 
believers. It is meant that there should be a more 
thorough baptism of the Holy Ghost, a more absolute 
consecration of all the powers and faculties to the ser 
vice of God, a more complete conformity to the likeness 
of the Lord Jesus, a greater familiarity with the mind 
of the Spirit, a nearer approach to the perfect man in 
Christ Jesus, in those who take upon them the privileges 
and the responsibilities of the pastor, than are commonly 
expected even in true Christians. The pastor should 
not be satisfied with reaching the general standard of 
spirituality. He has devoted himself to a high and 
holy office to which he believes himself called, and 
hence he has need of a very high tone of piety. As 
a minister appointed to serve in the sanctuary and wait 
upon souls, how deep should be his humility ! His 
great aim is to save men, and it will not therefore suffice 

37 



38 THE PASTOR 

for him to have merely the ordinary sympathy with the 
suffering and the lost. He is to be a leader in the 
spiritual host of God ; must he not go before others in 
spiritual attainments ? To draw men up to a more and 
more elevated standard of piety and devotedness is the 
appointment he holds from the great Head of the 
Church ; surely he must himself rise still higher ? 

It is beyond all question that this eminent piety 
is before everything else in preparation for the duties 
of the sacred office. It is before talents, or learn 
ing, or study, or favorable circumstances, or skill in 
working, or power in sermonizing. It is needed to give 
character and tone and strength to all these, and to every 
other part of the work. Without this elevated spirit 
uality nothing else will be of much account in pro 
ducing a permanent and satisfactory ministry. All else 
will be like erecting a building without a foundation. 
This is the true foundation upon which to build the 
idea which is to give character to all the superstruc 
ture. Oh that at the very beginning this could be 
deeply impressed upon the hearts of young ministers ! 
Oh that they would take and weigh well the testimony 
of the most devoted and successful of those who have 
served God in his gospel ! A man with this high tone 
of piety is sure to be a good pastor ; without it success 
in the holy office is not to be expected. 

The first thing for the young minister to consider is 
how he may attain to this high degree of holiness in heart 
and life. How often do other things occupy the mind ! 
How much more anxiety there generally is about other 
branches of preparation! But this should be before 
them all, and at the root of them all, and ever present 
to give character to them all. As all other believers do, 
the pastor should strive to be filled with the Holy Ghost, 



IN THE CLOSET. 39 

but in view of his holy office he should strive far more 
earnestly. The one thought should be ever before him : 
" This is no ordinary profession that I hold ; it is some 
thing more sacred, more heavenly, more Christ-like than 
the common callings of men, and therefore I must be 
more holy." There is no part of the training for the 
gospel ministry which requires so earnest and constant 
attention as that which pertains to the personal piety of 
those who are called to its duties. 

We dwell long and minutely upon this branch of our 
subject because of its superlative importance. There is 
no other point in the whole subject that needs to be so 
thoroughly impressed as this. It must not be over 
shadowed by the consideration of other things, even 
though they too are necessary in preparing for the prac 
tical duties of the minister. We would have it so con 
spicuous and so deeply impressed on the heart and con 
science that it may give complexion to all our other 
studies on this subject. This self-culture culture of 
personal piety is a branch of pastoral theology, and a 
most important one. It is especially noticed among the 
inspired rules laid down for the conduct of the min 
ister. "Take heed unto thyself" is definitely com 
manded. The pastor s own heart is the place in which 
the work must begin. His closet is the armory in which 
he must equip himself for the service that may require 
great hardness. It is the mount where he may tarry in 
the presence of God, and thence come down with glory 
beaming in his face. It is the upper room in which he 
may commune with Christ and obtain that burning love 
that will ever sweetly constrain. It is the mercy-seat, 
made so by the divine presence, where the Holy Spirit 
may overshadow him and imbue him with a wisdom and 
a might that will be irresistible. It is the secret place 



40 THE PASTOR 

in which he may find his God, and then go out fortified 
to a work from which he might otherwise well shrink, 
saying, " Who is sufficient for these things?" 



IMPORTANCE OF EMINENT PIETY IN THE PASTOR. 

This subject has been already brought forward, but 
we would dwell much longer upon it, that, if it be pos 
sible, we may awaken the most profound attention to it 
in the hearts of those who are already in the office or 
who have it in prospect. We would make our convic 
tion of the necessity for this eminent piety appear as 
emphatic as it is in our power. By dwelling upon the 
details and entering into some of the particulars we 
would show that it is not possible to exaggerate its im 
portance. A few of the considerations which must 
press it home most solemnly appear : 

(a) THE NAMES APPLIED TO MINISTEKS IN THE WORD 

OF GOD. 

These names are not given inconsiderately or for 
some mere rhetorical purpose by the Holy Ghost. They 
are full of the most weighty meaning. They are fig 
urative, but highly indicative of the nature and duties 
of the office. It is not possible to read them without 
feeling that the calling to which they relate is a most 
exalted one, and the character they suppose a character 
of great sacredness. We can enumerate only a few of 
them. 

Prominent among the names applied to this office is 
that of pastor shepherd ! the very name which Christ 
takes to himself when he says, " I am the Good Shep 
herd." How Christ-like should those be to whom he 
applies the same title ! Those who are appointed to 



IN THE CLOSET. 41 

feed others in the green pastures should they not 
themselves know well where and what those pastures 
are? Those who are to lead others in the paths of 
righteousness should themselves be familiar with those 
paths. Those who would guard others from straying 
must surely be themselves well fortified by the strength 
and the watchfulness that come from the Omnipotent 
Spirit ! 

Ambassador is another of those names which the 
Scriptures give. Does not this name tell of him who 
bears it as having stood near to God, as being entrusted 
with messages from heaven, as being clothed with au 
thority from on high ? Does it not tell of a loyalty of 
heart that should make him true to his heavenly Mas 
ter? And does it not give a place of solemn dignity 
before all other creatures ? The very name shows that 
his business is one of tremendous importance, even that 
of bearing terms of peace from the court of infinite 
justice to men who are in open rebellion. A view is 
thus opened to us of the responsibility of him who 
has been honored so highly as to be made an ambas 
sador of God to men. Oh, does he not need, if any 
creature in this world does, the very spirit and charac 
ter that prevail around the throne ? 

Another of the names applied to ministers is that of 
stewards " stewards of the mysteries of God." They 
are admitted near to the presence of the Lord our Sa 
viour, have his heart opened to them in confidence, 
and have his interests committed to their trust. Is 
not this a high and sacred honor ? But they are re 
sponsible for the management of the high trust re 
posed in them. Oh, what manner of persons need they 
to be! 

Still other names which the Scriptures give them are 

6 



42 THE PASTOR 

lights, and teachers, and witnesses. They are to bear 
witness of Christ and his great doctrines ; arid they are, 
in their own life and character, to be living witnesses 
of the renewing and sanctifying and exalting power 
of the gospel of Christ. Can they sustain all these 
offices and discharge all these duties unless they are 
very highly imbued with the graces of the Holy 
Spirit? 

It should also be remembered that the great business 
to which they are appointed is the very same business 
that occupied so much of the thoughts and of the time 
of the Son of God while here on earth. He came to 
preach as well as to redeem by his death. He came to 
the earth with this as one of his purposes. His heart 
was set upon it. Behold the zeal which he manifested 
concerning it : " And he said unto them, Let us go 
into the next towns, that I may preach there also : for 
therefore came I forth. And he preached in their 
synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils." 
What, then ! the true preacher is a co-worker with 
Jesus? We have divine warrant for the assumption. 
It was in the apostle s mind when he said, " We then, 
as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye 
receive not the grace of God in vain." What dignity 
does this give to the ministerial office ! With what 
sacred ness should it be regarded ! Since preachers are 
represented as standing by the side of Christ in this 
great field of work, oh how holy they should be! How 
assiduously they should cultivate the very same mind 
that was in him ! 



IN THE CLOSET. 43 

(6) THE GREATNESS OF THE WORK TO WHICH HE is 

CALLED. 

This demands of the pastor most thorough conse 
cration of heart and life. There is no other work so 
sacred, so momentous, so identified with the highest in 
terests of the world, so dear to the heart of God. What, 
then, should those men be to whom this work has been 
entrusted ? 

God has called them, and sent them to speak to 
their fellow-men in his name. He has laid the obliga 
tion on them to take his messages as they are found 
written out in the Holy Oracles, and proclaim them 
aloud to the whole world. Their business is to lay 
open before men the very heart of the infinite Jehovah. 
They are to explain the communications which God 
sends, to deliver his instructions, his threatening^ his 
promises, his warnings and his grand motives. To 
these things they are to awaken attention. They are to 
keep them before men, and to press them home with 
all the urgency that fellow-feeling and sympathy can 
arouse. 

Ministers are the chief earthly instruments in the 
hands of God for saving their fellow-men. By preach 
ing he has ordained that the gospel is to be brought 
home and applied. And this preaching he has made 
the great business of all his ministerial servants. 
Hence, in a most important sense, he has constituted 
them his agents for the rescuing of sinners from their 
lost estate. Though men themselves, they have been 
sent to grasp their fellow-men and hold them back from 
going down into the pit. They are appointed to go and 
stop the lost rushing rapidly on the way to perdition. 
The high commission has been given them to gather in 



4t THE PASTOR 

seals, that they may be redeemed and treasured up for 
the blessed mansions of Jesus. 

Coming, then, in the name of the Lord and delivering 
the message which he has put in their mouths, it cannot 
be but that their words shall have a most serious influ 
ence for weal or for woe upon those to whom they are 
delivered. This was felt by the apostle when, as a 
preacher, he exclaimed, " For we are unto God a sweet 
savor of Christ, in them that are saved and in them 
that perish ; for to the one we are the savor of death 
unto death, and to the other the savor of life unto 
life. And who is sufficient for these things?" Is it 
any wonder that he should thus cry out, " And who is 
sufficient for these things ?" Each proclamation of the 
gospel by the minister either leads souls toward life im 
mortal or sends them downward toward a deeper hell. 
It softens hearts or it hardens them. It brings men 
upward toward Jesus, or it will justify God in consign 
ing them to the regions of deepest woe. Is it not, then, 
an awful thing to preach ? Who shall attempt to do 
it until his heart is bathed in the atmosphere and the 
blood of Calvary ? 

In a certain and most momentous sense ministers are 
appointed to be mediators between God and their perish 
ing fellow-men. They are to plead with God that he 
would be reconciled with men. So pleaded that faith 
ful minister the apostle Paul as he said, " For God is 
my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel 
of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of 
you always in my prayers." The old prophetic obliga 
tion still rests upon them : " Let the priests, the ministers 
of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and 
let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord !" Thus are 
they to stand before God on behalf of men. But they 



IN THE CLOSET. 45 

are especially to plead with men that they would be 
reconciled unto God. Perpetually their cry to the 
perishing is to be, " Now, then, we are ambassadors for 
Christ ; as though God did beseech you by us, we pray 
you, in Christ s stead, be ye reconciled to God." Their 
awful position is that of standing between dying men 
and the living God, who is just, holy, and yet forgiving. 
With the one they are to plead the infinite merits of 
Christ ; to the other they must point out the blood, the 
blood that cleanseth from all sins. Their messages are 
most solemn as coming from the lips of God. They are 
awfully solemn, since men must heed them or go down 
into everlasting burnings. Oh, how much they need 
the Holy Spirit every moment ! 

They are leaders in the great sacramental host. That 
host of the living God, blood-washed and called to the 
highest destiny, is increasing in numbers every day. It 
is gathering men from every clime, and is bound to 
gether by the most sacred of ties. The object before 
it is to rescue this world from the dominion of Satan 
and to crown Christ its King. This is the grand enter 
prise of the world, to which everything else must be 
subordinate and must contribute. There are in it posts 
of toil and responsibility for private Christians, but 
ministers are the heaven-ordained leaders. Christ is 
the Head, and from him come the authority and the 
power, but they are the responsible captains. What 
manner of men must they be ? Theirs is the post of 
danger and responsibility, but it is the post of honor 
too. How blessed those who have grace to be faithful ! 
The work of the minister is the grandest and most 
important work in the world. The estimation in which 
God holds it God, before whom all the callings of men 
are open may be learned from the glowing words of 



46 THE PASTOR 

the apostle: "How then shall they call on Him in whom 
they have not believed ? and how shall they believe in 
Him of whom they have not heard ? and how shall they 
believe without a preacher? and how shall they preach 
except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are 
the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and 
bring glad tidings of good things !" Thus does God re 
gard it, and thus especially should it be looked upon by 
those who are placed in it. The following language in 
reference to it is not too strong : " What an office is that 
of the minister! The world cannot show such another 
work. It is the great, the greatest, in which a man can 
be engaged. Moses s leading forth the tribes from 
Egypt, and Joshua s conducting them into Canaan, 
sink into insignificance when compared with it. Time 
begins and time will end all other works in which a 
man can be engaged, but eternity alone is the boundary 
and endurance of this. All others are the works of 
man; this is pre-eminently the work of God. A never- 
dying God is his employer, never-dying souls his em 
ploy on them and in them to undo all that Satan and 
sin have effected, renew them after the image of Christ, 
and bring them back to God and his glory. To teach 
the philosophy of human redemption, the science of 
God s great salvation, the stupendous plan of divine 
mercy, and to bring back the sinner from the brink of 
perdition to the paradise of heaven ; to prophesy to 
the dry bones that they live ; to open the eyes of the 
blind, and turn them from darkness to light, and from 
the power of Satan unto God ; to quicken to a new life 
the dead in trespasses and in sins ; to awaken the dreamy 
sleeper and to convert the sinner, this is the paramount 
design of the gospel ministry. To effect this, how abso 
lutely necessary the presence of God !" 



IN THE CLOSET. 47 

The more we reflect upon it the more we must feel 
that we have neither thoughts to imagine nor words to 
express its greatness. It is not possible for us to over 
estimate its importance or the importance of the deepest 
piety in those who are called to its sacred duties. 

This solemn grandeur of his work should be kept 
before every pastor, younger or older, to animate him in 
a calling which has its many trials. It should ever be in 
his mind to make him faithful in duties from which the 
flesh naturally shrinks. He should never forget it, that 
it may especially be an ever-present motive to lead him 
to a most thorough consecration of his whole being to 
the cause of the Master. 

(*.) THE CONVERSION OF SOULS AND THE PROSPERITY OP 
THE CHURCH DEPEND ON THE DEGREE OF THE PAS 
TOR S PIETY. 

This is saying much, but due reflection will make it 
appear that it is no exaggeration. We have an illus 
trious scriptural example of it in the case of Barnabas. 
The noble record of him is, " He was a good man, and 
full of the Holy Ghost and of faith ; and much people 
was added unto the Lord " " He was a good man, and 
full of the Holy Ghost and of faith ;" and hence " much 
people was added unto the Lord." May we not believe 
that much people will always be added unto the Lord 
under the ministry of men of such character ? 

As is the love of Christ in his own soul, so will be 
the minister s zeal for the perishing souls of those com 
mitted to his care ; so will he long for the glory of 
Christ ; and so will he pray and work and strive in his 
heavenly calling ; and so ordinarily will be his success 
in that calling. There is nothing else in this wide world 
that can properly constrain him to put forth the efforts 



48 THE PASTOR 

that are needed. It was this which the apostle Paul 
said constrained him, and so it must be with every one 
who would follow in the successful course of the 
apostle. All other motives will soon lose their impel 
ling energy, but this will grow stronger and stronger. 
It will find means for removing or overcoming obstacles, 
and still hold its onward course. Hence, in the quiet 
seclusion of his closet, when the pastor s heart is warm 
ing through communion with God, there is the best pos 
sible preparation going on for the conversion of souls. 

Then the piety of the church will generally rise 
about as high as that of its minister. A cold, worldly- 
minded pastor is sure to have a cold church. A liv 
ing pastor will have a church in which life and joy 
and prayer will abound. How can it be otherwise, since 
his ministrations permeate the whole life of the body ? 
He is the appointed agent for edifying the people of 
God in their most holy faith, and their spirituality can 
not be expected to rise higher than his. There doubt 
less are exceptions, but the general rule is, that the 
measure of devotedness in any particular church may 
be gauged by that of the pastor s heart. Should he 
rest satisfied while there is any coldness there ? 

And who can tell how much depends on the life and 
prosperity of the Church ? In it are involved the 
honor of God, the comfort of believers, the destiny of 
souls, the spread of the gospel, the purity of those who 
are the appointed lights of the world, and the interests 
that awaken all heaven and for which the Lord of glory 
died. How God regards the state of the Church may 
be seen in those great prophetic messages to the seven 
churches of Asia which were appointed beacons for all 
ages. The condition of the Church which the Lord 
Jesus redeemed with his own most precious blood must 



IN THE CLOSET. 49 

be very near and dear to his heart. And is it true, most 
solemnly true, that the measure of that Church s godli 
ness depends upon that of the pastor s heart? Then 
hie heart is the place in which must begin a revival 
in the Church. There is the place from which the 
Church s devotedness to God must begin to rise into 
a higher and higher sphere. One minister with his 
heart properly alive, properly sprinkled with atoning 
blood, properly consecrated by the Holy Spirit, must 
be a great blessing in the whole community. A few 
such in the bounds of the Church would soon change 
its whole aspect yea, would soon affect the moral tone 
of the whole country. Blessings for thousands are im 
pending when the minister is on his knees pleading for 
more and more grace. 

(d) THE REAL POWER OF THE PASTOR is IN HIS EARNEST 

GODLINESS. 

This is his power with God ; it is also his power 
with men. Though other branches of preparation are 
absolutely necessary, yet this it is which above every 
thing else will make him an able workman. His call 
ing is such that his heart is needed in it at every point, 
It is the heart alone, and the heart glowing with love to 
God, that can give him strength and energy and perse 
verance and success. With it he will be irresistible, 
without it his ministerial life will be a failure. 

Where there is such an unction of the Holy Ghost 
it will, as a matter of course, impart a high and holy 
character; and a character without a spot and beyond 
suspicion must ever be the right arm of a minister s 
efficiency. It is in fact indispensable to his real effi 
ciency. In this the calling of the pastor is different 
from most other callings amongst men. Worldly wis- 

7 



50 THE PASTOR 

dom or professional skill or artistic proficiency may give 
a high degree of success in these callings without any 
aid whatever from moral or religious character. But 
not so with the minister. Christian integrity is that 
which must penetrate and give tone to all that he does. 
What skill is to the artist, what logical acumen is to 
the lawyer, what far-seeing wisdom is to the statesman, 
that is reliable probity to him. It is the tower of his 
strength among men. It is his most attractive orna 
ment. Rob him of that, and he becomes the most de 
spised of mankind ; give it to him in its richness, and 
no man is more honored and beloved. 

And the heart is the true source of such exalted cha 
racter. Where there is devoted godliness in the heart 
it will be seen in the life. It cannot be hid. It is not 
ostentatious, but it must necessarily work itself out into 
the light of day. Moreover, it cannot be counterfeited. 
If the genuine work is not within, no efforts to imitate 
it will be successful. But where it really is, life, lips, 
acts will all reveal it, even when it is not so intended. 
The heart which is elevated by communion with Christ 
will show itself on the countenance and in the daily 
intercourse with men. Hence, whatever character we 
would bear with our fellow-men we must attain to in 
the depths of our own hearts. Whatever standing we 
would maintain before the world we must first reach in 
our secret intercourse with God. 

Then devoted piety will almost inevitably disarm op 
position, and even envy itself. There is in it such a 
charm of humility that enmity cannot stand in its pres 
ence. It has a gentleness of love that could not be 
hated. As a matter of fact, it may be generally seen 
that the men who live nearest to God are the ones who 



IN THE CLOSST. 51 

have the least annoyance from opposition. The good 
man will have but few adversaries, excepting among 
such as were adversaries to Him who was goodness in 
carnate. Because piety disarms opposition it must give 
power as well as peace to him who is most deeply im 
bued with its spirit. 

Moreover, to have the heart true to God and true to 
men through the effectual working of the Holy Spirit 
is the only way to obtain that abiding confidence from 
men which is so essential to the gospel minister. That 
confidence cannot be retained unless it has its source 
in a deep fountain of truth within. But that will 
secure it. Who can doubt the reliability of him who 
evidently lives under the power of heavenly motives ? 
And such confidence is an armory of power for the 
minister. Much as it is needed in most earthly call 
ings, in none of them is it so important as in his. 
When men have reason to rely upon him fully, his mo 
tives will be rightly construed, even when they cannot 
all be seen, and all his efforts in the gospel cause will 
have double weight. He will then have an influence 
among his fellow-men that will itself be a very great 
power. There are men whose reputation for high integ 
rity makes them giants moral giants for good in the 
world. For this reason, even if for none better, should 
that highest of integrity, the integrity of true godliness, 
be assiduously sought after. It will give such weight to 
the minister s words that none of them will be lost. 
Coming, as they manifestly do, from an honest and 
earnest heart, they will be received, and weighed, and 
remembered. It will be seen that he holds communion 
with God, and so men will be induced to listen to him, 
as otherwise they would not. The respect which his 
manifest godliness inspires will compel them to honor 



52 THE PASTOR 

his message. And then his preaching will inevitably 
be clothed with double power. 

That true sanctity which becomes the gospel minister 
will keep him near to God, the source of all real 
strength and success. He cannot retain any measure 
of spirituality unless he walks with God. But from 
that holy presence he will go out amongst his fellow- 
men clothed in a might that no human training or 
talents could give him. Then may his soul beam with 
a glory like that which irradiated the face of Moses as 
he came down from Sinai. He would carry with him 
an indescribable atmosphere of sacredness that would 
tell effectively on all his ministry. With almost the 
authority of the Master could he speak. From the 
source from which he received communications of grace 
would he also receive communications of power, and 
as he ministered in the name of the Lord, would the 
strength of that name go with him, and bring forth re 
sults that would be the crown of his rejoicing. 

An eminently pious minister will almost inevitably 
be successful in his blessed work. The pity which he 
has learned to feel for souls, his unquenchable love for 
Jesus and his all-absorbing zeal for the glory of God 
will impart to his working an earnestness that can 
scarcely fail of success. Clothed with the power of the 
Holy Ghost, which comes down to him in answer to his 
effectual fervent prayer, he will be sure of seeing the 
cause of Christ prospering in his hands. If he be a 
profound theologian, a ripe scholar or an eloquent 
speaker, his communion with God will hallow each gift 
and make it still more effective. If his attainments be of 
the most ordinary character, still the holy unction that 
accompanies his efforts will make them tell. This will 
make up wonderfully for other defects. Yea, it will 



IN THE CLOSET. 53 

often accomplish for the minister what no mere earthly 
advantages could. McCheyne well said : "A heated 
iron, though blunt, will pierce its way even where a 
much sharper instrument, if it be cold, cannot pene 
trate. So if our ministers only be filled with the Spirit, 
who is like fire, they will pierce into the hardest hearts 
where the sharpest wits cannot find their way." It was 
also a saying of his, " A loving man will always accom 
plish more than a merely learned one." Other of his 
rich aphorisms were, " It is not great talents that God 
blesses so much as great likeness to Christ. A holy 
minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God." 

The names of multitudes of pastors could be given 
which would prove that those who are the most 
godly are the most highly blest in saving souls and 
spreading that righteousness of which they are them 
selves bright examples. Their work is not that which 
merely dazzles for a moment and then leaves deeper 
darkness behind it. It is abiding, and sends out great 
streams of influence for good that will cease neither in 
time nor in eternity. 

It is hoped that these emphatic reiterations of the 
fact that the pastor s deep piety is his real power will 
not be looked upon as platitudes. They may possibly 
be regarded by some who have not had much experience 
as commonplace truisms not needing mention. They 
have been repeated so often, and by so many, that here 
perhaps they may arrest scarcely any attention. But 
they cannot be thought of too profoundly. They are 
the words of truth and soberness. No true pastor but 
will understand their great importance more and more 
as his experience increases. It cannot be repeated too 
often, nor made too emphatic, that the pastor s great 
power is in his vital godliness. Nothing in this wide 



54 THE PASTOR 

world will make up for the want of it. Let experience 
be heard. This is the testimony of all those who have 
been the most highly blest in their ministerial work. 
One such testimony may be given ; it is that of one of 
the princes of Welsh preachers, Christmas Evans : " The 
pulpit orator falls infinitely too short of answering the 
desired effect unless the fire within him is kindled by 
the influence of the Holy Ghost of God, for which he 
must pray in the name of Jesus, firmly believing in 
God s promise that he will give the Holy Spirit to those 
that ask him. This is the mystery of the art of elo 
quence of the man of God. He must be clothed with 
the power from on high. Here is the great inward 
secret." In this work of the ministry, as in everything 
else pertaining to the gospel, God s great rule is, " Them 
that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me 
shall be lightly esteemed." Let no one pass this point 
by until it has arrested his attention, sunken into his 
heart and fixed his life-purpose. 

(e) DEVOTED PIETY WILL MAKE ALL THE WOKK OF THE 
PASTOR EASY AND PLEASANT. 

This is another consideration upon which great stress 
should be laid. Such piety is unspeakably important, 
not only for God ; s glory and the benefit of souls, but 
also for the pastor s own comfort. It is in this, and not 
in superior talents or cultivated taste, or in a pleasant 
charge or attractive social relations, that his real enjoy 
ment is to be found. 

Without that warm love to God and his work the 
ministry must prove but a life of drudgery and hypocrisy. 
The mistaken man who holds it must constantly assume 
an interest in spiritual things which he does not feel. 
He must speak with an emotion which he has to force. 



7.V THE CLOSET. 55 

He must even strive to maintain a character that is 
not natural to him. It is a humiliating thing to be 
such a minister as this. It is to toil on and on in a 
work in which there is no heart and no pleasure, and 
scarcely any good to be expected. 

All other motives than the constraining love of Christ 
in the heart soon lose their influence. There are no 
doubt other incentives, such as ambition, love of learn 
ing and desire for social influence, that may carry for 
ward a minister for a while with apparent pleasure. 
But they will not stand the wear and tear of years of 
drudgery and trial. If the pastor who is chiefly 
actuated by these is successful, they will soon satiate ; 
if he is not as successful as he expected to be, he be 
comes discouraged and disgusted with his office. If 
there is nothing more than these, the ministry soon 
becomes a miserable failure. 

But when the love of Christ reigns in the heart 
supremely, it gives an impulse to the whole life that is 
ever steady and joyous. The wear and tear of toiling 
years will not wear it out. Sometimes there may appear 
only little success, but it has a faith that lays hold of 
the promises and is not discouraged. Through prosperity 
or adversity, among friends or enemies, in failing or con 
tinuing health, it moves steadily forward, impelled by 
an inward affection that cannot be quenched. Instead 
of years and trials wearing it out, it only grows stronger 
and stronger with the lapse of time. It constantly in 
tensifies as more and more is seen of the love of Christ 
and the value of souls. 

When earnest godliness reigns within it turns the 
whole life of the minister into a work of love. Souls 
then seem so precious that too much cannot be done to 
save them. Christ is so dear that everything which can 



56 THE PASTOR 

possibly be contrived for his glory is a delight, There 
can be no rest unless something be undertaken for him 
every hour. Even hard duties then become a pleasure ; 
or, rather, there are no hard duties, for supreme love to 
Christ makes duty and pleasure to be identical. 

Thus it is that by supplying the holiest of motives, 
by giving a keen perception of what should be done, 
by quickening the faculties, and by imparting a lively 
sense of the Holy Spirit s aid, devoted godliness makes 
all the work of the sacred office easy and prosperous. 

In fact, the calling of the pastor is the happiest and 
most noble calling in the world when his piety is of 
this elevated character. There may be apparent draw 
backs to his comfort arising from poverty, or opposition 
of unreasonable men, or want of honor from the world, 
but all is more than made up by his hidden springs of 
spiritual joy. The minister who is imbued with a heav 
enly unction is blest with the honor that cometh from 
God, and with the assurance of the divine friendship. 
Good men will do him reverence, for they are gifted 
with the same spiritual instinct. The approbation of 
conscience will be to him a perpetual feast. He may 
see the appalling evils of sin wherever he turns, but he 
will have the indescribable pleasure of helping to re 
move or alleviate those evils. When the same mind is 
in him that was in Christ Jesus, then his life-work will 
consist in doing that which he loves best that which he 
knows will be for the glory of his best Beloved, his 
heavenly Friend. His work on earth will prove the per 
petual delight of laying up treasure in heaven. In 
reality, his life on earth will be but the beginning of 
his heavenly happiness. And all ministerial biography 
shows that the men who have been the most holy have 
also been the most happy in their work. When, like 



IN THE CLOSET. 57 

Rutherford, they have lived under the influence of a 
constant unction from on high, they have also breathed 
the very blessedness of the upper sanctuary. The more 
devoted, the more joyous they have been. The whole 
life of such eminently pious ministers is a joy. To 
make the attainment of this ministerial happiness an 
object of pursuit is not unscriptural, for even Christ 
charged his disciples : " Ask, and ye shall receive, that 
your joy may be full." 

(/) THE PASTOR is APPOINTED TO BE A LIVING EXAMPLE 

OF THE GOSPEL WHICH HE PREACHES. 

This places the necessity of his being an eminently 
godly man in a very strong light. The solemn charge is 
imposed upon him of demonstrating by his daily walk 
and conversation the truth and the power of the doc 
trines of the gospel. From this responsibility no pos 
sible argument will release him. The divine law which 
has been laid down for his guidance is this: " A bishop 
then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigi 
lant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt 
to teach ; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of 
filthy lucre; but patient; not a brawler, not covetous ; 
one that ruleth well his own house, having his children 
in subjection with all gravity (for if a man know not 
how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of 
the Church of God?) ; not a novice, lest being lifted up 
with pride he -fall into the condemnation of the devil. 
Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are 
without ; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the 
devil." The reputation for holiness which the pastor is 
to sustain is here described with some minuteness, that 
there may be no mistake. 

This appointment of the minister to teach by example 

8 



58 THE PASTOR 

must be carefully studied. All his other learning will 
be in vain without it. All other preparation for his 
office will be lost if this does not receive the chief atten 
tion. Of ministers emphatically it may be said that 
they are Christ s living epistles sent out into the world 
in order that men might read in them the transforming 
efficacy of his gospel. To them especially is the direc 
tion of Christ given : " Ye are the light of the world. 
. . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may 
see your good works and glorify your Father which is 
in heaven." To pastors the particular charge is given 
that they strengthen the Church by their own example: 
" Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the 
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly ; not 
for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind ; neither as being 
lords over God s heritage, but being examples to the 
flock." And this example is to be set by them in all 
the Christian graces : " Let no man despise thy youth, 
but be thou an example for the believers, in word, in 
conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 
In this way they are to illustrate all kinds of good works 
and to disarm all opposition : " In all things showing 
thyself a pattern of good works ; in doctrine showing 
uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that 
cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary 
part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of 
you." There is no law of the whole pastoral office that 
is more fully and explicitly enjoined than this. 

Those who hold this office are not only to describe to 
men the effects of religion upon the life, but they are 
also to show them in their own practice. This is some 
thing that can be better understood and will be more 
deeply felt. Holiness of life, the pure and noble charac 
ter that is reached by daily communion with God, when 



IN THE CLOSET. 59 

seen in the minister, will convince men of the truth and 
power of the gospel as nothing else short of God s om 
nipotent Spirit could do. Men form their opinions of 
Christianity not so much from what they read in the 
book of God as from what they read in the book of the 
lives of its professors. When this book is fair and 
beautiful, they will be attracted ; when it is blurred, 
they will be driven away. Example will break down 
opposition and produce conviction when nothing else 
will. An eminent man of God has said, " Be assured 
of this, brethren, there is no preaching like the preach 
ing of ministerial sanctity." Hooker used to say that 
" the life of a pious clergyman is visible rhetoric ;" and 
Herbert, that " the virtuous life of a clergyman is the 
most powerful eloquence." And what will give this 
sanctity of life but the unction from on high ? What 
but the possession of the very mind of Christ will so 
purify and ennoble the life as to make it a fit example 
to illustrate the gospel and attract to the cross ? The 
life of the pastor should be one of such heavenly- 
mindedness that he would not only bear witness of 
Christ, but also be a living witness to him ; that his 
example would give a high tone to the piety of the 
Church; that, in boldness, with the devoted Paul he 
could say, " Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of 
Christ."" 

(g) EMINENT PIETY is EXPECTED OF THE PASTOR. 

Hence he cannot be too diligent in its cultivation. 
It is true that very often there is too much expected of 
him. He is but man, and the struggle against sin and 
imperfections must constantly be carried on in him as 
well as in other men. And sometimes he is most un 
justly, even cruelly, criticised. Enemies do this be- 



60 THE PASTOR 

cause, through him, they wish to injure the cause ; 
friends do it from want of thought or want of know 
ledge. His motives cannot be all seen. As a public 
man he must act, and his reasons for acting are not 
always understood. Many things he must do which 
are encompassed with difficulties, and these difficulties 
alone are looked at and exaggerated, and he is censured 
for them, whilst everything else is overlooked. 

At the same time, it is true that high-toned principle 
and consistency are expected of him. And it is right 
that they should. Everything in the heart-experience 
which he is supposed to have passed through, in the 
profession which he has made, in the sacred office to 
which he is called, in the superior advantages for sanc 
tity which he has had, and in the holy influences which 
he is appointed to disseminate, all these justify the ex 
pectation that he will be a man of more than ordinary 
godliness. If he comes short of that expectation he 
is disgraced. What cowardice would be to a soldier, 
what weakness would be to an athlete, what dishonesty 
would be to a steward, that will a low degree of piety 
be to him. It will be to his dishonor, and the world 
will see it and know it, and hold him in corresponding 
disdain. No man is more highly honored than a de 
votedly consistent minister; none is more despised than 
he who is faithless and inconsistent. 

It is to be sorely lamented that occasionally there are 
men to be found in this office who have very little in 
deed, if any, of its spirit. Here is one of an irascible 
temperament who is constantly embroiling himself and 
his church in the most lamentable strifes. Here is an 
other who is unstable, ever devising, trying and aban 
doning projects, so as to forfeit all confidence. Here is 



J^ THE CLOSET. 61 

another eminently worldly, so as to have no claim to be 
regarded as a steward of the mysteries of God. Here 
is another hopelessly imprudent, ever doing that which 
is unwise and sadly inconsistent with the high reputa 
tion he ought to bear. And occasionally there is one 
bearing the ministerial name who is still worse. Either 
because he has no grace in his heart, or because he 
allows himself to tamper with temptation, he falls into 
gross sin and causes a shudder throughout the kingdom 
of Christ. 

Who can estimate the injury which such an unholy 
minister does ? His crime will be noised abroad from 
east to west. It will be told of beyond the seas. Its 
history will be translated into other languages. It will 
be gloated over by the enemy through Western settle 
ments. Its disgusting details will be read by wonder 
ing girls in the log cabins of Canada. And nowhere 
will it be repeated without causing pain or injury. It 
will grieve the pious, harden the impenitent, furnish 
argument for the opposer, blight the spirit of devotion, 
encourage others to sin, and cause nameless mischiefs 
that nothing but the omnipotent Spirit of God can 
counteract. Oh that those who hold the ministerial 
office, or are looking forward to it, would duly consider 
this ! Oh that those who have no heart for its becoming 
spirituality would leave it ! Oh that all would study 
well their tremendous responsibility ! Oh that they 
would get very, very near to Christ, and cling to him 
with the full conviction that only by his side are they 
safe ! Oh that they were willing to deny themselves 
many things which might seem right enough in them 
selves, but which might easily be misunderstood and 
tend to the dishonor of the cause ! Oh that they would 
all strive for a godliness of the most elevated character, 



62 THE PASTOR 

which would keep them far above reproach or even the 
suspicion of wrong ! 

(h) THE PASTOK is WARRANTED IN LOOKING FORWARD TO 
EMINENT GLORY IN THE HEAVENLY WORLD. 

If even " Jesus, for the joy that was set before him, 
endured the cross, despising the shame/ how much more 
should his ministers endure any toils in view of the 
great heavenly joys before them ! 

That there are peculiar joys in store for the faithful 
pastor is taught not very obscurely in the Scrip 
tures. What other meaning can we attach to the words 
of Christ : " And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and 
gathereth fruit unto life eternal : that both he that sow- 
eth and he that reapeth may rejoice together " ? Did 
not the apostle foresee that peculiar glory when he 
thought of those whom he had been instrumental in 
saving, and said, " For what is our hope, or joy, or 
crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence 
of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" And another 
prophet in still more glowing language exclaimed, 
" They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the 
firmament ; and they that turn many to righteousness, 
as the stars for ever and ever." After a very careful 
study of the whole subject, Dr. Killen records this 
cheering conclusion : " To every devoted pastor, in ref 
erence to the people among whom he labors, it may be 
said in the words of our Lord himself, They cannot 
recompense thee, for thou shalt be recompensed at the 
resurrection of the just. Nor does he himself design 
either to pay or put such off with the wealth and hon 
ors of time, but he has in store for them abundant 
recompense at the resurrection of the just. Having 
turned many to righteousness, they shall then not only 



IN THE CLOSET. 6-3 

shine as the brightness of the firmament, but be made 
pillars in the temple of onr God. 

All true pastors are preparing for that pre-eminent 
glory of the future. Surpassingly great is the bliss 
which they may lawfully keep in view in all their 
ministerial work and trials. To this they are appointed, 
and for this they are getting ready according to the 
measure of their fidelity. 

What eminent godliness should now be theirs ! What 
heavenly-minded ness they should now have, in pros 
pect of such distinguished seats of bliss in the celestial 
world ! It is not unbecoming for them to keep stead 
fastly in sight the portrait of the faithful minister as 
described by Bunyan. It was the picture of a grave 
person hanging up against the wall : " It had eyes lifted 
up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, the law of 
truth was written upon his lips, the world was behind 
his back ; he stood as if he pleaded with men, and a 
crown of gold did hang over his head." When all is 
regarded as given for Christ s sake, then it is not un 
warranted for the pastor to be incited to the effort for 
eminent piety by the motives so strongly stated by Dr. 
J. W. Alexander : " Each instant of present labor is to 
be repaid with a million of ages of glory." 

We have thus dwelt at much length upon the tran 
scendent importance of deep-toned piety in pastors, 
because of our clearest possible conviction that it lies 
at the foundation of everything hopeful in the office. 
We cannot present this conviction as emphatically as 
we feel it. At the present age of so much superficial 
religion we feel that this subject is one of immense im 
portance. What is needed in the ministry now is com 
plete consecration of heart and head and hands to 



64 THE PASTOR 

Christ. With ministers more than with any other per 
sons alive the supreme motive needs to be the glory of 
God. In all their studies and ministrations, in every 
element of their being, their moving impulse should be 
love to Christ. 

Oh that every pastor could be made to believe and 
feel, and keep before him the conviction, that nothing 
else but this devoted godliness will make his ministry 
either pleasant or profitable! Can ministers not be 
persuaded to rely upon this as true ? Would that they 
might all form the solemn purpose not to rest until this 
degree of godliness was reached ! This is within the 
power of all. Great eloquence or popularity it may be 
impossible for many to reach, but great devoted ness to 
Christ is attainable by all who will strive for it. And 
when this is reached, then a successful ministry is made 
sure. If our ministers, young and old, would set out 
for this, the whole face of the Church, and of the 
country too, would very soon be changed. How much 
is dependent upon our pastors laying this matter to 
heart ! 

HOW THE PIETY OF THE MINISTER MAY BE CULTIVATED. 
This is a point of vital importance to every pastor. 
No subject should receive from him more anxious 
thought. There is none to which he should give closer 
attention from the beginning of his ministry to its close. 
The following suggestions may be of use to those who 
are earnestly set on higher attainments in this first 
qualification for their sacred office : 

(a) THIS PIETY TO BE CULTIVATED BY CONSTANT PRAYER. 

We have written fully of the attainment of a high 

type of piety by the pastor, because we feel profoundly 



IN THE CLOSET. 65 

its importance. And now the very momentous ques 
tion comes up, How can it be reached? By what 
means can the heart be so cultivated as to arrive at this 
blessed experience ? That such elevated piety is attain 
able should be laid down as a maxim at the very be 
ginning. And that every pastor should set his heart upon 
it, and never rest until it is experienced, we would press 
home as our first and most important advice. Then the 
most effectual method for reaching it we would emphat 
ically declare to be constant prayer. It is hardly neces 
sary to mention this to those who have themselves been 
called into the ministry, but it may be wise to stir up 
their minds to a vivid sense of the great practical truth. 
If we can say anything that will awaken more earnest 
attention to it, the effort will not be misdirected. 

It is well known that every degree of piety in the 
heart must be the work of the Holy Ghost. By him 
it is that piety is first implanted through the renewing 
of the nature that was once all corruption. That nature 
needs to be sanctified more and more, the obstacles in 
the heart and in the world have to be overcome, the 
motives drawn from Christ and his gospel have to be 
brought home with such power as to impress the mind. 
But to do all this is the special office of the Holy Spirit, 
and by no other power in the world excepting by him 
can it be effected. By the death of Christ his power 
was secured, and he was sent into the world for the 
express purpose of sanctifying redeemed men and pro 
ducing in them the holy likeness of Christ. 

He effects this change by taking Christ and the 
things of Christ, and impressing them vividly upon the 
hearts of those who are the subjects of renewing grace. 
He shows Christ as our personal Saviour, and opens the 
eye of faith so that he can be seen and trusted in. 

9 



66 THE PASTOR 

Then, by this operation, the conscience becomes pacified 
through atoning blood, and that blood he applies day 
by day, so that the soul is kept in peace and animated 
to aspire after higher degrees of holiness. Besides, the 
work is carried on with the greatest success by the 
Spirit holding up Christ as our model after whom we 
are to copy in heart and life. Nor is he presented as 
our pattern only, but as our motive also as the glorious 
object of our love, the worthy object to which our whole 
being ought to be consecrated. Thus through Christ 
the Spirit sanctifies. He takes men hour by hour to 
the cross by which sin was once effectually conquered, 
and by which it is yet to be utterly banished from the 
hearts and the habitations of men. 

Then the encouraging thing for us, and the point we 
would now urge, is that this Spirit is given in answer to 
prayer. He is with his Church and with his people 
already, but the larger measure of his sanctifying 
power which ministers especially need is that which 
we are now considering. This undoubtedly may be 
obtained by earnest and persevering prayer. The most 
emphatic promise in the whole Bible is given in refer 
ence to this very thing : " Ask, and it shall be given 
you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be 
opened unto you ; for every one that asketh receiveth ; 
and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh 
it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom 
if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if 
he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ? If ye then, 
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your chil- 
ren, how much more shall your Father which is in 
heaven give good things to them that ask him !" Ac 
cording to Luke, who records the same promise, the 
blessing desired is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Let us 



IN THE CLOSET. . 67 

linger for a moment on this promise. Observe, he does 
not simply say, "Ask and ye shall receive ;" that, coming 
from the lips of perfect Truth, would be enough. But 
to make the promise more impressive, he repeats it three 
times: "ye shall receive," "ye shall find," "it shall be 
opened unto you." Nor is that all. To make it still 
more emphatic, he repeats it three times again : " every 
one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; 
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." In the 
very acts of asking, seeking, knocking, the blessing is 
received. Nor is even this all, though the promise has 
been repeated six times. That it may sink the more 
deeply into every heart, he uses one of the most touch 
ing arguments : " Or what man is there of you, whom 
if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone ? Or if 
he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ? If ye then, 
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your chil 
dren, how much more shall your Father which is in 
heaven give the Holy Spirit (as Luke has it) to them 
that ask him !" Was there ever such a promise as 
this ? Was ever any engagement of God so positively 
ratified ? If prayer, to be successful, must be for things 
agreeable to the will of God, can there be any question 
about this prayer for the Holy Spirit ? Is not his whole 
heart set upon granting us this ? 

Not a day, then, should pass without the pastor car 
rying this petition before the throne, and wrestling for 
the Holy Spirit to come and baptize him afresh, and 
baptize him thoroughly, with his sanctifying influences. 
In urging this petition he should never become weary 
or discouraged or satiated, or so familiar with the request 
that it will lose its fervency. When he is praying for 
the influences of the Holy Spirit, he is praying for more 
holiness of life, for more of the mind of Christ, for 



68 . THE PASTOR 

more of the image of God, for more power with men, 
for everything which as a Christian and Christian min 
ister he should desire. 

The importance of prayer in the ministry is so very, 
very great that we will strive to impress it by showing 
how it lay before the minds of men whose own eminent 
godliness enabled them to understand it as others could 
not. This is not the opinion of one or two, but of the 
many, and that of those who had most of the mind oi 
Christ. We would repeat their testimony over and over 
again, that the great truth may be fixed the more in 
delibly. It has been tersely said, that " a ministry of 
prayer must be a ministry of power," and all experience 
goes to prove the truth of this saying. It has been 
reasoned in this way : " Above all things, prayer must 
blend itself with all ministerial labors. Nothing makes 
a thought derived from others more certainly our own 
than the attempt to make it the subject of serious and 
earnest prayer. This gives a new and somewhat original 
cast to the thought itself, and it flows from the mind and 
the tongue with a mild yet winning force which few 
hearts are able to resist. To a preacher who thus com 
bines study and devotion, though he may give no signs 
of extraordinary genius, the hearers listen, they know 
not why, and are impressed by his preaching in a man 
ner they can scarcely understand. The secret of hig 
influence is that God is with him and makes whatevei 
he does prosper." 

The great Welsh preacher, Mr. Williams of Wern 
one of the princely trio of that land of great preachers. 
John Elias, William Williams, and Christmas Evan? 
left this testimony : " The old ministers were not much 
better preachers than we are, and in many respects they 
were inferior, but there was an unction about their min- 



IN THE CLOSET. 69 

istry, and success attended upon it now but seldom wit 
nessed. And what was the cause of the difference ? 
They prayed more than we do. If we would prevail 
and have power with men, we must first prevail and 
have power with God. It was on his knees that Jacob 
became a prince, and if we would become princes we 
must be oftener and more importunate upon our knees." 
Dr. Griffin remarked of a young man, a pupil of his who 
had just commenced preaching, " He has an active 
mind and superior talents. The only question I have 
about him is, whether he will pray down the Holy Spirit 
while he preaches." The probability of any minister s 
success is in the question, " Will he pray down the Holy 
Spirit f" Very valuable was the dying testimony of the 
great and godly Andrew Fuller : " I wish I had prayed 
more for the assistance of the Holy Spirit in studying 
and preaching my sermons." The exhortation of the 
noble French preacher, Massillon, cannot be too atten 
tively studied : " Accompany your labors with your 
prayers. Speak of the disorders of your people more 
frequently to God than to them. Complain to him of 
the obstacles put in the way of their conversion by your 
unfaithfulness more frequently than of those which 
their obstinacy may present. Blame yourself alone at 
his feet for the small fruit of your ministry. As a 
tender father apologize to him for the faults of your 
children, and accuse only yourself." Innumerable other 
such declarations could easily be cited from the writings 
of the most devoted and successful of ministers. The 
transcendent importance of prayer is the voice of the 
best, the greatest, the most highly blest of those who 
have labored in the cause of Christ. 

Above all other Christians, the pastor must be a man 
of prayer. All others need to be daily at the throne 



70 THE PASTOR 

of grace, but he more. He has to do with such purely 
spiritual things that nothing but the Spirit can qualify 
him for his exalted work. In the cause committed to 
him such tremendous interests are involved that he 
needs constant guidance from on high. Of himself 
how can he reach such hard and impenitent hearts as he 
has tc do with ? His vocation requires him to stand so 
near to God that he must have the purifying of the 
Holy Spirit for that awful presence. It is his to inter 
cede for others as well as to pray for himself, and how 
can he do that unless he has the aid of that Intercessor 
who inspires groanings that cannot be uttered? Emi 
nently is he to be a temple of the Holy Ghost ; oh how 
holy, how holy doth it become him to be ! Even Christ, 
the divine Shepherd, spent whole nights in prayer ; how 
much more do those who are mere men, though in the 
most sacred office, need to tarry long, long in that exer 
cise ! Among other ends he had in view in praying so 
often, and in causing that fact to be recorded, did he 
not intend to set an example to his under-shepherds in 
all time? Ah, prayer should be their daily breath. 
Emphatically should it be true of them that they " pray 
always." 

Every one of their ministerial acts yes, all that 
they do should be consecrated by prayer. They are 
liable to err and make grievous mistakes ; how can they 
be safe without the guidance of the Spirit? All that 
they do and say may be so momentous in its results that 
they should not rely upon their own understanding, 
but hold constant fellowship with God. It was this 
dwelling with God that made Whitefield so great. " So 
close was his communion with God before preaching 
that it was said he used to come down to the people as 
if there were a rainbow about his head. " Constant 



IN THE CLOSET. 71 

praying will make the whole work of the minister safe 
and happy. He will then be preparing for the pulpit 
and other duties every day and hour. Quaintly has it 
been said, " They who have been made fishers of men 
mind their business both when they are fishing and when 
they are mending their nets." In everything should 
the minister wrestle in prayer, because God is so willing 
to hear and to help him, because it is so safe to rely 
always on the infinite understanding and infinite power, 
and because this carrying every act before the throne 
will turn the whole life into an unbroken service of 
God. 

(6) PIETY TO BE CULTIVATED BY A MORNING HOUR 
OF DEVOTION. 

In all the counsels which we purpose giving for the 
guidance of the pastor we want to be as specific as pos 
sible. We do not intend to rest in mere general obser 
vations, which might be important, but would not lead 
to the practical results we desire. Our suggestion now 
is, that the pastor set apart the first hour of every day 
for uninterrupted communion with God. We would 
have the first and best of the minister s time rigidly 
devoted to the divine service. Most pastors, by a little 
arrangement of duties and by a little self-denial, could 
carry out this important rule. Those with whom it 
would be absolutely impossible might set apart some 
other hour of the day, but the first hour is the best. 
We will not dwell on the other benefits that would ac 
crue, such as the economizing of time and the establish 
ing of regular habits, but we would say that the spir 
itual benefits could scarcely be exaggerated. A whole 
morning hour spent in reading the word of God, in 
prayer and in spiritual meditation, what an influence it 



72 THE PASTOR 

would have upon the life ! How could the direction of 
Christ be better obeyed, or the resulting blessing more 
certainly secured? " When thou prayest, enter into thy 
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy 
Father which is in secret ; and thy Father, which seeth 
in secret, shall reward thee openly !" Let the first hour 
of the day, then, before food, before family, before daily 
avocations, be made sacred to the Lord. 

In the life and work of the minister especially it is 
all important that there should be specific and long 
periods of devotion. He should observe the rule to be 
in the spirit of prayer always, but there should be a 
definite and considerable time for it daily. He should 
have such a period every day, when the world would be 
resolutely excluded, when the mind would dwell long 
and intently on spiritual things, when the divine word 
would be read and applied to self very deliberately, 
when the soul would be kept in prolonged communion 
with God, when the realities of the spiritual and eternal 
would be made more impressive, and when the mind 
might be toned up to a braver grappling with the trials 
and the duties of life. 

The importance of this morning hour of communion 
with God will be seen when the responsibility of the 
minister s office is considered. He has a great work to do, 
and every day which he spends is so much taken from the 
aggregate of time given him for that work. He never 
commences a day that will not bring him something 
in which he will need divine guidance. Every day 
with him has its own work a work to which he was 
never called before, and will never be called again. 
During any day upon which he enters he may be sore 
ly tempted, or he may be called to the awful duty of 
ministering to persons nigh unto death, or to counsel 



IN THE CLOSET 73 

the inquiring, or to preach a sermon that will be the sa 
vor of life unto life or of death unto death to some soul, 
or to decide questions of duty in critical emergencies ; 
or he may have opportunities of influencing by words 
fitly spoken, or of setting an example that will help 
souls forward on the way of life. Every day he lives 
his soul may make progress in grace and in the expe 
rience of heavenly love. Day by day the pastor is to 
stand as an intercessor before the throne of grace, bear 
ing the names of the flock committed to his charge. 
How can a pastor enter upon any day of such solemn 
responsibility without making sure of divine help dur 
ing every moment ? 

The practice of spending the first hour of the day in 
secret prayer is recommended by the highest example. 
It is said of one of our most eminent statesmen, at a 
time when most responsible duties to the country rested 
on him, that his morning hour was always spent in im 
ploring the help of the great Ruler of the nations. A 
distinguished judge acknowledged his success in his 
profession as owing to the hour he daily spent with 
God. General Havelock, though burdened with the 
care of the army during the terrible mutiny in India, 
managed to keep sacred for prayer a long time in the 
morning of each day. Other honored names might be 
added, as those of Bacon, and the great astronomer 
Kepler, and the historian De Thou, of whom it is re 
lated that every morning " he implored God in private 
to purify his heart, to banish from it hatred and flattery, 
to enlighten his mind, and to make known to him the 
truth which so many passions and conflicting interests 
had almost buried." This also was the custom of one 
guided by the Divine Spirit, for David s resolution was, 
" My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord ; in 
10 



74 THE PASTOR 

the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will 
look up." The testimony of that most godly man, 
Philip Henry, speaking of one of his studying days, 
was, " I forgot, when I began, explicitly and expressly to 
crave help from God, and the chariot- wheels drove ac 
cordingly. Lord, forgive my omission, and keep me in 
the way of duty!" What higher example and encour 
agement could we have for this practice ? 

It is recommended that the morning hour be set apart 
for devotion, because that hour can more generally be 
commanded, and because the mind is then clearer and 
better fitted for communion with God. Most pastors 
could so arrange their daily duties as to have that hour 
statedly to themselves. Then they would not be inter 
rupted by any of the ordinary claims of the day ; the 
mind would be refreshed and calm, and the world would 
not often intrude. It could easily be an hour kept 
sacred to God and the soul and the profound interests 
of eternity. 

The influence of this morning hour of undisturbed 
fellowship with God would be felt all the day. Not 
simply would its prayers be answered, but a tone of 
spirituality would spring out from it and pervade all. 
The presence of Christ would be felt in every hour and 
every act, and this would save from innumerable mis 
takes and perplexities. A blessed restraint would be 
imposed from the remembrance of the hour when the 
heart burned with love, and from the anticipation of 
again meeting with Christ in the sweet morning devotions. 
An elevated tone of Christian life would thus be im 
parted to the whole day. Duty would be turned into 
pleasure, trials would be moderated and every true en 
joyment would be rendered doubly sweet. The con 
sciousness that the day was devoted to God would keep 



IN THE CLOSET. 75 

it all a scene of worship and make this life but the com 
mencement of heaven. Oh it would be a most blessed 
thing for every pastor to make sacred this morning hour 
of prayer ! Thoughtfully has one written of it : " Prayer, 
prayer, prayer, the first, second and third elements of 
the Christian life, should open, prolong and conclude 
each day. The first act of the soul in early morning 
should be a draught at the heavenly fountain. It will 
sweeten the taste for the day. If you can have but ten 
minutes with God at that fresh, tranquil and tender 
season, make sure of those minutes. They are of more 
value than much fine gold. But if you tarry long so 
sweetly at the throne, you will come out of the closet as 
the high priest of Israel came from the awful ministry 
at the altar of incense, suffused all over with the heav 
enly fragrance of that communion." 

This habit, once formed, will become an invaluable 
element of the pastor s strength. It may require 
some effort arid some self-denial at first, but soon it will 
grow easy and prove that hour the most attractive of all 
the hours of the day. It will be looked forward to as 
the time of sweet refreshment of the soul. When one 
has learned to relish this hour of devotion he has ac 
quired a great element of power in his ministerial work. 
The practice cannot be recommended too strongly. We 
beg that the recommendation be not looked upon as vis 
ionary or trivial. Let time be given for communion 
with God before the ordinary duties of the day are 
entered upon. The pastor with a work for eternity 
staring him in the face cannot afford to do without any 
thing that would help him certainly not without such 
a grand agency of spiritual power as this. 



76 THE PASTOR 



(c) PIETY INCREASED BY THE DEVOTIONAL READING OP 
THE SCRIPTURES. 

Ministers are liable to get into the habit of studying 
the word of God simply that they may be the better 
prepared to teach others. It is all important, however, 
that they should do more than this. They should not 
read the Bible merely for others, nor simply as a book 
of science, or history, or geography, or profound wis 
dom only, but that they may also bring it home and 
apply it to themselves. The faintest impression that it 
is not intended for their own personal benefit should 
never be admitted. Their hearts should be so applied 
to it that they may themselves be brought nearer to God 
They should listen to it that they may hear God s voice 
addressed to their own souls, and that for themselves 
they may see his glory beaming upon every page. For 
their own personal benefit, as if there were no others in 
the world who needed it, for their spiritual strength 
and instruction and comfort, they should meditate upon 
it profoundly every day. 

This is a very important duty for every Christian. 
The word is the great instrument by which the Spirit 
increases holiness in the hearts of believers. It is by 
faith in that word that men are ordained to be sanctified. 
Christ teaches the necessity of the truth when, in his 
great intercessory prayer, he made sure of its efficacy by 
the petition, " Sanctify them through thy truth ; thy 
word is truth." The Spirit will honor his own truth, 
and will make it effectual. It is by Christ, the Bread 
of life, that the soul is to be nourished ; and Christ is 
to be found chiefly in the Scriptures. From the Scrip 
tures come light, and heat, and strength, and impulse, 
all of which are important elements of true godliness 



IN THE CLOSET. 77 

in the soul. Not only to the young man, but to all who 
ask a similar question, " Wherewithal shall a young 
man cleanse his way?" comes the inspired answer, "By 
taking heed thereto according to thy word." Oh how 
the devout study and personal application of the Scrip 
tures enrich the soul ! A simple passage devoutly med 
itated upon makes the heart better. Then the growth 
in piety which is produced in this way is not ephemeral 
or spurious in any sense ; it is healthy, and will be per 
manent in its results. All the books on personal piety 
that were ever written are not to be compared in wis 
dom, in authority, or in efficacy with the Bible. 

Now, there is special need for the devotional study of 
the Bible by the pastor. His piety should be of the 
most elevated type. His own spiritual wants, as well as 
those of the people to whom he ministers, demand that 
it should also be progressive ever rising and expand 
ing as his work becomes more solemn, and nothing 
will meet these requirements but a piety that is truly 
scriptural. No type of piety but that which is wrought 
out from the word of God will do for him whose ex 
ample is largely to give form and character to the re 
ligion of hundreds. Then the more thoroughly the 
minister studies the Bible for his own edification, the 
better will he understand how to bring it home to 
others. And no spirituality but that which the Holy 
Ghost teaches in his word will rightly equip or steady 
pastors in their great work for God, for souls and for 
eternity. 

For the minister especially it is very important that 
his soul be put in direct contact with the word of the 
Lord. He should get just as near as it is possible to 
the mind of the Spirit. The very thoughts of that 
Spirit he should endeavor to think over in his own 



78 THE PASTOR 

heart. The soul will generally become assimilated to 
Him whose inspired utterances are kept constantly and 
impressively before it. We shall grow holy by the 
adoring contemplation of Him who is holiness itself. 
" But we all, beholding as in a glass the glory of the 
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to 
glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." The word 
is pure, and its effect is always to purify. We do not 
sufficiently appreciate the supernatural influence of the 
Scriptures in sanctifying those who are kept under their 
influence. Wisdom worthy of profound reflection is 
contained in the remarks of Dr. Archibald Alexander 
on this point : " There is something wonderful in the 
power which the word of God possesses over the con 
sciences of men. To those who never read or heard it 
this fact must be unknown, but it is manifest to those 
who are conversant with the sacred volume or who are 
in the habit of hearing it expounded. Why should 
this book above all others have the power of penetra 
ting, and, as it were, searching the inmost recesses of 
the soul, and showing to a man the multitude and enor 
mity of the evils of his heart and life ? This may by 
some be attributed to early education, but I believe that 
if the experiment could be fairly tried, it would be 
found that men who have never been brought up with 
any sentiment of reverence for the Bible would expe 
rience its power over the conscience. The entrance of 
thy words giveth light. 

To every pastor, then, would we say, Study the Bible 
with constant and close self- application. Make its 
chapters and verses familiar, not merely by the effort to 
gain an intellectual understanding of them, but by the 
blessed comfort you have found from them in your own 
souls. Adopt some rule of systematic devotional read- 



TN THE CLOSET. 79 

ing, and let it not be intermitted for any trivial consid 
eration. Let your study of the word be profound, so 
as to get down to its very marrow and sweetness. Let 
your meditations be constant, so tbat all the day long 
you may have some Scripture before the mind. Let it 
be with you as his biographer says of McCheyne, that 
" he fed on the word, not in order to prepare himself 
for his people, but for personal edification. To do so 
was a fundamental rule with him." And let all this 
devotional study of the word be mingled with prayer, 
that the same Spirit who inspired it would give it life 
and power in its effects upon your own soul. 

(d) THE PASTOR SHOULD CULTIVATE HIS PIETY BY 
PREACHING TO HIMSELF. 

"Thou, therefore, which teachest another, teach est thou 
not thyself?" is the scriptural rebuke for neglecting this 
duty. When the preacher delivers the message of God, 
he should never separate himself from his audience as 
if he were not addressed. He needs the communications 
of grace just as much as his congregation does. His 
own experience of wants, of sins, of trials and of bless 
ings should be wrought into his discourses. His own 
faults should be kept in view, and rebuked as sharply 
as those of his audience. Diligently should he listen 
for the voice of God as addressed to his own particular 
case, and then reiterate that voice from the sacred desk. 
This rule, given by another, should ever be his guide : 
" In your preparations for the pulpit endeavor to derive 
from the subject on which you are about to preach that 
spiritual benefit you wish your hearers to receive." 

It is well for the minister to study his own particular 
wants in every sermon that he preaches. He should 
question himself, What are my most grievous short- 



80 THE PASTOR 

comings? What are my besetting sins? What are 
the deficiences in my Christian character ? What hin- 
derances do I find to my progress in grace ? To what 
higher degrees of spirituality am I desirous of attain 
ing? What more good might I do in the kingdom? 
These and similar questions to self would give far more 
directness of aim to his discourses. He may depend on 
it that his own wants and those of his people are very 
similar. Then, if his discourses arise out of his own 
experience, and are shaped so as to meet his own wants, 
they will assuredly also be applicable to the great body 
of his Christian people. 

The soul of the minister will almost necessarily 
grow in grace under such a process. Its own great in 
terests will not be neglected through exclusive care for 
others ; its prevailing maladies will be detected ; it will 
be kept alive, and the proper spiritual nourishment will 
be given it, When every sermon is faithfully brought 
home to the preacher s own heart, he must advance in 
purity, in vigor, in knowledge and in every other grace. 
Perhaps not perceptibly, but very surely, will he make 
progress from year to year. 

Nothing could have a better effect in preserving from 
a perfunctory mode of preaching than this self-applica 
tion of the sermon. As in every other profession, the 
minister is in danger here. To see a man preaching 
as a mere thing of rote is a very sad sight indeed. 
There is nothing more heartless or repulsive. It is 
scarcely possible for such preaching to do any good or 
not to disgust. But when the preacher keeps his own 
case vividly before him in what he is saying, then he 
must be interested, and consequently interest others. 
Then he appears riot as one above them. He is not 
patronizing, but he is one with his audience, and enters 



IN THE CLOSET. 81 

with them into all their troubles for sin and into all 
their joys for deliverance through Christ. 

This habit will without doubt intensify the earnest 
ness of one s preaching. It must quicken the sensibili 
ties, and awaken to keenness of thought about the great 
spiritual wants of the soul. Then in the proclamation 
of the gospel the pastor will have all the ardor that 
can be produced by the serious thought that his own 
interests are at stake. He cannot be indifferent with 
the conviction pressing upon him that life or death is 
the issue he cannot be cold and formal. 

The thought is well presented by the devout Leighton : 
" It is a cold, lifeless thing to speak of spiritual things 
upon mere report; but they that speak of them as 
their own, as having share and interest in them, and 
some experience of their sweetness, their discourse of 
them is enlivened by firm belief and an ardent affection; 
they cannot mention them but their hearts are straight 
taken with such gladness as they are, forced to vent in 
praises." Then the preacher must preach in sympathy 
with the people, and his sighs and his tears and his 
joys mingle with theirs. 

The pastor should look upon this rule of preaching 
himself in all his sermons as one of very great 
moment. It is important for his own sake, it is im 
portant for his people s sake, that he should preach 
every sermon to himself as one of the chief auditors. 
He should do this even when he is addressing the im 
penitent, for their hearts and his are by nature alike, 
and the gulf from which he would draw them is the 
gulf from which he has only narrowly escaped himself. 
After preaching, the sermon should rest deeply in his 
own thoughts, and its influence upon his spiritual life 
be anxiously looked for. " In what am I better or 
11 



82 THE PASTOR 

more resolved in my Christian calling?" is a question 
he should very thoughtfully ask. The minister cannot 
do without this preaching to himself, for ordinarily he 
has no other to preach to him, and his soul will suffer 
without this culture. 

HINDERANCES IN THE WAY OF MINISTERIAL PIETY. 

There are certain things which are in danger of im 
peding the progress of the clergyman in holiness. 
There are temptations which are peculiar to him and 
which arise from the nature of his office. His very ad 
vantages and means of usefulness sometimes become a 
snare when they are not properly guarded. Sometimes 
when he appears to be the strongest he needs to be es 
pecially watchful. These dangers should be carefully 
studied, for they are insidious, and it is only when they 
are clearly seen that they lose their power. It is well 
that a few of them, should be here exposed. 

1. The minister is in danger of imperceptibly falling 
into the habit of looking upon spiritual things simply as 
a profession. It is his business to work for the salvation 
of souls ; he is called to interpret the Bible as a profes 
sion ; he goes to visit the sick officially ; he calls upon 
men to glorify God because it is his duty to do so; and 
he gradually falls into all these duties as a mere habit. 
He is in danger of coming to look upon them simply as 
a profession, and not as matters involving everlasting 
interests. If he is not careful he will soon find him 
self performing them in a merely perfunctory manner. 
The great interests which he handles become so familiar 
that they may excite within him scarcely any feeling. 
This tendency is seen in all the professions. And there 
is great cause for the minister to be alarmed lest it comes 



IN THE CLOSET. 83 

to be with him that he has no heart in a work which is 
most solemn in its issues. How careful should he be 
lest in dealing so constantly with other souls he should 
come to neglect his own ! 

2. The pastor must be watchful, or soon he will find 
that all his studying of the Bible is intended for others. 
The word of God is the great instrument with which he 
is to work, and in that light simply he will soon find 
himself regarding it and making it familiar. How to 
make it plain to others and how to interest them in it 
may soon become the ever-present question with him. 
And so much absorbed does he become with this that he 
does not search it for the blessings with which it might 
enrich his own soul. Bishop Simpson has well por 
trayed this danger : " The very word of God that the 
minister studies may do him less good than it does the 
non-professional reader. Why is this? I take my 
Bible ; my heart is sad and I seek some precious promise. 
I bend over the page ; my heart leans for a moment on 
that precious passage: Let not your heart be troubled; 
ye believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father s 
house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have 
told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go 
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and re 
ceive you unto myself, and just as the heart is begin 
ning to grasp the sweetness and the fitness of the pas 
sage there springs up the thought, That will be a fine 
passage to unfold to my congregation, and ere I am 
aware I am preparing a sermon for my people, instead 
of resting my soul upon the riches of the promise." 
Many a minister while feeding others has thus starved 
himself. 

3. Because he holds the ministerial office and has 
devoted his life to divine things, the pastor is liable to 



84 THE PASTOR 

take it for granted that all is well with his own soul, 
without giving that question the constant attention which 
its awful importance demands. He has a sort of ha 
bitual impression that that question is of course 
settled, and so he may hardly ever think of his own 
spiritual state. It is not a matter of pressing daily 
duty with him to make his calling and election sure. 
His incessant ministering to other makes the impression 
of his personal safety the more settled, and thus he 
comes to neglect his own salvation ; at least there is very 
great danger that he will so neglect it. This was not 
the way with the great apostle, though he had so many 
evidences of his acceptance. His anxious course he thus 
describes : " But I keep under my body, and bring it 
into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have 
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." 
The great danger here is that if the minister should be 
self-deceived he might go on and on and never awake 
to the realization of his deplorable condition. 

4. There are special temptations to which, from its 
peculiar nature, the ministerial office is exposed. It is 
a sacred office, and that very thing draws after it certain 
dangers that should be candidly admitted. Very often 
the peril of the pastor is to be unfaithful in delivering 
the whole counsel of God for fear of awakening the 
enmity of his hearers. Envy of others who are sup 
posed to have a superior place or success is a strong 
temptation in the way of many. Some are liable to be 
led away by spiritual pride, and then to become impa 
tient of opposition, and even to show a domineering 
spirit that is most offensive. Even the great confidence 
reposed in the minister, and the love with which he is 
cherished, give promise of an impunity in yielding 
that makes certain temptations far more formidable. 



IN THE CLOSET. 85 

Slothfulness is one of the besetting sins of this office, 
and that because of the habits of seclusion and the 
possibility of postponing duties, and because there is 
very often no other pressing impulse than the voice of 
conscience. These are some of the peculiar dangers to 
which the minister is exposed, and they should be very 
carefully studied, especially in the light of their enor 
mity when yielded to by him who is an ambassador of 
Jesus Christ. 

5. The pastor has no counselor whom he ordinarily 
likes to consult about his own soul. Other persons have 
their spiritual guide, and they may be greatly benefited 
by unburdening their hearts to him and seeking his 
advice in their inward struggles. But he has no one, 
in fact, who stands related to him as a friend and 
adviser in sacred things. It is not supposed that he 
needs such assistance. There is a sort of impression 
that his attainments in divine things are, or ought to 
be, so high that it would be an unworthy exposure for 
him to condescend to seek the aid of others. And so, 
neither asking nor being offered the assistance of any 
earthly minister, his sins may remain covered, his spir 
itual sores fester, and if great grace is not granted him 
he may become hard and insensible and slide very far 
from the spirit he should possess and manifest. 



HELPS TO THE PIETY OF THE PASTOR. 

Having spoken of the hinderances, we would now 
enumerate some of the helps, to a deeper spirituality 
which this office furnishes. It carries with it certain 
advantages for the promotion of personal piety ad 
vantages which are not possessed by any other calling 
in life. These should receive the closest attention by 



86 THE PASTOR 

him who holds the sacred office. He should also im 
prove them to the uttermost. His piety should be of a 
more elevated type than that of other Christians, because 
he has many things to help him upward which they 
have not. He will be unfaithful to his God, to his 
office and to himself if he does not lay these things to 
heart and derive from them their fullest benefits. 

1. From the nature of their office and studies minis 
ters must have the clearest knowledge of the way in which 
eminent piety may be reached. This very thing is the 
great study of their lives. It is at once their duty and 
their privilege to know as fully as men can know what 
are the most important means of grace, what are the 
advantages of devoted piety, how the Spirit ordinarily 
sanctifies the hearts of men, and how great is the weight 
of the motives urging on to godliness. God s ordained 
method of reaching that desirable end lies plainly before 
them, so that they cannot well mistake or wander from 
it. This knowledge is always fresh with them, because 
the duties of their office require that it should be con 
stantly in their thoughts. Indeed, the subject can never 
escape from their notice, but presses home upon them 
with all its weight in everything they do. 

2. The pastor has every possible motive for cultivating 
the graces of the /Spirit. Pie is urged forward to it by 
his love to Jesus and desire for the glory of God, by 
pity for poor dying souls, by anxiety for his own hap 
piness and by all his affection for the Church of Christ, 
especially for his own particular branch of it. He 
has all the motives of ordinary Christians for seeking 
after devoted godliness, but he has also peculiar mo 
tives of his own. His personal reputation is at stake. 
With him success in life s calling depends upon the 
measure of his sanctity. Fidelity to the charge en- 



IN THE CLOSET. 87 

trusted to him requires that he should ever be actuated 
by the highest spiritual motives. The pressure of re 
sponsibility calls upon him to become more and more 
holy. Every conceivable motive urges him urges him 
constantly upward and onward to a fuller experience 
of the sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost, 

3. His sense of the importance of consistency must act 
as a peculiarly healthful restraint upon the pastor. He 
is conscious that in consequence of his solemn ordina 
tion vows it becometh him to be eminently holy ; that 
far more is expected of him than of other men ; that 
he is an ambassador for God, a minister of the Lord 
Jesus and a pastor of a portion of the redeemed flock ; 
that he, with other ministers of the gospel, is " made a 
spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men ;" 
and that because of his sacred profession his failings or 
crimes would do unspeakable harm to religion. All 
these considerations are like a hedge around him. He 
cannot break through them without a struggle, without 
shame and without doing sore violence to his conscience. 
The restraint may sometimes seem a painful one, and 
perhaps for the moment he would wish it removed, 
but it is most salutary in the end. Many a time the 
consciousness of what he is keeps back the minister 
from indulgences that would injure his soul and grieve 
his Saviour. Many a time it constrains him to dis 
charge duties from which he would otherwise be tempted 
to shrink. Many a time it impels him forward toward 
higher attainments in grace and greater conformity to 
the pattern of his divine Lord. 

4. The mind of the minister is constantly engaged on 
holy things, and it is almost inevitable that it should be- 
come more and more spiritual. His daily study per 
tains to the word of God, the nature of Christ, the 



88 THE PASTOR 

mind of the Spirit, the importance of salvation, the 
conversion of souls, the spread of the gospel, the edifi 
cation of believers and other kindred subjects ; and 
how can he be constantly busied about these sacred 
things without his soul being made more sacred by 
them ? In studying, in preaching, in prayer, in the 
Sabbath-school, every day, if not every hour, his thoughts 
are bent upon eternal things, arid it is natural that what 
is so much thought of should appear in ever-increasing 
magnitude. And these things are too momentous to 
lose their impressiveness because of familiarity. The 
heart cannot help taking the hue of that upon which it 
is constantly fixed. Just as the views, the gait, the 
tones and the manners of one whom we admire and 
with whom we associate imperceptibly become impressed 
upon us, so it is that the mind grows gradually like 
that with which it is most steadily engaged. Thus it is 
that ministers must almost necessarily become spiritual 
from their constant intercourse with spiritual things. 

This advantage of the minister is clearly presented 
by Dr. Shedd : " Not only does the ministerial calling 
and profession require eminent piety, but it tends to 
produce it. By his position the clergyman is greatly 
assisted in attaining to a superior grade of Christian 
character. For, so far as his active life is concerned, 
his proper professional business is religious. The daily 
labor of the clergyman is as truly and exclusively re 
ligious as that of the farmer is agricultural or that of 
the merchant is mercantile. This is highly favorable 
to spirituality. Ought not one to grow in grace whose 
daily avocations bring him into communication with 
the anxious, the thoughtful, the convicted soul, the re 
joicing heart, the bereaved, the sick and the dying ? 
Ought not that man to advance in the love and know- 



IN THE CLOSET. 89 

ledge of God whose regular occupation from day to 
day is to become acquainted with the strictly religious 
wants and condition of the community, and to minister 
to them ? If the daily avocations of the mechanic have 
a tendency to make him ingenious and inventive, if the 
daily avocations of the merchant tend to make him en 
terprising and adventurous, do not the daily avocations 
of the clergyman tend to make him devout? The in 
fluence of active life upon character is in its own place 
and manner as great as that of contemplative life. A 
man is unconsciously moulded and formed by his daily 
routine of duties as really as by the books he reads or 
the sciences he studies. Hence a faithful performance 
of clerical duties contributes directly to spirituality." 

5. The minister is continually in the midst of scenes 
which must keep fresh the impression of the importance 
of true godliness. He is called to visit the dying, the 
suffering, the sorrowing, the hoping, the rejoicing. 
The nature and results of sin in their horrors and of 
piety in all its blessedness he sees exhibited in living 
reality. Sometimes he almost beholds the woes of the 
lost ; sometimes almost the joys of the ransomed. Such 
scenes are passing before his eyes nearly every day. He 
sees them in all their various aspects. He is admitted 
to the confidence of hearts that are almost breaking. 
His soul would need to be of adamant if these things 
did not move it deeply. As no other person he has op 
portunities of witnessing the transcendent value of the 
gospel of Christ for assuaging the woes of men. The 
earnestness of life and the nearness of eternity must 
impress him with the thought that there is nothing but 
the religion of which he is a minister that is of real im 
portance to the world. And this is the school in which 
he is ever learning the value of eminent godliness. 
12 



90 THE PASTOR IN THE CLOSE! 

6. The prayers of his godly people are ever going up 
for the pastor. As a power for promoting his piety this 
cannot be overestimated. These prayers are offered in 
public and in private. Often when he little dreams of 
it they are ascending to the throne. They are very con 
stant from one and another or many of his congregation, 
and the pastor should seek for them most anxiously. 
Such supplications cannot be offered up so frequently 
and so earnestly and yet be in vain. Undoubtedly they 
are among the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous 
which avail much. Though he may not recognize them 
at the time, they do bring down the power of the Spirit 
upon him when he is studying, when he is preaching, 
when he is visiting the sick and in other of the solemn 
duties of his office. These prayers are deeply import 
ant for the piety of the minister and for the prosecu 
tion of a work the most solemn that can be committed 
to the hands of man. 

Such are some of the peculiar advantages which the 
pastor can rely upon in striving for that eminent degree 
of piety which becomes him. Great are his trials, but 
greater far are his blessings. These things compensate, 
and more than compensate, for all the sacrifices he may 
have to make. Happy, happy man is he in being priv 
ileged to hold such a noble office under Jesus the King ! 
How high it is possible for him to rise in the attainment 
of holiness and of happiness ! How devoted may be 
his godliness ! How much of the spirit of heaven he 
may attain even here ! How much of the very charac 
ter of Christ the Son of God it is his privilege now to 
manifest before the world ! 



CHAPTER III. 
THE PASTOR IN THE STUDY. 

THERE are two places where, unseen by the world, the 
pastor receives strength and equipment for that moment 
ous work to which he has been ordained ; they are the 
closet and the study. We place them in the order of 
their relative importance first the closet, then the study. 
First the cultivation of the heart, then the cultivation 
of the head, is the rule of life from which the minister 
of the gospel ought never to depart. The two classes 
of preparation for his work which are involved, in many 
points intermingle and are dependent on each other ; 
still, for the sake of making each as impressive as pos 
sible, they may be considered apart. We have dwelt on 
the preparation of the closet ; our business is now with 
that which is to be made in the study. In his study, 
away from the eye of man, the pastor is to furnish his 
mind and train its powers so that he may go forth and 
do efficient service in the great work of the Master. 
Here the beaten oil is to be prepared that will send 
forth a sweet savor in the courts of the Lord. The im 
portance of the study as lying at the foundation of 
ministerial success and its proper management are ques 
tions which must be well pondered. How to become en 
amored of the study so as to be much in it, how to 
select the employments that are most important for it, 
how to systematize its work, and how to economize its 

91 



92 THE PASTOR 

hours so that they may tell most effectively, are consid 
erations which are of vital importance to every pastor, 
young or old. 



CLOSE STUDY INDISPENSABLE. 

The duties of this office are such that it is impossible 
to discharge them effectively without a life of close study. 
A mere random preparation, when everything happens 
to suit, for some important public occasions will not do. 
There must be close and continued cultivation of the 
mind and storing it with new funds of thought. Mere 
genius will not give permanent success here. The Spirit 
of God will not inspire a man without his own efforts, 
for the Spirit works through the diligent use of human 
means. Nothing will take the place of laborious and 
persevering study for the faithful discharge of the duties 
of this office. This is the indispensable condition of use 
fulness, of comfort and of success. Let this be received 
as a well-established maxim, all other assertions, prom 
ises, boastings and imaginings to the contrary notwith 
standing. 

It should be firmly settled by every pastor that close 
study is to be one great business of his whole life. We 
would not establish a comparison between this and the 
other great duties of his calling, because this so inter 
penetrates them as to become a constituent element of 
them all. That his life is to be one of incessant study, 
he should fix upon as a fact from which there is to be 
no escaping if he would serve God in the gospel. He 
should become reconciled to it. He should make all 
his arrangements with reference to it, and he should 
give himself up to it with his whole heart and purpose. 
To study on and on he should consider as no incidental 



IN THE STUDY. 93 

thing with him, but as the great business of his life and 
as an indispensable part of every duty to which he is 
called. His study is not to be as a mere preparation for 
the ministry, to be dropped, or even remitted, when its 
active duties are entered upon, but is to be the incessant 
occupation of his life. It is not to be relaxed with years, 
but to go on filling and enriching the mind upon whose 
stores there will be such incessant draughts. This work 
of replenishing and strengthening the mind is funda 
mental in the ministerial office, the sphere of whose 
duties lies so much in that which is mental and spiritual. 
The pastor should be earnest in it. In this, as in other 
things, he should make full proof of his ministry. He 
should meditate upon these things, give himself wholly 
to them, that his profiting may appear to all. 

The pastor must study, study, study, or he will not 
grow, or even live, as a true workman for Christ. The 
want of this is the cause of innumerable failures which 
are seen in the ministry. Here is a young man who 
enters upon the office with fine talents, a fair amount of 
preparation, an encouraging field of labor and every 
prospect of success. But the promise is not fulfilled. 
He does not come up to the expectations which were 
excited, and which he himself entertained. On the 
contrary, his preaching decreases in interest, his congre 
gation falls away and his whole work declines. The 
reason is, that he has not kept his mind polished up 
by constant study, or continued to replenish it with the 
rich stores of thought which he might have gathered 
from other sources. This process is well described by 
Vinet in his admirable work : " We must study to excite 
and enrich our own mind by means of other men s. 
Those who do not study find their talents enfeebled 
and their minds become decrepit before the time. In 



94 THE PASTOR 

respect to preaching, experience demonstrates this most 
abundantly. Whence comes it that preachers much 
admired in the beginning decline so rapidly or remain 
so much below the hopes to which they had given birth ? 
Most frequently it is because they did not continue their 
studies. A faithful pastor always studies to a certain 
extent ; besides the Bible he constantly reads the book 
of human nature, which is always open before him ; but 
this unscientific study does not suffice. Without inces 
sant application we may make sermons, even good ser 
mons, but they will all more and more resemble each 
other. A preacher, on the contrary, who pursues a 
course of solid thinking, who nourishes his mind by 
various reading, will always be interesting." John 
Wesley also depicts the evil of the habit of not study 
ing in an exhortation to one who had fallen into it : 
" Your talent in preaching does not increase ; it is about 
the same as it was seven years ago ; it is lively, but not 
deep ; there is little variety ; there is no compass of 
thought. Reading alone can supply this, with daily 
meditation and daily prayer. You wrong yourself 
greatly by omitting this. You can never be a deep 
preacher without it, any more than a thorough Chris 
tian. Oh, begin ! Fix some part of every day for private 
exercises. You may acquire the taste which you have 
not. What is tedious at first will afterward be pleasant. 
Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is 
for your life ; there is no other way, else you will be a 
trifler all your days and a petty, superficial preacher. 
Do justice to your own soul ; give it time and means to 
grow ; do not starve yourself any longer." 

Nothing but close study will do for the pastor who 
will live and grow in the duties of his profession. He 
must study God in his word and in his works and in 



IN THE STUDY. 95 

his providences ; he must study the great writings of 
human piety and wisdom which a ricli religious litera 
ture furnishes ; he must study man in his varied charac 
ter, in his history and in his prospects; he must study 
everything that would enrich his discourses, draw men 
to Christ and glorify God. 

It is impossible for any preacher to keep up that 
variety which is necessary in order to interest a congre 
gation unless he is perpetually gathering together stores 
of thought, and contriving how to present them so as to 
attract attention. Christ, and him crucified, is the great 
theme of preaching, and must be the burden of every 
sermon. To present this one subject two or three 
times a week, and that year after year, without tiresome 
sameness, is the great difficulty which every conscien 
tious minister must feel. The thought of this was what 
excited the amazement of the great English statesman, 
John Bright, when he said that it was a perfect mystery 
to him how a minister could preach even tolerably on 
the same subject week after week and year after year. 
And here is the very place where multitudes of ministers 
do fail. Their preaching ceases to interest because it 
gradually grows into a reiteration of the same thoughts 
in almost the same order and well-nigh the same words. 
No congregation can be kept together where there is 
such repetition in the sermons. But it is not necessary 
that there should be such sameness, even though the 
great central theme never varies. This one grand, all- 
absorbing truth may be presented in ten thousand dif 
ferent aspects, each of which shall be new and each 
thrillingly interesting. It ha,s in it a variety that never 
can be exhausted. These diversified phases of the car 
dinal thought of the gospel, however, must be thought 
out. They must be very diligently sought for. They 



96 THE PASTOR 

are contained in the Scriptures, in Christian experi 
ence and in the nature of the subject, and they may 
be found in rich variety by him whose thoughts are 
fixed persistently on their discovery. They may always 
appear fresh, though the one old story has been told 
over a thousand times. Here is the minister s bound 
less field of study. Yea, it is a blessing and a glory 
to us that we must study and study on, and ever be 
rewarded with the richest discoveries of heavenly know 
ledge. 

In almost all instances the pastor will lose his influ 
ence and position of usefulness when he is not diligent 
in the labors of the study. It is nearly inevitable that 
it should be so. In innumerable cases the secret of the 
decline in the popularity of ministers is to be found 
here. The fact cannot be concealed from the people 
when their pastor is habitually negligent in his prepa 
ration for the pulpit. They will see it and feel it, even 
though they may never cast a glance inside the study. 
They will perceive it in the crudeness of his discourses, 
and in the repetition of the same thoughts, the same 
Scripture quotations, the same stories and the same illus 
trations month after month. And can they be blamed if 
their interest flags and they soon grow weary ? They are 
not fed; they learn nothing; there is nothing for them 
to learn ; and their attention must soon be gone. Many, 
many ministers should look to this as the cause of their 
unpopularity, and not to the unreasonableness of their 
congregations. If they would make diligent preparation, 
not only for each particular sermon, but also for the 
general work, by incessant thought and gathering of 
material, it is not often that the people would lose their 
interest in either the preaching or the preacher. 

Pre-eminently with those who hold the sacred office 



IN THE STUDY. 97 

should it be the rule that they would not serve God 
with that which cost them nothing. There was a great 
principle, a heaven-revealed principle, in the resolu 
tion of King David : " Neither will I offer burnt-offer 
ings unto the Lord rny God of that which doth cost me 
nothing." To offer that to Jehovah which cost no sac 
rifice or effort, or is of no value, is unworthy his glori 
ous majesty and the benefits we have received from him. 
And does not the clergyman violate that principle 
every time he goes into the pulpit and professes to serve 
God whilst preaching a sermon that has cost him no 
time or toil or thought? It is an affront to his congre 
gation to preach such a sermon, but is it not a far 
greater affront to that glorious Being in whose name he 
speaks and who sees and knows all ? For the preacher, 
who proclaims the words which God has given him, to 
slight his message is to slight the Author of that mes 
sage ; but to study it diligently, to give it deep thought, 
to throw his whole heart into it, is to exalt the Master 
by whom he is sent. He thus shows the world what 
he thinks of the King who sent him, as well as of the 
message which he bears. And the more we study our 
adorable Father in heaven the greater will he appear in 
his sublime Deity, in his word and in his works. 

It is a dangerous thing for any clergyman to get into 
the habit of relying upon his ability to preach in a 
purely extemporaneous manner. There are many min 
isters who can do so indeed, most persons who have 
been for some time in the ministry could occasionally 
deliver a sermon without almost any preparation. And 
in certain emergencies it may be necessary to do so. 
But to rely upon that ability, and resort often to it, as 
some do, is a habit that will soon prove ruinous. No 
preacher, no matter how great his native talents, can 

13 



98 THE PASTOR 

long rotain even a respectable position if he pursues this 
course. If it leads to such a superficial practice the 
power of easy extemporaneous speaking becomes a very 
perilous one. The great danger is that the conscious 
ness of being able to make a fair appearance without 
premeditation may keep from that persevering study 
without which no preaching can continue to be edifying. 
There may be fine words and smooth utterance and 
tolerably rounded periods, but the thoughts arid words 
will be the same over and over again. There will 
be enough that is old, but very little that is new or 
instructive. We could name many ministers of fine 
talents and superior powers of utterance and self-com 
mand before an audience, but who have failed in con 
gregation after congregation because they have relied 
upon their native powers, and neglected that deep and 
never-relaxing study which, we would over and over 
again repeat, is indispensable to the really successful 
pastor. 

The warning cannot be made too emphatic that one 
of the greatest dangers of the ministry is that of falling 
into the sin of sloth fulness. The secluded habits of the 
office, the possibility of getting through many of its 
duties tolerably without much special preparation, and 
the fact that ordinarily conscience must be the only 
prompter, are all liable to be so perverted as to lead to 
a sluggish and procrastinating course of life. It is a 
lamentable fact that so many ministers allow their useful 
ness and comfort and influence to be blighted in this 
way. It should not be overlooked that this is a great 
sin. The solemn vocation of the office and the interests 
at stake, and the ordination vows which have been en 
tered into, show it to be a crime in the sight of God 
before which any thoughtful man must tremble. And 



IN THE STUDY. 99 

ultimately it will be ruinous. It blights the prospects 
of him who indulges in it ; it will necessarily be seen 
by the world, and the minister of Christ who allows 
himself to become the victim of habits of sloth fu In es.s 
will be despised. Again then do we say, study on, 
that this habit, and all that is kindred to it, may be 
prevented or overcome. 

THOEOUGH SYSTEM. 

There is peculiar need for a well-arranged method in 
the discharge of the duties of the ministry, and especial 
ly for conducting the exercises of the study. In no 
calling of life is there more need for thorough system. 
So great is the number, and so varied the nature, of the 
duties pressing upon the pastor, that if they are not 
carefully arranged and proportioned in time it will be 
utterly impossible for him to overtake them all. It is 
his vocation daily to search the Scriptures diligently, to 
cultivate his own heart, to preach the gospel in public 
or from house to house, to visit the sick, to attend fu 
nerals, to write letters, to conduct ecclesiastical business, 
and to perform many other duties ; and in order to do 
all this there must be a plan of work carefully matured. 
He needs to have his time systematized in order to per 
form all these duties with any measure of justice to 
them. The ease with which some of them might be 
postponed, or even omitted altogether, and his constant 
exposure to interruptions from various quarters, are 
temptations which make it exceedingly important that 
the pastor should have his work laid out by a system 
that will call up each part of it in its place and propor 
tion, and so give completeness to it all. This system 
should not be so rigid as to amount to a drudgery, 



100 THE PASTOR 

but it should be so well defined and understood as to 
bring up each duty in its time and place. It should 
extend to the times of devotion, to the hours and subjects 
of study, to the great duties of the office, and to all its 
private and public callings. Each of these duties and 
calls should be assigned its appropriate place in the 
work of the day or week, and the arrangement of all 
should be as strictly adhered to as varying events will 
permit. 

It is surprising how much more can be accomplished 
when a thorough method of duty has been established, 
and each part of it is entered upon with promptness at 
the fixed minute, with the powers of the mind fully 
concentrated upon it. The remark of Dr. Archibald 
Alexander, that " more than half one s time can thus 
be saved," is probably within bounds. The same thought 
was forcibly presented by Cecil when he said, " Method 
is like packing things in a box : a good packer will get 
in half as much again as a bad one." The order of 
duties, and number of hours or minutes to be spent in 
each of them, being fixed by rule, there will not be 
time wasted at each turn in considering what to do next. 
Much time, very much, will be gained by having the 
appointed duty always ready for present action, and 
ordinarily the most profitable thing to be done at any 
given hour will be that which has been fixed by the 
pre-established system. It is not left then for present 
impulse to follow its promptings whether best or not. 
In this way also time will be gained and space will be 
fixed for doing many things which otherwise would be 
utterly neglected. In the little fragments of time that 
could be economized many a volume may be read, many 
a study pursued, many an article written, many a val 
uable thought treasured up. 



IN THE STUDY. 101 

When a system of duties is carefully planned and 
rigidly adhered to in practice, it soon grows into a habit 
and becomes easy and pleasant. There is nothing more 
disagreeable than to be vacillating at every point as to 
what should be undertaken next. There is no more 
effectual method of squandering time. But when the 
system has grown into a habit, then its rules as a sys 
tem are forgotten, and the promptings of duty alone are 
heard. It becomes natural then to take up each part 
of the day s work as its hour arrives. A fixed order 
of duties is far more agreeable in the end than to take 
them up at random as the whim of the moment might 
dictate. There is no thraldom in thorough system ; it 
rather oils the wheels of daily work and makes them 
to run more smoothly. 

To adopt some system in the study and other engage 
ments of the ministry not only economizes time and 
makes the work move on more pleasantly, but it also 
saves from the omission of many duties which might 
seem to be insignificant, but which, in the aggregate, are 
very important. The system, grown into a habit, brings 
up such duties as a matter of course, and so they are not 
passed by or forgotten. Such things as writing letters, 
visiting aged persons and speaking to inquirers are very 
liable to be neglected unless there is some fixed plan by 
which they are brought to notice at the proper time. 
There are small matters, such as keeping books and 
papers in order, making a record of marriages, of bap 
tisms and admissions of members to the church, and 
acknowledging favors received, which are liable to be 
overlooked as of no importance, but which, in their 
aggregate, have a positive bearing on one s comfort as 
well as on his influence. These must be arranged in 
some order or they will inevitably be neglected in a 



102 THE PASTOR 

life which is filled with so many and such varied duties 
as is that of the clergyman. 

In order that our counsels may be as explicit as pos 
sible, we will give a scheme of daily ministerial work 
which has been long tried and proved practicable. Its 
general outline is to spend the forenoon up to two o clock 
in study, the afternoon in visiting, and the evening in 
reading and correspondence. More specifically : two 
hours and a half are first employed on the study of the 
Sabbath morning sermon, then an hour or an hour and 
a half on general Bible or other studies, and then from 
half an hour to an hour on the sermon for Sabbath 
evening. In the afternoon about two hours arid a half 
are spent in the various duties of pastoral visiting. In 
the evening, or parts of evenings that can be commanded, 
the time is nearly equally divided between correspond 
ence and general reading. Other smaller matters, such 
as have been already named, are dovetailed into the little 
fragments of time which lie between. We do not pro 
pose this as a plan for all, for each one must have his 
own system, framed according to his circumstances, tastes 
and objects of pursuit. But we give it as an illustration 
of the method which should be adopted by all. It may 
also, at least in its general outlines, serve as a model ac 
cording to which the younger minister may construct 
some scheme until, by experiment, he has found out 
what is best for himself. 

How many hours a day should be devoted to study? 
This is a question which is asked by most earnest young 
men as they enter the ministry, and it is a question 
which experience ought to strive to answer at least so 
to answer as to fix some boundaries that may serve as a 
guide. We have already spoken of the necessity for 
very diligent and persevering study, and now need but 



IN THE STUDY. 103 

add that just as much time daily as prudence will allow 
should be spent in it. But we would also say that the 
other extremity should be avoided. There should not 
be too much undertaken, either here or in any other 
branch of the ministerial work. If too many hours are 
spent in mental work, other duties will be neglected, the 
health will be endangered, the vigor of the mind will 
not be so great, and the wearying effects of overwork 
may so discourage as to create a dislike that will alienate 
from all mental effort. We would therefore recommend 
that only a reasonable and profitable length of time be 
allowed daily to the work of the study. 

We would venture to suggest as a rule about five 
hours a day, or from eight o clock in the morning until 
two, with a recess of an hour. Our programme, then, for 
the ordinary day s work would be one hour of devotion 
before breakfast ; five hours of study ; two hours and a 
half of visiting ; and in the evening one hour and a 
half for reading and correspondence ten hours a day 
for these various duties of the office. Considering the 
variety afforded by the different engagements, this would 
not be too much. And if this length of time daily for 
five days in the week were devoted to earnest work, it 
would accomplish as much as any minister should ever 
undertake. 

But these short hours in the study should be spent in 
real work. There should be no dreaming, no frittering 
away of minutes, no languid spaces spent in getting 
ready for work. The business in hand should be 
plunged into at once, and the whole powers toned up 
vigorously till the allotted period is ended. And little 
fragments of time should be most diligently utilized. 
These are what may be made a minister s treasury of 
improvement. As in some matmfaefeoriea the sweepings 



104 THE PASTOR 

or the shavings, when carefully gathered up, are the real 
profits, so it is that by improving the fragments of time 
the minister may accumulate great mental and spiritual 
wealth. 

We have said that this daily routine we propose is 
only for five days in the week. On the Sabbath the 
minister should have nothing to do with any other 
mental efforts than those of his public exercises. All 
preparations should be fully made before the Lord s Day 
arrives. On every account the slovenly habit of finish 
ing sermons on the sacred day should be most strenu 
ously avoided. We would also earnestly recommend 
that Monday be observed as a day of mental and bodily 
rest. The minister must have his resting day as well 
as other men, or he will suffer the consequences. His 
physical constitution demands it. If it is denied, in 
time he will break down in health, as hundreds are doing. 
Nor must it be supposed that devoting one day of the 
week to absolute rest will be a loss of time in the end. 
No ; the work of the other days will be more vigorous, 
the physical and mental tone will be kept up, and at the 
end of the year far more will be accomplished. One 
day of wakeful, energetic work is worth three or four 
spent in half dreaming and forcing one s self to unat 
tractive tasks. 

The thorough system we are now urging requires that 
there should be great promptness and punctuality in the 
discharge of every. duty. Very much depends upon this, 
taking it in its broadest sense. What may be consid 
ered little duties should be most diligently attended to 
just as they arise, for in the aggregate they are far from 
being little. Every duty should be taken up in its time 
and finished with vigor. What claims to be done just 
now should be done at once and done well. How im- 



IN THE STUDY. 105 

portant for the minister s usefulness and credit and com 
fort that he should not keep continually hanging over 
his head a cloud of delayed duties ! How different 
his life from that of the one who is strictly prompt in 
all his undertakings ! We would place great emphasis 
on this point. To help the impression, we will quote a 
few energetically written sentences from Sir Thomas 
Fowell Buxton : 

" I do not mean the merely being in time for lectures, 
dinners, etc., but I mean the spirit out of which punctu 
ality grows that love of accuracy, precision and vigor 
which makes efficient men and women ; the determina 
tion that what you have to do shall be done in spite of 
all petty obstacles, and finished off at once and finally. 
When Nelson was on the eve of departure for one of his 
great expeditions the coachman said to him, The carriage 
shall be at the door punctually at six o clock. A quarter 
before/ said Nelson ; I have always been a quarter of 
an hour ahead of my time, and it has made a man of me. 

" The punctuality which I desire for you involves and 
comprehends the exact arrangement of your time. It 
is a matter on which much depends. Fix how much 
time you will spend upon each object, and keep all but 
obstinately to your plan. Ponder well what 1 have 
said, and call upon God to help you in arraying yourself 
in the qualities which I desire. If you mean to be ef 
fective, you must set about it earnestly and at once. No 
one ever yawned it into being with a wish ; you must 
make arrangements for it, you must watch it, you must 
notice when you fail, and you must keep some kind of 
journal of your failures." 

In the ministerial office, where there are so many dif 
ferent kinds of work and so many minute though not 
insignificant objects of attention, it is of vast importance 

14 



106 THE PASTOR 

that each duty should be taken up promptly and dis 
charged with energy. There is no other way of filling 
up its various parts with any measure of completeness. 

The habit of being rigidly punctual in attendance 
upon every meeting and in every other object calling 
for his attention is an invaluable one for the clergy 
man. A sense of the importance of his work, the de 
mands of veracity and the influence of his example, 
all require that he should be inflexible in fulfilling every 
engagement, and that at precisely the appointed time. 
It is amazing how some ministers will make appoint 
ments appointments which to others may be of great 
moment and then for some trivial reason fail to 
perform them. To do so is certain not only to disap 
point those by whom they were expected, but also to 
impair the confidence of men in them, and to encourage 
a looseness of sentiment as to moral obligation. One 
should know precisely what he is doing when he enters 
into an engagement, and then consider himself abso 
lutely bound to fulfill it. Never, unless from causes 
which are unavoidable, should he disappoint in any 
promise he makes. His word should be as his bond. 
In this way he will make for himself a character for 
fidelity to his promises, for promptness and for punc 
tuality that will be an invaluable source of power in 
the great work of his ministry. 

All these points have been brought under the general 
head of system in the duties of the ministry in order 
that the subject may be made as emphatic as possible. 
No minister should drop it until his mind is impressed 
and his purpose formed. It may be safely said that the 
great difference in the efficiency of ministers is largely 
owing to the observance or neglect of method in their 
work. The man who carefully systematizes his duties, 



IN THE STUDY. 107 

and abides by the scheme he has planned, is sure to do 
more work, and to do it better, and to do it with far 
more satisfaction, than he otherwise could. He gains 
from men a confidence and respect that are a great 
power ; he makes far more out of life ; he stretches it 
out into works of usefulness more numerous and more 
effective. There may be extraordinary geniuses who 
can abide by nc fixed plan, but must do everything by 
the impulse of the hour. Such cases, however, are rare 
they are not the rule. The great fact which should 
be deeply pondered is, that he who begins life with a 
carefully-planned method, perfecting it from time to 
time by his experience, is certain to make that life bet 
ter and more full of usefulness than those who neglect 
all system. Without system life is in great danger of 
being wasted. Of two pastors commencing life with 
equal piety, equal talents and equal zeal, but one with 
and the other without a minute plan of duties, the 
methodical one is sure in the end to do more for the 
Master, more for the world and more for himself than 
the other. 



THE PASTOR SHOULD KEEP AHEAD WITH HIS WORK. 

Every pastor should adopt the rule of having some 
provision stored up beforehand for the performance of 
every duty to which he is likely to be called. It is a 
miserable plan to put off preparation to the last allow 
able minute. It is to live from hand to mouth. It is 
to make the life of the pastor one of slavish drudgery. 
A better plan, on every account, is to keep ahead with 
one s work. This rule should be observed in prepar 
ing sermons, in pastoral visiting, in appointments for 
special services, and in all the other numerous avoca- 



108 THE PASTOR 

tions of the ministry. There are many advantages in 
being ready beforehand with everything one has to do 
of having a store prepared at all times for the 
future. 

1. The knowledge that one is ahead with his work 
puts him at his ease and gives him a feeling of satisfac 
tion. It imparts a consciousness of independence which 
those who procrastinate to the last moment in every 
thing that they do can never enjoy. In this way one 
may be master of his own movements, instead of ever 
being under the lash of pressing duties. He will have 
comparative tranquillity, and be saved from much of 
that worry which, rather than hard work, breaks down 
many a minister. He will also be saved from much of 
that censure which a procrastinating habit is sure to 
incur. It will inspire confidence in him when the peo 
ple see, as they inevitably will, that his diligent fore 
sight keeps him ready for every work. 

2. The habit of being beforehand with one s work pre 
vents the necessity of hurry, with all its evil effects. An 
admirable rule once laid down by a wise and experi 
enced pastor was never to be in a hurry. The tend 
ency of this rule would be to make life longer, to fill it 
with more happiness, to extend it out into more delib 
erate usefulness, and to save from innumerable mistakes 
and perplexities. To be ever so much in haste does no 
good. There is no need for it, even with the busiest 
pastor, provided only his work be well regulated. The 
true plan for the clergyman is not so to waste time and 
postpone duties as that he will be forced to be in a 
hurry. There are ministers who are always pressed for 
time, always fuming in haste ; they have no leisure for 
friends or social enjoyment or the minor courtesies of 
life, and yet they do not accomplish much. You will 



IN THE STUDY. 109 

look in vain for the great results which surely may be 
expected. There are others, again, who are never in a 
hurry ; they are never behindhand ; they are always at 
their ease ; they have time for everything, and in the 
end they accomplish far more than the others. The 
grand secret is, that they keep a little ahead with their 
work, and that always. 

3. When he is beforehand in the chief duties of his 
office the minister is always prepared for unexpected in 
terruptions. Every pastor knows how liable he is to 
these every day and at any hour. From the nature 
of his calling it cannot well be otherwise. He never 
can predict the moment when he may be summoned to 
attend a funeral, or to spend hours with one who is 
drawing nigh unto death, or to counsel with an inquirer, 
or to perform a marriage ceremony, or to receive visitors 
coming upon ecclesiastical or other business. Sometimes 
these casual demands upon his time are most imperative ; 
they cannot possibly be avoided or postponed. Then 
the Sabbath perhaps is near at hand, and he must be 
ready for it, or the address for an installation or some 
other special service cannot be deferred. What is the 
perplexed pastor to do ? How is he to escape the flurry 
that is often actually distressing? Only in one way, 
and that is to be ahead with all his preparations, so that 
he may be ready, come what may. 

4. This practice will lead to far more being done, 
and also better done. When one is beforehand with 
his work he will be able so to arrange his time as to 
find some space for every duty. It will be possible 
for him then to lay out his plans for preparing sermons, 
for general reading, for study of the Bible, for visiting, 
for correspondence, for helping in the work of the 
Sabbath-school, for pursuing private studies, as well ;<,- 



110 THE PASTOR 

for recreation, and possibly for writing for the press. 
The plan is simply to command time for all by being 
beforehand in every work. 

And then, too, everything will be done better. There 
will be no posting through work imperfectly from lack 
of preparation. What is undertaken in a calm and self- 
possessed manner can be thoroughly finished. There 
will be no slighting sermons through a haste which 
other imperative duties enforce. The true method is to 
be beforehand in every undertaking ; then the heart will 
be in it ; and because the heart is in it, it will be more 
pleasantly and perfectly accomplished. 

INCESSANT STUDY OF THE BIBLE. 

This is a duty which must be placed amidst the very 
first of all the duties that devolve upon the pastor. We 
must come back to it again and again and again as we 
treat of his all-important calling. In that holy office 
he must study many things, but this most yea, more 
than all other things put together. We would endeavor 
to impress this point as strongly as possible. The min 
ister must study the Bible for his own heart-culture ; he 
must study it for all his official duties ; he must study it 
until he grows to love the study ; he must study it until 
he gets his mind saturated with it ; he must study it to 
keep up freshness and variety in his preaching ; he must 
study it every day ; he must study it until his dying 
day. 

The pastor may depend upon it that a thorough know 
ledge of the oracles of God would prove to be the right 
arm of his strength. It would give vigor to his faith. 
It would impart robustness to his Christian character. 
It would clothe his preaching with irresistible power. 



IN THE STUDY. Ill 

It would furnish him with the best preparation in his 
attendance upon the sick, the inquiring, the young, in 
ecclesiastical affairs and in every other branch of his 
work. What skill is to the mechanic, what eloquence 
is to the orator, what taste is to the artist, what wisdom 
is to the statesman, that, and still more necessary, is a 
profound knowledge of the Scriptures to the minister. 
All experience proves this to be so. From the very 
nature of the case this must make him strong ; without 
it, he cannot but be weak as an ambassador of God. 
The testimony of all devoted and successful pastors es 
tablishes this truth beyond a question. 

A few sentences from the pen of that great and good 
man, Dr. James W. Alexander, will serve as specimens 
of what is reiterated thousands of times by those who 
have had the ripest experience : " Constant perusal and 
re-perusal of Scripture is the great preparation for preach 
ing. You get good even when you know it not. This 
is one of the most observable differences between old and 
young theologians. Give attendance to reading." In 
another connection he says : " The liveliest preachers 
are those who are most familiar with the Bible without 
note or comment, and we frequently find them among men 
who have had no education better than that of the com 
mon school. It was this which gave such animation to 
the vivid books and discourses of the Puritans. As 
there is no poetry so rich and bold as that of the Bible, 
so he who daily makes this his study will, even on human 
principles, be awakened and acquire a striking manner 
of conveying his thoughts. The sacred books are full 
of fact, example and illustration, which, with copious 
ness and variety, will cluster around the truths which 
the man of God derives from the same source. One 
preacher gives us naked heads of theology ; they are 



112 THE PASTOR 

true, scriptural and important, but they are uninterest 
ing, especially when reiterated for the thousandth time 
in the same naked manner. Another gives us the same 
truths, but each of them brings in its train the retinue 
of scriptural example, history, a figure by way of illus 
tration, and a variety hence arises which is perpetually 
becoming richer as the preacher goes more deeply into 
the mine of Scripture. There are some great preachers 
who, like Whitefield, do not appear to bestow great labor 
on the preparation of particular discourses, but it may 
be observed that these are always persons whose life is a 
study of the word. Each sermon is an outflowing from 
a fountain which is constantly full. The Bible is, after 
all, the one book of the preacher. He who is most 
familiar with it will become most like it, and this in 
respect to every one of its wonderful qualities, arid will 
bring forth from his treasury things new and old." 

The minister who has laid hold, as a living fact, of 
this one thought of the pre-eminent importance of 
being deeply imbued both with the letter and the 
spirit of the word of God is already mighty for his 
work. 

Look at the Bible. The pastor has to do with it at 
every point of his work. He must come to it in every 
thing he undertakes. He is nothing without it. It is 
all in all to him in his office. It is more to him than 
any than all other books that were ever penned. 
The Bible contains his credentials as an ambassador of 
Jesus Christ. It is the message which he is appointed 
to reiterate with all fervor to his fellow-men. It is the 
treasury from which he can ever draw the riches of 
divine truth. It is the Urim and Thummim to which 
he has constant access, and from which he can learn the 
mind of Jehovah with all clearness. It is the audience- 



IN THE STUDY. 113 

chamber where he will be received into the presence of 
the Lord and hear words of more than earthly wisdom. 
It is the armory from which he can be clothed with the 
panoply of salvation. It is the sword of the Spirit be 
fore which no enemy can possibly stand. It is his book 
of instructions wherein the great duties of his office are 
clearly defined. The chief rules of his sacred art are 
here. There is nothing which it is essential for him to 
know but is revealed here either in express terms or in 
inferences which are easily studied out. It is a mine 
of sacred wealth for the clergyman, the abundance of 
which he can never exhaust. The deeper he goes, the 
richer and more unbounded will its treasures appear. 
Well was it said by Dr. W. E. Schenck : " That volume 
alone contains the warrant for the sacred office he bears. 
In it alone is found the record of his great commission 
as an ambassador of God. It alone authoritatively ex 
hibits and defines the official duties he must perform. 
It alone tells him of the glorious rewards he may expect 
if he be found faithful. Nay, more, it contains the 
subject-matter for all his preaching and his other pro 
fessional labors." It is a shame for a preacher not to 
be a master in the knowledge of the Book of books, 
which is everything to him. 

It is well that we should strive to impress this great 
duty and privilege of the minister by the authority of 
eminent workers in the sacred office. Their expe 
rience and testimony should be deeply studied. " The 
study of the Bible is the special duty of every indi 
vidual who would understand the truth of God and be 
prepared to make it known to others. Burnet, speaking 
of ministers in his own times, says, The capital error in 
men s preparing themselves for that function is that 
they study books more than themselves, and that they 



15 



114 THE PASTOR 

read divinity more in other books than in the Scriptures. 
This, it is to be feared, is as true now as it was then ; 
and if so it must be attended, inevitably, with very 
injurious consequences both to the ministry and the 
Church. For as the Bible is the source of divine 
knowledge, so it is of spiritual strength, and every holy 
affection and purpose. 

" Melanchthon recommended, as the first requisite in 
the study of theology, a familiarity with the text of 
the sacred Scriptures, and in order to this that they 
should be read daily, both morning and evening. The 
daily devotion of Luther to the sacred text is well 
known, and it was this that made him strong in the 
Lord, and in the power of his might/ 

" Dr. Campbell, in his treatise on systematic theology, 
says, Devoutly study the Scriptures themselves if you 
would understand their doctrines in singleness of heart. 
The only assistance which I would recommend are those 
writings in which there can be no tendency to warp 
your judgment. It is the serious and frequent reading 
of the divine oracles, accompanied with fervent prayer ; 
it is the diligent study of the languages in which they 
were written ; it is the knowledge of those histories and 
antiquities to which they allude. 

" President Edwards, as the result of his own experi 
ence, said, I find that it would be very much to my 
advantage to be thoroughly acquainted with the Scrip 
tures. When I am reading doctrinal books or books of 
controversy, I can proceed with abundantly more con 
fidence and can see upon what foundation I stand. 

It has been truthfully said : " When scholars furnish 
themselves with stores of other writers, besides the 
Scriptures, and being little conversant in the Scriptures 
draw the Scriptures to the authors whom they most af- 



IN THE STUDY. 115 

feet, and not their authors to the Scriptures, their di 
vinity proves but humanity, and their ministry speaks 
to the brain, but not to the conscience, of the hearer. 
But he that digs all the treasures of his knowledge and 
the ground of all religion out of the Scriptures, and 
makes use of other authors, not for ostentation of him 
self, nor for the ground of his faith, nor for the prin 
cipal ornament of his ministry, but for the better search 
ing out of the deep wisdom of the Scriptures, such an 
one believes what he teaches, not by a human credulity 
from his author, but by a divine faith from the word. 
And because he believes therefore he speaks, and speak 
ing from faith in his own heart, he speaks much more 
powerfully to the begetting and strengthening of faith 
in the hearer." 



PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THE 

BIBLE. 

It helps very much in any undertaking to know pre 
cisely what is to be done. And in the matter before us 
we want something more definite than the general state 
ment of the importance of the study of the Bible. How 
is that study to be entered upon ? What plans can be 
adopted so as to carry it on with the greatest efficiency? 
In answering this we shall not attempt to go over all 
the rules that might be given to the general student of 
Scripture. Some of the most obvious ones we shall 
omit because they are so manifest, and confine ourselves 
to those which are peculiarly applicable to the ministry. 
And of these we shall speak only of such as are cer 
tainly practicable, and so may easily be adopted by al 
most any minister. 

1. When any text is selected for a sermon or lecture, 



116 THE PASTOR 

its whole context should be carefully studied out. One 
should not be satisfied by merely getting enough of the 
meaning to serve for the present discourse, but there 
should be pains taken to investigate it thoroughly, and 
to trace its connection with what goes before and with 
what follows after. One passage well understood will 
help to throw some light over the whole field of Scripture. 
Its careful study will not only help the sermon on hand, 
but will serve also as a method of enlarging one s whole 
comprehension of divine truth. Besides, the large num 
ber of passages thus investigated will, in the course of 
years, form a most important fund of biblical knowledge 
treasured up in the mind. This plan of biblical study 
should be diligently persevered in, as in addition to other 
advantages it will economize time, the same research 
serving for the current discourse and for the permanent 
improvement. Not only when sermonizing, but when 
from any cause the attention is aroused to any particular 
passage, the meaning of that passage should be studied 
out at once. Then it will be more likely to fix itself 
permanently in the memory. 

2. The location of a few prominent places, compre 
hending the body of biblical geography, should be fixed 
distinctly in the memory. To have a clear perception 
of the place where any scriptural event occurred will 
give a wonderful interest and impressiveness and full 
ness of meaning to that event. To this end, the phys 
ical and general geographical features of the Holy Land 
should be fully comprehended at the outset. They 
should be mastered so as to be accurately understood and 
always ready to be applied. Palestine proper is but a 
small country not as large as the two small states of 
Maryland and Delaware together and consequently its 
geography can be easily learned. The plan we sug- 



IN THE STUDY. 117 

gest is that a few of the most prominent places, repre 
senting the various parts of the land, be selected and 
fixed indelibly on the memory. Their physical peculi 
arities, their distance and direction, say from Jerusalem, 
and some great historical event for which they were each 
noted, might be studied, and this would help to give 
them distinctness. Then every other place could be lo 
cated in its proximity to one or other of these. They 
would serve as landmarks, so that in reading any trans 
action of the Bible we should know exactly where we 
were. This would give an indescribable vividness and 
charm to the book. 

To be still more explicit, we would name the follow 
ing nine places as suitable for such landmarks : 1. Beer- 
sheba ; 2. Hebron ; 3. Samaria ; 4. Capernaum ; 5. Dan ; 
6. Tyre ; 7. Acre ; 8. Joppa ; 9. Rarnoth-gilead. These 
places may be fixed in the memory by the following 
numbers and historical associations ; the distances and 
directions are not given with exact accuracy, but in 
numbers near enough and that may be more easily 
remembered : 1. Beersheba, forty-two miles south-west 
of Jerusalem, the old home of the patriarchs, on the 
borders of the desert; 2. Hebron, sixteen miles south 
of Jerusalem ; here Abraham purchased the cave of 
Machpelah ; 3. Samaria, thirty-eight miles north of 
Jerusalem, capital of the kingdom of Israel, with its 
wicked kings ; 4. Capernaum, eighty-one miles north of 
Jerusalem, the scene of so many of our Lord s miracles 
and discourses ; 5. Dan, one hundred and nine miles 
north of Jerusalem, on the northern extremity of Pales 
tine ; here Jeroboam set up the golden calf; 6. Tyre, one 
hundred and six miles north of Jerusalem, the great 
commercial city of antiquity ; 7. Acre, eighty miles 
north-west of Jerusalem, " the key of Syria," famed in 



118 THE PASTOR 

many a war ; 8. Joppa, thirty-five miles westward from 
Jerusalem, and the port of that city ; 9. Ramoth-gilead, 
forty miles north-east of Jerusalem, one of the cities of 
refuge, and the place where king Ahab was slain. If 
these leading points are imprinted permanently on the 
memory, and all scriptural incidents associated with one 
or other of them or with Jerusalem, then an important 
key has been furnished for opening the sacred treasury. 

3. The prominent epochs of scriptural history should 
be clearly understood and firmly fixed upon the memory. 
This will apply chiefly to the Old Testament, as the 
whole of the New Testament history is comprised with 
in a comparatively small space of time. God has seen 
fit to convey the knowledge of his will to us largely 
through history. This was no doubt the best way. 
Accordingly, in the Bible we have the history of the 
way in which salvation was wrought out for men, of 
God s providential dealings with both good and bad 
men, of the condition of the race when its Creator was 
discarded, and of the world both with and without 
religion. History often conveys lessons as authoritative 
as direct commands, and sometimes more impressive. 
Hence the student of the word of God ought to make 
himself most thoroughly acquainted with the history 
contained in it, both with its great outlines and connec 
tions and with its minute incidents. 

A wonderful assistance in doing this will be found in 
grasping its important epochs. The great salient points 
which mark the government of God over men from the 
creation to the advent of Christ, as they are recorded 
in the Bible, should be kept prominently and indelibly 
in the memory. They will serve as stages by which to 
measure the progress of the life-journey of the race. 
All the other events of the centuries can be arranged 



IN THE STUDY. 



119 



around these, and their positions remembered from their 
proximity to them. This will give the whole march of 
the history distinctness, order and impressiveness. 

We would suggest the following schedule of chrono 
logical epochs. We give the name of the epoch, its date 
before Christ and the space of time between each and 
the following one. We also present it in a tabular 
form in order that it all may be taken in at one view, and 
thus the memory be assisted: 



EPOCH. 


B.C. 


NAME OF PERIOD. 


LENGTH 

OF 

PERIOD. 


1 Creation 


4004 
2348 
1921 
1706 
1491 
1451 
1095 
975 
587 
397 
00 


Antediluvian Period 


1656 
427 
215 
215 
40 
356 
120 
388 
190 
397 


2 Deluge . .. 


3. Call of Abraham 


Noachian Period 


4. Descent into Egypt 


Patriarchal Period . .. 


5 Exodus 


Egyptian Period 


6. Passage of the Jordan 
7. Establishment of Monarchy. 
8. Division of the Monarchy... 
9. Capture of Jerusalem 
10. Close of Old Test, History... 
11. Birth of Christ... 


Wilderness Period 


Period of the Judges 


Period of United Monarchy... 
Period of Divided Monarchy. 
Period of the Captivity 


Period of the World-powers... 



It will take but a very short time to memorize these 
ten dates, and it is recommended that they be repeated 
hundreds of times, if necessary, so as to become perfectly 
indelible and familiar. The assertion is ventured that 
whoever does this will be astonished and delighted 
at the assistance it will afford in understanding the Bible 
history, at the order into which it will reduce the 
various events, and at the light it will throw over the 
whole book. 

4. The Bible should be studied constantly with the 
aid of the best commentaries. The vague outcries which 
are often heard against the use of commentaries are very 
inconsiderate if not foolish. There may be a slavish 
dependence on them that is injurious, but we can 
hardly think that earnest ministers are much in danger 



120 THE PASTOR 

of that. The light which the labors of good men have 
thrown upon the Scriptures has ever been growing 
brighter from age to age ; language, archaeology, trav 
els, geography and other kinds of research, have all been 
contributing their aid in elucidating the divine record ; 
no other book in the world has received so much 
thought from the best of minds ; and is all this to be 
thrown away and each one to go over the whole process 
for himself? The proposal would be one of foolish 
egotism. The greatest preachers such men as Robert 
Hall, who spent hours daily in reading the commentary 
of Matthew Henry never indulged such self-conceit. 
No, a proper conception of the grandeur and depth of 
the word of God will lead the prudent minister to use 
every possible aid in striving to reach its fullest mean 
ing. The very best commentaries should be secured 
it is waste of time to use any others and then they 
should be consulted, not merely for isolated passages, 
but they should be read and studied like any other 
books. All the light they can shed upon the sacred 
pages should be sought. Some system should be adopted 
for the regular study of the Bible in this way. 

There are certain commentaries which should be 
read through. Full justice will not be done them and 
their real benefit will not be reached in any other way. 
We would name a few of these to show the kind of ex 
positions we mean. On the New Testament we would 
recommend such works as The Life of Christ, by Far- 
rar, Alexander on Acts, and Hodge on Romans. On 
the Old Testament we name Murphy on Genesis and 
Exodus and Psalms, Fairbairn on Ezekiel, Auberlin on 
Ezekiel and Revelation, and Moore on The Prophets 
of the Restoration. Then the pious and most sug- 
ges^ive commentary of Matthew Henry should be read 



IN THE STUDY. 121 

through during the life of every minister, for whoever 
studies it closely will have his piety deepened, his power 
of analyzing strengthened and his mind stored with the 
riches of the word of God. 

5. Scripture should be compared with Scripture in 
order that the mind of the Spirit may be more fully 
reached. This is a plan of studying the Bible which 
is very highly recommended by all those who have 
practiced it sufficiently to understand its great benefits. 
There is a real delight enjoyed when one follows on from 
passage to passage and finds a new ray of light here, an 
additional depth of meaning there, a striking view of 
divine truth in another place, and everywhere something 
fully to reward his research. A certain truth will be 
found announced in didactic language in one place ; in 
another it will be set forth by some historical fact ; in 
another it will be revealed by a type ; in another it will 
sound forth again in the sweet words of a psalm ; and in 
each case it will have a special phase of importance and 
beauty. A truth announced in one place may appear 
far clearer in another, because of the connection in 
which it occurs. What does not make an impression 
in one place may be most striking as seen in another. 
What is obscurely hinted here may be plainly revealed 
elsewhere. Part of a doctrine may be taught by one pas 
sage, part by another, and other parts by still others; and 
it is only by following up and putting them all together 
that the full rounded truth is reached. There is an 
indescribable charm in searching out how exactly the 
teachings of the Spirit fit into each other, wherever, or in 
whatever connection, they are found. It is surprising 
how clearly one comes to understand the Scriptures by 
perseverance in this kind of research. The very exercise 
gives an important familiarity with the various parts 

16 



122 THE PASTOR 

and connections of the inspired Book. There is no 
better method of building up a sermon than this process 
of taking a text and following it on and on through 
other Scriptures which fortify, illustrate, explain and 
expand it into a broad and beautiful manifestation of 
the mind of God. 

6. A " /Students Bible " should be kept for the pur 
pose of preserving interpretations or illustrations of 
scriptural passages which may be casually met with in 
reading, in conversation or in any other way. Such in 
cidental expositions of Scripture are peculiarly valuable. 
How often is the regret felt that, having been once in 
the mind and seen to be deeply important, they were 
not preserved, but are now gone and cannot be recalled ! 
In the course of ordinary reading an admirable expla 
nation of a passage will sometimes be met with ; in con 
versation an impressive remark upon the meaning of 
some text will be heard ; or a forcible illustration will 
be suggested in the midst of daily business ; or the mean 
ing and force of a Bible truth or a plan for opening 
it up into a sermon will sometimes flash unexpectedly 
upon the mind. These should be nailed for future use 
by being put on record. They should be saved from 
oblivion, especially what has originated in one s own mind, 
for that will be the most valuable. When such casual 
explanations are thus preserved they grow into a very 
precious treasure in time. Hardly any of them but at 
some future day will come into use. 

There is one caution which should be given as to the 
use of a " Students Bible." It is that too much be 
not put in it. Only really valuable explanations or 
illustrations should find a place on its pages. When 
there is too much, reference to it becomes a drudgery, 
and a part at least of the superabundance is likely to 



IN THE STUDY. 123 

be of so little importance that in time the book may 
come to be utterly neglected and all its treasures prac 
tically lost. 

7. A whole book of tlie Bible should be read continu 
ously, and, if possible, at one sitting. There is very 
great advantage in taking some book and reading it 
through at once without regard to the divisions of chap 
ters and verses. As the Scriptures are ordinarily read 
in broken-up portions, the connection is liable to be lost 
and the general drift of the writer left undisclosed. 
What injustice would we think done to any other book 
were it read in this fragmentary manner ! If we want 
to reach the full and broad meaning of the word of 
God, we must read each of its books continuously. It 
is only thus that we can get at the richer bonds of 
thought that unite its parts in one sublime whole. 
The time required for going through a book thus, 
as to most of the books, would not be very great, and 
it would more than repay the effort. Says Dr. James 
W. Alexander : " To-day I took up my Greek Testa 
ment, and, as I walked about the floor, read the Sec 
ond Epistle to Timothy, pausing in thought on certain 
striking places. I saw many new excellencies, had 
some new rays of light, and was more than ever con 
vinced of the excellency of this way of Scripture study; 
especially when, after a number of rapid perusals, one 
goes over the ground with more and more ease every time." 

8. It is an excellent plan for a minister to have con 
stantly on hand some book of the Bible for special study 
and analysis. He should take up some book and work 
on it until, as far as it is in his power, he has mastered 
its contents. It should be read over and over and 
over until its matter lies fully before the mind. Then 
there should be thorough research as to the history, mis- 



124 THE PASTOR 

sion, character and peculiarities of the writer, as to 
the time, circumstances and object of writing the book, 
and as to the place it holds in the canon of Scripture 
or the niche it occupies in God s plan of revelation. 
This study should be continued until interest is aroused 
and the heart enlisted. Down, down into the rich 
veins of divine truth should the research be carried. 
The book should be analyzed so fully that not only the 
general object of the whole, but the special object and 
relation of each part, shall be distinctly seen. The 
study should be so exhaustive that the subjects of each 
chapter would be impressed upon the memory, and so 
made ready for use. One book of the Bible thus care 
fully studied will certainly be an invaluable addition to 
a minister s spiritual and mental wealth. When one 
book is finished another should be taken up. The en 
riching process should be continued through life. 

9. The study of the word of God should be continued 
until it has worked itself up into a fascination. So long 
as it is carried on in an intermitting and superficial man 
ner there will be no attraction. But research into this 
most wonderful of all books may be carried to a point 
where its meaning shall be so clearly seen, and the 
aroma of its perfections shall be so sensibly enjoyed, 
that one shall be allured to its deeper study as to a 
feast of pleasure. There may be a very great delight 
found in it. And when any minister has reached this 
attainable point of great enjoyment in the study of the 
Scriptures, he has reached one of his greatest possible 
achievements. Indeed, there is the most weighty truth 
in the remark once made in a company of experienced 
and successful pastors, and endorsed by every one of 
them, that the attainment of a captivating love for the 
Bible should be the first and great aim in the studies of 



IN THE STUDY. 125 

the clergyman, and that the teacher of pastoral the 
ology who had found the secret of awaking it had found 
the secret of raising the office to a far higher plane. 
This would unquestionably be the testimony of all those 
who have had much experience and success in the min 
istry. They would urge upon every minister, young or 
old, to study daily, to dig deep, to contrive every pos 
sible plan by which to awaken in themselves an absorb 
ing love for the word of God. They would press it 
home upon the conscience that there should be no 
pause until that point is reached. 

Let two of the wisest and best workers in the minis 
try be heard in order that the great importance of this 
subject may be more deeply felt. The first is Dr. Archi 
bald Alexander; he wrote : " It has been said that every 
thing a minister studies should have a reference to the 
word of God. Through whatever fields of science or of 
literature he may rove, he should come back with superior 
relish to the Bible. In the varied regions of philosophy 
and taste he is permitted to rove, but the Bible should be 
his richest banquet. Make it a rule always to prefer it. 
If at the hours of devotion you are strongly drawn to 
ward some new and interesting publication, if you are 
tempted for this to omit the regular study of the Scrip 
tures, regard it as a temptation, and resist it accordingly. 
You recollect the resolution of the pious Henry Mar- 
tyn. He never would allow himself to peruse a book 
one moment after he felt it gaining a preference to the 
Bible. As long as he could turn to his Bible with a 
superior relish, so long he would continue reading, and 
no longer. Go thou and do likewise. If you commence 
with this resolution, you will find the advantages of it 
in your daily experience. The word of God will grow 
constantly in your estimation, and you will be ready to 



126 THE PASTOR 

exclaim with David, Oh how I love thy law ! It is 
sweeter to my taste than honey and the honeycomb. 

" My own experience convinces me that the oftener 
and the more diligently you peruse the Scriptures, the 
more beautiful will they appear and the less relish you 
will have for light and superficial reading. There is in 
an intimate, in a daily, conversation with the Scriptures 
something sanctifying, something ennobling. A satis 
faction is felt in perusing them which no human com 
position can excite. You feel as if you were conversing 
with God and angels. You breathe a heavenly atmo 
sphere. The soul is bathed in celestial waters. It im 
bibes a sweetness and composure which shed over it 
unearthly attractions." 

The other quotation we make is from Archdeacon 
Law. His weighty words were : " Brethren, unless we 
are content to totter, we must take our stand on an in 
spired Bible. We really have such treasure. We 
should know, we should maintain, its value. Here 
prayerful students may drink pure truth from God s 
own lips, even as Israel s leader on the mount. There 
is no wisdom in the sneer that there may be idolatry 
in the love and study of these pages. The speaker is 
more than man ; we should draw near with awe. The 
innate power is more than man s ; we should devoutly 
court its action on our hearts. He is the wisest among 
earth s sons who is best taught in it. He is the happiest 
who draws most deeply from its spring. He is the 
heavenliest who is framed most strictly by its model. 
He is the ablest minister who uses these materials most 
skillfully. He reaps the largest harvest who scatters 
this seed most widely. That flock is the most favored 
whose constant teaching flows in the grand channel, 
Thus saith the Lord ! " 



IN THE STUDY. 127 

COMMITTING SCRIPTURE TO MEMORY. 

The memory of every clergyman ought to be well 
stored with the word of God. Especially those passages 
which are of the greatest importance should he have 
treasured up in the very words which the Holy Ghost 
inspired. Many such passages will have fixed them 
selves in the memory without an effort, in consequence 
of the continual hearing and reading of the Bible from 
infancy. But the pastor should add largely to them by 
the determined purpose and plan of learning by heart 
others and still others. He should fix upon some sys 
tem by which he would be constantly increasing his 
stock of available utterances from the sacred oracles. 

The subjects in respect to which scriptural quota 
tions should be ready in the memory are innumerable 
and deeply important. The minister should be ready 
to speak with inspired words concerning the nature and 
attributes of Father, Son and Holy Ghost ; concerning 
the foundations of all the great doctrines of the gospel ; 
concerning the moral precepts and the leading duties of 
religion; concerning the fruits of the Spirit; concerning 
the warnings, the promises and the consolations which 
God has so abundantly given ; concerning the imagery 
in the Bible by which the soul may be elevated to heav- 
enly-mindedness ; concerning the great events of human 
history; and concerning the predictions which point out 
the grand future of the Church of God. Such passages, 
stored up and ready for use, the minister will find inval 
uable in prayer, in preaching, in attending funerals, in 
visiting the sick and afflicted, and in other duties. 
They will suggest themselves as texts, illustrations and 
proofs in sermons. They will be ready for extemporane 
ous addresses. They will prove mighty weapons by which 



128 THE PASTOR 

to meet adversaries of every kind. In hours of solitary 
meditation they will rise up before the soul, and en 
rich it, beyond all conception, with the very thoughts 
of God. They will make the preacher mighty in the 
Scriptures. 

The remarks of Dr. Wm. E. Schenck on this point 
are most pertinent: "One important text once fairly 
lodged in the memory becomes in some sort a part of 
one s self. It is thenceforth ready for use in preaching, 
in praying, in conversing anywhere and at any time. 
It helps to make one * mighty in the Scriptures. A 
large store of texts and choice passages thoroughly 
committed to memory will give invaluable help in all 
pulpit preparation, and will greatly strengthen for any 
sudden draft or any emergency of ministerial duty/ 

A plan for such memorizing of Scripture which has 
been long tried and found perfectly practicable and easy, 
and really delightful, may now be described : A blank 
book is procured, and in it are written down from time 
to time such passages, longer or shorter, with chapter and 
verse, as it is determined to learn by heart. These pas 
sages are numbered from one upward. Then the first 
one is taken up and repeated by memory about fif 
teen times a day for a fortnight. The second one is 
then taken and submitted to a similar process, while at 
the same time every day the first one is reviewed once. 
And so the process goes on, every fortnight a new 
passage being taken up, and in connection every day 
of that fortnight all the passages that have gone before 
in their numerical order, with chapter and verse repeated. 
When twenty-five is reached, then the first one. is 
dropped altogether, and so afterward the second and 
the third. The permanent process thus becomes the 
repeating of the current passage fifteen times a day, 



IN THE PULPIT. 129 

with a review of the twenty-five previous passages at 
the same time. 

This scheme may seem to be very mechanical, but it 
soon grows into a pleasure ; it occupies not more than 
fifteen minutes a day, and can be carried out while 
walking the floor during some interval of change from 
one duty to another, and so prove a recreation. 

And look at the advantages. Each fortnight a new 
and important passage of Scripture is laid up in memory 
for use in all time to come. It has been repeated over 
hundreds of times, and so wrought into the mind that it 
can no more be effaced than can those verses that have 
come down with us from childhood. Every such passage 
is a new treasure in the mind. It makes one richer in 
the word of God. Every fortnight makes its addition 
to this mine of wealth. And into what a vast stock 
this will accumulate in a few years! How richly it will 
fill the mind with God s most precious utterances upon 
all those subjects which are the most deeply important 
for man to know! Let it be remembered, too, that the 
Scriptures thus committed are not only so fixed in mem 
ory that they can never be forgotten, but that they 
become so familiar as to be a part of the mental fur 
niture, ready for use on all occasions. 

This plan may seem too complicated and artificial for 
some, but most pressingly would we urge upon every 
pastor to devise some plan by which he will be con 
stantly filling his memory with portions of God s word. 



THE STUDY OF HEBREW AND GREEK. 

It is to be feared that most pastors, as soon as they 
leave the theological school and enter upon the hard 
work of the ministry, drop the study of the original 

17 



130 THE PASTOR 

languages. At the very time when they are ready to 
enjoy the reading of the sacred word in the tongues in 
which it was first written, and to profit by it, and to 
go on improving in the exercise, they lay it aside, in 
very many cases to be taken up no more. By so doing 
they lose, in a great measure, the advantages of an im 
portant study of the previous years. The commence 
ment of one s ministry is the time, and the only time, 
for averting this danger. The knowledge already ac 
quired should be carefully kept up. It should be 
increased until the sacred languages could be read with 
ease and pleasure. Some plan for persevering in this 
study should be adopted in the beginning. 

It need not take much time. Want of time arising 
from the pressure of other duties is generally the great 
obstacle. But there need not be many hours spent in 
it. One hour a week devoted to the Hebrew and one 
to the Greek will serve to keep up that knowledge of 
them already attained, and even to make a little progress. 
One unbroken hour in the week is better than the frag 
mentary plan of fifteen or twenty minutes a day for each 
of the studying days of the week. The knowledge 
which is at first fresh is easily retained, and then, if ever 
so little is added to it from week to week, it will grad 
ually grow into a grand attainment in years. The sys 
tematic study may be very much aided by the careful 
examination in the original of each text with its context 
which is taken up for sermon or lecture. Some minis 
ters keep up their knowledge of the Hebrew and Greek 
fairly in this way. 

The slowness of the progress, and the imperfect know 
ledge of these languages already attained, very often at 
first discourage from attempting further effort. It is 
so tedious to search out the interpretation of a passage, 



IN THE STUDY. 131 

there is so little satisfaction in the operation, and there 
is such a mountain to be overcome before the task will be 
much easier, that it is frequently given up in despair. 
But is it not much if, even with difficulty, a passage can 
be traced back into the very language in which it was 
written by men inspired of God ? And if present diffi 
culties should be ever so great and present improve 
ment ever so slow, yet what will not steady progress at 
length achieve ? What will not an hour a week, of 
even the slowest advance, amount to in ten years? 
The rule should be to keep up what has been already 
attained, and aim after some improvement, no matter 
how little. 

The advantages to the minister of being acquainted 
with the original languages of the Scriptures are very 
great. 

1. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Bible can 
be better understood through the aid of this knowledge 
than it can possibly be without it. There are shades of 
meaning in the first language which no other language 
will convey. There are a force and a beauty in the id 
ioms of the original tongues which cannot be felt when 
translated. We can often obtain a better insight into 
the mind of the writer by catching the import of his 
identical words than we could possibly reach by the use 
of any commentaries. By the study of the original we 
get into the modes of thought and feeling that were prev 
alent in the times of the writers. We are able to touch 
their hearts to sorrow, rejoice, hope and understand 
as they did. By reading the word of God in these 
grand old languages our attention is awakened ; we 
break through the rote into which the constant use 
of the English has degenerated, and we are as it were 
perusing a new book. 



132 THE PASTOR 

2. W? get nearer to the mind of the Spirit in this way. 
Every version must necessarily be a remove from it. 
In the original tongues we have the truth as it came 
fresh from the lips of God through his inspired servants. 
Here it is that we have the least possible of a human 
medium between the mind of the Spirit and the mind 
of man. What a rich blessing it is that in this way we 
can go so near to him ! 

3. Out of all the possible languages of the world 
these were the ones which were providentially chosen for 
conveying the will of God to man. How honored 
and blessed are we that by any process, however la 
borious, we may reach the fountain-head and read the 
divine Mind in the very words in which it was 
first made known ! This getting close to the thoughts 
of God is the great object of all exposition of Scrip 
ture. 

4. It mud be an unspeakable pleasure to get at the very 
terms which were written by inspired pens, the very sounds 
that were uttered by Jehovah and heard from his lips 
by his highly-favored servants. By this study we can 
get at the precise language which the Holy Ghost dic 
tated, and which holy men of old penned in the highest 
raptures of communion with the Deity. In this way 
we can read the very words with which Abraham sa 
luted Melchizedek, which were written with God s own 
fingers on the tables of the Law given to Moses on Sinai, 
in which David sung the sacred lays of Israel, by which 
Isaiah uttered the raptures of his soul as he soared in 
sublime vision, through which Ezekiel received his awe- 
inspiring revelations by the banks of Ulai, which Paul 
used on Mars Hill, which was spoken to John in his 
sublime Apocalypse, and which was heard in heavenly 
accents around the throne of God. Surely the reading 



IN THE STUDY. 133 

of such words must touch the deeper and more sacred 
chords of the heart! 

5. To be skilled in these languages gives one an inde 
pendence in interpreting the Scriptures and an authori 
ty in expounding them which cannot be too higJily valued. 
Then we can go to the fountain-head at once, and see 
for ourselves the meaning and force of the original, and 

O cD 

judge of the version, without depending on others to 
tell us whether it conveys accurately the spirit of what 
God has spoken. Our explanations will then be listened 
to with more attention and received with more confi 
dence, because they are known to have come from the 
exact words that were at first written. 

6. Some of the best modern commentaries on the Scrip 
tures cannot be used to full advantage without a know 
ledge of these languages. They are founded upon the 
original it is difficult to see how there can be an expo 
sition of the highest excellency that is not so founded 
and require at least some acquaintance therewith in 
order to be clearly understood. Certain it is that the 
exact force and impressiveness of their explanations can 
not be otherwise appreciated. Very often the truer 
and richer meaning of passages depends on shades of 
language that cannot be translated. 

7. Ministers should keep up and increase their ac 
quaintance with the original languages, because some day 
they may themselves undertake to prepare commentaries, 
and then find that this knowledge is indispensable. 
Every minister should aim at preparing something for 
the press, something that may go farther and wider 
than his voice could reach, something that rnay live 
when his voice can be heard no more on earth. The 
press is too important an agency for disseminating truth 
to be neglected by those who have the heart uid head 



134 THE PASTOR 

to use it. And what more natural for a teacher of the 
divine oracles to write than explanations of those oracles ? 
It might not be a commentary on a whole book of the 
Bible, but on some part of a book, some chapter or 
some shorter passage, that was undertaken. Whatever 
it might be, it would be rendered far more valuable by 
the clearer understanding and the authoritativeness it 
would receive from an acquaintance with the original. 
Without this there can hardly be a profound and inde 
pendent commentary written. The riches of the in 
spired thought can hardly be brought out without a 
knowledge of the inspired language. 

How much it is regretted by multitudes of older pas 
tors that in the beginning of their ministry they did 
not undertake and rigidly pursue this study ! for they 
see the importance of it now as they could not be made 
to see it then. What skill they once had in the sacred 
languages is nearly all gone, and it is too late for them 
now to begin the study, which would be almost a new 
one. Sometimes they are deterred from undertaking 
certain literary work through want of ability to use 
these languages. They feel the great want at every 
turn in their studies, and mourn that they had not 
understood it at an earlier day and provided against it. 
Their advice to all young ministers would be most em 
phatic : " Keep up and increase your knowledge of the 
Greek and Hebrew." 

A much-needed caution should here be given to all 
preachers: it is, to avoid the habit of correcting the 
ordinary English version of the Scriptures in the pulpit. 
There are some ministers who are constantly doing this. 
Sometimes the conviction can hardly be avoided that 
it is done as a display of learning ; and a poor weak one 
it is. Sometimes, no doubt, it is honestly done to im- 



IN THE STUDY. 135 

part a clearer understanding of the word. But it is 
nearly always unwise, hardly ever in good taste. It is 
always unwise if not done in a very guarded manner. 
Its tendency is to weaken, and ultimately destroy, con 
fidence in the Bible as it is in our hands. Instances 
could be given where preachers have assailed the English 
version so often that some of the best of their hearers 
have declared that they did not know what to receive, 
for they could not tell whether any particular passage 
was correctly or incorrectly translated. It should be 
made a matter of conscience not to trifle in this way 
with the word in its present venerable form. Its mean 
ing may be explained to the fullest extent, but the 
version should ever be touched with a very delicate 
hand. 



PREPARING SERMONS. 

This subject comes under another branch of prepara 
tory study for the gospel ministry, and we shall not take 
it up now to any extent. It belongs to Homiletics, a 
science of such wide range as to require a whole volume 
of itself. But there is one counsel concerning the work 
of sermonizing so important and so comprehensive that 
it should not be omitted in a treatise on the general 
subject of pastoral theology. 

The one advice which we would give to ministers 
here is, to aim at doing the very best in each sermon. It 
is easy to get into the habit of slighting work here 
of feeling that the present is not a subject of sufficient 
importance to call forth all one s strength to yield to 
a sense of lassitude and haste for this once to put off 
the exertion of full effort to some other and more im 
portant occasion. Against all this we would very earn- 



136 THE PASTOR 

estly advise. The aim should be to do the very best 
that is in one s power on the particular sermon that 
is now on hand. The strength should not be reserv 
ed for another time ; the best should be done now. 
The subject claiming the present moment should be 
treated in the clearest and most impressive manner, 
so that men may be moved by it toward God and 
holiness. 

But when we say that the best should be done on 
every sermon, it is not intended that a great amount 
of time should be spent on it. That would not often be 
possible in the busy life of a minister. But it is not 
necessary that a very long period should be consumed 
in the for inputting of one s best efforts. It is better 
not to spend too much time on a sermon, nor to attempt 
doing so, for then there will be danger of falling into 
a slow, dreamy and languid habit of study danger 
of letting the life of the subject and the animation of 
one s thoughts evaporate. It is better to go at the sub 
ject with a strong sense of its importance, with a quick 
ened attention, and with a determination that it shall 
be treated as fully and as impressively as it is in our 
power. There is great force in the opinion of the cele 
brated Dr. Samuel Johnson, that if one sits down dog 
gedly and persistently to write, whether at the first he 
is in the spirit or not, he can work himself up to fervor 
and force. This is the state of mind one should strive 
after every time he undertakes the preparation of a 
sermon, and he will grow into the habit of doing his 
best always. 

As a motive to this it should be remembered that 
preaching is the minister s first and greatest duty. It 
was not to baptize or to wait upon tables that the apostle 
Paul felt himself called, but he felt that a woe was 



IN THE STUDY. 137 

hanging over him if he did not preach the gospel. It 
is the same with all ministers who have much of Paul s 
spirit. They may slight anything, they may slight 
everything else, but they cannot slight the sermon. 

The importance of any sermon which the pastor may 
preach demands that he should lay out his strength 
upon it. The sermon now on hand is the present duty 
upon which the powers of the mind and heart should 
be concentrated. This is the particular message which 
is now to be received from the mouth of God, and care 
fully arranged so as to be fastened upon the attention 
of men. It is to be a fresh proclamation of mercy made 
in the name of the great Head of the Church. It may 
prove a savor of life unto life or of death unto death, 
and the results of it may extend away into the endless 
ages. The subject on which one is now preparing a 
sermon is a subject, perchance, on which he has never 
preached before, and may never preach again ; how im 
portant that it should be thought out once for all ! How 
important that the people who come to hear the word 
of God on any particular Sabbath should not be put off 
with anything less than the very best that can be pre 
pared for them ! 

It should be remembered that any sermon that is 
preached may be the means, in the hand of God, of the 
conversion of some soul or souls. The minister never 
rises to deliver the message of God but there may be 
some one present who is inquiring on the very subject 
treated in the discourse some one who at that partic 
ular time may be helped forward in the half-formed 
determination to close with the offers of Christ some 
one to whom the Holy Ghost may apply that very ser 
mon and make it the medium through which he will 
see himself pardoned and saved. It may be that the 

18 



138 THE PASTOR 

sermon now on band will be one tbat sball be thought 
of through time yea, in eternity as the message that 
brought healing and eternal life to souls. What solemn 
interest should these considerations throw around a ser 
mon ! How they would save from preparing it in a 
careless manner, and lead to putting forth all the powers 
of the heart and soul and mind in making it most clear 
and impressive ! These things should be thought of in 
every sermon. In every one there should be a determi 
nation to save souls if possible. A sermon is a moment 
ous thing, and ought never to be treated with levity. 

In the preparation of a sermon it is not improper to 
reflect that it may determine some person to become a 
constant attendant upon one s ministry. At the delivery 
of that sermon there may be some one present whom it 
would be very desirable to secure to the congregation 
some one who will that day decide the question whether 
or not he will make that church his home. Suppose the 
minister sees some such person present, and is conscious 
that his sermon has been carelessly prepared or scarce 
studied at all ; he will feel embarrassed, and even come 
short of his ordinary acceptability in the pulpit. This 
will be a cause of great mortification and sorrow to him. 
The preparation should be so thorough not, of course, 
in a mean, sinful, man-pleasing spirit as to give com 
fort in the pulpit and provide for such emergencies. 

To do his best in each sermon is the true way for 
the pastor to make progress in the art of sermonizing 
and to see progress in the attendants and attendance 
on his ministry. Every minister should establish it 
as his incessant aim to make some improvement in 
preaching, which is the great work of his office. It 
is absurd to talk of great care in the preparation of 
one s sermons as detrimental to personal piety. Oh no ; 



IN THE STUDY. 139 

the solemnity which leads one to exercise the greatest 
care in presenting the truth in the most impressive 
manner must tone up the heart to a more thorough 
consecration to God and his cause. It is a law as inva 
riable as our human nature, that if one does not im 
prove he will deteriorate. It is so in the great work of 
preaching ; hence, "forgetting those things which are 
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are 
before," should be the motto here. If one attempts to 
do his best in the preparation of each sermon, the pro 
cess becomes an intellectual discipline, the powers be 
come strengthened by it, the mind is improved, and 
successive efforts grow better and better ; the perfections 
of a sermon are more distinctly understood and the 
modes of approaching them become plainer and easier. 
Besides, the congregation will inevitably feel the influ 
ence of this careful preparation on the preaching of 
their minister. They will be instructed in the truth ; 
they will be fed with the nourishment which God has 
provided ; their taste for the things of Christ will im 
prove ; their knowledge will be greater ; and so they 
will be attracted to the sanctuary and draw with them 
others in increasing numbers. 

A sermon which a minister prepares carefully will 
always afford him far more pleasure. He will have a 
satisfaction in its preparation which will abundantly 
repay the greater effort it may have required ; all the 
hard work will be turned into a joy instead of a drudg 
ery, and by the deeper study there will be opened new 
views of truth that, by their variety, will afford rich 
gratification. There will be pleasure also in the deliv 
ery of such a sermon a pleasure that will assist in pre 
senting the carefully-matured thoughts so forcibly that 



140 THE PASTOR 

they will find admittance to taste, to mind, to conscience 
and to heart. 

Such sermons will tell upon both preacher and con 
gregation in a few years. If there be ever so little im 
provement from week to week in the preaching as 
some there must be with such constant effort or if 
there be ever so little weekly increase in the interest 
of the people, in time the increase will be appreciable. 
The minister himself will feel that he is advancing in 
the better grasp with which he is able to lay hold of a 
subject, in the more impressive manner in which he is 
able to bring it before his people, and in the increasing 
gratification his work affords. The congregation will 
give evidence of the effects in the closer attention 
they yield, in the spiritual profiting they manifest, 
and in the growing numbers that will be found in the 
sanctuary. 

When a minister does his best in preparing his 
sermons they will be worthy of being preserved for 
future use or reference. They ought, by all means, to 
be put in such a form that they can be so preserved. If 
they are not written out in full, they ought to be put 
down in such ample skeleton that they can easily be 
recalled. Every subject that is studied out carefully 
studied out once for all, and put in such shape that it 
can be preserved becomes a part of a minister s treasure 
which he can lay up as invaluable. A remark worthy 
of much attention was once made by an excellent pas 
tor, aged, profound, studious and devoted, that there 
was not much in his past, long ministry that he regret 
ted more than that he had not written down and pre 
served his sermons. In his earlier days he had prepared 
sermons which had life and beauty and force, and which 
he might now, when his powers were waning, use occti- 



IN THE STUDY. 141 

sionally to great advantage. But they were gone, and 
could be recalled no more. Such thoroughly-studied 
sermons could be brought in occasionally when age and 
infirmities were creeping on, when some peculiar cir 
cumstances in the church might render the repetition 
of any of them desirable, when the preacher might, 
perchance, have removed to another congregation, when 
there was an exchange of pulpits with a brother-minis 
ter, or on some other of the special occasions of preach 
ing to which ministers are frequently called. They 
might also prove valuable for reference when at any 
time the subjects might again come up for considera 
tion. By all means, all the powers of heart, mind and 
conscience should be thrown into the study of each 
sermon. 

BEADING AND BOOKS. 

Upon the general subject of reading, which is so vast 
and important, we cannot here enter. It comes not 
within the province of pastoral theology. We allude 
to it simply for the purpose of noticing a few things 
that are specially important for the ministry. It will 
be taken for granted that the pastor will read much, and 
that most of his reading will of course be on religious 
subjects. The importance of this should be very deeply 
impressed upon the mind of every minister. 

Reading is a duty so important for the ministry that 
there is a special charge concerning it given by the 
Holy Ghost. " Till I come give attendance to reading," 
was the precept enjoined on the young minister Timo 
thy, and through him upon all ministers. The pastor 
is constantly drawing upon the stores of his mind in his 
sermons and other ministrations, and he must fill it up 
again by gathering from other sources. lie must keep 



142 THE PASTOR 

his mind enriched by the thoughts of other minds the 
greatest of minds that are so abundantly treasured up 
in books. He must strive to have his powers quick 
ened by contact with the most splendid intellects and 
by suggestions that can be found plentifully in the best 
authors. The richest literature in the world proba 
bly is the religious literature of the English language. 
All this is open to the pastor to the extent that he has 
time to peruse it. He should cherish the keenest appe 
tite for the abundant feast. Every minister should con 
stantly have on hand some book that he is diligently 
perusing. Some works like those of the seraphic Howe 
should be carefully studied and wrought into the very 
texture of the minister s thoughts. How to select the 
books that will be the most profitable, and how to read 
them to the best advantage, are questions which should 
receive very thoughtful attention from each pastor for 
himself. 

In the course of reading an Index Rerum should be 
kept, in which to note down for future reference thoughts 
suggested, facts stated, arguments developed, subjects 
treated, explanations of Scripture, themes for sermons 
or anything else that should evidently be preserved. 
The riches gathered from great authors are too precious, 
of too much value to a minister, to be trusted to the 
memory alone. They should be treasured away so sys 
tematically that they can be found and used to advan 
tage at some future day. Too much matter, however, 
should not find its way into such a book of reference, 
lest it should prove like storing away useless lumber, 
and so prevent its ever being used in the future. Only 
that which is really striking and likely to be of import 
ance should be thus written down. 

On every account it is highly important, especially 



IN THE STUDY. 14:] 

for the young pastor, to find out and read the best 
authors on the various branches of his studies. Both 
time and money will be wasted unless care is taken on 
this point. None but the best authors should be read 
by him who must economize time, and whose aim it 
should be to enrich his mind by familiarity with the 
noblest thoughts. The Rev. Dr. Shedd has presented this 
subject impressively. Speaking of the intellectual cha 
racter of the clergyman and his studies, he says : " These 
may all be reduced to one namely, the daily, nightly 
and everlasting study of standard authors. l Few, re 
marks John Foster, have been sufficiently sensible of 
that economy in reading which selects almost exclu 
sively the very first order of books. Why should a 
man, except for some special reason, read a very infe 
rior book at the very time that he might be reading one 
of the highest order ? A man of ability, for the chief 
of his reading, should select such works as he feels be 
yond his own power to have produced. What can other 
books do for him but waste his time and augment his 
vanity? 

" Choice and high culture is the fruit of communion 
with the very finest and loftiest intellects of the race. 
The preacher must love the profound thinkers and med 
itate upon them. But these are not the multitude ; they 
are the few. They are those who make epochs in the 
provinces in which they labor. As we cast our eye 
along the history of a department, be it poetry or phi 
losophy or theology, a few names represent and contain 
the whole pith and substance of it. Though there are 
many others who are respectable, and many more who 
are mere sciolists and pretenders, still, an acquaintance 
or unacquaintance with them all would not materially 
affect the sum of his knowledge who should be thoroughly 



144 THE PASTOR 

familiar with these standard writers. The clergyman, 
therefore, must dare to pass by all second-rate authors, 
and devote his days and nights to the first-rate." 

In order to give some assistance in the selection of 
books, we would name a few upon the respective branches 
of ministerial study. We pass by general reading and 
culture, for it is with the minister in his special calling 
as pastor that we are now concerned. We give only 
a few authors as many as may serve at the beginning 
of the ministry a sort of indispensable apparatus for 
commencing the great work. At least, the pastor s 
library should be stocked with most of these as soon 
as circumstances will allow. The books we name have 
been well tried, and are recommended by persons whose 
judgment is worthy of confidence. 

1. Books of general reference. Webster s or Worces 
ter s English Dictionary this should be a constant com 
panion ; Roget s Thesaurus of English Words ; some 
good general Encyclopaedia if possible. 

2. Interpretation of Scripture. Cruden s Concordance ; 
Smith s Dictionary of the Bible, Hackett s edition ; Sim 
mons Manual ; Wheeler s Analysis and Summary of Old 
Testament History ; Whitney or Barrow s Sacred Geog 
raphy ; The Land and the Book. 

3. Commentaries. On the whole Bible, Henry s 
Commentary ; Critical and Experimental Commentary 
by Jamieson, Faussett and Brown ; Lange s great Bible 
work is a thesaurus of scriptural exposition which 
may be secured as the wants of the pastor require. 
Many of the best expositors have written on only one 
or a few books of Scripture. A detailed list of some 
of the most useful of these may now be given : On 
Genesis, Murphy, Jacobus, Bush ; on Exodus, Murphy, 
Jacobus, Bush ; on Leviticus, Bush, Bonar ; on Numbers, 



7^ THE STUDY. 145 

Bush, Keil and Delitzsch ; on Deuteronomy, Keil and 
Delitzsch ; on the whole Pentateuch, Calvin ; on Joshua 
and Judges, Bush, Keil and Delitzsch ; on Ruth and 
Samuel, Keil and Delitzsch ; on Esther, McCrie ; on 
Job, Barries ; on Psalms, Barnes, Calvin ; on Proverbs, 
Bridges, Stuart ; on Ecclesiastes, Bridges ; on Song of 
Solomon, Newton; on Isaiah, Barnes, Alexander; on 
Jeremiah and Lamentations, Henderson ; on Ezekiel, 
Fairbairn ; on Daniel, Barnes, Auberlin, Stuart ; on 
the minor prophets, Henderson ; on Haggai, Zechariah, 
and Malachi, Moore ; on the four Evangelists, John J. 
Owen; on Matthew and Mark, Alexander; on John, 
Hutchison ; on Acts, Alexander, Hackett, Jacobus ; on 
Romans, Hodge, Turner ; on Corinthians, Hodge ; on 
Galatians, Luther ; on Ephesians, Hodge ; on Philip- 
pians and Colossians, Eadie ; on Thessalonians, Timothy, 
Titus and Philemon, Barnes ; on Hebrews, Stuart, Owen ; 
on James, Barnes, Pattison ; on Peter, Barnes arid 
Leigh ton ; on John and Jude, Barnes ; on Revelation , 
Stuart, Barnes and Auberlin. 

4. Theology. Systematic Theology, by Hodge ; Hill s 
Divinity ; Dwight s Theology ; Dick s Theology ; Out 
lines of Theology, by A. A. Hodge ; Pictet s Theology. 

5. Church History. Mosheim s Ecclesiastical His 
tory ; Shedd s History of Doctrines ; Kurtz s Sacred 
History ; Schaff s Apostolic Church ; McCrie s Life of 
Knox ; History of the Church in Chronological Tables, 
H. B. Smith ; The Ancient Church, by Dr. Killen ; 
D Aubigne s Histories. 

6. Church Government and the Sacraments. Miller 
on the Christian Ministry ; Miller on the Ruling El 
der; Primitive Church Officers, J. A. Alexander; 
Hooker s Ecclesiastical Polity ; Coleman s Primitive 
Church. 

19 



146 THE PASTOR 

7. Sermons. This field is a boundless one, and we 
give only a few books which are known to be of stand 
ard value : South s Sermons ; Robert Hall s Sermons ; 
Sermons of John M. Mason these should be read by all 
means ; Davies Sermons ; Archibald Alexander s Prac 
tical Sermons ; Gospel in Ezekiel, Guthrie ; Principal 
Cunningham s Sermons, amongst the best in the lan 
guage; Spurgeon s Sermon s; Bishop Horsley s Sermons, 
among the best. 

8. Practical Piety. Russell s Letters ; Rutherford s 
Letters ; A Kempis ; James s Earnest Ministry ; Wins- 
low s Precious Things of God ; Baxter s Reformed Pas 
tor; Daily Meditations by Bowen ; Owen on the Glory of 
Christ a work of pre-eminent value ; Owen on Spiritual- 
Mind edness Dr. Alexander said this should be read 
once a year ; Howe s Delight in God ; Flavel s Keeping 
the Heart. 

9. Christian Biography. Lives of McCheyne, 
Simeon, Henry Martyn, Haliburton, Archibald Alex 
ander. 

10. Great Puritan Writers. John Howe all of his 
works. Says James W. Alexander, " A little reading in 
the pages of great thought will sometimes set one think 
ing, as if by a happy contagion. Such pages are those 
of John Howe." Owen, especially on Hebrews Dr. 
Mason used to say all his theology was from this. Some 
of his most valuable productions are on " Spiritual- 
Mindedness," on the " Glory of Christ," on " Forgive 
ness of Sin," " Indwelling Sin," and " Mortification of 
Sin ;" Baxter, especially his " Saints Rest " and Re 
formed Pastor;" Leighton s works ; Flavel s works 
highly recommended ; and Charnock on the " Divine 
Attributes." 

11. On Sabbath-school Work. "Sunday-School Idea" 



IN THE STUDY. 147 

(Hart); " Sabbath -School Index" (Pardee); "Preparing 
to Teach " (Presbyterian Board). 

The minister who has secured most of these books is 
furnished with the best of reading for many a day, and 
with authorities on almost all subjects that can come 
before him in his profession. Of other authors he will 
find out the value in the progress of his ministry, and 
purchase them as new wants arise. It was an excellent 
advice of Dr. Archibald Alexander that ministers should 
buy books only as they are actually needed, and not to 
be stored away on the shelves of the library for future 
use. Our last advice is to be sure of getting only the 
standard and very* best authors. 



NEWSPAPERS AND OTHER PERIODICALS. 

The active pastor cannot afford to dispense with the 
current periodical literature of the day. He will find 
it necessary to devote considerable time and attention to 
its perusal. This kind of literature is one of the pe 
culiarities, one of the great wonders, of the age. There 
is scarcely a prominent subject of human thought or ac 
tivity to the interests of which a journal is not devoted. 
There are all classes of periodicals, from the cheap daily 
newspaper up to the massive quarterly magazine. On 
the pages of the current press is to be found a resume 
of the seething, rushing, complicated life of the world. 
Some of the greatest minds of the age put forth their 
strength in this direction, and some of the best writing 
is found in the religious and secular journals which 
the great mass of men are reading. All this must 
receive due attention from the minister. 

There are grave questions of the times which it will 
not do for him to be ignorant of, or to understand only 



148 THE PASTOR 

ill a vague manner. What are the chief phases of re 
ligious thought in the world, its errors, its dangers, its 
hopes and its prospects ? What are at present the most 
urgent wants of mankind ? What are the great move 
ments going on in the Church ? What are the most 
effective methods of working for the upbuilding of 
Christ s kingdom ? What are now the developments 
of God s providence? In what direction is he leading 
the world ? W T hat is the progress of the cause of truth 
and righteousness ? On these and similar subjects it is 
vital to the ministry of the present day to be well in 
formed. 

This kind of literature must be perused by the pastor 
as an aid to him in his preaching. Not that he is to 
carry the substance of the newspaper into the pulpit 
from Sabbath to Sabbath a most miserable practice, 
and one that degrades the pulpit. But there are living- 
issues which the pulpit must take up ; there are present 
wants that it must meet ; there are current thoughts in 
religious and other periodicals which should stimulate 
the heart and mind of every preacher. There are great 
events of the passing times which can be used to illus 
trate and enforce the truth. The grand old gospel 
themes should be brought home in the earnest spirit 
of the age, and show themselves adapted to every want 
of man as it arises. 

Then, again, as a guide to the pastor in the activities 
of the Church, he must make himself somewhat famil 
iar with the news of the day, both religious and secular. 
No true minister or church can afford to stand still while 
there are such active movements going on in the world 
both for and against the kingdom of Christ. But what 
is to be done ? How is our energy to be put forth to 
the greatest advantage ? Care should be taken that the 



IN THE STUDY. 149 

enterprise be not rushed into blindly, that the zeal be 
according to knowledge. The close study should be, 
What are the most pressing wants of men ? what meth 
ods of working are the most promising of success ? how 
can the great gospel enterprises be most effectively carried 
on ? Most important information on all these subjects 
can be gathered from the periodical press, and for that 
reason, as well as to assist him in his personal, social and 
civil duties, it should be read by every pastor. 

The minister must keep himself posted in the news 
of the day in order to retain the respect of well-in 
formed men. The age is seething with every kind of 
activity ; all are reading, all are thinking, and if he is 
not at least tolerably familiar with what is going on in 
the world, he will inevitably suffer in the esteem of 
others. In all the social intercourse of life, in all the 
necessary mingling with society, the topics of the day 
will come up, and the clergyman should study to be 
able to converse on them with more than ordinary in 
telligence. 

It is very important that the pastor should keep him 
self and his work up with the times. To do so will 
give him an influence and a power which can be turned 
to the very best advantage. And this should be done. 
All lawful use should be made of times and circum 
stances by which to promote the cause of salvation. 
This was the habit of the apostle Paul, that noble 
model for the ministry. He tells us : " Unto the Jews 
I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews ; to them 
that are under the law, as under the law, that I might 
gain them that are under the law ; to them that are 
without law, as without law (being not without law to 
God, but under the law to Christ), that I might gain 
them that are without law. To the weak became I as 



150 THE PASTOR IN THE STUDY. 

weak, that I might gain the weak ; I am made all things 
to all men, that I might by all means save some." The 
minister must mingle with the world and feel its cur 
rents, and he ought to use them as best he can for the 
promotion of the noble work to which he is called. He 
should study to subordinate all the movements of the 
age that are not sinful to the interests of the kingdom. 
Yea, it should be his aim to the extent of his ability to 
make the progress of the cause of Christ felt as the 
greatest of all the movements by which society is agi 
tated. And all this presupposes that he keeps himself 
well informed as to what is going on in the world. 

It is, then, almost essential that the pastor should 
take a few of the very best newspapers and other period 
icals, and read them. He should also keep a "scrap- 
book," for the purpose of preserving many valuable 
things met with in the course of such reading. With 
out this, multitudes of facts, sentiments, arguments, im 
portant and well-expressed truths, that could be used 
afterward most profitably, will be lost. How often is 
one tried by the dim recollection of such things as these 
that float in the mind, but will not come into definite 
and available shape ! Really valuable matter, therefore, 
ought to be preserved in a " scrap-book," carefully in 
dexed, so that it can be found when needed by him who 
must use every proper method for reaching the under 
standing and heart and conscience of men. 



CHAPTER IV. 
THE PASTOR IN THE PULPIT. 

WE now pass from the private to the public duties 
of the pastoral office. We leave the closet and the 
study, where, in obedience to the divine mandate, "Take 
heed unto th self," the pastor carries on the work of his 
own spiritual and mental equipment, and go out with 
him to that other great department of his work, where 
he comes in direct contact with men and brings all his 
training to bear upon their hearts and consciences. The 
heart and head being prepared, we would consider how 
that preparation may be made to tell most effectively. 
How his zeal, awakened by the love of God, his powers 
strengthened by diligent training, and his stores of truth, 
arranged and ready for use, can be brought to bear with 
most weight upon the souls of his hearers, is a vital 
question for the study of every pastor. 

Though preaching, as a sacred science, is not now 
specifically before us, yet in a treatise concerning the 
great duties of the pastor it must receive some, and 
very thoughtful, attention. Some cardinal principles 
must be indicated in reference to that duty, which is 
the very central one of the whole ministerial office. 
What to preach, how to present the truth so that it 
will most deeply impress, after what objects to have a 
direct aim, how to get and keep the mind in the best 
tone for preaching, to these and kindred points the 

151 



152 THE PASTOR 

pastor must give close attention if he would be a suc 
cessful workman in the gospel. 



PREACHING, THE MINISTER S CHIEF CALLING. 
The pastor has many other duties assigned him by 
the ordination of God and the appointment of his 
Church, but this is chief of all. As a minister of the 
gospel nothing else can make up for the omission or 
neglect or slighting of this paramount service. He 
may not be eloquent eloquence, in the ordinary mean 
ing of the word, may not be possible for him but he 
is responsible for using the powers that he has to the 
very best advantage, and when he does so use them he 
will be eloquent in the best sense. Powers of head and 
heart, ordination of God, experience of others, most dil 
igent preparation, hope of usefulness, the cry of per 
ishing souls, the unspeakable glory hanging over the 
head of the faithful minister, and every other power 
and motive, may well be concentrated on a work so 
grave and momentous as that of proclaiming God s 
pardon to guilty, dying men. This was the great busi 
ness of apostolic men. How earnestly did Peter pub 
lish salvation ! How constantly did Paul proclaim the 
gospel ! Yea, with what divine simplicity and power 
did Jesus himself proclaim the riches of the kingdom 
which he had come to establish ! Do not these in 
spired examples tell us of the pre-eminent importance 
of preaching ? Do they not tell us of the wisdom of 
God in ordaining that the power of public speaking 
over an audience should be his great instrumentality for 
publishing his offers of mercy through Christ crucified ? 
And the Scriptures confirm this doctrine of the tran 
scendent importance of the ordinance of preaching. In 



IN THE PULPIT. 153 

one place they tell us that God " hath in due time man 
ifested his word through preaching." In another place 
we read, " How then shall they call on Him in whom 
they have not believed ? and how shall they believe in 
Him of whom they have not heard ? and how shall they 
hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach 
except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are 
the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and 
bring glad tidings of good things !" In order to deepen 
this impression, and lead to a more thorough discharge 
of the duties involved, we should dwell very thought 
fully upon this great duty of the pastor. 

Let it be borne in mind that the ministry was ap 
pointed chiefly for the purpose of preaching. Christ 
himself preached, as the great Pastor and Leader in 
this work. How instructive it is to read of him that 
when he " had made an end of commanding his twelve 
disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in 
their cities"! He also sent out his disciples to the same 
work, laying this charge upon them : " And as ye go 
preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand." 
Then to all his followers, that it might sound down 
through all the ages, he gave the abiding command, 
" Go ye therefore into all the world, and preach the 
gospel to every creature." That this is an established 
ordinance of God is very plainly asserted : " For after 
that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew 
not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching 
to save them that believe." Then the command to the 
ministry is explicitly given : " Preach the word." God, 
in his infinite wisdom, saw what was the best method 
of reaching the souls of men with the truth ; and this 
was the plan he chose. And because it is God s plan 
we may depend upon it, beyond the shadow of a doubt, 
20 



154 THE PASTOR 

that it is the best plan. Sacraments, printed pages, pri 
vate instructions and other agencies, though they have 
a very important mission, can never take the place of 
the preaching which God has ordained. This he has 
appointed, because it brings glowing hearts into sym 
pathy with other hearts, and so intensifies and fastens 
the truth. 

To preach is to deliver God s messages of mercy and 
love and instruction to men. This is the essence, the 
sum and substance, of all true preaching. The preacher 
is "to seek the law at God s mouth," and then repeat it 
to all who will hear him. God is to be heard, and his 
words then published abroad. This is the minister s 
highest calling, his imperative duty and his truest pol 
icy. When he does this, then no tongue can exaggerate 
the dignity of his work as a herald to proclaim the 
communications of Heaven to a lost world. When he 
speaks simply what God has told him to say, then his 
words can well be with authority and boldness. It is 
this that makes the calling of the preacher sublime 
this that must enlarge and ennoble his own heart. 

Everything else in the life, studies and other duties 
of his office should be made to centre upon this his most 
momentous work. So it was with the inspired Paul ; 
he regarded all other things as subordinate to his 
preaching ; this he felt was his first calling. " Christ/ 
said he, " sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gos 
pel ; not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ 
should be made of none effect; for the preaching of 
the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us 
which believe it is the power of God." All previous 
preparation, all the culture of head and heart which 
is so essential to good preaching, all daily and nightly 
study of the Scriptures, all quickened observation in 



IN THE PULPIT. 155 

search of illustrations, all visiting from house to house, 
intended to ascertain wants, to secure attention and to 
attract to the worship of the sanctuary, should have the 
ministrations of the pulpit in view. The great study 
should be how all these can be brought to lend their 
aid in making the preaching more effective. 

The minister ought, by all means, to cultivate a very 
high appreciation of the importance of preaching, and 
to concentrate on it all his energies. The hour in the 
pulpit he should look upon as the harvest hour of the 
week. He should cherish a growing assurance that his 
ministrations there will tell most powerfully upon men, 
and that to proclaim the messages of God to man is the 
most noble and solemn thing to which a man can be 
called. Such exalted estimate of what it is to preach 
would help to the better performance of the service, and 
often prevent it from being slighted. The preacher 
should strive to work himself up to admiration and 
love for this greatest duty of his office. 



WHAT TO PREACH. 

The pastor should have settled principles on this 
point. It will contribute much to his success and com 
fort to have a definite understanding of what he is to 
proclaim to men. To assist him the following thoughts 
are suggested : 

(a) THE WORD OF GOD. 

The duty of the Christian minister on this point is 
most unquestionable, and he should understand it and 
determine positively upon its performance at once. The 
Holy Scriptures contain the message that he is to de 
liver, furnish models of the manner in which it is to be 



156 THE PASTOR 

delivered, and contain the true excitement to his zeal. 
The matter of all true preaching is to be found in the 
Bible, and out of its sacred pages the mind of the Spirit 
is to be searched and then delivered from the pulpit. 
Every sermon should be carefully wrought out from 
the text ; every point advanced should be proved by a 
" thus saith the Lord ;" passages bearing on the subject 
in hand should be quoted, or at least their substance 
presented ; and the whole discourse should be saturated 
with the word of God. This adherence to the Scrip 
tures should not be merely incidental, but it should be 
studiously aimed at. The Bible should be made the 
substance of all preaching. Not only the matter of 
preaching, but the manner of presenting the truth also, 
should be guided by the inspired pages. From this 
sacred storehouse illustrations should be gathered ; its 
imagery and sublime utterances should be used, and its 
poetry should adorn the preacher s words. The whole 
discourse should be animated and impressed by the 
spirit of the holy oracles. The truths of the Bible 
should be preached just as they are found upon its 
pages. The whole of the divine word should be pre 
sented ; none of it should be intentionally kept back ; 
there need be no fear of preaching it all. The grand 
rule of the preacher should be to search out the mind 
of God as revealed on the sacred pages, and then sim 
ply to publish it to his fellow-men. 

The solemn command rests upon the minister to 
preach the word which God has revealed, and nothing 
else. This point is clear. " Preach the word," is the 
charge which must ring constantly in the pastor s ears. 
" Preach the preaching that I bid thee," is the mandate 
which comes as imperatively upon him as it did upon 
the prophet of old. " If any man speak, let him speak 



IN THE PULPIT. 157 

as the oracles of God," is the rule which has never 
been revoked. The practice of the first, the inspired, 
preachers comes to us with all the force of a command. 
The rule with them was thus described : " Which things 
also we speak, not in the words which man s wisdom 
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth ; comparing 
spiritual things with spiritual. " A fine instance is that 
which is recorded of the apostle Paul : " And Paul, as his 
manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days 
reasoned with them out of the Scriptures." This settles 
the matter of duty with all true ministers as to what 
they ought to preach. They are responsible for preach 
ing the whole word of God, and not for the effects of 
that word. If they come short intentionally of deliver 
ing the whole counsel of God, they are guilty of a great 
sin of omission. If they preach something else than 
what God has commanded, their guilt and danger must 
be very great indeed. 

The word preached is God s ordained instrumentality 
for the conversion of souls and the sanctification of 
believers. Out of all possible means which might have 
been adopted for that purpose, he has chosen this, and 
we have but to follow in the path he has opened. His 
plan for the conversion of men is distinctly announced : 
" So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the 
word of God." No less plainly is his method for the 
edification of his people indicated in the prayer of Jesus : 
" Sanctify them through thy truth ; thy word is truth." 
Now, will not God honor and prosper his own clearly- 
announced agency more than any other? Are we not 
bound to follow this, and this alone? Any other 
preaching than that of the Scriptures is not the 
preaching which God has appointed. There is noth 
ing so obligatory, so safe, so honorable, as to deliver 



158 THE PASTOR 

God s messages just as we gather them from his own 
words. 

Because God has appointed the Scriptures for that 
purpose we may rest assured that to preach them is 
the best possible way to lead men to the blessings of 
salvation. Human wisdom might imagine otherwise. 
But does not God know best? Does he not know best 
how men may be instructed in divine things ; how the 
heart which he has made may be the most effectively 
reached ; how the knowledge of his will may be most 
thoroughly imparted, and through what channels it 
is his purpose to convey the blessings of his Spirit? 
Does not he alone know what the truth is ? Then is it 
not better to trust in his wisdom, and to follow his plan, 
than it is to follow our own fallible and changing con 
jectures ? Remember that in preaching we have to do 
with divine things, and hence we can have no reliable 
information concerning them excepting from Him who 
is divine. 

.We can expect the blessing of God on our efforts to 
influence men only when we use the Scriptures for that 
purpose, but when we do so use them we may look 
confidently for that blessing. The great thing which 
we need in preaching is the power of the Holy Ghost, 
without which our words will be utterly lost. Then 
we should remember that the Scriptures are the Spirit s 
own weapon for conquering men. The word is the 
sword of the Spirit. It is the sword which the Holy 
Ghost has forged, which he has given to be used by his 
servants, which he uses himself in the dispensations of 
providence, and which we may be positive he will bless. 
When we are preaching the word we are using the very 
weapon which the Holy Ghost has put into our hands; 
and will he not make its strokes effective? Is there 



IN THE PULPIT. 159 

any other weapon that can be compared with it? In 
fact, the Spirit himself is using the sword of his word 
when he leads us to use it. This is the way in which 
he conducts his dispensation. It is not outside of men, 
but in them and through them that he maintains and 
builds up his kingdom. Then the Spirit is with us 
when we preach the word, and because it is his word it 
cannot fail of its effects. 

The Scriptures are true, and therefore they may well 
claim to be the burden of all preaching. They are not 
only true, but the truth itself the truth of God, the 
truth that needs to be known for our highest well-being, 
the truth that must ever be taken as the standard of all 
truth. Hence, when the word is proclaimed in the 
pulpit there need be no vacillation or hesitancy. It 
may be pronounced with positiveness and pressed home 
most urgently. In preaching its plain utterances there 
will be no mistake made, there will be no harm done to 
cause after-regrets. The constant proclamation of the 
truth of God must strengthen and elevate the preacher 
himself, as well as convey spiritual and intellectual 
benefits to the hearers. 

While ministers preach the word of God they can 
speak with authority, they can press home their mes 
sages, and they can demand in the name of its Author 
that it be listened to. This gives them very great 
power. If they deliver simply their own opinions, 
men may dispute with them ; if they adduce alleged 
facts, the reality or the pertinency of those facts may 
be questioned ; but when they come out squarely with 
a "thus saith the Lord," their words must be listened 
to and received. Such a message cannot be gainsaid : 
it will be thought of in hours of reflection. When 
known to be the truth of God, it will command at- 



160 THE PASTOR 

tention and be laid up in the memory for future and 
possibly saving thought. This convincing power of the 
Scriptures has been well described: "There is a power 
in the plain teachings of the word of God such as is 
found nowhere else. Men may affect to despise it, but 
if they will not listen to Moses and the prophets and to 
Christ and the apostles, neither would they be convinced 
though one rose from the dead. There is a power in its 
simple statements with which nothing can be compared. 
Armed with a thus saith the Lord who could success 
fully resist the prophets of the old dispensation ? And 
when the new was to be founded, this was the great 
weapon. Man will not hesitate to argue with man, to 
contradict his statements, to dispute his conclusions ; 
but who will dare to make God a liar ?" In fact, there 
is nothing but the proclamation of the word of God 
which will give to the pulpit its proper influence, and 
continue to it the dignity which is its right. It is only 
this message from heaven that can properly be pressed 
home upon the attention of men with the fervor which 
God demands of his ministers. 

All experience the experience of the most godly 
and successful ministers proves that it is the preaching 
of the word which does the true execution. Those who 
have not studied the matter, or tried it, may think other 
wise ; they may think that men could be more success 
fully attracted by flights of fancy, or by startling nov 
elties, or by dreamy imaginings, or high-wrought senti- 
mentalism, or lofty oratory. But this is a great mis 
take as a mere matter of policy. All else but the truth 
of God will prove ephemeral, will fail to produce sound 
edification, and will not even attract for any length of 
time. The best and most permanent work will undoubt 
edly be done by the heaven-ordained instrumentality. 



IN THE PULPIT. 161 

The testimony of the eminent Dr. Charles Hodge as to 
its efficacy is worthy of being well considered : " This " 
(the Bible) " is sharper than any two-edged sword. It 
is the wisdom of God and the power of God. It has a 
self-evidencing light. It commends itself to the reason 
and conscience. It has the power not only of truth, but 
of divine truth. Our Lord promised to give to his dis 
ciples a word and wisdom which all their adversaries 
would not be able to gainsay or resist. In opposition 
to all error, to all false philosophy, to all the sophistries 
of vice, to all the suggestions of the devil, the sole, sim 
ple and sufficient answer is the word of God. This 
puts to flight all the powers of darkness. The Chris 
tian finds this to be true in his individual experience. 
It dissipates his doubts, it drives away his fears, it de 
livers him from the power of Satan. It is also the ex 
perience of the Church collectively. All her triumphs 
over sin and error have been effected by the word of 
God. So long as she uses this, and relies on it alone, 
she goes on conquering, but when anything else, be it 
reason, science, tradition or the commandments of men, 
is allowed to take its place or to share its office, then the 
Church or the Christian is at the mercy of the adver 
sary. Hoc signo vinces the apostle may be under 
stood to say to every believer and to the whole Church." 
The Holy Ghost also testifies as to the power of the 
word over the heart : For the word of God is quick 
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, 
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit 
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the 
thoughts and intents of the heart. Let the history 
of all great and truly successful ministers be examined, 
and it will be found that they drew their force and in 
spiration from the sacred volume. This was true of the 
21 



162 THE PASTOR 

great preacher, Paul, for lie says, " And my speech and 
my preaching was not with enticing words of man s 
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of 
power." 

As we are appealing to experience, we must still quote 
from it. The eminently devoted John Brown of Had- 
dington declared : " So far as I ever observed God s 
dealings with my soul, the flights of preachers some 
times entertained me, but it was Scripture expressions 
which did penetrate my heart, and that in a way pecu 
liar to themselves." Dr. Nicholas Murray bore his tes 
timony to the same truth, as learned from his own long 
and successful ministry. The following is the result of 
his observation : " Spiritual religion is best promoted 
by the preaching of the truth. It was by the preaching 
of the truth that the apostles uprooted the deep preju 
dices of the Jews, and dispersed the assembled deities 
of Olympus and gave the mythologies of Greece and 
Koine to the winds of heaven. So it was by the preach 
ing of the truth that the Reformers turned Europe up 
side down, and unbound the angel which has ever since 
been flying through the midst of heaven to give the 
gospel to every creature. And in whatever country or 
community the Church has left its first love and fallen 
into a formal state, it has been revived by the preaching 
of the truth. It was so in England in the days of 
Whitefield, in Scotland in the days of Chalmers, in 
America in the days of Edwards. And we find the 
same true as to communities. The towns in Britain and 
America noted for churches alive to their responsibilities 
and possessing the spirit of Christ are those which have 
been favored by a succession of ministers who faithfully 
preached the distinguishing truths of the gospel. And 
it may be laid down as a general rule that the pastors 



IN THE PULPIT. 163 

most blessed in their labors in the American churches 
were those most clear and discriminating in their pres 
entation of truth and most strict in their adherence to 
the order of the gospel. The preaching of the truth, 
simply, affectionately, earnestly, is the best means of 
the spiritual improvement of a people. He that goetli 
forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless 
come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with 
him/" 

Most pastors long in the ministry have found out for 
themselves how much better it is to preach the Scrip 
tures than anything else. The most devoted of them 
would promptly confess that they are ashamed of all ser 
mons on other subjects which they have ever preached. 
They do not want to preserve such sermons ; they are 
never willing to repeat them. Young pastors should 
take the experience of those who have gone before, and 
begin with preaching the word, and that only and that 
always, until they can say unto God with the Psalmist, 
" How sweet are thy words unto my taste ! Yea, sweeter 
than honey to my mouth." 

By his preaching, by his example and by all other 
means the pastor should strive to lead the people to love 
the Bible in this age when it is by so many utterly 
neglected. There is now so much reading of other 
kinds, and so much that is unfriendly to the close study 
of the book of God, that the watchmen of Zion need to 
guard very closely at this point. It should be the de 
liberate and persevering aim of ministers to keep up 
in their congregations a high appreciation of the word 
of God. It can be done. There are some churches in 
which the Bible is studied far more than others, and 
that largely through the influence of the pastor. A love 
for the Bible can be promoted by the minister constantly 



164 THE PASTOR 

honoring it, by his pointing out its excellencies, by his 
explaining and preaching it, by his reproducing its his 
tories in the forms of life, and by contriving various 
plans to have it studied. That pastor has accomplished 
a great work who has, by his preaching and other efforts, 
trained his people to love the Bible. 

(b) NOTHING BUT THE WORD TO BE PREACHED. 

This caution is so much needed that it ought to be 
dwelt upon very thoughtfully. It can scarcely receive 
too much attention from the preacher who would be 
faithful to God and faithful to souls, and who would 
magnify his holy office. The rule should be adopted, 
and adhered to rigidly, that nothing but God s own 
truth as found in his written word should be introduced 
into the pulpit. Other things may sometimes be admis 
sible as illustrations or proofs of the teachings of the 
Bible, but as themes for discourses, as the prominent 
things to be dwelt upon, or as in any way overshad 
owing the subjects which the Spirit has revealed, they 
should be promptly excluded. 

Very great care should be taken that one be not grad 
ually led off into preaching something else that may be 
(or may not be) true and important, but certainly is not 
the word of God. Multitudes of preachers, neglecting 
attention to this matter and forgetting their commission 
to preach the word only, plunge into secular subjects 
and throw themselves into the current of whatever may 
happen to be popular at the time. They are not satis 
fied with applying the rule of divine truth to the topics 
of the day, but make those topics upon which they 
cannot speak with any authority the themes of their 
discourses. The important rule to be adopted by the 
minister is, that he will not be led away from his great 



IN THE PULPIT. 165 

business jf preaching the written word by other sub 
jects because they may happen to be more popular at 
the time, or because they are more novel, or because they 
may seem more beautiful and attractive, or because they 
may be more congenial to the unrenewed hearts of men. 
To be so carried away is to be unfaithful to the charge 
which God has given, and untrue to the infinite import 
ance of the word; and it is unwise as a matter of policy 
in those who would be permanently useful and eminent 
in the highest and best sense. 

It is at once the pastor s duty and interest, and should 
be his delight, to preach the truth as it is found on the 
sacred pages, and not mere morality, for morality will 
not change the heart or reconcile with God. The truth 
should be preached, and not philosophy or science, for 
these are too cold to meet the sympathies and deep long 
ings of the soul. The plain truth should be preached, 
and time and strength not taken from the momentous 
themes of God and the soul and eternity in striving 
after mere ornaments and flowers. These have their 
place, but it is a very subordinate one. The eminent 
old writer Charnock has well said : " No man is renewed 
by phrases and fancies ; these are only as the oil to make 
the nails of the sanctuary drive in the easier. Words 
there must be to make things intelligible, illustrations 
to make things delightfully intelligible, but the seminal 
virtue lies not in the husk and skin, but in the kernel. 
The rest dies, but the substance of the seed lives and 
brings forth fruit. Separate, therefore, between the husk 
and the seed. The word does not work as it is elegant, 
but as it is divine as it is a word of truth. Illustra 
tions are but the ornaments of the temple ; the glory 
of it is in the ark and mercy-seat. It is not the engrav 
ing upon the sword that cuts, but the edge; nor the key, 



166 THE PASTOR 

as it is gilt, that opens, but as fitted to the wards. Your 
faith must not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the 
power of God. It is the juice of the meat, and not the 
garnishing of the dish, that nourishes. Was it the word 
as a pleasant song or as a divine seed that changed the 
souls of old, made martyrs smile in the midst of flames?" 
A good illustration of this point was also given by the 
eminent Robert Hall : " To my ear, it should be any 
thing but commendation should it be said to me, You 
have given us a pretty sermon. If I were put upon 
trial for rny life, and my advocate should amuse the jury 
with tropes and figures or bury his arguments beneath a 
profusion of flowers of his rhetoric, I would say to him, 
* Tut, man ! you care more for your vanity than for my 
hanging. Put yourself in my place, speak in view of 
the gallows, and you will tell your story plainly and 
earnestly. I have no objections to a lady winding a 
Bword with ribbons and studding it with roses as she 
presents it to her hero-lover, but in the day of battle he 
will tear away the ornaments and use the naked edge 
on the enemy." 

It is the truth of God that will stir the heart at last, 
and stir it as nothing else will. It has a power of its 
own that is peculiar and irresistible. That power is pen 
etrating and abiding. The mightiest weapon that can 
be used is the sword of the Spirit. It disarms opposi 
tion; it subdues, it brings captive to Christ. The word 
of God is the source of true eloquence in the pulpit. 
Well has it been said of it that " The only way to be 
eloquent in the pulpit is to banish every thought of 
self, to forget everything but God and duty. The tri 
umphs of true eloquence, touching, grand, sublime, 
awful as they sometimes have been, are seen, it has been 
remarked, only when the orator stands before you in 



IN THE PULPIT. 167 

the simple majesty of truth, and, overpowered by the 
weight of his convictions, forgets himself and forgets 
everything but his momentous subject. 4 It is amazing, 
says Goldsmith, to what heights eloquence of this kind 
may reach. This is that eloquence the ancients repre 
sented as lightning bearing down every opposer ; this 
is the power which has turned whole assemblies into 
astonishment, admiration and awe that is described by 
the torrent, the flame and every other instance of irre 
sistible impetuosity. 

(c) CHRIST TO BE THE SUM AND SUBSTANCE OF ALL 
PREACHING. 

We have already shown that the Scriptures, and 
nothing but the truths of the Scriptures, should furnish 
the matter that is brought into the pulpit. We now go 
further, and say that the one great theme which the 
preacher must ever bring out from the word of God and 
present in the diversified forms it receives from all scrip 
tural truth is Christ and him crucified. As Vinet has 
most aptly expressed it, " In every sermon we must 
either start from Christ or come to him." This will 
result necessarily from the deep study and preaching 
of the Bible, for Christ is the burden of all Scripture ; 
hence he laid the obligation upon his followers: "Search 
the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal 
life: and they are they which testify of me." The 
preachers of olden times made this the substance of 
their messages ; for we read, " Of which salvation the 
prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who 
prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 
searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of 
Christ which was in them did signify when it testified 
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that 



168 THE PASTOR 

should follow." So it was with Paul, whose noble res 
olution was, " For I determined not to know anything 
among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Such 
also was the message of Christ himself, for it is recorded 
of him after his resurrection that, " beginning at Moses 
and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the 
Scriptures the things concerning himself." Whatever 
text or theme, then, is taken by the preacher, it ought 
to look to Christ. He should be the great burden of 
every sermon. His name need not necessarily be men 
tioned as that which is to be the subject, but the tone, 
spirit, life, deep undercurrent and steady aim of every 
discourse should pertain to the person and work and 
infinite blessings of Christ. 

Christ, and him crucified, was the one theme for the 
preaching of which the ministry was appointed. There 
is no other conceivable object which was worthy of the 
establishment and perpetuation of such a sacred office. 
And it is with us either the preaching of Christ or noth 
ing. We have no title to our ministry excepting what is 
involved in this. The Scriptures are perfectly unequiv 
ocal as to the paramount obligation of this duty. The 
great commission which Christ laid upon his apostles 
was contained in these words : " Ye shall be witnesses 
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in 
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." 
And in accordance with this it is recorded of them that 
" daily in the temple and in every house they ceased 
not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." Then Paul tes 
tifies of himself and of his brethren, saying, " For we 
preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord ; and 
ourselves your servants for Jesus sake." And still 
more fully he says again, " God hath given to us the 
ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ 






IN THE PULPIT. 169 

reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their 
trespasses unto them ; and hath committed unto us the 
word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors 
for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us : we 
pray you in Christ s stead be ye reconciled to God." 
Then, just as we have the apostolic spirit, just as we 
would follow the inspired apostolic example, and just 
as we would fulfill the object of our commission as gos 
pel ministers, we shall preach always, in every sermon, 
Christ and his great salvation. If we do not preach 
this, our ministry is nothing. It is without authority, 
without spirit, without power, without an adequate ob 
ject, and will be without any substantial results for good. 

A sermon which does not in some way contain the 
salvation of Christ cannot with any propriety be called a 
gospel sermon. It may be so impressive as to awaken 
deep interest, or so beautiful as to please, or even of 
such a high moral tone as to cultivate and refine, but 
it is not the gospel, for the publishing of which all 
preaching was appointed. 

It is not meant that the death of Jesus in the place 
of sinful men should be the announced subject of every 
sermon, nor even that his name should be in every 
point that is handled ; this might not always be pos 
sible, nor would it always be best. But what is meant 
is, that the salvation of Christ should be the drift, the 
centre, the substance, the aim should give tone and di 
rection and impulse to every discourse. This can be 
done in perfect consistency with keeping up a proper 
variety and interest. The whole word of God leads to 
Christ and centres in him, but that through thousands 
of different avenues. This was finely illustrated by an 
incident related by Mr. Spurgeon : " Don t you know, 
young man," said a Welsh minister, " that from every 

22 



170 THE PASTOR 

town and from every village and from every little ham 
let in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to 
London ?" " Yes." " Ah," said the old divine, " and 
so from every text in Scripture there is a road to the 
metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ. And, my 
dear brother, your business is, when you get to a text, 
to say, Now, what is the road to Christ ? And then 
preach a sermon running along the road to the great 
metropolis, Christ. And," said he, " I have never yet 
found a text that had not a road to Christ in it ; and if 
ever I do find one that has not, I will make one. I will 
go over a hedge and ditch but I will get at my Master, 
for the sermon cannot do any good unless there be a 
flavor of Christ in it." 

We have only to reflect upon the real wants of men, 
and upon the perfect provision which is made for them 
all in the Lord our Righteousness, to be satisfied that we 
need go no farther than these either to awaken interest 
or to offer the highest blessings. Men are lost, they 
need a Saviour ; they are wretched, they need peace ; 
they are corrupt, they need purity ; and the remedy for 
all is in Christ, and in Christ only. Oh, preachers of 
his gospel ! tell your hearers who Christ is ; tell them 
how worthy he is of all their confidence ; tell them 
why it is that those who know him best can never say 
enough in his praise ; tell them how it is that he saves 
men ; tell them how willing he is to save them ; and tell 
them, and continue telling them, what they must do to 
be saved. 

Worthy of being deeply pondered are the following 
thoughts upon this subject : " Elegant dissertations upon 
virtue and vice, upon the evidences of revelation, may 
entertain the prosperous and the gay, but they will not 
mortify our members which are upon the earth ; they 



IN THE PULPIT. 171 

will not unsting calamity, nor feed the heart with an 
imperishable hope. When I go to the house of God 
I do not want amusement. I want the doctrine which 
is according to godliness. I want to hear of the remedy 
against the harassings of my guilt and the disorder of 
my affections. I want to be led from weariness and 
disappointment to that goodness which feeds the hun 
gry soul. Tell me of that Lord Jesus who himself bore 
our sins in his own body on the tree. Tell me of his 
intercession for the transgressors as their advocate with 
the Father. Tell me of his Holy Spirit, whom they 
that believe on him receive to be their Preserver, Sanc- 
tifier, Comforter. Tell me of his chastenings, their 
necessity and their use. Tell me of his presence, his 
sympathy and his love. Tell me of the virtues, as 
growing out of his cross and nurtured by his grace. 
Tell me of the glory reflected upon his name by the 
obedience of faith. Tell me of vanquished death, of 
the purified grave, of a blessed resurrection, of the life 
everlasting, and my bosom warms. This is gospel ; these 
are glad tidings to me as a sufferer, because glad to me 
as a sinner. They rectify my mistakes, allay my re 
sentments, rebuke rny discontent, support me under the 
weight of moral and natural evil. These attract the 
poor, steal upon the thoughtless, awe the irreverent, 
and throw over the services of the sanctuary a majesty 
which some fashionable modes of address never fail to 
dissipate. When they are habitually neglected or lightly 
referred to there may be much grandeur, but there is no 
gospel." 

Though Christ crucified is to be the one great bur 
den of every sermon, it does not necessarily follow that 
there must be a tiresome repetition. It may be that some 
preachers are often driven by the fear of this to seek 



172 THE PASTOR 

other subjects. But this supremely important subject 
has an infinite variety of aspects. In Jesus dwells all 
the fullness of wisdom, all the fullness of grace, all the 
fullness of the Godhead an ocean boundless and fathom 
less. The wonders of his nature and work are so vast 
that even the angels, with their celestial minds, strive to 
understand them. No preacher can ever exhaust the 
fullness of Christ, or need be compelled to repeat the 
same thing about it from want of variety. The study 
should simply be to present the one great theme in its 
new and various aspects. This of course will require 
constant study and quickened attention, and love to 
Him who, in the whole gospel, must ever be all in all. 
Besides, men need to be told the old story over and 
over and over again that it may penetrate their minds 
and hearts and whole spiritual being. The preacher, 
then, must strive to bring forth things new and old 
as, year after year, he preaches nothing else but Christ, 
and him crucified. 

It is this only that can give real power and dignity 
to preaching. What are all other things, such as 
morality or education or politics or science or current 
novelties, compared with it? What power have they 
to heal a corrupt nature or comfort a sorrowing heart ? 
Here only, in the cross, is there power to effect a radical 
reformation in depraved man ; here only is there true 
life for the spiritually dead ; here only are there motives 
adequate to excite and bear up the immortal soul ; here 
only is there a theme the theme of Immanuel that 
is of infinite variety and infinite grandeur. Preaching 
without this must be a poor, lifeless thing. Well did 
Bishop Home say of it, " To preach practical sermons, 
as they are called that is, sermons upon virtues and 
vices without inculcating those great Scripture truths 



IN THE PULPIT. 173 

of redemption, grace, etc. which alone can incite and 
enable us to forsake sin and follow righteousness, what 
is it but to put together the wheels and set the hands 
of a watch, forgetting the spring which is to make them 
all go?" So also wrote Cunningham, that great thinker: 
" A religion without a Saviour is the temple without the 
Shekinah, and its worshippers will all desert it. Few 
men in the world have less pretensions as a preacher 
than myself my voice, my look, my manner, all of a 
common kind ; yet I thank God there is scarcely a cor 
ner in our little church where you might not find a 
streaming eye and a beating heart. The reason is that 
I speak of Christ ; and if there is not a charm in the 
name, there is in the train of fears and hopes and joys 
which it carries along with it. The people feel they 
must listen/ Such testimony as this should be carefully 
treasured in the heart of every preacher. 

Nothing, absolutely nothing, should tempt the am 
bassador of Christ from this divinely-appointed theme. 
He should not be tempted by policy, as if by preaching 
something else he could draw hearers to his ministry ; 
nor by imagined weariness of iterating the old subject ; 
nor by despondency of ever doing good by it, as the 
prophet of old when he cried out, " Who hath believed 
our report ?" nor by envy at the success of others who 
have a name for a day through a vapid sentimentalism 
without Christ ; nor by the fascination of novelties by 
which so many are led away from the cross. The man 
of God should allow none of these things to tempt him, 
but he should adhere obstinately to the message he has 
received from heaven, and trust God for success. His 
heart should be so set upon it that he would feel bound, 
like the apostle, to say, " Necessity is laid upon me; 
yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel !" 



174 THE PASTOR 

We would very strongly emphasize this point, for it 
is greatly to be deplored that so much of the preaching 
of the present time has very little in it of the death 
of Christ. The thought may be impressed by the words 
of one of the most successful of modern preachers, 
Rev. J. Angell James. He says : " It is my sad and 
serious belief that if the evangelical pulpit is losing its 
power, it is just because it is losing sight of its object and 
aim. The cultivation of the intellect and the advance 
ment of knowledge in the present day are lifting both 
preachers and hearers above the plain and simple gospel 
of Christ. Sermons are with many persons no longer 
heard as the word of God, but as the word of man ; not 
as means of grace and aids to salvation, but as intellect 
ual exercises on religious topics for the gratification of 
taste, intellect and imagination on Sunday. And it 
must be confessed that the preachers of them are, by 
their artificial and excessive elaboration and the intro 
duction of new topics, teaching their hearers so to regard 
them, and are teaching them thus to be a kind of ama 
teur hearers of sermons." 

This danger should rest upon the heart of the preacher; 
he should be warned by it; and he should guard against 
everything in his sermons that would keep out or obscure 
Christ, and him crucified. He should be vigilant on this 
point, and when he finds any tendency toward the dan 
ger he should take the alarm. 

If the Holy Ghost, in the Scriptures, dwells upon 
Christ as the one great subject of revelation, surely his 
ministers may well do the same. This he does ; for, as 
it was promised of him, he receives of the things of 
Christ and shows them unto men. Does he not know 
what things they are which it is of the greatest import 
ance that men should be informed ? Is he not a safe 



IN THE PULPIT. 176 

guide to be followed by every minister of the gospel ? 
Is it not an evidence of true humility when, instead of 
leaning upon our own understanding, we persistently 
tread in the path over which he leads ? The more we 
have of this Spirit s influence, the more shall we do just 
as he did take of the things of Christ and show them 
plainly to men. Oh that we may be able wholly to 
give ourselves up to the Spirit for guidance, for impulse 
and for trust in final success ! 

(d) DOCTRINES SHOULD BE PREACHED. 

There is in the minds of many persons a very unjust 
and unthinking prejudice against preaching the doc 
trines of religion. It is taken for granted that the ser 
mon in which there is much doctrine must necessarily 
be dry, unspiritual, full of sectarianism and almost 
necessarily incomprehensible. It is possible that doc 
trines may be preached in this repulsive manner, but 
it is not necessary that they should be ; they may be 
presented so as to awaken the deepest interest ; and 
they must, by all means, be brought into the sermons 
of him who would be a faithful ambassador of God. 

A little consideration will show that in fact there can 
be no preaching without doctrine. What are doctrines 
but the great principles, facts, opinions which God has 
taught, and directed his servants to teach their fellow- 
men ? But if all these are taken away, what have we 
left to preach ? Upon what else can warnings, promises 
or invitations be based ? What is the gospel but a vast 
system of doctrines which have been communicated to 
the world by the great Teacher? The attributes of 
God, the mysteries of the Trinity, the fall of our race, 
the incarnation, life, death and ascension of Christ, sal 
vation by his blood, faith, conversion, the Church, the 



176 THE PASTOR 

resurrection, judgment, heaven and hell, what are all 
these but doctrines ? The sovereignty of God, his eter 
nal decrees, justification by faith, the perseverance of 
the saints and the millennium are no more doctrines 
than the other great principles of the gospel are. Now, 
it is manifest that the minister must absolutely close his 
mouth if he does not preach these. He must preach 
the doctrines if he preaches at all. He must preach 
the whole scope of the doctrines if he would keep up 
any variety and fullness in his ministrations in the 
pulpit. 

1. The doctrines should be distinctly announced and 
dwelt upon by the gospel teacher, because they are 
clearly presented in the Bible. It is always safe and 
wise to follow that inspired rule. We cannot improve 
upon the plan which God has ordained in his word. 
And his plan is to build up his people through his pas 
tors " with knowledge and understanding." On the 
pages of the Scriptures we find what are called the very 
strongest doctrines, and those which are the most repul 
sive to the natural heart, taught plainly and in various 
forms. We are even warned that we shall there find 
"some things hard to be understood." What are the 
Epistles mainly but doctrines stated, explained, vindica 
ted, gloried in and drawn out into the blessed influences 
they should have upon the life of the renewed man? 

2. The knowledge of all the doctrines of the gospel is 
vastly important, and therefore none of them should be 
intentionally kept back. On this point we are specially 
cautioned : " All Scripture is given by inspiration of 
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor 
rection, for instruction in righteousness ; that the man 
of God, may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all 
good works." The doctrines of the gospel are valuable 



77V THE PULPIT. 177 

in themselves, for each contains some of the precious 
truth of God. They are all indispensable in their rela 
tions to one another as parts of the one glorious system 
of redemption. They are important in the estimation 
of God, who caused them to be put on the pages of his 
word, in the deeply-momentous instruction they convey 
to us, in the light which they shed over the path of duty, 
in the comfort they carry to the weary soul, and jn the 
glory they are calculated to bring to our blessed God 
and Saviour. Not one of them could be spared. If 
they were not needed they would not have been re 
vealed. 

3. The doctrines of the gospel should be preached 
fully, because the heart is affected through the under- 
standing. All experience proves this. The more fully 
the truth is known, the greater will be its influence upon 
the life. The better God is understood in his various 
perfections, the more thoroughly will he be loved and 
trusted ; hence the inspired admonition : " Acquaint now 
thyself with him and be at peace ; thereby good shall 
come unto thee." The more fully duty is compre 
hended, the more will its obligations be felt. The more 
deeply the enormity of sin is studied, the more it will 
be shunned. The more clearly privileges are seen, the 
more eagerly will they be improved. The better in 
formed the conscience is, the keener it will grow. The 
wider and more comprehensive the view through the 
mysteries of redemption, the more deeply must the 
mind be overwhelmed with wonder and adoration. And 
the study of these sublime things must elevate and ex 
pand the whole being. 

4. The people should be instructed in reference to all 
the doctrines, that they may be assisted, in maintaining the 
truth in its never-ending contest with error. The doc- 

23 



178 THE PASTOR 

trines of the Bible are assailed from every quarter ; they 
are misrepresented either from ignorance or design ; the 
people are daily coming in contact with this opposition. 
From the pulpit they should be assisted in preparing to 
tell why they believe, to explain and to defend the truths 
of God. Each op-eat doctrine is linked in with every 
other one, and there must be some knowledge of all in 
order to have an intelligent comprehension of the whole 
system. The clear understanding of any one point will 
throw some light over the whole round of truth and 
confirm confidence in it all. People will not be driven 
away from the sanctuary by the scriptural and judicious 
presentation of the doctrines of the gospel. If they are 
not built up in the truth, they will gradually lose their 
interest and drop off from the nerveless preaching, and, 
it may be, fall a prey to some form of error. 

5. If the pastor would build up in his hearers a stable 
Christian character, a character that is not to be " car- 
ried about by every wind of doctrine" he must train 
them in the great, comprehensive dogmas which are 
laid down in the Bible. That solidity of character, in 
both theory and practice, which you always know where 
to find is based upon a foundation of doctrinal truth. 
This alone can produce a well-rounded, harmonious 
Christian life. The men who most beneficially influ 
ence their fellow-men are those who can give a reason 
not only for their hopes, but also for the various great 
truths which they see centring in Christ. If only feel 
ings are appealed to in preaching, the type of Christian 
character formed will not be stable ; if only practice is 
the theme, it will not be strong. The fuller the know 
ledge of the doctrines of the Bible, the stronger will be 
the faith and the love and the hope, and the more abid 
ing the principles. 



IN THE PULPIT. 179 

6. As in the study of the Bible we would fix upon 
certain places and certain dates around which other 
places and dates may be grouped, in order to give dis 
tinctness to the understanding and to assist the memory, 
so also the great doctrines should be fixed as centre* 
around which the various utterances of God may be 
clustered. This plan may be made of very great value 
in the study of the Scriptures. The doctrines are noth 
ing more or less than the leading subjects according to 
which the teachings of the word may be classified ; and 
the process of classifying will help in a wonderful de 
gree to make familiar with the Scriptures, to understand 
their import, to remember their words, and to impress 
the beauty and harmony which they must have as the 
revelation of the infinitely perfect God. The doctrines 
cannot be properly preached without making the hearer 
stronger and stronger in the Scriptures. 

We would say, then, emphatically to every pastor, 
Preach the doctrines. Preach them incidentally when 
they manifestly arise out of some other line of thought 
which is being pursued. This is a favorite method of 
Mr. Spurgeon of London. Sometimes preach them for 
mally, but use as little of mere technicalities as possible. 
Preach them fully ; there is no danger in following the 
Scriptures. Preach even the strong doctrines occasion 
ally, but be sure to follow them out into the practical 
influences with which the Scriptures associate them. 
Preach them systematically, if possible, that they may 
be seen in their logical relations and influences upon 
each other. Preach them as the Bible does not for 
controversy, but that all the grandeurs of redemption 
may be seen, that God may be glorified, and that be 
lievers may be helped onward in the process of becom 
ing perfect men in Christ Jesus. 



180 THE PASTOR 



COURSES OF SERMONS. 

Every preacher of much experience knows how very 
important it is for the cause he pleads, for the edification 
of the people and for his own comfort, that the subjects 
of his discourses be wisely selected. Very often there 
is scarcely a choice in this matter, as the exigence of the 
hour or church or current providential events indicate 
clearly what the subjects must be. But after making 
this deduction it will be found that by far the greater 
part of the time the preacher must go deliberately to 
work to search out the text for the next Sabbath s ser 
mon. We would recommend, then, that several com 
prehensive courses of sermons, embracing the whole 
compass of scriptural doctrine, duty and history, be 
kept on hand, to be taken up in turn when there are 
no other considerations indicating the suitable topic. 
We suggest some of the advantages of this plan. 

1. The whole field of Christian doctrine and duty, and 
of Scripture history, may thus be covered in the course of 
one s ministry. The field is very large, embracing the 
vast scope of doctrines that pertain to God and man, 
the present and the future all the duties arising from 
the complicated relations we sustain and the deeply- 
instructive histories that crowd the pages of holy writ. 
It must necessarily take a long time to reach all these, 
and call for care that none of them be overlooked. 
They are all deeply important, or they would not have 
found a place upon the precious pages of the word of 
life. What God has seen fit to reveal ought not, either 
from intention or oversight, to be passed by in the 
preaching of his servants. What we may think of but 
little importance may not appear so in the sight of God, 
and in the diversity of minds to which we address our- 



IN THE PULPIT. 181 

selves there may be one or more to which the point han 
dled is exactly adapted. Moreover, it will be improving 
to ourselves to be compelled by such system to go over 
the whole field of divine truth. Certainly, in this mat 
ter as in all others, it is far better for us to follow the 
leadings of God s word than to lean upon our own 
imperfect understandings. 

2. Subjects that we might not otherwise have thought 
of will thus be brought up for our study and the people s 
edification. It is almost inevitable that in such a vast 
multitude and variety of subjects as are contained in 
Scripture many would be passed by, unless some such 
system is adopted to bring them up in their order. 
Even important topics are almost sure to be over 
looked. Rich veins of divine truth will lie untouched 
through one s whole ministry, grand themes will re 
main hidden in corners that we never dreamt of, unless 
they are forced upon us by a well-contrived system of 
selecting our themes. The plan we recommend will 
open rich avenues of the gospel. In following it there 
will be constant surprises at the precious and inexhaust 
ible veins of truth that will be found, and the field of 
research will become more and more vast and sublime 
as one advances. 

3. Something of the relations and proportions of the 
truths of the gospel as they are found in the Bible may 
be preserved in our sermons by this plan of arranging 
them in series. The doctrines, duties, histories, threat- 
enings, promises and invitations may thus be presented 
according to their relations and comparative importance. 
There are some great truths of redemption which the 
Bible is constantly reiterating. Others are but seldom 
introduced. So it should be in our preaching. Then 
the great doctrines will also be better understood and 



182 THE PASTOR 

more deeply felt when they are brought up in their log 
ical order ; as sin first, then redemption, then the appli 
cation of that redemption, and then its results. Besides, 
it must be best to present the gospel scheme just as the 
Scriptures do. They set forth redemption, now in 
the history of the chosen nation, now in types, now in 
the life of Christ, now in the doctrines of the apostles 
and now in the fortunes of the Church, past or future. 
All these important elements in the presentation of the 
truth can scarcely be observed unless there be a care 
fully premeditated plan of presenting its subjects. 

4. This plan will almost certainly lead to the important 
result of keeping up variety in preaching. Every minis 
ter who preaches weekly, year after year, to the same 
audience knows how difficult this is. It is almost inev 
itable that the cast of one s mind will lead him perpet 
ually to the selection of similar favorite themes for his 
sermons. As a matter of fact it is observed that most 
ministers do insensibly fall into the habit of dwelling 
mainly on their favorite topics. But the scheme of 
prearranging courses of sermons will force one to take 
up new subjects systematically. A preacher who pursues 
this course will soon be known as one who keeps up va 
riety. Not only the different series of discourses, but 
also the different discourses of each series, will be like 
ly to lead to new fields of exploration. Sameness will 
necessarily be avoided. This will probably prove the 
very best plan for preserving freshness and consequent 
interest in the ministrations of the pulpit. 

5. By this arrangement there will always be a subject 
ready as soon as the minute arrives for commencing 
the study of the sermon for the week. There is no task 
of the study more unpleasant than to be compelled to 
search for a subject or text. It is always felt to be time 



TX THK rULPIT. 183 

wasted. And a theme for a sermon which is thus sought 
out purposely is rarely entered upon with vigor or pur 
sued with pleasure. It is generally unsatisfactory. Our 
plan of having courses of sermons arranged beforehand 
would prevent all this. It would have the appropriate 
theme ready to be taken up at the instant without anx 
iety or delay, and with all the zest that would be excited 
by the prospect of entering upon a new and appropriate 
field of research. 

Such would be the important advantages of arranging 
series of sermons early in one s ministry and following 
them up persistently for years. The exact plan we rec 
ommend may be illustrated by one which has been adopt 
ed by a hard-working pastor, and carried out very 
pleasantly and profitably for years. Several compre 
hensive courses have been framed framed with a view 
to embrace the principal points of scriptural history, doc 
trine and practice. There was no anxiety to limit the 
number of courses or subjects in each, as it was intended 
to lay out the work of years. All the courses were car 
ried on simultaneously, a sermon of each being taken up 
in turn, so that proper variety was provided for. No 
intimation was ever given to the congregation that any 
such arrangement was determined on, in order that the 
pastor might not be bound to follow it out in any par 
ticular order, or to continue it at all if it were found to 
be impracticable. It was not intended that these pre 
arranged subjects should be taken every Sabbath nor at 
any definite intervals, but that when no other subjects 
indicated by the exigence of the day were at hand then 
these should be brought in. Perfect freedom was al 
lowed to intermit the series for one Sabbath or several 
Sabbaths if deemed advisable, for the sake of present 
ing subjects of present importance. Indeed, no restraint 



184 THE PASTOR 

was allowed which would make adherence to the fixed 
plan irksome. It was felt that to do so would soon 
cause it to be abandoned. 

As we want to impart very full information on this 
matter, we will give the courses in the order in which 
they were taken up alternately. They were six in 
number, carefully devised so as to embrace the main 
points of Old and New Testament teachings. They 
were: 

A. Leading Events of Old Testament History this 
is needed for the general study of the Bible ; B. The 
Chief Doctrines of Theology the importance of this 
is obvious ; C. Leading Events in the Life of Christ 
this could not be dispensed with ; D. Great Duties of 
Religion " that the man of God may be perfect, thor 
oughly furnished unto all good works;" E. Leading 
Events in Apostolic History needed to instruct about 
the Church in its inspired institutions ; F. Jewish Insti 
tutions and their Teachings these reiterate the bless 
ings of Christ in a most impressive manner. 

The subjects of each course, in detail, were : 

A. Leading Events of Old Testament History. These 
were: 1. Creation; 2. Fall; 3. Murder of Abel; 4. 
Translation of Enoch ; 5. Wickedness of the World ; 
6. Deluge; 7. Covenant with Noah ; 8. Babel; 9. Call 
of Abraham ; 10. Abraham and Melchizedek ; 11. Abra 
ham constituted Father of the Faithful ; 12. Overthrow 
of Sodom and Gomorrah ; 13. Offering of Isaac; 14. Life 
of Isaac; 15. Jacob s Vision at Bethel ; 16. Jacob Wrest 
ling with God ; 17. Joseph Sold ; 18. Promotion of Jo 
seph ; 19. Migration into Egypt ; 20. Job s Strange His 
tory ; 21. Oppression of the Hebrews ; 22. Plagues of 
Egypt ; 23. Passover ; 24. Crossing the Red Sea ; 25. 
Giving of the Law at Sinai ; 26. Wandering in the Wil- 



IN THE PULPIT. 185 

derness ; 27. Brazen Serpent ; 28. Death of Moses ; 29. 
Conquest of Canaan ; 30. Sun and Moon standing still ; 
31. Victory of Deborah and Barak ; 32. Samson, a 
Type of the Jewish Nation ; 33. Ruth s Affection ; 34. 
Ruth s Reward ; 35. Mission of Samuel ; 36. Saul made 
King ; 37. Suicide of Saul ; 38. David the Man after 
God s own Heart ; 39. David the Psalmist ; 40. David 
the Warrior ; 41. David s Sin and Sorrows ; 42. Solo 
mon the Builder ; 43. Solomon the Author ; 44. Solo 
mon in all his Glory ; 45. Revolt of the Ten Tribes ; 
46. Elijah and the Prophets of Baal on Carrnel ; 47. 
Translation of Elijah ; 48. Jehu the Avenger ; 49. Jo 
nah s Mission; 50. Hezekiah the Reformer; 51. Cap 
tivity of the Ten Tribes ; 52. Destruction of the Assyr 
ian Army ; 53. Recovery of good Hezekiah ; 54. Jeru 
salem burnt and its Inhabitants captured ; 55. Daniel 
interpreting Nebuchadnezzar s Dreams ; 56. Shadrach, 
Meschach and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace; 57. 
Nebuchadnezzar humbled; 58. Death of Belshazzar; 
59. Daniel in the Lions Den ; 60. Rebuilding of the 
Temple ; 61. Esther made Queen ; 62. Feast of Purim. 
B. Chief Doctrines of Theology. 1. Being of God ; 
2. Inspiration ; 3. The Bible the Only Rule of Faith 
and Practice ; 4. Canon of Scripture ; 5. Spirituality 
of God ; 6. Eternity of God ; 7. Immutability of God ; 
8. Omnipresence of God ; 9. Omniscience of God ; 10. 
Wisdom of God; 11. Omnipotence of God; 12. Ho 
liness of God ; 13. Justice of God ; 14. Goodness of 
God ; 15. Truth of God ; 16. Trinity ; 17. Divinity 
of Christ ; 18. Personality, Divinity and Work of the 
Holy Ghost ; 19. Decrees of God ; 20. Creation as a 
Doctrine; 21. Angels; 22. Providence; 23. Original 
State of Man; 24. Covenant of Works; 25. Sin, and 
that of Adam; 26. Original Sin; 27. Covenant of 



186 THE PASTOR 

Grace; 28. Person of Christ; 29. Mediatorial Office 
of Christ ; 30. Atonement ; 31. Exaltation of Christ ; 
32. Intercession of Christ ; 33. Mediatorial Kingship 
of Christ ; 34. Effectual Calling ; 35. Regeneration ; 36. 
Faith; 37. Union of Believers with Christ; 38. Re 
pentance; 39. Justification; 40. Adoption; 41. Sanc- 
tification ; 42. Perseverance of Saints ; 43. Death ; 44. 
Intermediate Condition ; 45. Resurrection ; 46. Second 
Ad vent of Christ; 47. Judgment; 48. Heaven; 49. Hell; 
50. Sacraments; 51. Baptism, subjects; 52. Baptism, 
mode ; 53. Lord s Supper ; 54. The Church, a Divine 
Institution ; 55. The Ministry appointed of God. 

C. Leading Events in the Life of Christ, classified 
according to the nature of his works. 1. Mission of 
John the Baptist ; 2. The Two Genealogies ; 3. Birth 
of Christ ; 4. Visit of the Wise Men ; 5. Christ in the 
Temple with the Doctors ; 6. Baptism of Christ ; 7. 
Temptation of Christ; 8. Christ calling his Disciples, 
Matt. iv. 18-22; 9. Sermon on the Mount; 10. The 
Journeys of Christ, Matt. ix. 35 ; 11. Christ s Command 
over Nature representative case, Stilling the Tempest, 
Matt. viii. 23-27 ; 12. Christ casting out Devils rep 
resentative case, Demoniac of Gadara, Mark v. 1-20; 
13. Christ forgiving Sin representative case, Curing the 
Paralytic, Mark ii. 1-12 ; 14. Christ ever doing Good 
representative case, Blessing Little Children ; 15. 
Christ ever doing Good representative case, Feeding 
Five Thousand; 16. Christ healing representative 
case, One born Blind, John ix. ; 17. Christ raising the 
Dead representative case, Lazarus ; 18. Christ preach 
ing representative case, Luke iv. 16-22; 19. Christ 
teaching representative case, John x. ; 20. Parables of 
Christ representative case, Prodigal Son; 21. Christ 
a Prophet representative case, Destruction of Jerusa- 



IN THE PULPIT. 187 

lem, Matt. xxiv. ; 22. Apostles sent out, Matt. x. , 23. 
The Transfiguration ; 24. Christ s kingly Entrance into 
Jerusalem ; 25. Lord s Supper instituted ; 26. Christ s 
consolatory Discourse to his Disciples ; 27. Mediatory 
Prayer of Christ ; 28. Agony in Gethsemane ; 29. Ar 
raignment of Christ before several Tribunals ; 30. Con 
demnation by Pilate ; 31. Crucifixion ; 32. Burial of 
Christ ; 33. Christ s Resurrection ; 34. Various Appear 
ances of Christ after his Resurrection ; 35. Christ s As 
cension after Commissioning his Disciples. 

D. Great Duties of Religion. 1. Supreme Glory to 
God, First Commandment; 2. True Worship, Second 
Commandment ; 3. Singing in Worship ; 4. Thanks 
giving ; 5. Hearing the Word ; 6. Attending Prayer- 
meetings ; 7. Reading the Scriptures ; 8. Secret Prayer ; 
9. Backsliding; 10. Family Worship ; 11. Third Com 
mandment; 12. Fourth Commandment; 13. Fifth Com 
mandment ; 14. Duties of Parents to Children ; 15. 
Sixth Commandment, Anger ; 16. Brotherly Love ; 
17. Seventh Commandment, Purity of Heart; 18. Care 
of the Thoughts; 19. Eighth Commandment, Hon 
esty ; 20. Ninth Commandment, Truthfulness ; 21. 
Charity versus Slander; 22. Tenth Commandment, 
Contentment ; 23. Humility ; 24. Visiting the Sick ; 
25. Helping the Poor ; 26. Supporting Benevolent 
Objects. 

E. Leading Events of Apostolic History. 1. Election 
of an Apostle in place of Judas; 2. Descent of Holy 
Ghost ; 3. Three Thousand converted ; 4. Death of 
Ananias and Sapphira ; 5. Election of Seven Deacons ; 
6. Martyrdom of Stephen ; 7. Conversion of Paul ; 
8. Dorcas raised from the Dead ; 9. Baptism of Corne 
lius and other Gentiles; 10. Herod Agrippa murders 
James; 11. The Governor of Cyprus converted; 12. 



188 THE PASTOR 

The First Synod at Jerusalem ; 13. The Jailer of Phi- 
lippi converted; 14. Paul Preaching at Athens; lo. 
The Mob at Ephesus ; 16. Paul Arrested at Jerusalem ; 
17. Paul before Felix ; 18. Paul s Appeal to Agrippa ; 
19. Shipwreck of Paul; 20. Paul a Prisoner at Rome; 
21. John in the Island of Patmos. 

F. Jewish Institutions and their Teachings. 1. Tab 
ernacle and Temple ; 2. Altar of Burnt-Offering ; 3. 
Laver ; 4. Altar of Incense ; 5. Shew-bread Table ; 0. 
Golden Candlestick ; 7. Ark of the Covenant ; 8. Mercy- 
seat; 9. Cherubim; 10. Shekinah ; 11. High Priest 
and other Priests ; 12. Ephod ; 13. Robe of the Ephod ; 
14. Breastplate; 15. Mitre; 16. Burnt, Sin and Tres 
pass Offerings ; 17. Peace-Offerings, Ordinary and Free 
will Oblations ; 18. First Fruits ; 19. Tithes ; 20. Pass 
over; 21. Pentecost; 22. Feast of Tabernacles; 23. 
Feast of Trumpets ; 24. Great Day of Atonement ; 2o. 
Jubilee, with Sabbatical Year. 



MANNER OF PEEACHING. 

Very much depends upon this. It should be made a 
careful and incessant study by every minister. The fol 
lowing reflections may assist in attaining to higher pro 
ficiency in an art which is the most sacred and exalted. 

(a) DEEP EARNESTNESS. 

Every motive arising from his office, his trust, his 
character and his hope of success demands of the pastor 
that he should be fully in earnest in that which is his 
greatest work. He cannot preach aright in any other 
way. It is not meant that there must necessarily be 
much noise in the pulpit. Very often the highest emo 
tion will subdue, and so prevent, noise. But what is 



IN THE PULPIT. 189 

meant is, that in preaching the heart should be enlisted 
the whole heart the heart inflamed by a sense of the 
importance of the subject the heart filled with the 
strongest desire of effecting the objects for which the 
gospel is preached. This earnestness cannot be assumed 
or counterfeited ; it must be genuine. It must spring 
from a sympathy with God and souls which has been 
produced by the Holy Ghost ; and in every sermon the 
first care of the preacher should be to get his heart in 
flamed with it. He should pray and read the word and 
meditate until it is reached. It is the fundamental prep 
aration for faithful and successful preaching. 

What earnestness do we find characterizing the 
preachers of the New Testament ! They were in earn 
est when in one place we hear them crying, " Now, 
then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did 
beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ s stead, be ye 
reconciled to God." Paul was in earnest when he could 
exhort, saying, " Therefore watch and remember, that 
by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every 
one night and day with tears." Apollos was in earnest, 
since we read of him, " This man was instructed in the 
way of the Lord ; and being fervent in the Spirit, he 
spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord." 
These and other cases form a model which should be 
imitated. 

The slumbering conscience of unrenewed men de 
mands the greatest fervency in the preacher. There is 
a terrible insensibility about spiritual and eternal things 
which it often seems as if no motives could penetrate. 
And this stupor is found everywhere. Now, it is true 
that the Holy Ghost alone can break through this ob 
stacle and arouse the heart to its danger and refuge ; 
but it is also true that the Holy Ghost ordinarily works 



190 THE PASTOR 

by means, and that by the means that are naturally the 
best adapted to accomplish the desired end. And what 
so likely to awaken the slumbering conscience as the 
preaching which flows from an ardent heart ? What, in 
fact, has proved so effective as this divinely-appointed 
agency ? The preacher, then, should apply his whole 
soul to awaken men. He should not be afraid of enthu 
siasm in a work so deeply important and so hard to be 
accomplished. If men see him awake and in earnest, 
and perseveringly so, they must be affected. If they 
see him indifferent, they will sleep the sounder. 

How is it possible to preach of the awful realities of 
heaven and hell, of the soul and the everlasting ages, 
and of the death of Christ for the salvation of the lost, 
without the deepest emotion ? Hell is a terrible reality. 
The prospect of its unutterable anguish, of its eternal 
torments, is dreadful. Then the thought that all the 
unconverted are posting on steadily and surely to its 
woes is appalling. But it might be escaped through the 
blood of the Son of God, and then would come a heaven 
of indescribable bliss and everlasting glory. Can we 
think of these things and not be overwhelmed at the 
thought? Can we speak of them without our hearts 
and words burning with the very deepest feeling ? Can 
we preach of them in any other tone than that of the 
devoted McCheyrie ? He said : " Souls are perishing 
every day, and our own entrance into eternity cannot 
be far distant. Let us, like Mary, do what we can, and 
no doubt God will bless it and reward us openly. But 
an inch of time remains, and the eternal ages roll on 
for ever but an inch remains for ever but an inch on 
which we stand and preach the way of salvation to the 
perishing world." Equally fervent was the purpose of 
Cecil : " Hell is before me, and thousands of souls shut 



IN THE PULPIT. 191 

up there in everlasting agonies. Jesus Christ stands 
forth to save men from rushing into this bottomless 
abyss ; he sends me to proclaim his ability and his love. 
I want no fourth idea. Every fourth idea is contempt 
ible ; every fourth idea is a grand impertinence." 

To preach in a cold, unfeeling manner, to preach 
without earnestness, is sinful. It shows in the preacher 
a heart that is hard. It reveals an amount of selfishness 
or thoughtlessness or levity, or all of them combined, 
that ought to humble and alarm. The existence of 
such a state of mind should set us to inquire most 
anxiously how it is with our own souls. It should drive 
us quickly to the cross of Christ for pardon, and for the 
spirit of Him who felt so much for us that he died 
in our place. Deep is the guilt of handling the word 
of God in an unfeeling manner ! The souls of all 
preachers should be awakened by the stirring appeal 
of Baxter : " How few ministers do preach with all their 
might, or speak about everlasting joy or torment in 
such a manner as to make men believe that they are in 
great sadness ! It would make a man s heart ache to see 
a company of dead and drowning sinners sit under a 
minister, and not have a word that is like to quicken 
or awaken them. To think with ourselves, Oh if these 
sinners were but convinced and awakened they might 
yet be converted and live P But, alas ! we speak so 
drowsily or gently that sleepy sinners cannot hear. 
The blow falls so light that hard-hearted persons can 
not feel it. Most ministers will not so much as put out 
their voice and stir up themselves to an earnest utter 
ance. But if they do speak out loud and earnestly, 
how few do answer it with earnestness of matter ! And 
then the voice doth but little good : the people will take 
it for but mere bawling when the matter doth not cor- 



192 THE PASTOR 

respond. It would grieve me what excellent doctrine 
some ministers have in hand, and let it die in their 
hands for want of close and lively application. What 
fit matter they have for convincing sinners, and how 
little they make of it, and what a deal of good it might 
do if it were sent home, and yet they cannot or will 
not do it ! Oh, sirs, how plain, how close and earnestly, 
should we deliver a message of such a nature as ours 
is ! When the everlasting life or death of men is con 
cerned in it, methinks we are nowhere so wanting as in 
this seriousness. There is nothing more unsuitable to 
such a business than to be slight and dull. What ! 
speak coldly for God and for men s salvation ! Can we 
believe that our people must be converted or condemned, 
and yet can we speak in a drowsy tone ? In the name of 
God, brethren, labor to awaken your hearts before you 
come ; and when you are in the work, that you may be 
fit to awaken the hearts of sinners. Remember that 
they must be awakened or damned, and a sleepy 
preacher will hardly awake them." 

In each sermon we ought to deliver the message of 
God as if it were the last time we were to preach. Any 
sermon may be the last one for the preacher. It may 
be the last one for him ; it may be the last one for some 
of his hearers ; it probably will be the last one to some 
of them. This thought should stir up the whole heart. 
Oh how we should preach in view of it ! How earnestly 
we should preach, since we are sure that we shall not 
often stand before exactly the same audience to warn 
and exhort them ! It should be with us always as it 
was with Cecil on his dying bed : " Knowing he was 
about to die, he expressed a desire to live longer. He 
was asked, Why ? That I might preach Christ. But 
you have done this through your ministry. But, oh/ 



IN THE PULPIT. 193 

said he, * I would do it stronger, much stronger, than 



ever/ 



We should not be afraid of enthusiasm here. Enthu 
siasm is surely excusable when life and death and the 
souls of men and the glory of the Son of God are at 
stake. The apostles were enthusiasts in their preach 
ing. Hear the enthusiasm of Paul : " God forbid that 1 
should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto 
the world." In the preaching of the awfully solemn 
things of religion is the proper field for enthusiasm. 
It should be cherished here, and anything less should 
be considered cold-heartedness. A consuming zeal is 
needed in this age of worldliness and shallowness in 
religion, and at this time when the hearts of men are 
so desperately callous. 

The great preachers who have made their mark upon 
their age have been in the highest sense enthusiasts. 
" Richard Sheridan used to say, I often go to hear 
Rowland Hill, because his ideas come red hot from the 
heart/ Dr. John M. Mason was asked what he thought 
was the forte of Dr. Chalmers. After a moment s con 
sideration he replied, His blood-earnestness. The 
biographer of Baxter says: "In preaching, Baxter s 
heart burnt within him, and while he was speaking a 
live coal from the altar fired his sermons with seraphic- 
fervor. Into the pulpit he brought all the energies and 
sympathies of his entire nature. He had a large mind, 
an acute intellect, a melting heart, a holy sou), a kindling 
eye and a moving voice, and he called on all that was 
within him to aid him in his preaching. Being deeply 
earnest himself, he wished his hearers to be earnest. 
Himself being a burning light, he wished to flash the 
hallowed fire into the hearts of others. He seems never 

25 



194 THE PASTOR 

to have studied the action or the start theatric/ The 
only teacher that gave him lessons in action and attitude 
was feeling, real, genuine, holy feeling, and this taught 
him how to look, how to move, how to speak. ]n 
preaching, as well as everything religious, he believed 
with Paul, that it was good to be always zealously af 
fected/ and consequently that earnest, fervent preach 
ing is truly apostolic." There is great force in the 
remarks of Olin : "Success in religion depends on zeal, 
fervor. Cold preaching never does any good. Cold 
prayers are not answered. Cold efforts effect nothing. 
On the contrary, the simplest ministry of God s truth 
if fervent is powerful. A fervent people are always 
prosperous. Their deep sympathies melt the hardest 
heart. God s most honored instrumentality is such a 
people. Preacher and people together burning with the 
love of Christ and of souls constitute the favored in 
strumentality. This is irresistible ; it makes the word 
irresistible through the Spirit." 

(6) PREACHING SHOULD BE WITH TENDERNESS. 

A large part of the audiences to which we preach con 
sists of persons over whom is resting the sentence of 
condemnation to death eternal. They are all sufferers. 
At the same time they are our fellow-beings, our kin 
dred, men, flesh of our flesh ; they have the same nature, 
feelings, susceptibilities, hopes and fears with ourselves. 
For their deliverance from all the miseries and dangers 
of sin did Christ die as well as for ours, and that be 
cause his heart was moved with deep pity for us all. 
Their souls are at stake in the message we deliver them 
from the lips of God. It will prove the savor of life 
unto life or of death unto death to them. A dry, cold, 
unfeeling delivery of that message to them would be 



IN THE PULPIT. 195 

cruel heartlessness. We should feel for them in our 
inmost souls, and let that feeling influence every tone 
and every word we utter. Our tenderness should be 
like that of the apostles, who could write, "But we 
were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her 
children ; so, being affectionately desirous of you, we 
were willing to have imparted unto you not the gospel 
of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were 
dear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labor 
and travail, for laboring night arid day, because we 
would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached 
unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and 
God also, how holily and justly and unblamably we 
behaved ourselves among you that believe, as ye know 
how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one 
of you, as a father doth his children." 

Why did God appoint men rather than angels to be 
his ambassadors to a lost world ? He might have sent 
angels, or he might have conveyed the truth to each 
soul in a miraculous manner, or he might have used 
other methods, but he chose men to be the heralds of 
mercy to their fellow-men. Was not this because they 
could feel for those who were sinners like themselves as 
no other creatures could ; because they could speak from 
experience when they pressed home God s gracious offers; 
because they could interest them as those who had the 
same wants and longings; because of that deep sympa 
thy which binds them in a common brotherhood ? And 
because God has made this arrangement we should ever 
proclaim his messages with the warmest sympathy toward 
our kindred according to the flesh. 

There is something in affectionate tenderness that 
goes directly to the heart and calls forth its responsive 
kindness. It awakens attention, convinces that the 



196 THE PASTOR 

speaker is sincere in his appeals, breaks down all oppo 
sition of the mind to the truth, and touches sympathetic 
chords which thrill out from speaker to hearer. As be 
weeps or smiles or hopes or fears or is filled with awe, so 
they also are moved and their hearts warm with his. 
This tenderness will melt them when neither arguments 
nor threatenings nor warnings nor invitations nor any 
thing else would have any effect. This is the way to 
get at the hearts of the audience, and hold them and 
influence them by the grand motives that are furnished 
in the gospel. 

To speak in an unfeeling manner is sure to repel the 
hearers and close up their hearts. It leaves the impres 
sion that the speaker is not sincere in what he utters. 
It sets men to finding faults and objections to the dis 
course. It positively hardens and renders the mind 
insensible to what appears to it the merest platitude. 
Either these are the effects of heartless preaching or it is 
not listened to at all, but men turn from it as if religion 
were of little account. To deliver to men the messages 
of God, in which life and death are at stake, in an 
unfeeling manner is as cruel as it is sinful. 

The nature of the message we bear, the identity of 
our interests with those of our fellow-men, the conscious 
ness of our own many, many imperfections and the suf 
fering condition of our hearers, all demand that we 
should preach to them in the most tender manner. 
With great truth and force has this thought been pre 
sented by an able writer : " There is something in an 
affectionate statement of gospel truth which is peculiarly 
calculated to find its way to the heart. Christianity is 
a religion of sympathy. It is founded on the principle 
of human wretchedness. It meets man in every species 
of sorrow and affliction. It takes him by the hand 



IN THE PULPIT. 197 

when deserted by human supports. It pierces the 
clouds which throw a melancholy gloom over the path 
of life and opens before the wayworn traveler a hope 
full of immortality. Let us reflect upon this peculiarity 
of our holy religion and consider what an advantage it 
gives us in our public addresses. By far the greater 
part of our congregation is suffering in one way or an 
other. We cannot enter a family and be permitted to 
know what is passing within it without perceiving that 
there is a worm corroding the root of their comforts, 
some poisoned arrow drinking up their spirits, some in 
tolerable burden subduing their strength. To such how 
suitable is the invitation of the compassionate Saviour, 
4 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, 
and I will give you rest ! How appropriate is the cha 
racter of the great High Priest who is touched with the 
feeling of our infirmities ! To such, how adapted are 
the consolations of the Spirit, the promises of the gospel 
and the resting-place of the saints ! To overlook such 
circumstances, and to discuss abstract truths in a cold 
and formal and heartless manner, oh, what a loss of 
opportunity ! what a mockery of human misery ! what 
a dereliction of duty ! what a prostration of office ! what 
a fearful responsibility ! Let us pray for the heart of a 
shepherd, for bowels of compassion. Let us take the 
sufferer by the hand and conduct him to the Saviour. 
Let us lead him to the wells of salvation. Let us pour 
the healing balm into his bleeding heart, and assure him 
that there is One who sympathizes with his sorrows and 
who is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto 
God by him/ " 

The experience of all really successful ministers agrees 
with this. " We may talk," says Nettleton, "of the best 
means of doing good, but, after all, the greatest difficulty 



198 THE PASTOR 

lies in doing it in a proper spirit, speaking the truth 
in love in meekness instructing those that oppose 
themselves with the meekness and gentleness of 
Christ/ I have known anxious sinners drop the sub 
ject of religion in consequence of a preacher address 
ing them in an angry tone." " I was never fit," says 
Pay son, " to say a word to a sinner except when I had 
a broken heart myself, when I was subdued and melted 
into tenderness, and felt as though I had just received 
pardon to my own soul, and when my heart was full of 
tenderness and pity." 

(c) PREACHING SHOULD BE IN SYMPATHY WITH THE WANTS 
OF THE PEOPLE. 

We should study not to feel above those to whom we 
minister, not to stand aloof from them, not simply to 
patronize them. We should strive rather to remember 
that they have the same nature, the same feelings, the 
same susceptibilities, the same trials, hopes and fears, 
with ourselves that we are suffering under the same 
disease of sin and need the same remedy that they do. 

We should strive to get into sympathy with the feel 
ings, the wants, the trials, the temptations, the aspira 
tions, the doubts, the fears, the hopes, the joys by which 
they are affected. We should deeply study those mo 
tives which are bearing upon them. We should bring 
them home to ourselves and weigh well the influence 
they would be likely to have upon us. How should 
we feel and act if situated in every respect as they are ? 
In such circumstances what motives would be likely to 
have the greatest influence upon our lives ? These are 
questions which we should bring home very closely. 
This is a difficult, but most important, element of suc 
cess in preaching. The old divine, Thomas Adam, 



IN THE PULPIT. 199 

uttered these weighty sentences : " How much better 
would it bo if, instead of censuring and bitterly in 
veighing against the ignorance, perverseness and cor 
ruption of rny neighbors, I exerted myself in good 
earnest, according to the duty of my station and the 
talents which God has given me, to instruct and reform 
them ! Perhaps many a one has long been waiting at 
the pool of Betheeda for some friendly hand to help 
him in, and I pass by them with a stupid unconcern 
and leave them groaning under their misery. ... I 
find it very difficult, if not impossible, through my self 
ishness, to sink myself into the common mass of man 
kind, so as to take my full share of their guilt, to sym 
pathize, to pity, to have a fellow-feeling of their wants, 
joys arid sorrows, and be truly concerned for the tem 
poral and spiritual welfare of all." 

There are peculiarities of thought and feeling in every 
human breast, and also those which lodge deeply in the 
hearts of classes of society. There are national feelings 
which make his country dear to the patriot and the 
exile far from his home ; the poor have a fellow-feeling 
in their trials ; youthful affection has its strong and 
endearing ties ; the inebriate sees strange charms in the 
intoxicating cup ; men of business are held by bonds 
not easily broken ; even fellowship in sin lays hold of 
the deep springs of the heart. It would be the preacher s 
wisdom to try to understand these feelings, to get near 
to them, to sympathize with them, and to use them in 
his efforts to bring the truth home to the conscience. 
He should put himself in the place of those to whom 
he preaches and get his heart to beat in unison with 
theirs, and thus influence them by the motives of the 
gospel. 

This getting into the feelings of the people and sym- 



200 THE PASTOR 

patliizing with them, and so addressing them, is one of 
the secrets of successful preaching. It is certain to cap 
tivate men. It must be earnest, for how can we feel 
deeply for our hearers and not be fervent in our appeals 
to them ? We have but to get at this, and our preaching 
must tell. It will certainly draw men to the sanctuary 
and fill the house. There is much food for thought in 
the following remarks : " The great preachers of the 
world have been those who were in direct sympathy 
with human life and who had an end to gain with the 
men before them. The end of preaching is not a good 
sermon, but a holy heart. Fine sermons have nearly 
ruined good preaching. If ministers cared more for 
their people and less for their own sermons, they would 
be more useful. Learning, rhetoric, eloquence, are good 
as collateral influences, but no man will win souls who 
does not feel the throbbing pulse of his whole congre 
gation, who does not know their wants, who does not 
study their lives, who does not understand how to take 
the primary truths of Christianity and apply them to 
the consciences of men in their daily business-life. Such 
preachers, and only such, will be certainly efficacious, 
and such preaching is necessary to the filling of the 
churches. Were such preaching universal in our time, 
not only would our churches be filled to overflowing, but 
thousands would have to be built ; for, you may depend 
upon it, there is never a man who preaches intelligent 
truth, and preaches it with a living sympathy with men, 
that people do not flock to hear." 

(d) AIMING DIRECT LY FOR CONVERSIONS IN PREACHING. 

It is true that in the ministrations of the pulpit we 
are to sow the seed which may spring up and pro 
duce a harvest in the future we are to lay foundations 



IN THE PULPIT. 201 

that will sustain a noble structure, it may be, in years 
far hence. But we must also calculate on the conver 
sion of souls at once, for " now is the accepted time, be 
hold, now is the day of salvation." In our preparations 
for the pulpit and in our preaching we should have ever 
before us the solemn obligation of now making an effort 
to bring some of our audience to the salvation of Christ. 
The sermon which fails in this fails in one of its most 
important objects. So prominent should this aim be 
with us that after every sermon we would look anxious 
ly to see who had been impressed, who had been moved 
to take one step toward the cross. We would inquire 
as to the spiritual wants of the impenitent who hear us, 
ascertain their difficulties, and then shape our discourses 
so as to meet them. 

This is the great design of the Christian ministry. 
There are other deeply important objects, such as the 
edifying of believers, but this is the chief. " If souls 
are not saved, whatever other designs are accomplished, 
the great purpose of the ministry is defeated." Look 
at the preachers of the New Testament. They sought 
directly to save men, and they were successful ; for con 
sider the thousands converted on the day of Pentecost, 
and the occasions when we read, " When the Gentiles 
heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of 
the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life, 
believed." On this their hearts were set, as they showed 
by such language as this : " Now then we are ambassa 
dors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us ; 
we pray you in Christ s stead, be ye reconciled to God." 
This was implied in the great promise made to them : 
" Fear not, from henceforth thou shall catch men." So 
also in the commission and promise : " And he said unto 
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel 

26 



202 THE PASTOR 

to every creature. He that belie veth and is baptized, 
shall be saved ; but he that believeth not, shall be 
damned." Indeed, this is explicitly declared to be the 
great object of preaching : " It pleased God by the 
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." 
So the voice of infinite wisdom encourages us : " He that 
winneth souls is wise." 

Men are in crying need of the benefits of salvation. 
They are lost ; they are suffering ; they are posting 
steadily and rapidly down, down to endless woe. Then 
a way of saving them has been provided, and it is all 
ready for as many as can be induced to enter upon it. 
The proclamation has been made from Heaven that they 
may be pardoned and received back into the favor of 
of that God against whom they have rebelled. It is 
ours, as preachers, to take that offer and carry it home 
to them, and reiterate it and explain it, and show the 
infinite mercy it contains, and persuade men with all 
urgency to accept its priceless benefits. This is to be 
with us a great object in every sermon. The caution 
of McCheyne should ever be before us : " Never forget 
that the end of a sermon is the salvation of the people." 

This direct aim after conversion must have a very 
great influence upon our preaching. We are aiming 
after immediate results ; then we shall necessarily be 
far more interested in our discourses, we shall preach 
with more earnestness, our words will be clothed with 
more directness of aim at the heart. Souls are now at 
stake ; how importunate we should be with them, that 
now they may be rescued before it be too late ! Christ is 
now to be offered, and accepted or rejected ; how critical 
the moment ! The heart is now to be reached and made 
soft by divine grace, or it will grow harder; how tender 
should we be ! Treasure can now be laid up in heaven ; 



IX THE PULPIT. 203 

oh how diligently we should strive for such eternal 
riches ! 

When our hearts are set upon saving souls at once, 
our preaching must necessarily he far more effective. 
Without this aim there will not be that earnest pre 
paratory prayer upon which so much depends, nor will 
there be deep study as to the best way of securing ac 
ceptance for the saving truths of Christ. When the 
preacher s own heart becomes inflamed with a sense of 
the need and the hope of men being converted imme 
diately, his words will have an increased force. The 
true fervor in the pulpit will not be reached until it 
is felt that souls must be snatched at once as brands 
from the burning. This it is that gives a glowing 
importunity which cannot be withstood. The heart 
yearning to glorify Christ by the immediate salva 
tion of men is the heart which the Holy Ghost blesses. 
Where this is found the preaching must have power and 
efficacy. 

Then, as it has been well said, " Nothing short of 
positive success can satisfy a true minister of Christ. 
His plans may succeed smoothly, and his external 
machinery may work steadily ; but without actual fruit 
in the saving of souls he counts all these as nothing. 
His feeling is, * My little children, of whom I travail 
in birth again until Christ be found in you/ And it 
is this feeling which makes him successful. Ministers/ 
said Owen, * are seldom honored with success unless 
they are continually aiming at the conversion of sin 
ners. The resolution that in the strength and with 
the blessing of God he will never rest without suc 
cess will ensure it. It is the man who has made up 
his mind to confront every difficulty, who has counted 
the cost, and, fixing his eye upon the prize, has de- 



204 THE PASTOR 

termined to fight his way to it it is such a man that 
conquers." 

The preacher, then, should have his mind constantly 
fixed upon the direct conversion of souls the souls of 
individuals whose names he ever keeps before him, the 
souls of all the impenitent in his congregation. Of this 
important interest he should never become oblivious. 
He should carry it with him into the closet, into the 
study and into the pulpit. The ever-recurring questions 
with him should be, How shall I reach and overcome 
the great difficulties that stand in the way of perishing 
souls ? How shall I make the truth so clear that those 
who need it most must see it ? How shall I place the 
offers of salvation in such a form that they will be ac 
cepted by those who must receive them now or be lost 
for ever ? He should seek day and night for conversions. 
He should look for them with a patience that is never 
exhausted and with a faith that cannot be disappointed. 

Instances innumerable could be given of the good re 
sults of this direct aim after conversions in preaching. 
Here is the testimony of the Rev. J. A. James : " I am 
now on the verge of old age and the subject of not a 
few of its infirmities. It is now some consolation to 
me to recollect that amidst innumerable defects which, 
if affection has concealed them from the notice of my 
friends, are humblingly known to myself I have in 
some measure ever kept in view the conversion of sin 
ners as the great end of the Christian ministry, and 
therefore of mine. I started in my preaching career 
while yet a student with this before my eyes as the 
great purpose for which I entered the pulpit." His 
biographer relates of Rev. R. Knill that "his specialty 
as a preacher seems to have been the directness of his 
aim at the conversion of souls, and besides the multi- 



IN THE PULPIT. 205 

tudinous instances of individual success there was reason 
to believe he had been the instrument of converting 
one hundred persons who in one way or another became 
preachers of the gospel." 

(e) SENSATIONAL PREACHING. 

There is a kind of preaching, sometimes too prevalent 
and in some communities too popular, against which a 
most emphatic protest should be entered. Its aim is to 
awaken curiosity by presenting fantastic thoughts in a 
grotesque manner, or to entertain by a tissue of sickly 
sentimentalism, or to startle by absurd paradoxes, or 
even to curry the popular favor by flings at orthodoxy 
and the vital truths of religion. It announces its sub 
jects in some silly phraseology. Sermons have been 
announced under the names of " Spiders," " Main 
Street," " Limpers," "The Greatest Liar in Town," etc. 
These may be extreme cases, but they will serve to 
illustrate the wicked absurdity of the whole thing. 
Then plain thoughts must be expressed in flippant, 
new-fangled language, and subjects must be treated in 
some unheard-of manner that will cause the hearers to 
stare. 

It is difficult to find language strong enough by which 
to condemn this wicked and foolish practice. Where in 
this world is buffoonery so much out of place as in the 
pulpit ? What sacrilege it is to trifle with sacred things 
and prostitute the very gospel that was established by 
the blood of Christ ! If such impiety must be indulged 
in, surely it ought not to receive the name of Christian 
preaching. It ought to be taken into some other place 
than the pulpit, and those who practice it should, in all 
reason, drop the name of ministers of that gospel which 
they seem ashamed to present in the form and language 



206 THE PASTOR 

that the Scriptures and piety of the Church have hal 
lowed. 

The origin of this sinful and absurd manner of en 
tertaining an audience on the Lord s day most generally 
is in a desire to copy after some erratic, or possibly un 
principled, preacher, who, by his recklessness as to the 
way of handling the truth of God and by his genius, has 
risen to a temporary popularity. It aims to gain ap 
plause for originality, to awaken curiosity and wonder, 
and that even if it mocks both God and man by its 
maudlin nonsense; and then it justifies itself by the 
plea that in this way alone can the interest of an audi 
ence be excited or retained. 

Now, in reference to this whole style of preaching we 
would say that to good taste it is loathsome, to true piety 
it is sinful, and to sound sense it is impolitic. Can it be 
otherwise than disgusting to hear preachers of the gos 
pel, in the sacred desk, on the Lord s day and with the 
the most solemn responsibility resting upon them, tri 
fling before an audience of dying men with mawkish 
conceits? What a shock does it give to every right 
feeling to conceive the idea of the apostle Paul preach 
ing in this mariner, or to think of a chapter of God s 
book being devoted to such sensationalism ! Then it 
is nothing less than blasphemy to caricature the word 
of God, as is often done by this kind of preaching, to 
bring it into ridicule, to trifle with God and truth and 
souls, and to treat the whole matter of religion as if it 
were a good joke. Besides, it is utterly futile ; it does 
not in the end accomplish what it aims at. Hearers 
may be attracted and startled for a short time, but soon 
the relish will be gone and be followed by disgust. The 
effort to be like some brilliant star in the pulpit will soon 
prove a miserable failure. Sensational preaching will 



IN THE PULPIT. 207 

not attract long. There are multitudes of noble models, 
living and deceased, to prove that the preaching of the 
mind of God, just as it is found in the Scriptures, and 
in the language that will carry it home most directly to 
the heart, is the preaching that will most surely attract, 
most permanently edify, do the most good, produce the 
most permanent results and most certainly be blessed 
by the God of the gospel. 

The things of God and the soul and eternity are too 
solemn to be trifled with. The preacher who is really 
in earnest in his work will not turn aside from the eter 
nal interests on hand to amuse the people, to startle 
them or to gain their applause by his ingenuity and 
flights of fancy. His heart will be so set upon deliver 
ing the message of God that he will have no eye, no ear, 
no taste for anything else. One thing even the glory 
of God in the conversion of souls will he ever keep 
before him, and that will cut off all that is sensational 
or selfish or unbecoming in his discourses. He will 
have no heart but to preach the gospel in the most 
direct and emphatic manner. 



PUBLIC PRAYER. 

This is one of the leading duties of the minister in 
the pulpit, and must therefore receive some attention 
in this place. It is a subject which is worthy of very 
careful study from every pastor much more study and 
preparation than it often receives. Its very great im 
portance will be felt when we consider, (a) that pub 
lic prayer forms so large a part of the worship of the 
sanctuary ; (b) that it is intended to be joined in and 
followed in spirit by all the congregation ; (c) that its 
aim is to express the wants of all the people assembled ; 



208 THE PASTOR 

(d) that it is an appointed vehicle for bringing down 
the blessings of the Holy Ghost ; and (e) that it will 
inevitably form a model after which all the prayers, 
both public and private, of the praying people will be 
formed. Our aim now shall be simply to indicate some 
leading points concerning it which ought to be studied. 
We offer a few comprehensive suggestions which can be 
thought out more fully : 

1. Public prayer should receive its tone and spirit from 
a sense of the divine presence. In it we come especially 
near to God, and all its meaning and value depend upon 
his presence, recognized and felt as a reality. This state 
of mind in offering public prayer will help to banish 
worldly thoughts, will bring spiritual and eternal things 
very near, will give a felt reality to the services, and 
will produce that importunity at the throne of grace 
which is so essential. It will inspire the .proper rever 
ence when the assembly gather around the footstool of 
God. What is more unbecoming than irreverence or 
levity in the presence of Jehovah, and while appealing 
to him for mercy, pardon and acceptance ? This sense 
of the divine presence, when strong in the mind of the 
preacher, will disseminate itself through the whole au 
dience and produce a salutary influence upon all. When 
it pervades the prayer at the commencement, it will go 
down through all the rest of the services, giving them 
elevation, solemnity and power. The aim of the min 
ister, as he engages in this service, should be to get his 
mind filled with the impression, " God is now present, 
Christ the Mediator is here, the Holy Ghost is now, at 
this very moment, helping our infirmities." It is pos 
sible to attain this state of mind, and no effort should be 
spared until it is reached. 



fZV THE PULPIT. 209 

2. The public prayer of the pastor should be compre 
hensive. However it may be with private or social 
prayer, the prayer of the sanctuary should be made to 
cover at least the leading wants of the whole assembly. 
This is its object, and this is expected of it. It is 
obvious that it should contain praise for the infinite 
perfections and glories of God, thanksgiving for his 
boundless mercies, confession for sins of every name, 
prayer for the supply of all wants, and intercession for 
blessings upon others. These are general objects which 
manifestly should be embraced in the prayers of the 
house of God. But besides these there should be a 
large comprehension of other wants which are common 
to all. Thus prolixity of expression will be avoided, 
and variety will be secured in this part of the public- 
worship. But a far more important object will be 
reached in meeting the diversified wants of the people 
of God and of his Church. Think of the various wants 
which must be pressing upon the hearts of a whole con 
gregation of men and women. Some have their doubts 
and fears, some their repentings for recent sins, some 
their peculiar temptations, some their afflictions and 
{>erplexities, some their business troubles, and some their 
anxieties about their impenitent relatives and friends. 
The petitions in public prayer should embrace all such 
cases. They will thus often prove grateful to troubled 
hearts whose sorrows are little known to men. Then 
the vast interests of Christ s kingdom must also, of 
course, be included in the prayer of the sanctuary. 
" Thy kingdom come " is a petition of vast scope which 
must never be forgotten. The particular church of the 
worshipers, the blessings of revival, the circulation of 
the word, the progress of missions, the work of the 
Sabbath-school, the dissemination of the printed page, 

27 



210 THE PASTOR 

and the sending forth of a godly ministry, with other 
subjects pertaining to the welfare of Zion, must find their 
place in this deeply-important part of public worship. 
How wide, then, should be its scope ! how comprehen 
sive its view of all the wants of the people of God and 
of the Church, which is now struggling with such des 
perate enemies ! 

3. In public prayer the petitions should be as specific 
as possible. They should not only be comprehensive, as 
embracing the vast scope of the Church s wants, but 
they should also be definite as to the things which are 
sought. Vague generalities do not ordinarily amount 
to much in this service. They do not arrest the atten 
tion, they do not call forth the importunity, nor do they 
awaken the desire that are essential qualities of accept 
able prayer. When we have a specific thing for which 
we plead, then we plead in earnest we become importu 
nate, and our sincerity is made manifest. Hence there 
should be definiteness in the petitions which we carry 
before God in his sanctuary. We should not rest with 
vaguely asking that the evils of sin might be removed 
from the world, but that infidelity and injustice, and 
dishonesty and intemperance and Sabbath desecration 
and other great sins might be done away. We should 
not be satisfied with general petitions for the afflicted, 
but we should remember the sick, the sorrowing, the 
embarrassed and other sufferers. It is not enough that 
we pray indefinitely for the young, but our hearts should 
go out in earnest desires that they might be kept from 
temptation, that they might be converted, and that they 
might be made useful in their lives. The petition is 
not discriminative enough when we merely ask that the 
various agencies for the spread of the gospel may be 
blessed ; but we should also ask distinctly for the cir- 



IN THE PULPIT. 211 

culation of the Bible, the raising up of a sanctified 
ministry, the success of missions, and other specific 
objects. In this way our prayers will have more point, 
more variety, more earnestness, and undoubtedly will 
be more effectual. All these and other specific objects 
of course cannot be introduced into each public prayer, 
but there should be careful attention that they all be oc 
casionally remembered, some of them should find a place 
in the worship of every Sabbath. In following this 
counsel theie must be good judgment used. There 
might be such an enumeration of minute and trivial 
details as would almost bring ridicule upon the exercise 
an evil against which a proper sense of the dignity of 
the presence and place and worship will be the best 
preservative. 

4. In public prayer the petitions should be direct in 
aim and simple in language. The first thing is to have 
in the mind a clear and distinct perception of what is 
wanted, and then to ask for it in words which are the 
most natural and the least circuitous, and that convey 
our thoughts most directly. The simple expression of 
our wants to God is the true idea of all prayer. For 
this reason we should not hesitate to use the imperative 
mood as if it were an unwarranted boldness. Its use is 
not irreverent. We find it freely used in that model of 
prayer which we have been taught by our Lord. "Give 
us this day our daily bread " is the form in which we 
find its expressions. We may follow this pattern boldly. 
The Lord s Prayer should also be our model in its grand 
simplicity and directness. It uses no roundabout, no 
inflated, no labored language, but each petition is of 
fered in fervent and most natural words, and then it 
passes on to the next. It is a great abuse of public 
prayer to use it for preaching to the audience or for 



212 THE PASTOR 

rebuking them, or even, as is often done, for giving 
information to the Lord. All these things are out of 
place in it. Never should it be forgotten that its great 
object is to carry before God the diversified wants of 
the whole congregation and of the kingdom of Christ, 
and that in the most direct manner in our power. This 
manner of prayer will intensify our sense of the reality 
of the position we occupy as suppliants struggling at the 
throne of God. Then it is only when our prayers are 
uttered in this simple manner that the people can fol 
low us, as they should, in all our petitions. Moreover, 
it is only this simple, child-like, reverent deportment 
that is becoming the majesty of Him before whom 
we appear. God s presence is no place for verbosity. 
Effort after rhetorical figures or inflated language, or 
an utterance that is merely calculated to please men, 
is greatly irreverent before Jehovah. Our only effort 
should be to express our wants in the most direct and 
earnest manner. 

5. Brevity should be carefully studied in public 
prayer. This is a point worthy of attention by most 
ministers of very much attention by some. When the 
exercise is continued beyond a reasonable length, it in 
variably becomes prolix in thought and verbose in ex 
pression. Then all the subsequent parts of the service 
must suffer must either be hurried over in an unsatis 
factory manner, or be joined in by the audience in such 
a state of mind and body that but little benefit can be 
expected. It is expected that in the prayer of the min 
ister the whole congregation should follow in spirit, mak 
ing its petitions their own, and expressing their wants 
thereby. But when it is lengthened out to weariness 
they cannot follow ; they either become drowsy, or they 
grow impatient, or they even fall into a state of irrita- 



7,V THE PULPIT. 213 

tion. Of course all good impressions are driven away 
from their minds when there is so little consideration on 
the part of the minister. In this way multitudes of 
prayers are ruined, so far as their influence upon the 
audience is concerned. Instances could be given where 
the hearers have been almost exasperated by them, 
where a spirit of impatience instead of devotion has 
been produced, and where the whole subsequent ser 
vices have been spoiled. What good effect can prayers 
have upon the minds of the people when they are weary, 
listless or irritated? But if prayer be brief it will be 
more to the point and more interesting, and when it is 
finished the people will be hungry for further commu 
nion with God, and in a right frame of mind to join in 
the remaining services of the hour. The Lord s Prayer 
is very brief. The public prayers of the most successful 
preachers, such as Spurgeon, are remarkable for their 
conciseness. We would venture to suggest that the 
prayer of public worship should not, under ordinary 
circumstances, exceed eight minutes in length ; five, in 
many cases, would not be too short. This matter re 
quires study and preparation. It is difficult for many 
preachers to believe to what extent they do lengthen 
out their prayers. It is no easy task to be both brief 
and comprehensive in this part of the worship of God. 
6. The prayer of the sanctuary should be thoroughly 
saturated with scriptural thought and expression. The 
language of the Bible is that which the Spirit prompted, 
and which must therefore be most in accordance with 
the mind of God. For the same reason it must be Bible 
language which is best calculated to express those devo 
tional feelings which are the work of the Spirit in 
the heart. If the Spirit maketh intercession for us with 
groanings which cannot be uttered, the language which 



214 THE PASTOR 

he teaches must be the best adapted to express spiritual 
wants. Moreover, scriptural expressions are those with 
which the people are most familiar and which they can 
most easily follow. They touch chords in the heart 
which no other forms of utterance can reach. It is on 
this account that we often find laymen, whose whole 
phraseology is taken from the word of God, leading in 
this service to the greatest edification. Then, what is 
there so well calculated to excite devotional feelings as 
those hallowed utterances which the Holy Ghost indited, 
which the most godly of men have been using for ages, 
and which are associated with all that is devout and 
heavenly? Besides, the use of scriptural language in 
public prayer honors the word of God and fixes it more 
deeply in the memory and affections of the people. 
Only one caution should be given here : that is, not to 
use scriptural expressions in prayer as a mere formal 
ity, as mere stereotyped phraseology, in the use of which 
neither mind nor faith nor feeling is moved. This 
should be carefully avoided. The meaning of the Bible 
words which are used should be distinctly comprehended 
and their glowing thoughts poured out of a full heart. 
To pray in this manner will require that the devotional 
expressions of Scripture be carefully stored up in the 
mind and ready for use in the sanctuary. Every min 
ister should plan and toil to have this store become richer 
and richer. 

7. The public prayer of the pastor should be an echo 
of the deep earnestness which he has learned in the closet. 
In the closet, alone with God, with the world shut out, 
is the proper place to get the mind and heart into the 
proper tone for conducting the public devotions. There 
is the place to cultivate that all-important sense of the 
divine presence without which there can be no real 



IN THE PULPIT. 215 

prayer. There, in closest communion with our Lord 
and Saviour, we may attain to a deep impression of our 
own and the Church s wants ; there we may reach the 
necessary feeling of reality in the service ; there we may 
get the earnestness that will awaken every faculty, the 
wrestling that will not be shaken off, the importunity 
that will take no denial. There we may have poured 
out upon us " the Spirit of grace and of supplication," 
and there we may seek and obtain the divine assistance 
which is so much needed in conducting the devotions of 
God s people. From that mount of blessed intercourse 
with God we might come down with face beaming, heart 
glowing and faith so strong that the people would feel, 
whilst we led in their supplications, that we stood with 
them at the very gate of heaven. That minister who 
is but seldom in his closet, and but cold when there, will 
certainly be weak in public prayer, but the one who is 
mighty in private with God will also be mighty in 
public. 



PREPARATION OF THE MIND FOR ENTERING THE 
PULPIT. 

This may seem a small matter, but it is in fact one 
of very great importance, not only to the preacher him 
self, but also to his whole audience. It is not enough 
that the sermon should be prepared and ready to be 
preached, but there should also be such a state of mind 
as would impart unction to it and to all the other parts 
of the service. This point is worthy of much attention ; 
the preacher s own comfort is involved ; the success of 
the sermon in finding its way to the hearts of the hearers 
is at stake. In fact, the tone of devotion that is to per 
vade the whole congregation is closely connected with 



216 THE PASTOR 

that which fills the preacher s heart as he enters the 
sacred desk. If his heart is cold, his thoughts dis 
tracted and his mind filled with lower cares, then the 
whole service will almost necessarily be destitute of spir 
itual power. It may not be possible for him to have 
perfect command over the state of his mind when enter 
ing upon the worship of the house of God, but by dil 
igent attention he may approximate that happy frame 
that will make his ministrations a delight both to his 
audience and to himself. To this end he should strive to 
have his mind freed from everything distracting, filled 
with the Spirit, impressed with a sense of the great 
importance of the duties before him, glowing with love 
and fresh from blessed communion with his Saviour. 

Before going into the pulpit there should, of course, 
be some length of time spent in secret prayer with ref 
erence to the particular service about to be entered on. 
In such preparatory devotion of the closet the mind 
should be elevated and filled with the spirit of adora 
tion. That is the place to get near to God, to obtain 
the unction from on high, to make sure of the Spirit s 
presence from the beginning to the end of the approach 
ing public worship. But besides this secret prayer pre 
paratory to entering the pulpit, and besides the premed 
itated effort to have the mind in a high devotional frame, 
there are certain precautionary hints that should receive 
attention. 

1. The mind should be kept as free as possible from 
anxiety concerning the sermon about to be preached. If 
the preparation for it is felt to be too imperfect, or if it 
be not yet finished, or if there be too much solicitude 
about getting through it, or about the impression it may 
make, then the mind is sure to be agitated, and so far 
disqualified for the duty of the hour. To avoid this the 



IN THE PULPIT. 217 

sermon should be conscientiously studied out, its prep 
aration completed in due time, and then the whole 
matter trusted to the providence of God, with the mind 
perfectly calm. 

2. The portion of Scripture to be read and the hymns 
to be given out should all be selected beforehand qnd 
carefully gone over, so that their contents may be fully 
known. It is sorely distracting to be compelled to search 
for hymns in the pulpit or to turn over the leaves of the 
Bible for some chapter half remembered, and perhaps 
not at all appropriate to the subject on hand when found. 
All this should be guarded against by previous prep 
aration. 

3. The minuter should set himself resolutely against 
hearing anything that might worry or agitate him as he 
enters the pulpit. There are often well-meaning but 
thoughtless persons, and more frequently habitual fault 
finders, who will waylay him there to tell him of some 
trouble that is brewing in the church, of some members 
who are walking unworthily, or of some duty which is 
calculated to perplex. This is simply cruel ; it is tor 
turing the minister when there is most need for his 
mind to be settled. Surely, the Lord s Day, and espe 
cially that important moment of it, should be spared to 
him. All his ingenuity should be exerted in devis 
ing methods for freeing himself from this sore an 
noyance. 

4. The notices which are handed him to be read in the 
pulpit often disconcert the preacher at the commencement 
of public worship. Sometimes they pertain to matters 
of which he does not approve, sometimes to outside re 
ligious meetings to be held at the same hours with some 
of his own stated services, sometimes to things which are 
purely secular. Then the conflict between his sense of 

28 



218 THE PASTOR 

duty, or the dictates of his judgment, or even his per 
sonal feelings and his desire not to give offence, is often 
painful as well as perplexing. He must decide prompt 
ly, for there is no time for deliberation ; and thus his 
mind may become so distracted as to be unfitted for the 
subsequent duties of the hour. Probably the best way 
to overcome this difficulty is to have all notices, other 
than those of the ordinary services of the congregation, 
go into the hands of a committee of the session, and let 
it be responsible for their being read or not read. Then 
the preacher, upon the state of whose mind so much 
depends, will be saved from what might mar the whole 
exercises of the day. 



WEITTEN OR EXTEMPORANEOUS SERMONS. 

This is a practical point which meets every preacher 
at the commencement of his ministry, and it must receive 
attention at once. On this account, although it prop 
erly belongs to the subject of Homiletics, it must not be 
overlooked when the general work of the pastor is under 
consideration ; and it may as well be acknowledged at 
once that no positive decision can be given as to which 
plan, in all cases, is the better one. Some preachers can 
succeed better in the use of the one method, and some 
in the other. Some men have such ready command of 
language and such self-possession that it is better for 
them to use no notes in the pulpit ; but some are so me 
thodical in the presentation of their thoughts, so slow 
in the selection of their words and so easily disconcerted 
before an audience, that it is far better for them to use 
the manuscript. Then it is certainly advisable for each 
one ordinarily to follow the plan which he finds, upon 
fair trial, to be the better one for him. As a matter of 



IN THE PULPIT. 219 

fact, we find that some of the greatest preachers of the 
world have carefully written and read every word, while 
some just as great have not taken a line into the pulpit. 
Each plan undoubtedly has its advantages, which should 
be carefully considered. 

Some of the advantages of the plan of writing ser 
mons are these : It secures more accuracy in stating 
gospel truths and doctrines, and more correct quotation 
of Scripture. When sermons are deliberately written 
out there is better opportunity of studying variety a 
fact which Dr. J. W. Alexander has well presented : 
" It has been observed that preachers who rely upon 
their extemporaneous powers are very apt to fall into a 
very great sameness. They repeat the same thoughts 
and the same trains of thought, and at length almost 
the same sermons; and this they do without being con 
scious of it. ... Mere writing is not a certain prevent 
ive of this evil, but it has an excellent tendency to pre 
vent it, as ensuring an excellent amount of fresh study, 
and by keeping the mind, for longer periods and with 
greater deliberation, in view of the truth." In this 
way, too, there can be more conciseness in the present 
ation of truth. Moreover, the habit of writing sermons 
so accustoms one to writing that he is prepared to con 
tribute something as every minister should to the 
press. Besides, sermons that are carefully written can 
be preserved for future use, and perhaps prove invalu 
able, it may be, in old age, when mental vigor shall have 
declined. One thing the preacher should carefully ob 
serve when he uses written sermons that is, to make 
himself beforehand thoroughly familiar with his man 
uscript, going over it at least four or five times, so that 
he may deliver the sermon with the utmost freedom. 

Extempore preaching also has its advantages, among 



220 THE PASTOR 

which we may enumerate the following : It can be made 
very direct and impressive. It affords an opportunity 
for introducing new and striking matter that may pre 
sent itself at the moment. It helps, by the peculiar 
preparation it demands, to store the memory with di 
vine truth. It economizes time by doing away with the 
drudgery of writing. It gives ability for extemporane 
ous speaking in church courts, on the platform or on 
any other occasion when much preparation would be 
impossible. Then the ability for this kind of preach 
ing can be gained in almost all cases where there is 
persistent effort for it. The grand secret of reaching it 
is to know exactly, by previous diligent study, what is 
wanted to be said, and then trust to the moment for the 
language. 

Considering, then, that each plan has its own manifest 
advantages, the general conclusion is obvious, that for 
most ministers it is advisable sometimes to use the one 
method and sometimes the other. Each has some train 
ing process or some other benefit to confer upon him 
who practices it ; the two need not be antagonistic to 
each other ; they may rather be made supplemental, and 
help each other. We would recommend that in ordi 
nary cases both plans be used occasionally. When there 
are two services on the Sabbath it is a most excellent 
rule to write one of them and to conduct the other in 
an extemporaneous manner. In this way the advan 
tages of both methods may be secured. 



MAY SERMONS SOMETIMES BE REPEATED? 

In respect to this matter there are two extremes, both 
of which should be avoided. Some ministers indulge 
in the habit of repeating sermons so frequently as to 



IN THE PULPIT. 221 

wrong their audience and seriously injure themselves in 
many ways. Others, again, are too scrupulous. When 
a sermon has been very carefully prepared on an im 
portant subject, and preached to the great edification 
of the people, why should they not in some future year 
have the same benefit from it ? It is acknowledged that 
a sermon may sometimes be preached a second time to 
the great profit of a congregation. Hearers are occa 
sionally censorious about this matter without reason, and 
certainly without reflection. Sometimes preachers them 
selves are far more cautious about it than is for the ad 
vantage of either themselves or their hearers. On the 
other hand, where it is very often done done so as to 
excite just criticism among the people the effect must 
be evil. Its tendency is to foster habits of slothfulness 
in the preacher himself, and to prevent that freshness 
and appropriateness in his discourses which are so de 
sirable ; to awaken dissatisfaction among the hearers, 
and to give an advantage to any who might be un 
friendly, and so to greatly injure the preacher s use 
fulness. 

It is well, therefore, to establish some general prin 
ciples according to which only the repetition of sermons 
will be allowed. It is not wise to trust the matter to 
the casual feelings of the day. When, then, is it allow 
able that sermons should be preached again to the same 
congregation ? The following rules may be suggested : 
A sermon ma} 7 be repeated after some time when it has 
been prepared for a class of persons who were not pres 
ent at its first delivery ; when it was carefully prepared, 
but, the weather being unfavorable, there were at first 
but few present; when unexpected calls upon the min 
ister s time render a new preparation utterly impossible; 
when, being very carefully prepared, new circumstances 



222 THE PASTOR IN THE PULPIT. 

in the congregation promise great good from its repeti 
tion ; when judicious persons in the church earnestly 
request that it should be preached again. Only, let not 
a duty of such vast importance as that of preaching 
be performed in a spirit of slothfulness. Let not the 
people have reason to think that their pastor could be 
tempted by a motive so unworthy. Let not this or any 
other of the duties of the pulpit be discharged in a 
spirit unworthy of the awful Presence and of the mo 
mentous results that must follow. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE PASTOR IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL 
WORK. 

PREACHING is the chief work of the ministerial office, 
but it is not by any means the only one. There are 
many other duties, of a less prominent but of a deeply 
important nature, which devolve upon the pastor in his 
relations to the particular flock over which the Holy 
Ghost hath made him overseer. In the present chapter 
we would treat of such of these parochial duties, other 
than that of preaching, as belong to him personally 
duties which either cannot be performed by any other 
than the minister or are justly expected of him. Like 
the Great Master, it is the calling of the ministerial 
servant to go about doing good. It is an elementary 
principle of his office as a pastor that he is to watch over 
the flock committed to his care. Most solemn is the ob 
ligation resting upon ministers to watch for souls as 
those who must give account. These less conspicuous 
duties of the ministerial office are indispensable. With 
out due attention to them no man can be either faithful 
or successful in the sacred calling. Great preaching- 
power will not do without this. A man may be a great 
preacher, but through neglect of the other pastoral 
duties come far short of the good he might otherwise 
have accomplished. On the other hand, it is often the 
case that a minister of but moderate power in the pul 
pit will do much for the cause of Christ by his tact and 

223 



224 THE PASTOR 

industry and fidelity in the other parochial duties. This 
is a holy art which should be carefully studied and dil 
igently practiced by every ordained workman in the 
vineyard of the Lord. 



PASTORAL VISITING. 

A prominent part of the pastor s work is to go from 
house to house and see all the families of his congre 
gation at home. It is expected of him, and justly, 
that he should occasionally enter into every household, 
carrying with him the spirit and the message of the 
gospel. This duty of the minister is indispensable. It 
is indispensable that he should visit the families of his 
congregation, and it is also very desirable that he should 
see other families and seek to interest them in the great 
concerns of their souls. No faithful pastor can or will 
neglect this work of pastoral visiting. It was sanctioned 
and made obligatory by apostolic example. Paul could 
say to the Ephesians : " I kept back nothing that was 
profitable unto you, but have showed you and have 
taught you publicly and from house to house." We 
read also of the apostles that " daily in the temple and 
in every house they ceased not to teach and to preach 
Jesus Christ." 

This visiting of the pastor is necessary in order that 
he may know and keep up acquaintance with the people 
of his charge. It would be a cold business to preach to 
an assembly of people when they were not even person 
ally known. The pastor must become acquainted indi 
vidually with his hearers in order to exert the proper 
influence with them. It is particularly important that 
he should know, by name if possible, every one of the 
children. That minister possesses a great source of in- 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 225 

fluence who knows every youth and child of his congre 
gation and can call them by name, as well as take them 
by the hand, when he meets them. But it is no easy 
task to keep up this acquaintance with every one, young 
and old, in a large congregation. It requires painstaking 
to do it. And there is no other way in which it can be 
done so well as by seeing the families and becoming ac 
quainted with them at home. 

Unless the pastor is in the habit of calling frequently 
upon the people of his charge it is difficult to see how 
he can keep up a proper interest in them. How can he 
have the necessary pastoral attachment to them if he 
never sees them excepting casually on the Sabbath ? 
Moreover, how can he so well show his interest in them? 
It is obvious that a pastor should cultivate the affections 
of his people. He should endeavor to draw them to 
himself in order that he may thereby be enabled to 
draw them to Christ. And nothing will contribute so 
powerfully to this good- will between pastor and people 
as visiting them at their homes. This will prove to 
them that their minister cares for them. The resulting 
attachment and confidence will more than repay for 
all the trouble that may have been taken. Even when 
visiting is not directly beneficial in spiritual things, it 
will produce this kindly feeling. It will prove a bond 
of friendship. The people will listen more attentively 
to the words of the minister whom they love ; he will 
have far more influence with them, and they will help 
him more cordially in every work for the upbuilding of 
the kingdom. 

It is necessary that the pastor should go amongst his 
people in order that he may become acquainted with 
their spiritual wants and trials and temptations in order 
that he may sympathize with them in their joys and 

29 



226 THE PASTOR 

sorrows. There are sorrows of soul, troubles and per 
plexities of spirit, about which many long to consult 
him who is their spiritual guide and friend. Deeply 
important to the pastor are the questions, Who of his 
dear people are doubting ? Who tempted ? Who al 
most giving up in despair ? Who inquiring the way 
of life ? Who almost in the kingdom ? Who needing 
but a word from him to bring them to a happy decision 
for Jesus ? These wants can be found out only by his 
going amongst the people and seeing and hearing from 
themselves. The pastor will find that there are always 
those who are just waiting for him to open a conversa 
tion with them about their eternal interests. 

This work of helping individual souls in their spirit 
ual conflicts, helping them to find Christ, or helping 
them to a closer embrace if they have already found 
him, is one of the most blessed avocations of the pastor. 
He should go from house to house, with a word of coun 
sel or comfort to all who will listen or open their hearts 
to him as pastor and friend. He should give instruc 
tion as to innumerable points which may not ever be 
reached in the pulpit. He should comfort the sorrow 
ing, the embarrassed and the sorely tried. He should 
assist in solving doubts and taking away false confi 
dences. He should minister in all those peculiarities 
of spiritual wants which can be reached only by com 
ing near to the souls of individuals in the sympathy 
of Christ. 

In mingling with the people, going from house to 
house among them, hearing their views, learning their 
aspirations, ascertaining their wants, knowing their trials, 
sympathizing with them, participating in their joys and 
sorrows, and learning to love them, we have an eminently 
valuable method of gathering both matter and motive for 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 227 

preaching. We may learn from the godly of them a re 
ligious experience that will be fresh and precious. From 
the wants that we meet we may know what to preach, 
and how to shape our discourses so that they may be 
the most profitable. Then the love for the people 
which we gradually acquire by associating with them 
will compel us to preach with an earnestness that is bent 
on their spiritual welfare. We will then plead with 
them as with friends who are dear to our hearts, and 
as no others could plead with them. This will give liv 
ing fervidness to our discourses and clothe them with a 
power that will be irresistible. 

The fact is, that in order to perform the duties of his 
calling with any measure of fidelity the pastor must 
come near to his people nearer to them than he can 
possibly get in the pulpit near to them as individuals. 
In the pulpit he must treat them in the mass, but never 
will he be able to influence them as he should until he 
gets into personal communion with them. Dr. John 
Hall has presented this thought in an impressive man 
ner : " The experience of the Church is that that pastor 
effects the most in the end who comes into closest per 
sonal contact with his charge. No amount of organiz 
ing, no skill in creating machinery and manipulating 
committees, is a substitute for this. Who feels the 
power of a tear in the eye of a committee ? The min 
ister who would be like the Master must go, and like 
him, lay the warm, kindly hand on the leper, the dis 
eased, the wretched. He must touch the blind eyes with 
something from himself. The tears must be in his own 
eyes over the dead who are to be raised to spiritual life." 

It has been objected against much family visiting 
that it takes away too much of the time of the min 
ister from his study. But surely this objection is not 



228 THE PASTOR 

well considered. It certainly would never be urged by 
those who have much experience in the active work 
of the pastor. It should be remembered that the 
business of the minister is not simply to be a student, 
but it is to bring the truth into contact with the minds 
and consciences of men. Can it interfere with that 
work to go amongst men and learn their wants and 
susceptibilities, to get near to their hearts, gain their 
affection and open the way for the reception of God s 
message ? Is not this one of the best possible methods 
of learning how to preach and how to study ? Besides, 
let it be remembered that it cannot possibly be a waste 
of time for a pastor to engage in that which is one of 
the most important elements of his calling, even the 
personal oversight of the flock which the Great Shep 
herd has committed to his care. 

This deeply-important work of pastoral visiting can 
often be conducted to the great profit of the people by 
ministers who have not great power as preachers. Some 
times persons who may not be able to attract in the pul 
pit can make up for the deficiency by their success in 
preaching from house to house. Then, not one pastor 
in a hundred can be eminently successful, and continue 
so, unless he visits his people. The attendance will not 
keep up when this duty is neglected. When it is faith 
fully discharged its effects will immediately be seen in 
bringing to the house of God those who had grown cold 
and begun to absent themselves, and in the occasional 
presence of some who had hitherto utterly ignored the 
sanctuary. When a minister does not visit his people 
he will not know them, there will be no attachment 
between him and them, he will be ignorant of their 
spiritual wants, he will lose one of the best guides and 
spurs to a faithful presentation of the gospel, and his 



JN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 22J 

whole ministry will be destitute of one of the best 
elements of its usefulness and one of its sweetest 
charms. 



HOW OFPEN SHOULD PASTORAL VISITS BE MADE? 

Before attempting a direct answer to this question a 
preparatory consideration or two will be in place. A 
duty of so much importance as this in the calling of 
the pastor ought manifestly to be performed in a sys 
tematic manner. There is no branch of the ministerial 
work in which system is more necessary than in this. 
Very much of the well-known failure of ministers to 
satisfy their people in this thing undoubtedly arises 
from its being usually performed in a casual, unmethod 
ical way. If it is not done according to a prearranged 
plan, it will almost necessarily happen that some families 
will be frequently visited, while others will be wellnigh 
utterly neglected. Then too there will usually be accu 
mulated a mass of unperformed duty in visiting, the 
thought of which will keep the minister in a state of 
constant discomfort. Very much of this difficulty may 
be avoided by system by having a carefully-ordered 
plan of the work a plan that will enter into all its 
minutiae. 

An important step toward such system is to make out 
a correct catalogue of all the families and parts of fam 
ilies composing the congregation. If there is not such 
a roll carefully kept, it will be almost certain that some 
families will be omitted in visiting; but it will show at 
a glance where to go where to go first, which it is often 
a matter of difficulty to determine. It will stir one up 
to visit a family or families that have been too long 
neglected. It is, in fact, the only way by which all the 



230 THE PASTOR 

families of a congregation can be kept before the atten 
tion. It is of course necessary if there is to be any 
system whatever in visiting. This register should be 
often consulted ; it should be made very familiar, so 
that the families upon it may be kept constantly before 
the mind of the pastor. 

A catalogue of this kind which has been long in use 
may be described. For the sake of convenience in 
finding the names, the large congregation is divided 
into seven or eight districts, and the families of each 
district recorded on a separate page of the book kept 
for the purpose. Opposite the list of names there are 
perpendicular lines, about a quarter of an inch apart, 
drawn from the top to the bottom of the page. The 
date of the visit to each family is placed in the space 
between these perpendicular lines in the form of a frac 
tion, the denominator being the number of the month 
and the numerator the day of the month. In this way 
the page presents the exact time of the last visit to each 
family in the district. As soon as the whole congrega 
tion is gone through with, which will be shown by the 
filling up of all the spaces between the first two perpen 
dicular lines, the catalogue is corrected and the process 
begun anew. 

It is also necessary that the time devoted to visiting 
from house to house should be carefully economized. 
If this point is not closely watched, it will soon be found 
that an hour or two will go but a short distance in the 
work. Irrelevant conversation, casual chats here and 
there on the streets, and calls that are not needed will 
consume most of the allotted portion of time unless 
there is close attention. But by cutting off everything 
superfluous, and following strictly the list of visits pre 
viously planned out, as much again can be accomplished 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 231 

as when it is done in a haphazard manner. The fam 
ilies to be visited during one afternoon should be selected 
in the same street or neighborhood, so that as little time 
as possible may be spent on the way from house to house. 
Whilst occasionally a visit may occupy some length of 
time because of special interest or special wants, ordina 
rily the time spent at each house need not be long not 
longer than about twenty minutes. It is better that 
visits should not be protracted. By attention to these 
and other such small matters it will be found that much 
time can be saved, and much more, and just as profit 
able, visiting can be accomplished in the end. 

Now we are prepared to offer an answer to the ques 
tion, How often should pastoral visits be made? And 
the answer we suggest is, that in all ordinary cases the 
minister should adopt the rule of visiting each of the 
families of his charge three times a year. If the visits 
are more frequent than this the work may become a 
drudgery to the pastor, and his calls grow to be not 
quite so highly valued by the people. If they are less 
frequent, the desirable acquaintanceship and friendly 
intercourse and spiritual supervision can scarcely be 
kept up. It is important that a definite rule about this 
matter be observed in order that the pastor may know 
the work before him and arrange for it, and so not 
come short through inadvertency. 

But can this be done ? Can pastors, in the average 
of congregations, visit all their people three times each 
year ? Can this be done without encroaching too much 
upon other duties? Can it be done without becoming 
a toil and a burden from which most ministers would 
ultimately shrink ? Can it be done without compelling 
them to put forth an unreasonable amount of effort? 
We answer emphatically, Yes. It can be done easily. 



232 THE PASTOR 

It can be done from year to year without wearying. It 
can be done so as to be a comfort and recreation, as well 
as a profit, to the pastor. 

It might seem to be difficult, perhaps impossible, to ac 
complish so much ; but there is a plan by which the 
difficulty may be overcome a plan by which all this 
work, formidable though it may seem, can be got 
through with easily. For twenty-five years a pastor 
devised schemes and tried experiments by which to 
satisfy both his people and himself in visiting, but soon 
wearied of them all. At length a scheme more simple, 
more natural and more easy than any of them presented 
itself to his mind, and the problem was solved. The 
key was found. All that was before so formidable in 
the duty was gone ; henceforth it was plain and easy. 
The plan cannot be recommended too highly to every 
working pastor. It is predicted that it will prove almost 
like a charm in a branch of his calling which is to many 
ministers so irksome. 

The plan is simply to calculate how many visits a 
week it will require in order to go through all the fam 
ilies of the congregation three times in a year, and then 
rigidly adhere to the rule of paying just that number 
of visits in the early part of each week. This plan will 
take one through the congregation, and through it and 
through it again, almost without his knowing it. It is 
surprising how light this rule, strictly carried out, makes 
the work. Supposing the congregation to be one of 
moderate size, consisting of one hundred families, then 
it will require only six visits a week no more than 
could be paid in a single afternoon to go through it 
three times in the year. Suppose it were a larger con 
gregation, containing one hundred and fifty families, 
then only nine visits a week would be needed. Sup- 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 233 

pose it to be one of the very largest congregations, hav 
ing a membership of over five hundred persons, or two 
hundred and fifty families ; even then only fifteen visits 
a week would be wanted to go through it three times a 
year. All that is requisite is to fix upon the weekly 
quota of visits and let them be promptly performed. 
The task for each week is so light that there needs to 
be no shrinking from it or falling behind in the work. 
It is recommended that the visits be made early in the 
week say on Tuesday and Wednesday and then there 
can be freedom from all care as to that duty all the rest 
of the week. The minister can then study with more 
composure, feeling that that branch of his week s work 
is done. The rest of the visiting time of the week can 
be deliberately devoted to the sick, to strangers and to 
the interests of the Sabbath-school. Then, though the 
people may find fault that their pastor does not visit 
enough, the weekly work going steadily on, gives him 
composure and the assurance that it will come out well 
in the end. There is hardly anything that will yield 
more satisfaction and comfort to the life of a pastor 
than the adoption, and persistent carrying out, of this 
plan. It will not then be any task for him to visit all 
his families three times in each year. 



HOW SHOULD PASTORAL VISITING BE CONDUCTED? 

There are many things which make it difficult to 
give such counsel on this subject as will be applicable 
to the generality of ministers. There is great diversity 
in ministers themselves, some of them having no diffi 
culty whatever in introducing religious conversation, 
others from natural diffidence or other causes finding it 

30 



234 THE PASTOR 

almost impossible to ask for admission into the sacred 
precincts of other hearts. There is also great difference 
in families as to their accessibility in spiritual matters. 
Then the circu instances under which pastoral visits are 
paid, and the times and places, are all so unlike that it 
seems impossible to lay down very exact rules for con 
ducting them. No definite rules can perhaps be wise 
ly established or should be rigidly adhered to. After 
much reflection, and consultation with experienced pas 
tors, it is thought best merely to indicate a few general 
principles which should govern in this important pas 
toral duty, where love to God and souls and good sense 
and sanctified tact are so much needed. 

The old plan of pastoral visiting was to announce 
from the pulpit the Sabbath previous the districts or 
families to be called upon during the respective days 
of the week, and then, generally in company with an 
elder, to hold formal personal religious exercises in 
each household and with each individual. This plan 
gave a character of religiousness to the visit that was 
very important. It opened the way at once for conver 
sation about spiritual interests. In some communities 
it may still perhaps be carried out to advantage. But 
it is doubtful whether at the present time it is gene 
rally practicable. There is not now that influence of 
pastoral authority that would ensure the assembling of 
the family at the day and hour assigned. Many mem 
bers of families could scarcely be induced to meet and 
converse with their pastor at any appointed hour. Some 
would rather make the expectation of his coming an 
occasion for being absent from home. Neither would it 
generally be advisable to hold close personal conver 
sation with parents before children, or with children 
before parents, or with almost any in presence of others. 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 235 

The very formality of the plan would militate against 
its good results. 

The general counsels, then, which we would give 
about the whole matter are these : 

1. There should be as little formality in the visit of 
the pastor as possible. A call that is simply official, and 
that is made in a professional manner, will not be highly 
esteemed or secure the confidence of either old or young. 
When it is conducted in a functional manner it will lose 
much of its value, and be positively repulsive to many. 
But when the pastor goes to see his people as their 
friend, the young will not shun him, his words of coun 
sel or instruction will have more weight, and he will 
be likely to gain such confidence as will lead them to 
open their hearts and let him know their spiritual wants. 
It is far better in most cases to converse about their souls 
with individuals alone. There will be less reserve and 
more freedom when parents or children or brothers or 
sisters can be seen unembarrassed by the presence of 
others. On this point the advice of Baxter was : " In 
general, take each person alone and discourse with him 
out of the hearing of the rest ; for some do not like to 
be questioned before others, and cannot answer you with 
freedom. However, let none be present but those of 
the same family, or those with whom they are familiar. 
I find by experience that, in general, people will bear 
plain and close dealing about their sin, their misery 
and their duty when you have them alone better than 
when others are present." 

2. The pastor should watch the circumstances of the 
occasion, and be guided by them in each visit he makes. 
If events are carefully observed, in almost every case 
some incident will open the way for religious conversa 
tion, for words of comfort, for instruction in divine 



236 THE PASTOR 

things, for rebuke or for prayer. Circumstances will 
generally indicate when to speak, whom to address and 
what to say. When the truths of the gospel are intro 
duced in this way, they come more naturally and they 
make a deeper impression, for they are seen in an unex 
pected light, and there is no repulsion stirred up in the 
heart against them. We have the best example, the 
highest authority and the sweetest motive for this plan 
of addressing individuals in the case of our Lord and 
the woman of Samaria. This example should always 
be kept in view by us. In all our family visits, from 
first to last, we should watch the circumstances and let 
them open the way for our gospel message. 

3. It should be the settled purpose of the pastor in 
each visit he makes to leave some good impression upon 
the family. He should never forget that he is an 
ordained minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not 
becoming for him to be continually obtruding his min 
isterial character, but neither should he hide it. Most 
careful should he be neither in word nor act to do 
anything inconsistent with the sacred office he holds 
and the precious interests committed to his trust. He 
should neglect no opportunity of saying a word for 
Christ, or of doing something that will recommend 
religion, and so should he make every interview prof 
itable. Never should he close a visit without the per 
suasion that something has been done, by word, deed, 
or prayer, that will help the great cause. If he has 
not this conviction that some good impression has been 
made, he should be sorely dissatisfied with himself. 
This is probably the very best rule of pastoral visit 
ing that can be adopted. To carry it out, tact, good 
sense and a quickened heart will be needed, but it is 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 237 

of so much importance that the holy art should be 
persistently cultivated. 



VISITING THE SICK. 

This is one of the most trying and responsible duties 
to which the pastor is called. It is no wonder that the 
youthful minister often trembles when he is summoned 
to stand by the bedside of a dying man and guide the 
soul that must soon launch out into eternity. There 
is nothing that tries him so much as this. A man can 
scarcely be placed in a more solemn position than to be 
called to minister to the weak, the suffering, the dying, 
perhaps the self-deceived, the hardened, the ignorant 
and the impenitent, or to the awakened whose minutes 
for finding pardon are almost closed. Who is suffi 
cient for the solemn task of directing a soul that is 
tottering upon the brink of eternity, when a wrong 
word may be fatal or a right one may be the means 
of immediately opening the gates of endless glory ? In 
nothing is the pastor in more need of prayer for the 
direct help of the Holy Ghost. Never should he enter 
upon this duty without special supplication that he may 
have that help. 

There should be a distinct understanding in every 
congregation that the minister is to be informed by their 
friends when persons are sick. Ministers are often un 
justly censured about this matter. They cannot be ex 
pected to know of every case of sickness to know it 
because persons are out of their places in church or be 
cause their illness is generally known in the neighbor 
hood. Neither can ministers be expected immediately 
to see every case of slight indisposition of which they 
may accidentally hear in a large congregation. It should 



238 THE PASTOR 

be published from the pulpit with emphasis that it is 
the duty of friends to apprise the pastor of every case 
of illness to apprise him, not in a roundabout, inci 
dental way, through which he may happen to get the 
information, but directly and purposely, so that he may 
know without mistake that he is wanted. The pastor 
should insist again and again that this information be 
given him. He should announce that if it is not he is 
not to be blamed for neglecting the sick. He should 
have it distinctly understood that the responsibility will 
rest with the friends. For the sake of the sick, for the 
sake of Christ who may be glorified in them, he should 
plead with people to send for him in as direct a manner 
as they would for the physician. Nevertheless, it will 
not do for one to wait for such information. After 
all that can be said or done, people will be strangely 
neglectful about this matter. There should be con 
stant attention to ascertain where visits to the sick are 
needed. 

Patients ought, beyond question, to be seen by a spir 
itual adviser. If Christians, the minister should see 
them to strengthen them, comfort them and receive their 
testimony as to the excellency of Christ and his salva 
tion. If impenitent, every conceivable effort should be 
made to snatch them as brands from the burning. It 
would be cruel to neglect them. No apprehension of 
exciting, and so injuring them physically, should prevent 
the minister from seeing them. It has been clearly 
shown by Dr. Archibald Alexander and others, from 
actual instances, that the judicious ministrations of a 
pastor may help the patient in body may even help 
in restoring him to health. But even at the risk of the 
body the immortal interests of the soul should receive 
the first attention. Besides, the time of sickness is an 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 239 

admirable one for the minister to illustrate in himself 
the benevolence of the gospel by showing its sympathy 
with the suffering. And he may now attach to himself 
and his ministrations the families of the patients more 
firmly than he could in any other manner. Vinet has 
put this point very forcibly : " The success or zeal only 
of the pastor in this part of his ministry is one of the 
most appropriate means of his becoming popular. Every 
one is sensible of the merit of this work, even without 
appreciating sufficiently its entire object and results." 
This is the minister s splendid opportunity for imitating 
the example and manifesting the spirit of Christ. The 
providential opportunity of sickness in any of his fami 
lies must be diligently improved by every faithful pastor. 
He must see the sick and be faithful to them at any 
sacrifice. 

It will be seen that on this branch of ministerial duty, 
which is of such grave importance, and the discharge 
of which is likely to cause so much embarrassment to 
the youthful pastor, there should be much pains taken 
to present the teachings of experience. Help is needed 
here by the minister if anywhere. We would therefore 
throw out a number of suggestions which may be made 
of practical value, some of which can be applied at 
one time and some at others, and all of which should 
be pondered by the pastor and so modified, if need 
be, as to suit his own temperament and circumstances. 

1. Visits to the sick ought ordinarily to be brief. 
When persons are prostrated by weakness or suffering 
pain they cannot bear to be long taxed by the presence 
of any other than their ordinary attendants. A long- 
continued visit excites and often seriously injures them ; 
and when the pastor protracts his remarks so as to pro 
duce such nervous exhaustion, little that he says will be 



240 THE PASTOR 

closely attended to or remembered. Besides, when a 
patient is frequently visited and a long address is made 
each time, the appropriate subjects will soon be exhausted 
and have to be repeated again and again. Moreover, 
long visits to several patients will draw seriously upon 
the time of the minister, which needs to be economized. 
But when the visit is brief, the remarks made will be 
more pointed, and when the minister takes his leave he 
will be cordially invited and welcomed to come again. 
It is far better, then, in almost all instances, that the 
visits should be short but frequent. It would not be a 
bad rule to adopt that about fifteen minutes should be 
spent in each of them. This rule was recommended by 
the richly-experienced Dr. Samuel Miller. Of course 
there will be occasions when more time than this will 
be absolutely necessary, while often the visit will have 
to be very brief indeed. When patients are very ill 
it is better that the conversation with them should be 
exclusively about spiritual things. There will ordina 
rily be neither the time nor the inclination for anything 
else. 

2. The utmost tenderness should be used in praying 
and conversing with the suffering. This does not mean 
that a whining tone of sympathy is to be kept up in 
our intercourse with them. That would cast a chill 
over them, and the very presence of the minister would 
bring a gloom with it to the sick-bed. But we should 
not needlessly alarm them. They are, of course, very 
sensitive, and every word and hint and look is closely 
watched. A word may go like a dagger to their hearts, 
and result in dampening all their hopes and perhaps 
impairing the prospect of their recovery. It is cruel to 
be harsh or needlessly severe with those who are already 
suffering in body and depressed in mind. We should 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 241 

in reality sympathize with them, and when fidelity re 
quires that they should be warned of the near approach 
of death, it should be done with all the tender consider 
ation our hearts can contrive or our words utter. We 
should strive to put ourselves in their solemn place and 
deal with them accordingly. Great must be our tact 
and judgment and love to be at once cheerful and 
faithful with those who are growing weaker and 
weaker, even unto death. 

3. It is often best that patients should be seen alone. 
The minister can be more free in questioning and coun 
seling them when he is not trammeled by the conscious 
ness that others are listening and scrutinizing every 
word. The irrepressible sorrow of surrounding friends 
often excites patients and renders calm conversation 
with them impossible. Then, the sick will generally 
open their hearts more fully to the minister when 
others are not present. They will sometimes tell him 
what they woul d not utter if restrained by the presence 
of other listeners. Sometimes, as Dr. Archibald Alex 
ander wisely suggested, when their consciences are bur 
dened by the memory of special sins, it is necessary to 
see them alone. Where the visit is with elderly per 
sons, with persons who have been prominent in society, 
or with the impenitent, it is important that, at least oc 
casionally, no others should be present. Of course, it 
is not always possible that all attendants should be 
excluded, nor is it always desirable that they should. 
When it is important that patients should be seen alone, 
the minister should enter into that understanding with 
the family before going into the room. 

4. The pastor should strive to become clearly acquaint 
ed with the state of the patient s mind. As the physician 
makes his diagnosis, so should he ascertain the nature 

31 



242 THE PASTOR 

of the case with which he has to do. He should ask 
the sick as to their spiritual views and hopes ; he should 
draw out of them the exact state of their hearts toward 
God ; they should be encouraged to tell their hopes and 
fears, and their reasons for them ; they should be al 
lowed, without interruption, to detail, as they often will, 
their experiences and their views. The minister should, 
if possible, gain their confidence, so that they may open 
their hearts to him very freely. It will do them good 
thus to unburden their hearts to a Christian friend ; and 
sometimes a proper confession of sins awfully, though, 
the doctrine has been abused helps to soften the heart 
and lead the way toward conversion. The knowledge 
of the state of the patient s mind is of special value to 
the minister, because it will serve to direct him in his 
conversation and prayer. Then the remarks can be 
made in a pertinent manner, difficulties of the mind 
can be removed, false hopes can be exposed, ignorance 
can be instructed, the way to light and life can be 
pointed out, or unnecessary fears can be overcome; 
promises can be urged, comfort can be given and the 
soul made happy and peaceful even in death. 

5. The Scriptures should often be read or passages 
quoted in these visits. When it is considered that the 
word is divine, that it is appointed of God for the con 
version of sinners and edification of believers, and that 
it is the Spirit s own instrument for affecting the heart, 
then the importance of this counsel will be felt. There 
is a pertinency and power in the inspired teachings upon 
which we may well rely. Even when patients are very 
weak, we should read the word, quote it, repeat so as to 
impress it, emphasize and explain its rich instructions. 
Through many examples given by Dr. Archibald Alex 
ander and others, it has been proved that the simple 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 243 

teachings of God s book, presented to the minds of even 
skeptical and doubting patients, is often far better than 
any process of argument that can be entered into with 
them. To read or quote passages of Scripture will fre 
quently be a great relief to the pastor when the case is 
so serious and pressing that, of himself, he is utterly at 
a loss what to say. Indeed, this is often almost all that 
can be done, when the patient either cannot or will not 
speak, and when we are scarcely sure that any words 
are heard. It is well, therefore, for ministers to have a 
large store of passages suitable for the sick laid up in 
memory and ready for use. There should be deliberate 
and continued preparation for this, as it is a matter 
which we cannot afford to overlook. 

6. It is a good plan to preach little sermons sometimes 
when patients are in such condition that they can listen. 
This was a frequent practice with Rev. R. Murray 
McCheyne. The plan will be of much advantage 
when the same person has to be visited often, and 
when, therefore, it is found difficult to present the ap 
propriate truth with sufficient variety. It will suggest 
new points of interest and be a guide to the minister s 
own thoughts and language. Very often patients will 
scarcely utter a word or will answer only in monosyllables; 
then the pastor is thrown upon his own resources, and 
it is a great relief for him to take some appropriate text 
and dwell upon it and let it direct his words. The 
patient gives him no clew what to say, but in this way 
he may have a clew from divine wisdom; and very 
often the Scripture text will guide him to the exact 
point which the patient needs. Preaching is God s own 
method of imparting truth, and it may be relied on in 
this as in all other cases. It is well, of course, to think 
of some passage beforehand and have it ready. 



244 THE PASTOR 

7. Much should be made of prayer in pastoral visits 
to the sick. Whatever else is done or not done, we 
should always pray with them. We must rely upon 
prayer as the most effectual thing we can do for bring 
ing down the needed divine blessings upon the sufferers 
and for the aid of the Spirit in our intercourse with them. 
But besides that, prayer may have an important direct 
influence upon them ; through it valuable instruction 
may be conveyed, even when the patients are too low 
to converse; through it they may be more deeply im 
pressed than in any other way; and by it their own 
heartfelt desires may be carried up to the throne. Oh, 
how importunate and how tender ministers should be 
when they are wrestling with God for the souls of those 
who are probably very soon to be in eternity ! How 
they should get near to the Divine Presence and carry 
the patients with them, and commune with God as 
those who are deeply in earnest and who will take no 
denial ! 

Vinet s remarks on this subject are worthy of much 
thought : " Expect much from prayer ; I mean not only 
from its power with God, but from its immediate effect 
on the sick. We may say everything in prayer ; under 
the form of prayer we may make everything acceptable; 
with it we may make hearts the most firmly closed open 
themselves to us. There is a true charm in prayer, and 
this charm has its effect also upon us, whom it renders 
more confident, more gentle, more patient, and whom it 
puts into an affecting fellowship with the sick man, who 
ever he may be, by making God present to us both." 
In another place his language is : " Let us hope against 
hope ; let us wrestle with God to the last moment ; let 
the voice of our prayer, let the echo of the words of 
Christ, resound in the dying man s ear even in his 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 245 

dreams. We do not know what may be passing in that 
interior world into which our views do not penetrate, 
nor by what mystery eternity may hang on one minute 
and salvation on one sigh. We do not know what may 
avail, what one ejaculation of a soul toward God may 
embrace at the last bound of earthly existence. Then 
let us not cease ; let us pray aloud with the dying man ; 
let us pray for him with a low voice ; let us commit 
without ceasing the soul to its Creator; let us be a 
priest when we can no longer be a preacher. Let the 
office of intercession, the most efficacious of all, precede, 
accompany, follow all others." 

8. In entering upon visits to unconverted patients we 
should determine to save them if it be possible. The 
sufferer may be near to death, and so the time when 
anything can be done for him be almost over. It is 
the last opportunity. The poor soul is upon the brink 
of eternity; if it be not rescued immediately it will 
soon be in hell. The case is terribly urgent. We 
should plead with God for him wrestle, wrestle with 
all our might, for soon the opportunity will be gone. 
We should plead for him, not only in the presence of the 
patient, but also in secret; and we should get others to 
plead for him. We should intercede as priests at the 
altar yea, as standing between the living and the dead. 
And we should plead with the patient to be deeply in 
earnest to give all up and fling himself into the arms 
of the Saviour. Nothing should be left undone that 
gives any promise of saving the soul that otherwise is 
just about to perish for ever. Plans should be devised 
that might be likely to succeed, and the case should be 
carefully studied day and night yea, hour after hour. 
Everything else should yield to the work of striving 
to save that dying man or woman. If necessary, even 



246 THE PASTOR 

efforts almost hopeless should be made, since the case is 
growing desperate. Never, never should we give up 
until the last breath is drawn, for we know not but that 
God, even at the last, may snatch the soul as a brand 
from the burning. His mercies are infinite, and he can 
save unto the uttermost. 

9. In conversing and praying with the sick the pastor 
should aim to benefit others also who may providentially 
be present. Friends and acquaintances gathered around 
a sick-bed will usually be very attentive to what is said 
to the patient. It is a good opportunity for making an 
impression upon them when their hearts are opened and 
made tender by the circumstances. In the remarks he 
makes, and in his prayers, the minister ought not to 
forget these. The susceptible state of their feelings 
should be wisely improved. They will listen then and 
reflect, and take home truths which at any other time 
they would hardly suffer to rest for a moment upon their 
minds. Then the impressions which may be made by 
the scene before them and by the words and prayers they 
hear should be followed up afterward so as to be made 
abiding. The opportunity of drawing toward the Sa 
viour those of them who are impenitent is an exceed 
ingly valuable one, and the most should be made of 
it. The providence which prepares them to hear with 
eagerness the comforting sounds of salvation should be 
watched and improved to the utmost. 

10. It is a good plan to leave little books and tracts 
with invalids when they are able to read them. Pages 
which contain truths just applicable to them will often 
be perused in their long hours of languish men t, and the 
appropriate instruction found in them will be pondered 
over and over again. Then the silent message from the 
printed lines can be received without the excitement or 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 247 

perturbation which the visit of even the minister will 
often produce. Sometimes the little volume of gospel 
comfort will be most welcome as a help to cheer the 
weary hours. If the patient himself is not able to read, 
generally some Christian friend will be glad to read for 
him, and so convey the words of life to the hungry soul. 
It is well for ministers to find out what little books are 
suitable for invalids in various states of mind, and so be 
prepared to furnish them when they are needed. A 
supply should always be kept on hand, for they will 
be found more valuable than might appear at first 
thought. 

11. In cases where patients are suffering from linger 
ing diseases it is advisable for ministers to make their 
arrangements for visiting them periodically. This plan 
should be adopted when the ailment is consumption or 
paralysis or nervous prostration or feebleness from age, 
or any other complaint that is slow in its progress. It 
will save such patients from the liability to neglect if 
the rule is adopted of visiting them once a week, or once 
a fortnight, or once a month, according to the imminence 
of the disease. By it, moreover, the minister would have 
his mind relieved from a constant burden of anxiety 
lest he should not give them attention enough ; the pe 
riodical visit has been paid, and so far his responsibility 
is ended ; his mind may be free from care as to that duty. 
And still further, the common complaints of invalids 
and their friends that they are neglected by their pastor 
can be effectually met by pointing to the times when 
they have been actually seen. 

12. Little meetings of Christian friends should occa 
sionally be held with persons long confined to sick-beds, 
To those who are providentially deprived of the privi 
lege of going to the sanctuary of the Lord it is a great 



248 THE PASTOR 

comfort and benefit when the ordinances are carried to 
them in this way. It is very profitable for others also 
to attend the little social gatherings for prayer and 
praise and devout meditation, when all is made solemn 
by the presence of sickness and the probable approach 
of one of the number to eternity. The pastor then has 
no trouble in finding themes appropriate to the occasion. 
The songs of praise at such times are peculiarly sweet, 
for they call up dear associations of the past, stir the 
soul with deep tenderness to Christ, and awaken blessed 
thoughts of coming glory. It is very appropriate that 
the Lord s Supper should at times be celebrated at these 
social meetings with invalids. It will be a comfort to 
them, help to strengthen their faith, and give them an 
other opportunity of showing forth their love to their 
dear Saviour. It may also prove to them a precious 
pledge of the fast-approaching time when they shall 
feast with Jesus at the glorious banquet of his Father s 
kingdom. 



VISITING THOSE WHO ARE IN SORROW. 

It was said of the Great Shepherd that the Lord sent 
him " to comfort all that mourn," and " to appoint unto 
them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for 
ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise 
for the spirit of heaviness ;" and in performing that mis 
sion he left the eminent example which it is at once the 
duty and the honor of every one of his under-shepherds 
to follow. The house of mourning will ever be one of 
the chief places to which the faithful pastor will resort. 
In every congregation and at all times there are to be 
found many of the sons and daughters of affliction, and 
even the people of God are not exempt, for it is still 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 249 

true of them that " many are the afflictions of the right 
eous." Sorrows caused by the death of beloved relatives, 
painful anxieties about worldly prospects, perplexities 
and losses in business, griefs from the blasting of long- 
cherished hopes, woes planted in the heart by the mis 
conduct of the nearest kindred, these will be revealed to 
the pastor with sad frequency as he circulates through 
the families of his charge. To all these he should be 
prompt to listen and to yield the sympathy of a warm 
Christian heart. When he hears of afflictions of any 
kind coming upon households, he should not wait to be 
sent for, but should hasten to them with the rich con 
solations he gathers from the gospel. 

Seasons of sorrow in families are opportunities which 
ought to be carefully improved by ministers. The prov 
idence of God is then preparing the sufferers for the 
cordial reception of the blessings of the gospel. Their 
hearts are softened, the attractions of the world are di 
minished in power, their need of unearthly help is felt, 
and the importance of salvation as a great healing 
remedy for the soul is seen. Then the words of the 
pastor will be welcomed and listened to as conveying 
the most important information that can be received. 
As a matter of experience, most pastors can testify that 
very many persons are actually brought into the kingdom 
through afflictions. Such seasons are the minister s har 
vest-times when he should spare no pains. Griefs have 
prepared the soil under the direction of the heaven 
ly Husbandman; it is for us to cultivate it with a judg 
ment and an assiduity that must succeed in making it 
productive. 

It is of great importance that in our attempts to com 
fort those who are suffering from sore griefs we get into 
sympathy with them. We should not affect to make 

32 



250 THE PASTOR 

light of their sorrows, or rebuke the manifestation of 
them. We should not be cold in speaking of them, or 
deal with them in a mere official or perfunctory manner. 
We should bring home in imagination to ourselves the 
trials which they are passing through, and conceive 
what reflections would be most consoling to our own 
hearts in similar circumstances, and then bring the same 
consolations to bear upon them. We should bear with 
even their whims and fancies while they are so much 
pressed down by griefs. It was remarked by Dr. J. W. 
Alexander : " We must copy the physician, who often 
has to condescend to the nervous and whimsical. The 
gentleness of Paul and Paul s divine Lord should be 
always before us." The true method by which we may 
reach their hearts and help them is " to weep with them 
that weep," and that riot because we affect to sympathize 
with them, but because we really do feel for their sor 
rows. Then there are little acts of consideration, such 
as sending a note or lending a book or making a kind 
inquiry, which will show that they are thought of, and 
will be warmly appreciated, and help to heal the wounds 
of their hearts. 

The afflicted ought to be carefully attended to by the 
pastor, even if it has to be done at considerable sacrifice 
of time and toil. They should be visited from time to 
time until the days of their mourning shall be ended. 
To prevent such visits from being overlooked or 
neglected, it would be well to arrange for their being 
made periodically. Not only at the time when families 
are afflicted, but long afterward, their griefs should be 
remembered. We should take pains by our kind at 
tentions to show that we do not forget them. Even if 
we must work harder before or afterward, we should 
find time to see them often. Whatever else is neglected, 

o 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 251 

they must not be. And even if it is not a pleasant duty 
to be so much among the sorrowing, it is so Christ- like 
to be found there that we must not shrink from it. As 
pastors of the flock of God we cannot afford to neglect 

I O 

the opportunities which sorrows in the families of our 
congregation furnish of conferring benefits upon others, 
of manifesting the spirit of our holy religion, of imi 
tating the example of our Master, and of gathering souls 
into the kingdom. Such opportunities, in most cases, do 
not come frequently to the same family ; when they do 
come our hearts should be set upon their highest im 
provement. 



VISITING THE AGED. 

In these days of Sabbath-schools the attention of 
Christians is largely turned to the religious training, the 
improvement and the happiness of the young. This 
is well, for no amount of thought or expense or toil 
is too much to be bestowed upon that cause ; but the 
aged ought not to be neglected or overlooked ; their 
comfort amidst the decay of wordly pleasures and the 
increase of bodily infirmities, and their safety in the 
inevitably near approach to eternity, should be a sub 
ject of lively interest, especially with the pastor. There 
is danger of their being overlooked, as if there were lit 
tle attractive in their years of decay, as if riot much 
could be done to add to their comfort, or as if it were 
not worth while to spend efforts on those whose stay on 
earth must soon be ended. As a matter of fact it is to 
be greatly lamented that the aged are so much neglected 
by those who are passing through their more active 
years. On this account, as well as for the other rea 
sons, the pastor ought to give special attention to them. 



252 THE PASTOR 

They are a part of his charge which he is in danger 
of overlooking, but which at the same time should 
receive special care. In his unwearied attention to 
those whom others are so prone to slight he may rec 
ommend the spirit which should always distinguish 
the sacred office he holds. 

If a person who is in declining years is also without 
the consolations of religion, his condition is one which 
is calculated to excite the deepest sympathy. With 
him most of the attractions of this life are gone; his 
powers of enjoyment have all become enfeebled ; he has 
no hope in the future to cheer him ; perhaps he has 
become utterly callous as to all spiritual things ; eternity 
must be very near to him ; and, as he is, there is nothing 
before him but a speedy doom of sorrow. Everything 
conceivable should be done, by pastor and other Chris 
tian friends, to save that hoary sinner. But supposing 
the aged man to be a devoted Christian, he should still 
receive unremitting attention from his spiritual coun 
selor and friend. He needs to be strengthened while 
nature is wearing out all his powers ; he needs to be 
comforted by the consolations of religion when other 
comforters are leaving him ; the minister ought often 
to be with him to see and then to tell, with still more 
emphasis, how faith can make even one enfeebled by age 
strong strong in the Lord. 

It is manifest, then, that the pastor ought to give very 
special attention to those who are in old age. Though 
there may be no manifestation of it, yet they often do 
feel it very keenly when they are neglected. On the 
contrary, any interest manifested in them is peculiarly 
grateful. They have not many pleasures to tranquillize 
their declining years; this would be one, and surely the 
minister, at least, should yield it to them. It would be 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 253 

a good plan for him to visit them periodically ; with 
those who are very aged and feeble a call once in a 
month would be time well spent. 



MINISTERING TO AWAKENED SOULS. 

Those persons are in a deeply-interesting state of 
mind who have been brought by the Holy Ghost, 
applying the word and the providence of God, to see 
that they are in a lost and unhappy condition, that they 
need some way of deliverance, that they ought to be 
Christians, and that if they are not saved soon they 
must be wretched for ever. They have been awakened. 
They are under conviction of sin. The Spirit of God 
is striving with them. Undoubtedly there are always 
persons in this state of mind in congregations where 
the gospel is faithfully preached and fervent prayer 
offered. The promise of God that his word should not 
return unto him void makes this certain. And they 
need Christian counsel. Their case is critical, and they 
must be guided by the wisdom and piety and experi 
ence which the Christian minister is supposed to pos 
sess. To guide them to the Lamb of God is one of his 
most responsible duties. 

All those who have already found Christ, and are 
themselves in the Church, should be made to feel that 
they are responsible for promptly informing the pastor 
of every case of spiritual awakening. There are undoubt 
edly such cases in the congregation at all times. It 
should be taken for granted that there are, for why 
should there not be when the word and the ordinances 
and the Spirit are all enjoyed? But the pastor can 
not be expected to know of himself who are awakened. 
He should be always watching for them, yet he cannot 



254 THE PASTOR 

possibly know all. Others will know of them relatives, 
friends, neighbors, Sabbath-school teachers and they 
should at once communicate the tidings to the pastor. 
More welcome messages there could not be delivered 
to him. The intelligence should be imparted promptly, 
for the impressions of the awakened one, if not carefully 
heeded, may soon pass away. 

Then the pastor should see them as speedily as may be, 
and if possible at their homes. Any opportunity should 
be embraced to help them forward in the way over 
which the Holy Ghost is urging them, but to see them 
in the uninterrupted retirement of their homes is best. 
There they can be seen with more promptness and less 
formality than elsewhere, and there they can generally 
be seen alone, which is almost necessary with those who 
are as yet so backward about revealing the secret work 
ings of their souls. 

Great now is the responsibility, and very often diffi 
cult is the task which lies before the minister. He is 
the chief human agent for directing that inquiring soul ; 
and how much he needs special, earnest prayer for the 
guidance of the Holy Ghost ! 

He should begin by ascertaining as fully as he can 
the exact state of the inquirer s mind, the process by 
which he was awakened, his convictions of sin, his 
doubts and fears, his views of God and Christ, the 
nature of the efforts -he is making, and whatever else 
may be necessary to guide the counsels to be given. 
The natural hesitation of the awakened to open their 
hearts should be overcome by showing them that these 
interests are common to us all, that there are no good 
reasons for concealing their feelings, and by warning 
them that their immortal welfare is at stake and that 
everything should be done to make it sure. The re- 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 20o 

marks of the pastor should of course be shaped accord- 
ing to the discovered state of the inquirer s mind. The 
minister who is well furnished for his work will be pre 
pared by previous study and observation for every case 
that can ordinarily come before him, for in most cases 
their doubts and wants and hinderances and objections 
have been experienced in innumerable other instances. 
The best plan is to open the Bible and take the awa 
kened soul to the fountain-head of truth, and show him 
God s own words exactly adapted to meet his case. The 
mind should be stored with suitable passages which can 
be promptly quoted at such times. Sometimes, when 
there is great reticence, though evidently some feeling, 
it is well to preach a short informal sermon appropriate 
to the occasion. It will almost certainly touch the case 
at some point. Various plans should be tried, that, if 
it be possible, the inquirer may be brought to the cross 
before the impressions pass away. 

Then, the case should not be given up as hopeless 
even though interview after interview may seem to have 
produced no effect. It is impossible for us to tell what 
may be going on in the hearts of others, so widely do 
men differ in their natures, and hence in their manifesta 
tions of the working of the Spirit. We should bear with 
an ignorance so great that we can scarcely understand 
it. We should have patience with the obdurate, for 
how much patience has our Lord exercised toward us ! 
Sometimes persons, to soothe the voice of conscience, 
will feign an indifference or a hopelessness which they 
do not really feel. But our great incitement is to reflect 
that the Spirit of God is surely striving with them, and 
that his power is infinite to break the hardest and melt 
the coldest heart. We should remember, too, the prize 
of infinite value which is at stake, even the soul that 



256 THE PASTOR 

must soon be a saint in glory or a victim of demons in 
despair the soul for which the Son of God bled and 
died. It may take a long time before the inquirer is 
brought to the peace of Christ ; sometimes the process 
is very slow and discouraging. But the heart is reached 
at last, and it is often the case that those who struggle 
long and almost hopelessly are the most decided when at 
last they are brought into the clear light of the Sun of 
Righteousness. 



ADMINISTERING THE SACRAMENTS. 

One of the most characteristic and impressive ele 
ments of the sacred work to which the pastor is called 
is that of administering the sacraments. As well as 
from other considerations, it has a dignity connected 
with it from the fact, acknowledged on all hands, that 
it is the exclusive prerogative of the minister. He it 
is who has been divinely appointed to break the bread 
and pour the wine, as well as baptize in the name of the 
Father, Son and Holy Ghost, The importance of the 
sacraments to the pastor may also be seen in the fact 
that they set forth in sensible emblems the same great 
truths that he preaches from the sacred desk, so con 
firming them and making them more emphatic. Be 
sides, the solemnization of these ordinances furnishes 
ministers with both occasions and themes for their most 
impressive discourses. And so it comes to pass that in 
no place is the ambassador of Christ so much honored 
as when he stands serving at the Lord s table or when 
he applies the baptismal water. In fact, it would not 
be extravagant to say that the observance of the sac 
raments and the ministerial office must stand or fall 
together. 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 257 

Pastors should make much of the sacraments ; they 
should exalt them to a very great eminence in their 
own estimation. In public addresses and private con 
versation they should be frequently alluded to, and their 
value should be impressed deeply. The times of their 
celebration should be looked forward to and anticipated 
with gladness, and benefits expected from them. Their 
solemnization should be engaged in as a great event in 
which heart and hopes should be elevated, the Divine 
Presence felt and a foretaste enjoyed of the heavenly 
banquet. The sacraments, in fact, may be made so much 
of as to prove a very great help to the pastor in his work 
of edifying the people of God. They may be made to 
tell most beneficially upon the Christian life of the 
Church. Then, above all, through them great honor 
may be made to redound to God in Christ, who is their 
Author, their Object and their Life. 

Especially should the Lord s Supper be turned to the 
most profitable account. In addition to the other man 
ifest advantages which may flow from it, it ought to be 
made a standpoint in the progress of the church and 
of each of its members, from which there would be an 
honest survey of the past and an earnest planning 
for the future. It should be the fixed epoch in the 
church s life, around which its hopes and projects and 
activities may cluster. 

An excellent plan of a wise and successful pastor, the 
Rev. Dr. G. W. Musgrave, was to make all his preach 
ing of the intervening months have a bearing upon the 
approaching communion season. He laid out the sub 
jects of his discourses with the definite object of having 
them culminate in the great ordinance that would set 
forth Christ, and him crucified. This was making much 
of that sacrament ; it was keeping a distinct point in 

33 



258 THE PASTOR 

view in all the preaching, and it was making everything 
cluster around the infinitely important, central fact of 
redemption. 

It is advisable occasionally, say once in each year, to 
prepare the way for the observance of the Lord s Sup 
per by special services during all the days or evenings 
of the preceding week. This is calculated to awaken 
deeper attention to the things of Christ, the impres 
sion of which is liable to become dim ; it exalts the 
estimation of the ordinance, making it more prized ; it 
brings persons who have been long halting to a deter 
mination that they will espouse the cause of Christ; 
and it is likely to revivify and strengthen the life of the 
Church. 

Sometimes, especially in a large congregation, it is 
better to omit the sermon before the communion service. 
The advantages of so doing are that there can be more 
deliberation, and consequent comfort and profit, in the 
administration of the ordinance. There needs, then, be 
no hurry on the one hand or weariness on the other. It 
is believed that these advantages will more than make up 
for the omission of the "action" sermon. Experience 
has in fact proved that this plan is better, more edify 
ing and gives more satisfaction to the body of commu 
nicants. 

When members of the church are, for a length of time, 
deprived of the privilege of attending upon the public 
ordinances through the infirmities of age or sickness, it is 
well to celebrate the Lord s Supper with them occasion 
ally at their homes. The pastor, with an elder or elders 
and a few other Christian friends, can join in the service 
and form a little congregation with which the Master 
will undoubtedly meet. Such seasons are very precious. 
They are a great comfort to those for whose benefit they 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 259 

are especially held, feeble perhaps in body, but strong 
in faith. All others who are present must feel the 
sweet and solemn influence. And the dear Lord who 
first met at the table with the twelve rejoices in the 
confidential tokens of a love which will soon be made 
perfect in glory. 

Children should be baptized at the time of public 
worship on the Lord s day. An arrangement for the 
observance of this sacrament which has long been car 
ried out, and proved to be profitable and acceptable, is 
this : One Sabbath morning of the quarter, the first 
Sabbath of the month previous to the communion, is set 
apart for preaching to the young and baptizing the 
children. On the Sabbath previous notice is given, and 
parents and others are urged to bring all the children 
and youth with them. No part of the church is ap 
propriated specially to the young, for they are expected 
to mingle with the ordinary congregation. After sing 
ing and reading the Scriptures, parents present their 
children for baptism ; then after singing again, a short 
sermon is preached to the children, and the whole ser 
vices of the morning adapted to their capacity and 
wants. This plan has several obvious advantages. It 
is liked by both parents and children, and having been 
continued for years, has been proved to be practicable. 

It is very important that pastors should keep a cor 
rect list of the communicants of the church and of all 
the children, as well as adults, baptized. The names 
should be put down on the day when they are received, 
so that they may not be forgotten. It is only after one 
has been long in the ministry, and finds by experience 
how much is involved in being able to find the names 
and the dates, that the importance of this thing is 
realized. 



260 THE PASTOR 



ATTENDING FUNERALS. 

One of the most trying duties to which the pastor is 
habitually called is that of officiating at funerals. 
Very generally he is not consulted as to the time when 
the services are to be held, and must go whether it be 
convenient or inconvenient, whether he has other engage 
ments at the same hour or not. Much of his time has 
often to be wasted in waiting for the arrival of friends 
of the deceased and on the way to and from the place 
of interment. His addresses must necessarily be in the 
same general train of thought, and that no matter how 
often he has to officiate, and so he has to be watchful 
that his services do not degenerate into mere ceremony. 
Then the sights and sounds of sorrow which he is 
under the necessity of witnessing are frequently of the 
most painful character and harrow up all his feelings. 
And still worse, he is sometimes under the necessity 
of making addresses and striving to offer consolation 
while he is conscious that there is not one ray of hope 
in the death that is being lamented. These are the 
trying aspects of the service ; but there is also another 
view which may be taken of it, and which may reconcile 
us to its trials. It must be a blessed thing for a benev 
olent heart even to try to assuage the bitterness of sor 
row. Then the funeral service affords the minister an 
opportunity of manifesting the benevolent spirit of the 
gospel. He may follow the example of Christ, who 
was so often found alleviating the sorrows of mourners. 
This may be the means of drawing the afflicted to the 
Saviour, and may so attach the friends of the deceased 
to the minister that he will obtain a permanent influ 
ence over them for good. Sometimes the funeral ser 
vice gives the preacher an excellent opportunity of tell- 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 261 

ing how blessed a thing it is for the Christian to fall 
asleep in Jesus. 

A few suggestions in reference to the addresses to be 
made on these occasions may be of use to those who have 
not had much experience: 

1. It is a great mistake to make such ^addresses too long. 
The persons assembled are ordinarily placed in such an 
uncomfortable manner, many of them standing, some in 
windows or passages or stairways and some in other 
rooms, that they cannot listen with profit for many min 
utes. It is impossible, under such circumstances, to re 
tain their attention for any length of time. Then, if a 
funeral address is long continued, much of it must almost 
necessarily be taken up with matter that is irrelevant. 
Moreover, protracted addresses at each of the many 
funerals which the pastor must sometimes attend become 
a serious draft upon his strength and energies. On 
every account, then, in speaking on such occasions, it is 
better to be brief and pertinent. Then the people will 
listen with closer attention, they will be better satisfied 
and more highly benefited, and the speaker will not 
expose himself to that exhaustion that would partially 
disqualify him for subsequent duties. We need hardly 
ever be afraid of too much brevity in this service. 
Brevity is always the safer extreme for one to fall 
into. 

2. In speaking of the deceased at funerals we should 
beware of too much eulogium. The temptation of going 
to excess in praise of the dead is very great, from a de 
sire to comfort and please the relatives, and perhaps from 
the temporary ardor of our feelings. But it should be 
remembered that in many cases these high panegyrics 
are not strictly true. Besides, if the deceased, who gave 
no special evidence of piety, is certainly saved, may not 



262 THE PASTOR 

others also reach that blessing without the strenuous 
efforts which are so constantly insisted on ? Moreover, 
if a minister is in the habit of eulogizing so much in 
ordinary cases, he will give offence if he does not 
do it in those cases where it would be utterly inad 
missible. The fact is, that sometimes at funerals there 
are praises heard which are shameful and positively 
injurious when the character of the life and death of 
the deceased are considered. It is far better, ordinarily, 
to say but very little about the deceased to get into the 
habit and obtain a reputation for such caution. Then 
eulogium will not be expected when it could not be ut 
tered with strict veracity. There are, of course, excep 
tions. Some Christians are so eminent in their piety 
and so blessed in their death that they ought to be held 
up as a demonstration of the power of Christ and his 
gospel. 

3. The circumstances of the occasion should, if possi 
ble, give direction to the remarks which are made at a 
funeral. In most instances of death something pecu 
liar may be found arid improved to the benefit of friends 
and neighbors when their hearts are full of sympathy. 
This would furnish a theme; it would give variety, which 
the speaker anxiously seeks after in a service in which 
he must engage so often ; and it would make sure of the 
remarks being pertinent, and hence more interesting. 
This plan will often prove of great assistance in funeral 
addresses. When nothing of this kind suggests itself, 
it is well to have an appropriate text of Scripture in the 
mind. Even if it is not announced, it will serve to 
guide the speaker s thoughts, and lead him to points that 
will be varied, appropriate and weighty as coming from 
the word of God. 

4. The gospel of Christ and his salvation should be 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 263 

preached at every funeral. No matter in what direc 
tion the drift of the remarks may run, this should find 
a prominent place in it somewhere. The fact that 
funeral services always furnish a fine opportunity of 
presenting this all-important theme should reconcile us 
to them, no matter how many other trying things there 
are about them. On almost all such occasions there are 
some persons present to hear the gospel who never listen 
to it at other times. They furnish an excellent op 
portunity for telling of the death of Christ, which 
takes away the sting of death and the gloom of the 
grave from any penitent soul that would trust in him. 
The solemn circumstances of death are calculated to 
soften the hearts of all and open them for the reception 
of the blessed tidings of peace. Notwithstanding a too 
freely-expressed opinion to the contrary, persons are 
undoubtedly sometimes impressed at funerals so im 
pressed that their convictions continue afterward and 
impel them to seek and find the saving grace of Christ. 
If at funerals we strive for the salvation of souls, and 
pray for it and expect it, we shall certainly witness it 
far more frequently than we now do. It is an evil to 
think that the truth must there be preached in vain. 
Why should it be? 



CIRCULATING BOOKS AND TRACTS. 

In the work of the ministry, which is so momentous 
and in which so many interests are involved, every 
proper agency which promises to render efficient help 
should be used. And next to the inspired Book and 
the preaching of the living ministry we may place those 
uninspired pages which the love of thousands of pious 
hearts has furnished for spreading and impressing the 



264 THE PASTOR 

truth as it is in Christ Jesus. This is an instrument 
with which the pastor may lawfully work; yea, with 
which he must work, if he would reach the highest suc 
cess an instrument the importance of which is by very 
few appreciated as highly as it deserves. 

Books and tracts are an agency for good now 
looming up more and more conspicuously before the 
Christian world. In former times they were not such 
a power for blessing the souls of men as they are be 
coming at the present ; they were not so cheap ; they 
were not so abundant^, there was not such an affluence 
of appropriate gospel truth stored in their pages; 
there was not such universal ability to read them. So 
cheap are books at the present time that the best of 
them can be obtained by almost any who wish. Chris 
tians are coming to realize more and more fully the 
value of religious volumes. They see the good they 
are accomplishing as guides to inquirers, to the weak in 
faith and to all who would grow in grace. Very few 
persons of much observation but know of instances in 
which the awakened have at least been helped through 
this instrumentality toward the salvation of Christ. 
There are certain states of mind in reference to spiritual 
things for which books are peculiarly adapted. Indeed, 
it may be safely said that books can be found suited to 
every conceivable phase of spiritual want, whether of 
those who are seeking the peace of God or of those 
who should be awakened to enter upon that search. 
The best thoughts of the greatest and best of men are 
stored up in them ready for the use of every reader. 
God, before whom all possible instrumentalities lay open, 
chose to communicate his will to the world through a 
book, and this should lead us to look upon books as 
something peculiar even in the gifts of God. 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 265 

Pastors should awake to the value of this powerful 
auxiliary. Here are preachers that they can send to 
many a soul whom they may not be able to reach by 
the voice. Here are expositions of truth as perfect as 
were ever conceived by human thought ready to assist 
in convincing hearts which they long to see given to 
Jesus. How best to use the printed page is a practical 
point which is worthy of far more consideration than it 
receives. What books and tracts should be distributed, 
to whom they should be given, when they should be 
used, what plans might be adopted for their methodical 
circulation, are all questions worthy of being carefully 
investigated. 

Books may be found which are calculated to alarm the 
careless, and set them to asking with deep feeling what 
they must do to be saved ; books which give the plainest 
and most satisfactory directions to the awakened as they 
strive to find the way of life through the peace-speaking 
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ ; books which convey to 
the bleeding hearts of the afflicted the sweetest possi 
ble consolations, even consolations that are the work of 
the Holy Spirit and cannot mislead ; books on prac 
tical piety, the perusal of which must elevate the soul 
and make it better and happier; books the object of 
which is to explain and vindicate the important doc 
trines of religion for which the believer is earnestly to 
contend ; books on the great duties of life duties which 
we owe to God and man and our own souls, and the 
faithful performance of which can be reached only by 
those who have been renewed by divine grace ; and 
books on the histories, biographies and all other import 
ant subjects found in the Bible. Is the pastor dis 
charging his whole duty or enjoying his full privileges 
who does not make himself well acquainted with these 

34 



266 THE PASTOR 

books, and strive to have his people built up in Chris 
tian character through the inexhaustible riches which 
they contain ? Educated to know of the existence of 
such works and trained to appreciate their value, he 
must throw away a grand opportunity for doing good if 
he does not contrive to have his people know of these 
treasures of sanctified learning, and to study them and 
prize them, and grow in grace by their use. 

Pastors, first reading and learning to value such re 
ligious volumes, should recommend them from the pul 
pit, and that by name. Some of their hearers will 
thereby be induced to read them. They should speak 
of them and urge their perusal as they go from house 
to house. They should keep a stock of them on hand, 
from which they can sometimes lend to those who may 
wish to read. They should also give some of them away 
in cases where it might seem advisable. In most con 
gregations there are some wealthy persons who would be 
willing to furnish the means for so doing. Every com 
munity ought also to be visited by a colporteur or some 
other person, by whom every family might be supplied 
with volumes, large or small, that contain the words of 
life and truth. 



CIRCULATING RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS. 

In a previous chapter we sought to show that it 
is for the interest of pastors to keep themselves well 
informed, through religious journals, of the progress of 
Christ s kingdom ; we would now strongly urge upon 
them that they should also use their influence to intro 
duce such journals into the families of their congrega 
tions. As almost all great enterprises of the day have 
their newspaper to support them, so every denomination 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 267 

of Christians and every important Christian undertaking 
has its journal. There are papers adapted to every class 
of minds and every drift of religious thought. This 
subject the minister should look into, and endeavor to 
have his people benefited by the rich stores of instruc 
tion which are flowing out from the religious press. 

He may draw much important aid in his work from 
this source. The periodical religious press, when habit 
ually perused, will undoubtedly make the people more 
intelligent, and consequently more interested in the 
kingdom of Christ ; it will supplement the teachings 
of the pastor, which must necessarily be limited in 
extent; it will enforce, by adding additional authority, 
the truths which are uttered from the pulpit. Its assist 
ance will make the work of the pastor easier. It will 
give the people fuller information than the pulpit pos 
sibly can about the great enterprises of benevolence 
which the Church is carrying on, and so will interest 
them in those enterprises and make them more liberal 
in their support. If religious journals did no more 
than take the place of, and so crowd out, the pernicious 
literature that is issuing from so many other presses, it 
would be an unspeakable blessing to the Church and 
the world. That pastor is neglecting a splendid aux 
iliary to his work who is not using every effort to induce 
his people to take and read papers which are devoted to 
the spread of the righteousness of Christ in the salva 
tion of souls and purifying the lives of believers. 

We need to give continued thought to the subject in 
order to appreciate the value of a good religious news 
paper coming regularly into a family and being read by 
its various members. Weekly it preaches its timely 
sermons to the household. Some of the most able and 
pious ministers and other writers that are to be found 



268 THE PASTOR 

in the land are those who may be heard through its 
pages. And they send forth in this way the very hest 
of their thoughts. The religious newspaper keeps the 
people informed of what is going on in the Church and 
the whole kingdom of Christ. It says many things 
plainly to them which the pastor, from delicacy or other 
causes, could not say. Many of the people will scarcely 
read anything else than newspapers ; how deeply im 
portant it is that those papers be of the right kind ! 
That family which habitually reads a good religious 
journal will undoubtedly have a higher and more intel 
ligent tone of piety than that which neglects this method 
for growth in knowledge. They will have wider views 
and more generous impulses toward the truth, whether 
it is to be supported at home or extended abroad. 

On every account, then, it would be well for the min 
ister to strive to have a religious newspaper introduced 
into each family of his church. He should make this 
recommendation, and urge it strongly from the pulpit. 
He should enter into the matter more particularly as 
he goes about from house to house. It will not re 
quire a great outlay to secure one of the very best of 
these journals, which would come into the house weekly 
freighted with intellectual treasure that would entertain, 
instruct and purify. No pastor ought to neglect the aid 
which he might receive from this source. In former 
times it was a help unknown, for religious journalism 
is of modern date, and hence it is not alluded to in 
older works on Pastoral Theology. But now ministers 
cannot be too strongly urged to use this help ; they 
cannot be too determined in the purpose to have the 
best religious papers circulated in their families. 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 269 



THE PASTOR SHOULD IDENTIFY HIMSELF WITH HIS 

PEOPLE. 

He should not assume a position of superiority, as if 
he were above them, and thereby excite their enmity. 
He should not stand aloof from them, as if he had no 
common interests with them. He should not patronize, 
as if it were a condescension for him to have to do even 
with their spiritual affairs. On the contrary, he should 
feel, arid lead the people to feel, that he is one with them 
in heart, in sympathy and in those grand interests of 
the soul which bind men together the closest of all. 
Whenever the minister, by actually feeling it himself, 
can succeed in making the people feel that he is thus 
really identified with them, he has gained a power by 
which he can accomplish almost anything in that con 
gregation. 

There are ministers who are constantly depreciating 
their people and speaking of them in the most deroga 
tory terms telling of their meanness, their stupidity, 
their ignorance, their frivolity and other faults. A prac 
tice more unwise and more unlike the good Shepherd, 
who loves his flock, it is hard to imagine. It is sure to 
keep the minister himself cold and mistrustful of those 
whom he can influence only by love. Then he may 
rest assured that his constant unkind remarks about 
them will in the end reach their ears in some round 
about way, and awaken their lasting enmity. The habit 
will certainly injure, if not utterly ruin, the work of him 
who indulges in it. It is far better, in every aspect of 
the matter, to say whatever good can be said about one s 
people, and in order thereto to think as well as possible 
of them to cherish real affection for them. How much 
better, at any rate, to cultivate the spirit of the good old 



270 THE PASTOR 

Thomas Adam when he wrote, " I find it very difficult, 
if not impossible, through my selfishness, to sink myself 
into the common mass of mankind so as to take my full 
share of their guilt to sympathize, to pity, to have a 
fellow-feeling of their wants, joys and sorrows, and be 
truly concerned for the temporal and spiritual welfare 
of all." 

Our true policy, as well as imperative duty, is to 
identify ourselves with our people. We should grow 
to consider and they will soon see that we do that 
we are one with them in church fellowship and one in 
our social interests. We should endeavor to get into 
sympathy with their modes of thought and feeling 
to be sufficiently acquainted with their callings as 
farmers, mechanics, merchants, fishermen, or whatever 
else is their general avocation, to appreciate their in 
terest in these things and enter into conversation about 
them. We should enter into their joys and sorrows, 
their funerals and their weddings, with a real partici 
pation of their feelings. We should so identify our 
selves with them that their interests and trials would 
be ours ; and they should see that our interest in them 
is not perfunctory or assumed, but real. Our hearts 
should be with them, our interests should be with them, 
and then our efforts for their everlasting interests must 
necessarily be successful. 

It is a great point for a pastor to gain the full confidence 
of those to whom he ministers in the gospel ; and the 
sure way to gain and to retain that confidence is to be 
worthy of it. That minister is surely building up for 
himself a character which men will trust when he 
faithfully discharges the duties which devolve upon 
him, when his life in all its relations is one of general 
integrity, when he studies constant acts of kindness to 



IN HIS PERSONAL PAROCHIAL WORK. 271 

his people, and when he is true to them as well in their 
absence as in their presence. There are ministers who 
have in this way acquired the full confidence of their 
people. Whatever they do is regarded as right of 
course. The confidence reposed in them gives them 
influence and power, so that whatever they do for the 
souls of their hearers or the glory of Christ tells with 
fourfold efficacy. 

Then it should be remembered that away back of this 
identifying ourselves with the people of our charge, back 
of the kind words we should speak of them at all times, 
back of the benefits we should strive constantly to con 
fer upon them, there must lie in our hearts a real Chris 
tian affection for them. It must be genuine not merely 
assumed or professed. The first thing, then, is for the 
minister to determine and earnestly strive to love his 
people. The attainment is possible. Why should not 
all reach it as did Paul when he said, " For I have said 
before that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you "? 
Cannot the godly minister become truly attached to the 
devoted believer who manifests the image of his Lord, 
to the aged Christian ripening for glory, to the friend 
of the church who has stood by it in all its trials, to the 
youth who is giving promise of all that is lovely and 
hopeful, and to those who sustain him by taking up with 
him the burden of every good work ? Can he not deeply 
pity those whom he sees discarding every heavenly mo 
tive and forcing their way to endless ruin ? Can he not 
yearn for the salvation of their souls with a yearning 
that never abates ? Can he help loving with a true af 
fection and rejoicing over both young and old, as he 
sees them coming with all their hearts to the embrace of 
Jesus as their Saviour and Lord ? This is the true affection 
which the pastor should cherish toward his people. This 



272 THE PASTOR IN HIS PAROCHIAL WORK. 

will make his work among them a labor of love, and 
crown it with abundant and joyous success. 

When this deep affection is in the breast of the pastor 
it cannot be hid. The people will soon see it. Baxter 
briefly expresses the matter : " The whole of our min 
istry must be carried on in a tender love to our people. 
We must let them see that nothing pleases us but what 
profits them that what does them good does us good, 
and that nothing troubles us more than their hurt. 
" Bishops/ as Jerome says, " are not lords, but fathers, 
and therefore must be affected toward their people as 
their children ; yea, the tenderest love of the mother 
should not surpass theirs. We must even travail in 
birth for them till Christ be formed in them. We 
should convince them that we care for no outward 
thing, not money or liberty or credit or life itself, in 
comparison with their salvation. When your people see 
that you unfeignedly love them they will hear anything 
and bear anything. We ourselves should put up with 
a blow given us in love sooner than a hard word given 
us in anger and malice. Most men judge of advice as 
they judge of the affection of him who gives it. Oh there 
fore see to it that you feel a tender love to your people 
in your breast, and let them feel it in your speeches and 
see it in your conduct. Let them see that you spend 
and are spent for their sakes that all you do is not for 
any ends of your own, but for them." 



CHAPTER VI. 
THE PASTOR IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 

THERE is a duty of vast importance lying before the 
pastor as the leader in the Church s imperative task of 
spreading the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, gathering 
in souls out of the world and building up the divine 
kingdom by every energy which she may possess. And 
it may as well be emphasized at the beginning, that the 
pastor s position in reference to that work is to devise 
and direct, and not himself to take up the great burden 
of its drudgery. He ought not by any means to un 
dertake too much. It is an evil with many ministers 
that they would rather themselves assume the burdens 
of work than undergo the anxiety of planning how 
others may be gotten to bear them. By so doing the 
pastor positively injures the people of his charge. He 
prevents them from becoming trained to the work for 
which all are brought into the kingdom. He takes the 
course which is calculated to dwarf their powers and en 
ergies. The evil of this thing was well presented by Dr. 
Nicholas Murray : " In vain are members added to our 
churches unless they are living branches of the living- 
Vine. In vain are churches multiplied unless they are 
churches alive unto God. Every addition to the Church 
should be an addition to the host of God s elect who 
are seeking the regeneration of the world. And every 
Christian should be so instructed. Ministers are the 
primary, but not the exclusive, workmen. They are 

35 273 



274 THE PASTOR IN THE 

the directors, but not the sole agents ; and to seek to do 
all, to the exclusion of the active agency of the members 
of the Church, is a real injury to both." 

Then the pastor alone cannot possibly do all the work 
which is needed in an active church. But little can 
he accomplish himself compared with what might be 
done if he gave the body of the members an opportu 
nity, and simply led them onward. The picture of Dr. 
Murray on this point is also worthy of being repro 
duced : " The Rev. Mr. A was a fervent, laborious 

and truly excellent man. His sympathies were large 
and his efforts to do good untiring. He was ever abroad 
among his people, and was a daily visitor to the habita 
tions of suffering and sorrow, doing a work which many 
of the females of his congregation might do as well. As 
a consequence, he failed in the pulpit as a preacher ; he 
became an exhorter and not a teacher. He failed in 
health, and his sun went down at noon. He did but 
little, because he undertook too much. The Rev. Dr. 

B is an able and excellent man. He is on principle 

opposed to the employment of his members as helps, 
because, as he thinks, it renders them forward and con 
ceited ; and he does very little out of the pulpit himself. 
As a consequence, he is formal and stately, his people 
are cold and unattractive and uncemented, and his con 
gregation rapidly on the decline. For his people to 
meet for mutual exhortation and prayer would be on a 
par with the sin of those of old who offered strange fire 

before the Lord. The Rev. Dr. C is of a different 

mind. He is a close student. He knows that he cannot 
do everything, and he seeks to do some things well. He 
preaches nobly. His Sunday-schools are flourishing. 
He sets many wheels in motion, but employs hands to 
guide them. He is the centre of a hundred hands and 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 27o 

minds moving around him. The entire machinery of 
his congregation is of his contrivance, but he only re 
tains the oversight of it. Feeling that active devoted- 
ness is the best stimulant to personal religion, that it 
calls graces into action that otherwise would remain dor 
mant, he seeks to employ all the talent of his people in 
efforts to do good to others. He seeks work for all and 
fervently exhorts them to its performance. He circum 
scribes his own work and does it like a man. He uses 
the power of his people to its full extent, and his con 
gregation is as a garden which the Lord has blessed. 
They all work, and keep always at work ; and his 
and their influence is felt at the ends of the earth." 
Much of the wisdom and discretion of ministers is made 
apparent by the manner in which they use the agency 
of their people to assist them in the discharge of their 
manifold duties. 

It will inevitably consume too much of the time ami 
too much of the energy of the pastor if he takes upon 
himself the great burden of the Church s work. It will 
necessarily interfere with his preparations for the pulpit 
and all his other studies, impair his highest usefulness, 
and in the end damage his energies and bodily health. 
The experience of Dr. Chalmers is well worthy of being 
kept in mind by every hard-working pastor. " I knoAV 
not," he says, "a more effectual method of making one s 
existence painful, harassing and uncomfortable than by 
associating an excess of pastoral with an excess of men 
tal labor than by combining in one person a jaded body 
with an exhausted spirit. One species of fatigue may 
be endured, but both together are insufferable; and 
when both kinds of service are attempted in too high 
a degree, the quality of both will be most essentially 
deteriorated." 



276 THE PASTOR IN THE 

We have placed this matter conspicuously at the be 
ginning, so that the duties of the pastor, upon which we 
would now dwell, may be fairly understood ; they are 
the duties of organizing and leading in the activity of 
the Church. In the previous chapter we described his 
own special work ; we now speak of those activities of 
which he is simply to be the director. 



ACTIVITY IN THE CHURCH INDISPENSABLE. 

From the nature and design and obligations of the 
Church, it is absolutely necessary that there should be 
activity in the cause of Christ. The ordinance of the 
Master is imperative and lies at the foundation : " For 
the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who 
left his house and gave authority to his servants, and 
to every man his work, and commanded the porter to 
watch." The inspired example of the apostles teaches 
the same thing. As soon as they were endued with the 
Holy Ghost they went to work with all their might 
for the upbuilding of the kingdom, and in so doing set 
an example for all believers who should follow them. 
The plan which God has seen fit to adopt of spreading 
the gospel through human agency, makes this neces 
sary. The experience of Christianity in its best days 
is that it has flourished most and been the purest when 
its energies were put forth the most strenuously for the 
glory of God. The personal growth in piety of each 
believer demands that his graces should be strengthened 
by diligent use. This doctrine of Scripture and experi 
ence should be taught distinctly and most emphatically 
by every paster. He should repeat it until the people 
shall be fully aroused to its solemn obligation. 

The activity of the age in which we live renders it 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 277 

necessary for the Church in all its members to be full of 
sanctified energy, in order that it may make any prog 
ress, or even hold its own. In the magnitude of its 
commerce, the achievements of its manufactures, the 
splendor of its improvements, the wonders of its discov 
eries, the sublimity of its science, in every department 
of human thought and action, the world is becoming 
more and more stirred with unwearied effort. There 
never was such an age of practical energy. And the 
lesson of the times is that the same spirit, only sanctified, 
must be carried into Christ s kingdom. Shall the chil 
dren of this world in their generation still be wiser than 
the children of light ? Shall we, who have the interests 
of truth and righteousness in our hands, not be up to 
the spirit of the age ? Shall we not give good heed to 
the stirring appeal of the Holy Ghost which is so ap 
plicable at the present time, "And that knowing the 
time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep"? 
The principles of the gospel are ever the same ; they are 
eternal, they cannot change, there cannot be progress in 
them, but there can be change in the modes of pressing 
them home upon the attention of men ; there can be 
progress in the zeal of believers and in the extension of 
the blessings of salvation. There should be never-end 
ing, never- wearying progress here. The spirit of the age 
is intensely active ; so must the Church be in all her 
movements upon the world. The old efforts will not do 
now. There must be something more wakeful, more 
intense, more in accordance with the scenes in the midst 
of which we are living. 

It becomes the people of God at the present time to 
be most diligent in mental effort of every kind. The 
thought of the Church should be intently bent upon de 
vising how there can be a deeper interest awakened in 



278 THE PASTOR IN THE 

the study of the word of God, what plans might be 
adopted for promoting more living piety in believers, 
and what can be done for securing more conversions of 
the ungodly, for the spread of the gospel and for pro 
moting the glory of God in Christ through the world. 
Whilst the wisdom of earth is planning for material and 
temporal progress, these are the infinitely more momen 
tous subjects to which the most intense study of Chris 
tians should be given. 

There should also be energetic effort in working for 
Christ and his cause. It is the most noble cause in the 
world the cause upon which most depends, and in which 
the most momentous interests of this earth are concerned. 
There is no enterprise among the children of men that 
is regarded with so much attention even from the throne 
of God. How much is to be done in it ! The corrup 
tion and woe of this sinful world are to be banished, the 
human race saved from going down to hell, millions of 
millions of souls redeemed by the blood of Christ, this 
sin-polluted earth renewed, heaven peopled by blessed 
saints who shall be the compeers of angels, and, above 
all and through all, the adorable Trinity infinitely glo 
rified. Will not the omnipotent Son of God open the 
way for success in such a work? Will he not himself 
help it forward ? Is there a conceivable enterprise of 
mankind that will compare with this in grandeur? 

Great should be the activity of the Church and of each 
of its members in the ever-expanding work of benevo 
lence that now lies before us. Satan is active in destroy 
ing men through sweeping torrents of worldliness, 
through infidelity, through intemperance, through a 
maddening haste to be rich, and through kindred sins 
and crimes that are now peculiarly virulent ; the friends 
of God and truth are loudly called upon to be corre- 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 279 

spondingly zealous in pushing forward every agency to 
counteract his malignant efforts. We should strive to 
save men whom he is seeking to destroy. We can do 
something by the blessing of God we can do much. 
The good that we attempt will spread and multiply. 
We are called into the vineyard of the Lord, and we are 
kept there, that we may work for him. It is our mis 
sion ; shall we fail in it ? 

Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon this calling 
of the Church to be active in this great gospel work. 
Next to the demands of their own personal piety, it is 
the most urgent call upon every member of the blood- 
bought host of Christ. No tongue can tell, no heart 
conceive, the sublime, the tremendous interests that are 
involved. One of the most solemn duties of the pastor 
is to awaken men to this subject. To this office he is 
appointed. The great service he can render to the 
holy cause lies here. Multitudes upon multitudes of 
even true Christians are asleep as to this matter. They 
do not seem to dream that they have anything to do in 
saving the world from sin. One of the hardest but most 
imperative of the duties of the minister is to arouse them, 
and make them see what they are called to do in the 
infinitely important enterprise to which the Church is 
appointed. It is so difficult to overcome our natural 
selfishness and slothfulness that the minister must make 
a most persevering effort. He cannot be too emphatic 
in pressing home upon his people that zealous and un 
wearied activity, perpetual aggression upon the king 
dom of darkness, is at once their imperative duty and 
distinguishing privilege. 

The pastor who is not alive to this call of God, of 
the world, of the age, for himself and his people to be 
active, will not succeed in his ministry. Here is the 



280 THE PASTOR IN THE 

peculiar demand of the times, but he does not appre 
ciate it. He is not informed or alive to the stirring 
events that are going on around and within the king 
dom of Christ. Other churches and other denomina 
tions more wisely take part in the great work, whilst 
he, heeding not, is left behind. As a consequence of 
this lethargy his people do not grow in grace or in the 
zealous spirit of Christ. One deeply-important part 
of his mission is not fulfilled. The Spirit of God 
does not bless him in his work, and his whole ministry 
is in danger of proving useless. 

To every pastor it may be said in all sober earnestness, 
" Be a true watchman or your ministry is a failure. 
Events are thickening around you ; are you awake ? 
Are you anxiously asking, What is going on in the 
world? What are the present calls of Providence? 
What are the grand movements in the kingdom ? 
What predictions of eternal truth are now being ful 
filled ? Then let the subject come home : What are 
you doing? What is your church doing? Are you 
alive to your position and the urgent calls of God?" 
These questions are vital to every one who holds the 
sacred office. 



EVERY MEMBER OF THE CHURCH TO BE A WORKER. 

" To every man his work " is the motto, once uttered 
by divine lips, which should be adopted by every pastor, 
and so repeated and pressed home by him that it would 
ultimately become the motto of his church also. " All 
at it and always at it " was the kindred motto of the 
Wesleys, which, carried out into vigorous action, wrought 
wonders in establishing the grand system of Methodism 
both in England and this country. Every member a 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 281 

worker in the blessed cause is the rule which the min 
ister should strive with all his might to have adopted 
by his whole congregation. Its adoption is the call of the 
gospel, of the world, of the age. Its general adoption 
would in a short time change the whole face of the Church ; 
it would soon bring wonderful enlargement to the king 
dom of Christ ; scarcely would it be extravagant to say 
that it would elevate the whole moral aspect of the 
world before the present generation passes away. 

The pastor should insist upon it that every member 
of his church has some work to do. He should make 
it plain and impressive that the Scriptures inculcate 
this duty, and that the diversified spiritual wants of the 
race demand that it be obeyed to the full. He should 
endeavor to fix it upon every conscience that none are 
so obscure that they may safely hide, and none so weak 
but there is something within their reach that all are 
positively guilty who are not contributing their share 
to swell the vast volume of influence which is ultimately 
to sweep over the whole earth for its regeneration. This 
doctrine of every person having his own work to do 
should be laid down squarely and never receded from 
never omitted when there is an opportunity of pressing 
it home from pulpit or prayer- meeting or pastoral visit. 

It may be admitted fully that all have not the same 
work or the same gifts, as it is best they should not. 
As faces, dispositions, temperaments, talents and circum 
stances differ, so also are the gifts which can be used in 
the work of the gospel very diverse. It is providen 
tially ordered that it should be so, for the same gifts are 
not needed for all kinds of work. There are different 
things to be done, and so it is best that there are dif 
ferent kinds of talents. No one is responsible for 
work which it is not in his power to do, but I am an- 

36 



282 THE PASTOR IN THE 

swerable for the gift that is bestowed upon me, whatever 
.that be. And the exercise of my peculiar talents is 
the best thing for me. I can do the best work by using 
my own gifts. I can do a work by using those gifts 
and by improving my peculiar opportunities which no 
other person can do, and which if I leave undone must 
remain undone for ever. This should be well under 
stood in arranging the active enterprises of the Church. 

It is manifestly implied in this duty of personal ex 
ertion that each Christian deliberately investigate what 
his work should be. Self-examination as to talents and 
opportunities is of primary importance here. Looking 
earnestly within, around and above, the prayer should 
ascend, " Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do ?" 
Surely, this much effort is obligatory upon every child 
of God. The first duty is for each one to search very 
carefully for what God has given him the faculty and 
the opportunity of doing. When this is discovered it 
will save from doing nothing, for there are thousands 
who are idle simply because they have never investi 
gated what it was possible for them to do. It will 
save from mistakes and failures, which most frequently 
arise from persons not engaging in that which is their 
appropriate work. How many a happy and useful 
Christian this personal search would make ! Pastors 
should make this duty clear to their people, impress it 
upon their consciences, and perhaps sometimes help in 
dividuals in settling the question as to what they are to 
undertake. 

The members of the church are rational beings, and 
they must act in a rational manner. Each should 
say to himself, " It is my solemn duty to search for the 
work to which God has assigned me." In this search 
there are two elements to be considered : First, talents. 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 283 

The question here should be, " What have I the pecu 
liar talent or qualification to do for the general good of 
the cause of Christ? Can I speak a word in public or 
lead in prayer? Can I influence in private? Can I 
write letters to persuade the impenitent or strengthen 
the feeble ? Can I help in the Sabbath-school ? Can 
1 assist in singing the praises of God ? Have I influ 
ence that I can exert more or less widely ? Have I the 
faculty of making peace, healing breaches that might 
otherwise mar the excellency of the Church ? Have I 
money that I can save and give to the many, many 
wants of the kingdom ? Have I skill to mature and 
execute plans for collecting funds for the cause of Jesus? 
Have I persuasion that I can use in bringing men under 
the sound of the gospel ? Have I prudence that I can 
make available in promoting the peace and prosperity 
of Zion ? Can I minister to the poor, the sick, the 
sorrowing to edification ? Have I affability of address 
which I can use in welcoming and attaching strangers 
to the house of God?" Many other such questions will 
suggest themselves, and when they are faithfully asked 
and prompted by true zeal, they must lead to the know 
ledge and execution by each of his appropriate work. 

The second item in this search pertains to the oppor 
tunities which may be possessed. There are circles of 
society in which one moves, there are relations of busi 
ness or daily intercourse or consanguinity, there are fit 
occasions often presenting themselves, all of which form 
opportunities that may be improved in the interests of 
the kingdom. These are of course different in the case 
of each individual; certain persons have far more of 
them than others ; all have some. Each one should 
diligently watch for them and improve them. Each in 
his sphere, each according to his talents, may do the 



284 THE PASTOR IN THE 

work of God. No Christian alive but has some branch 
of this work which he can do better than any other 
member of the body of Christ. It may seem to him 
a work of only little importance, but it is necessary to 
make up the great aggregate of what should be done. 

Then, his proper work having been discovered by 
each one, it should be promptly and heartily entered 
upon. Most pertinent here are the stirring words of 
Dr. John W. Dulles : " When the car of Juggernaut 
is to be drawn, every man who can pull a pound must 
pull that pound. In the Church of Christ every man 
can pull his pound. There is a place for the old and a 
place for the young, for the poor as well as the rich, for 
the unlearned as truly as for the learned. What is 
needed is an earnest resolve to find out our place, and 
with God s help to fill it. The places are as various as 
our capacities. In the Sabbath-school there is a call 
for superintendents, secretaries, treasurers and librarians, 
for teachers, visitors, sextons, scholars and givers. In 
the prayer-meeting there is a place for earnest speakers, 
believing prayers, hearty singers, and punctual, teach 
able hearers. In the church are needed elders, deacons, 
ushers, singers. Others can serve the Master by visit 
ing the poor, the stranger and the afflicted, and by nurs 
ing the sick. The night-school, the sewing-school, the 
Dorcas society, the mothers meeting, tract distribution, 
collecting for missions and other fields are open to will 
ing hearts. No man, woman or child need say that 
there is nothing for him or for her to do. Let each 
find his work and do it." 

An evil to be guarded against in all our churches is 
the habit of sinking the sense of personal responsibility 
and losing it in the mass. It is admitted that there is 
a great work before the Church, and it must be done, 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 285 

but the feeling is, "The body, with its officers, must 
do it, whilst I am only one, will not be missed, cannot 
do anything." This is the core of the difficulty. If 
all acted on this excuse, as thousands do, then moral 
death would come over all our churches. This course 
should be exposed and its disastrous effects described. 
Upon the conscience of each person should the indis 
pensable burden be laid : " You are responsible as an 
individual ; nothing, nothing can excuse you from your 
appropriate portion of the great work." 

The best way for performing church-work is for each 
person to take up whatever task lies at his own door, 
and just as it presents itself. In this way there need 
not be any delay in waiting for organization ; whatever 
is needed to be done can be done at once, whenever and 
wherever the opportunity presents itself. Then, the 
body of Christians being scattered throughout the whole 
community and each acting promptly in his own sphere, 
the work would be likely to touch every point and its 
aggregate results to be very large. This is the first 
lesson on this subject which all Christians should learn, 
and if they were as faithful as they should be, no other 
would be needed; and this plan of work should never 
be dropped, no matter what other may come in to assist, 
But organization also is important. Imperfect as we 
are, it is essential. The organization of the Church by 
divine wisdom proves it to be so. Organization aids by 
encouraging individuals, by inciting all to greater dil 
igence, by economizing the force of the Church through 
placing each element of it where it can tell most effect 
ively, by increasing that force through the employment 
of well-tried plans, and by covering the whole field of 
work more thoroughly. While, then, each individual, 
without waiting, should work just as he has opportu- 



286 THE PASTOR IN THE 

nit} 7 , the general work of the Church should be well 
organized, each person being assigned that part of it to 
which his talents are best adapted. 

In addition to the duty of the clear and reiterated 
presentation of this doctrine, that each person should 
do something in the great cause, another function of 
the pastor is to assist in finding out what each one can 
do and setting him promptly to that portion of the work. 
This branch of his calling he should carefully study in 
all its details. He should study well each member of 
his church, to find out where he can be most useful. 
Each new member who comes in should be kept before 
his mind until his appropriate place is found. Elders 
and other experienced persons in the church, male and 
female, should be consulted in this business of assigning 
their work to all. The grand rule ever followed should 
be that not one must be idle ; until each one has some 
thing appointed him the pastor should not feel that his 
portion of the work is done. No mind can appreciate 
the vast latent power there is in the Church, and happy 
is that minister who can draw it out. It is not necessary 
that each one should do much ; only let it be something, 
and something appropriate to his peculiar talents and 
opportunities. Something, and always let this ring in 
every ear. Each faithful worker will influence others 
to work, and the aggregate of each one doing even a 
little, but that constantly, will be immense ; it would 
soon revolutionize the whole Church for good. 

Blessed, thrice blessed, is the minister who can thus 
inflame his people with zeal, and get them all to be 
come busy in the work for which Jesus toiled and shed 
his blood. He will have a harmonious church, and a 
church that will be alive to every good word and work. 
He will have a church that will be ever growing in 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 287 

numbers and graces, and that will inevitably exercise a 
most benign influence throughout the community where 
it is located. Then the influence will certainly react 
upon himself. He will preach better; he will be far 
happier in all his work ; he will not have such sore 
church-strifes to vex him. In answer to the living 
piety and prayers of his people he will be sure of hav 
ing the divine favor beaming upon him from day to day. 



DEVISING PLANS OF WORK. 

It is well in every congregation occasionally to adopt 
fresh methods of doing good, of awaking interest and 
exciting the energies of the membership. The wearing 
out of old methods, the discovery of new branches of 
work which were previously neglected, and the increas 
ing zeal of new members of the church, which ought 
by all means to be employed, will sometimes render this 
necessary. Besides, novelty generally interests, and if 
that interest can be utilized it is the pastor s wisdom not 
to let it be lost. He should therefore aim to devise 
such plans of work as the character of the times and 
the changing circumstances of his people may demand. 

But such plans should be very carefully thought out 
before they are announced or put in execution. Inquiry 
should be made as to whether similar ones have been 
tried in other places, and whether they have proved 
successful there. The pastor should calmly reflect 
whether they are adapted to his congregation and the 
community in which he dwells; whether he has the 
right persons in his church to carry them out ; whether 
he is himself willing to undergo the labor and anxiety 
which their successful operation may demand ; and 
whether they might not lead to serious disorders and 



288 THE PASTOR IN THE 

other evils. These things and others should be very 
thoughtfully considered before a minister commits him 
self to an untried scheme of operation in the general 
work of the church. It should be remembered that a 
plan will often be very different when it comes to be 
carried out from what it appeared when looked upon 
merely in theory ; and to be constantly adopting, and 
soon after dropping, methods of operation injures one s 
influence, obtains for him the character of fickleness, 
and prevents him from receiving that hearty co-ope 
ration which is desirable when he proposes other plans 
which are really excellent. 

Then, when a scheme of work has been diligently 
studied out and prayed over, and appears to be certainly 
feasible and promising of much good, it should receive 
a full trial. Even if at first it does not succeed per 
fectly, it should not be hurriedly abandoned. If for a 
time unexpected difficulties, from want of proper zeal 
in the people or from any other cause, present them 
selves, there should not be utter discouragement. The 
measure should be entered into heartily, and developed 
as fully as possible. Even if it should drag for a time, 
it may ultimately go on more prosperously. The true 
way is to work it as well as possible, and persevere. It 
may be a most valuable scheme, and should have a fair 
opportunity of being developed. Unquestionably, some 
such plans will succeed and live, and prove to be bless 
ings for many years. 

ELDERS WORK. 

In a subsequent chapter an outline will be given of a 
plan of operation which may be profitably adopted by a 
church session, and therefore very little will be said about 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 289 

its duties in this, which might seem to be its appropriate 
place. To the elders of the church properly belongs 
the management of its spiritual affairs, but that is not 
by any means the whole of their duty. They are also 
to be leaders in the various activities for which the 
united body of God s people is responsible. It is their 
duty to be the counselors of the pastor in devising and 
putting into operation plans for the better carrying on 
of the Lord s work. In the session properly should 
originate efforts and some of them should be originating 
constantly for exciting and vigorously conducting the 
work of the church. By the elders pre-eminently should 
the activity be carried on as well as supervised. The 
field of work which lies before them is a very diverse 
one. They are to help the pastor, to aid the other mem 
bers of the church in their efforts to grow in grace, to 
plan measures for the spiritual progress of the body, to 
look after young converts, to see to it that the liberality 
of the church shall be developed, to use all proper means 
for evoking the latent talent which is certainly in the 
various members, and to be efficient in every other good 
word and work. One of the first and most strenuous 
efforts of the pastor, in the activity of the church, should 
be to keep the session alive and diligent in the import 
ant position of usefulness which they occupy. 

Not only should the session, as a session, be vigorous 
in the prosecution of the work of the church, but every 
member of it also, according to his talents and oppor 
tunities, should be faithful in the great cause. It should 
be strongly impressed upon the elders that they ought 
all to be workers. There is no class of persons in the 
church upon which this duty rests with so much weight 
as upon them. They are called by the appointment of 
God and the voice of the church to that very thing. 

37 



290 THE PASTOR IN THE 

Because of their presumed character for eminent piety, 
because of the confidence which their position in the 
church naturally secures them, because of the sacred 
and responsible office which they hold, because of the 
influence which they must necessarily exert, and because 
they are set in the church to be an example to others, 
because of these and other things it becomes them to be 
not only eminently holy, but also eminently useful. This 
is their calling, their happiness and their glory. If they 
are faithful in the Master s work, there is no telling the 
amount of good they may accomplish, no imagining the 
magnitude of the bliss with which they shall be re 
warded in the heavenly world. But if they are not 
faithful in the important work to which they are called, 
they very greatly sin. They come short of their divine 
appointment and of the ordination vows into which they 
have entered ; they fail of splendid opportunities of bless 
ing men and glorifying God ; and they spread the evil by 
hardening the hearts of others and keeping them back 
from a holy zeal which might pervade the whole body 
of believers. To them much has been given, and of them 
much shall be required. 

WOMAN S WORK. 

Explain the matter as we may, the fact cannot be mis 
taken that with woman is ever to be found the greater 
part of the piety, the earnest devotion and the zeal of 
the church. This is to be plainly seen in all of our 
churches. Among all denominations the evidences of 
it are to be found in the rolls of the membership, in the 
attendance upon all the services of the sanctuary, in her 
sympathy with every true object of benevolence, in her 
readiness to engage in every good work, and in her con- 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 291 

sistency of life. Upon this element of piety in his 
church the pastor must ever place great reliance, and 
his wisdom will be manifested in so framing his plans 
of activity that it can be used to the greatest advantage. 
It is a power for good too important and peculiar not to 
receive his special attention. 

(a) FEMALE PRAYER-MEETINGS. 

When the two things are considered, that many of 
the most godly in our congregations are women, and 
that they take no audible part save singing in the 
ordinary service of public or social worship, it will be 
seen that prayer- meetings of their own are most desi 
rable. In them their voices can be heard in prayer, 
they can counsel and encourage each other, and they 
can confer about their own spiritual interests, as well 
as those of the church. A few persons would be suffi 
cient to commence or to perpetuate such a meeting, 
for to a very few even is the promise of the divine 
presence made. It could convene, if desirable, in the 
parlor of the manse or in some other private house, 
where they would be secluded and free from restraint. 
In conducting it, the Scriptures should be read, prayers 
offered, words of Christian counsel and experience ut 
tered, objects for special prayer presented, facts stated, 
brief and pertinent extracts quoted and a free confer 
ence about spiritual things held. There should be as 
little formality as possible in conducting the exercises. 
All should be free and unrestrained, and full of Christ. 

The pastor will not, of course, be in attendance at 
these meetings, but he can aid them very materially in 
other ways. He can announce them frequently from 
the pulpit, he can speak of them in private and en 
courage individuals to attend them, and he can always 



292 THE PASTOR IN THE 

treat them as an important element of spiritual power 
in his church. 

The influence of such a stated meeting of devout 
women, old or young, for prayer and spiritual confer 
ence will most undoubtedly tell upon the piety and 
progress of the church. Prayers will there be offered 
up for particular individals, who will by and by be seen 
coming out on the side of Christ, for the commence 
ment of revivals which will after a while gladden every 
heart, and for the pastor upon whose ministrations such 
vast issues are suspended. Unseen, and perhaps un 
noticed, may be those little assemblies, but not unfelt 
will they be in their blessed results. They will tell 
upon the preaching of the minister, for they will bring 
down upon him the unction of the Holy Ghost. They 
will tell upon the Sabbath-school by causing its instruc 
tions to be sealed upon many a heart. They will tell 
upon every department of the church s work by re 
moving difficulties, spreading the harmonious spirit of 
Christ, giving holier unction and opening many a door 
of success. Much should be made, and much should 
be expected, of the female prayer-meeting. 

(6) PASTORS AIDS. 

In the earnest piety of the women of the church 
there lies such an amount of latent power for doing 
good that every plan should be devised for drawing it 
out into activity and using it to the best advantage. It 
doubtless will be seen in isolated circles benefiting souls 
and bodies and helping forward the great cause of sal 
vation, but besides that it ought to be made more effec 
tive by being combined into general and comprehensive 
efforts. This has been accomplished in many churches 
by the formation of associations which have been well 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 293 

called pastors aids. Their object is to unite the earnest 
Christian women of the congregation into a band whose 
object it shall be to assist the pastor in such branches 
of his work as can be performed by them. 

A sufficient number of earnest-hearted women for the 
formation of such an association can be found in almost 
any church. In its construction there does not need 
to be much or complex organization. The more sim 
ple and flexible in its mode of working it is the better. 
Those who are willing to enter cordially into its interests 
can enroll their names, elect their necessary officers and 
meet periodically for the purpose of devising work and 
laying it out appropriately for each of the members. 
The work which could be profitably taken up by 
them would be such as making the acquaintance of 
new families removing into the bounds of the congre 
gation, striving to discover and bring to the sanctuary 
those who are living in its neglect, visiting persons in 
the congregation who are becoming disaffected or cold or 
negligent in their attendance, bringing also new scholars 
into the Sabbath-school, promoting general sociability in 
the church, and putting forth whatever other efforts for 
the general cause their wisdom and experience might 
deem advisable. 

Such an association can be formed in almost any 
congregation. The requisite number of persons and 
the piety can be found if they are sought for ; and, if 
formed, it may be made a most valuable auxiliary to the 
pastor. Women have the piety, they have the feeling, 
they have the tact, they more generally have the time, 
to do such work, and hence they can do it more effi 
ciently than men. There are some parts of church- 
work which they can do better than even the pastor. 
They can reach families, especially the female portion 



294 THE PASTOR IN THE 

of them, as the other sex cannot. They can follow up 
impressions that are made, cultivate the acquaintance 
of strangers and persevere in efforts to interest them in 
the Church and her ordinances as men cannot or will not. 

(c) VISITING THE AGED, SICK AND POOR. 

This is a branch of woman s great work in doing 
good which is of so much consequence that it should 
receive special attention. Whether it should be car 
ried on systematically in connection with the pastors 
aid or any other association, or whether it should be 
taken up by every pious and loving heart whenever 
and wherever objects are found, we would not decide. 
Probably it is better to enter upon it in both ways, so 
that it may be the more thoroughly accomplished. 

It is a department of Christian benevolence which it 
is to be feared is too much overlooked at the present 
time. There is danger that in the desire for promoting 
the interests of the souls of men the wants of their 
bodies should be neglected. The Church needs to 
awake with great earnestness to this matter. She needs 
to listen more attentively to the words of Christ, " For 
ye have the poor always with you ;" to return to the 
zeal of early Christian and apostolic days in relieving 
the poor and the suffering ; to outstrip all the contri 
vances of human society and all the boasts of popery 
in cheerful ministrations to those upon whom the hand 
of affliction has in any way been laid. Very loud and 
emphatic should be the proclamation from the pulpit 
of this undoubted and ever-present duty which rests 
upon the children of the Lord Jesus. 

Then to visit the sick, whether they are connected 
with the church or not, and minister to them, to speak 
kind and loving words to the aged, and to relieve the 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 



295 



pressing wants of the poor, is pre-eminently the work 
of Christian women. It is an indispensable branch of 
the pastor s work, but lie cannot possibly do all that 
should be done. There are some parts of it which the 
finer and gentler tact of women can do better than he. 
Men are not to be excused from this office of Christian 
mercy, but the more tender feelings of woman make her 
its appropriate minister. 

If this branch of the Church s work, so manifest an 
emanation of Christianity, and so sweetly enforced by 
the example of the purer days of the gospel, were faith 
fully performed, there is no telling the amount or vari 
ety of good results that would flow from it. It would 
cheer many a sad and weary heart, and light up with 
happiness many a dark abode. It would be to the world 
one of the most influential manifestations of the benign 
spirit of the gospel the spirit which was so conspicu 
ously seen in Christ, the spirit which is produced by 
the regenerating work of the Holy Ghost, the spirit 
which a proper sense of the mercies received from God 
must necessarily engender, and the spirit with which 
Christianity is yet to bless the whole world. It would 
melt down many who could be reached by no other 
earthly motive, and constrain them to think of the 
mercy of Christ, and ultimately seek and find it. Who 
can describe how it would edify suffering believers, caus 
ing them to feel that though they are smitten by the 
hand of affliction, they have still the sweetest fellowship 
with the body of Christ s true people, and opening their 
hearts yet more fully to the blessed influences of the 
Spirit? The general practice of this form of Christian 
benevolence would bind believers more thoroughly to 
gether, for what affection could be stronger than that 
which must grow between the benefactors and those 



296 THE PASTOR IN THE 

who receive their loving ministrations? What union 
more lasting than that of those who stand side by side 
in the very same work that employed the hands of the 
Son of God ? 

(d) DORCAS SOCIETIES. 

This is an agency for doing good which has been used 
by pious women from apostolic days, and which still 
may be made to accomplish much in assuaging suffer 
ing and aiding in various other objects of benevolence. 
Whatever supposed evils may sometimes be associated 
with it ought not to prevent it from being perfected and 
employed diligently in its peculiar mission of usefulness. 
It may, in fact, be made a great benefit to those who en 
gage in it. For Christian women to come together from 
time to time to plan out works of benevolence, and to 
use their hands in preparing garments for the poor or 
to assist in other charities, cannot but warm their 
hearts, enlarge their sympathies and strengthen their 
social ties. Besides, it should be remembered that 
many women have little else than their time and skill 
in handicraft which they can give to the great cause, 
and the plans of the sewing society furnish the only 
method by which these can be made available. 

Associations of this kind might prepare garments for 
the worthy poor who are suffering ; they might clothe 
children, and so enable them to attend the Sabbath- 
school; they might send packages of articles that would 
cause gladness to many a toiling missionary family; they 
might collect funds that would carry on many a greatly- 
needed charity ; or they might make their skill with the 
needle available in accomplishing objects of benevo 
lence which otherwise would remain neglected. It is 
therefore an agency which should not be set aside be- 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 297 

cause it has been decried, or because sometimes it may 
have been followed by discord or may have run into 
abuses. What is there good or holy or benevolent on 
earth which the sinfulness of human nature has not 
perverted ? 



ATTENTION TO STRANGERS. 

It must be kept as a distinct aim before every church 
to draw individuals and families into attendance upon 
its ordinances. The persons who are to be thus influ 
enced are both those who may have been long resi 
dents in the vicinity of the church and those who may 
recently have come into the neighborhood. If the 
church is to be kept up in numbers, if men are to be 
brought under the sound of the gospel, the congrega 
tion must be constantly recruited from this source, for 
deaths and removals to distant places and falling away 
from indifference or disaffection will be ever thinning 
out its ranks. Besides, the progressive nature of the 
gospel, so well set forth by the parables of the leaven 
and the mustard-seed, requires that it should be perpet 
ually aiming after a wider extension. Its benevolent 
spirit cannot rest without striving to spread abroad its 
blessings to others. Its very nature is to be aggressive 
always and everywhere. If any church s aim is simply 
to hold its own, it will inevitably retrograde. If it be 
not constantly drawing new families to the benefit of 
its ordinances, it will dwindle in attendance. It is a 
necessity, then, as well as a privilege, to give such at 
tention to strangers as may possibly make them stated 
worshipers in the sanctuary, and ultimately bring them 
into the true fold of Christ. 

38 



298 THE PASTOR IN THE 



(a] THERE SHOULD BE SOME AGENCY FOR MAKING THE 
ACQUAINTANCE OF STRANGERS. 

Families will often remove into a new neighborhood, 
perhaps into the vicinity of a church of their own de 
nomination, and for a long time no Christian people seek 
their fellowship. They feel very lonely. There is no 
attraction of friends to draw them to the house of God, 
and they neglect it. Or perhaps they go a few times 
and finding no faces but those of strangers, they are 
chilled, and gradually slide away into utter indifference. 
This might have been prevented. If the church had 
been awake to find them out, seek their acquaintance 
and interest them, they might soon have become happy 
and useful members of the congregation. When per 
sons are strangers in a new community, a little attention 
is peculiarly grateful. It will not soon be forgotten. 
Instances could be given where it has first gratified, 
then interested, then softened the feelings, then led to 
sincere inquiry, and then landed the soul in the happi 
ness of the salvation of Christ. 

Now, there should be some definite plan adopted, so 
that no new families or individuals could come into the 
neighborhood of the church without being soon discov 
ered and reached by the grasp of Christian friendship. 
The kind of agency to be made use of for this purpose 
must be determined by the peculiar circumstances of 
each congregation. But some such agency there should 
always be. Each member of the congregation should 
be on the lookout for families that may come into his 
immediate vicinity. All should be encouraged to report 
when they hear of such families removing into the 
sphere of the church s influence, and when so reported 
they should be visited promptly by pastor or elders or 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 299 

ladies of the pastor s aid or Sabbath-school teachers. 
Visits to them should be persevered in until they become 
interested, and, if possible, identified with the congre 
gation. 

(b) HOSPITALITY TO STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD. 

This may at first sound like a small matter, but re 
flection and observation will soon prove that it is far 
otherwise. It has very much to do with attracting 
people to the sanctuary, and making them feel at home 
there, with securing for the church a very desirable 
name for friendliness, with the satisfaction of those who 
are already in attendance, and with the promotion of 
that kindly spirit which forms such a congenial atmo 
sphere for the influences of the Holy Ghost. Instances 
could be given where strangers have casually entered a 
church without any purpose of repeating the visit, but 
have been met with such evident pleasure, have been so 
cordially welcomed and received with such marks of at 
tention, that they have gone again and again, until they 
have finally made that church their home. Other 
instances could be given where devout strangers have 
gone to churches of their own faith, and from a sense 
of duty continued to go for years, without one friendly 
hand being extended to them or one word of welcome, 
or even a kind look. Other instances again could be 
given where persons, seeking a church which they 
could make their home, have gone to one a few times, 
but have met with such indifference as to turn away to 
some other denomination or to give up all attendance 
at the sanctuary. 

Then the hospitality which is needed will cost little : 
in fact, it will cost nothing but a little reflection and 
an effort that will be only a pleasure. It consists simply 



300 THE PASTOR IN THE 

in noticing strangers as they may come casually into the 
sanctuary, giving them a look of welcome, speaking a 
word or extending a hand of friendship, showing them 
to seats, handing them hymn-books, inviting them again, 
or any other of those little attentions which are so 
easily offered. These things are easily done, will inev 
itably gratify the person receiving the attention, give 
satisfaction to those who bestow it, promote the good 
name of the church, prove a potent element in furthering 
the momentous cause of the gospel, and are even noticed 
by the Master himself. Attention to this matter will 
soon tell in its happy results upon the congregation. 
" Every church," it has been said, " that would prosper 
must show proper attention to strangers. It should be 
seen that they are promptly and courteously provided 
with seats and made to feel that they have a cordial 
welcome there. Kind looks should greet them as they 
come and follow them as they go. Should they come 
again, let them meet with the same reception. And 
should they become constant worshipers there, let them 
be sought out and visited, not merely by the pastor, but 
by members of the congregation. Whether rich or 
poor, they should not be overlooked or neglected. They 
have claims as strangers irrespective of all outward 
distinction. Let a man bring the matter home to him 
self. Suppose you are in a strange place. You go to 
the house of God on the Sabbath, but are treated as a 
stranger in the fullest sense of the word. You are not 
spoken to, you are not seated. We venture to say the 
occurrence would neither be pleasant nor soon for 
gotten." 

Those whose hearts are in the blessed work will hardly 
feel the need of a formal introduction in order to speak 
to strangers, welcoming them to the house of God and 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 301 

inviting them to come again. They will consider that 
there is a something higher at stake than the punctilios 
of society, and they will choose the higher interests, arid 
in almost all instances the immediate results will justify 
their choice. This point was forcibly presented in a 
recent number of a religious journal : " Why don t you 
speak to that young man over there, who seems linger 
ing in hope that somebody will hold out their hand to 

him? said Mrs. A to Mr. B in our hearing 

as the congregation were flooding the sidewalk in their 
emergence from church the other day. 1 don t know 
who he is. It would be an excellent way to find out. 
Yes, but suppose that I should find out that he was 
somebody the pleasure of whose acquaintance I should 
not desire ? * There would be no great harm done even 
then, while, if you can judge from look and act, and 
from his regular and apparent interest in church, there 
is small probability of such a result. You know the 
customs of the city are somewhat rigid in regard to the 
matter of formal and proper introductions. I know 
that men never hesitate, however, to accost any unknown 
individual when any imaginary benefit of consequence 
to themselves is dependent on an interview. Why 
shouldn t benevo]ence be as regardless of rule as selfish 
ness, and such a young man s benefit be as considerable 
an element in the decision of such a question as your 
own ? 

" We heard no more, but what we had heard increased 
our already profound respect for the insight of a clear 
headed and warm-hearted woman into the mysteries of 
essential truth. We have often thought that the amity 
of the sanctuary ought to override the etiquette of the 
drawing-room, and that nobody ought to hesitate to make 
the first advances toward some acquaintanceship with 



302 THE PASTOR IN THE 

strangers who have become fellow- worshipers. Es 
pecially do we hold this to be the case with young men 
and women, particularly the former. They come to the 
city from their distant homes with hearts that ache at 
the separation from those to whom their whole wealth 
of love has been given. While hurried in the labors 
of the week they do not so much mind the smart of sep 
aration, but on the Sabbath they have plenty of time to 
think of home and old friends, and it seems desolate to 
them to meet Sabbath after Sabbath with a great con 
gregation, to no one of whom are they bound by the 
slightest tie of sympathy. They come a while, expecting 
that somebody will say a kind word to them, that they 
may even here find a hand-pressure of welcome ; they 
wait and linger on the threshold as if to invite a kind 
word, but it does not come. They intermit attendance, 
perhaps fall into the hands of some of Satan s colpor 
teurs, who hold out both hands toward them, and in the 
company of errorists or open transgressors they com 
mence their descent swift to ruin. Had they been greeted 
in their early attendance upon the sanctuary with a warm 
welcome from some Christian man who should have in 
troduced them into the sympathetic circle of the good 
of their own age, they might have been saved. Don t 
sacrifice the welfare of immortal souls to a poor punc 
tilio about propriety." 



PRAYER-MEETINGS. 

The piety and usefulness of the Church are most in 
timately connected with its prayer-meetings. Whether 
as cause or effect, it is found that the degree of the one 
is always in proportion to the interest manifested in the 
other. It will therefore be seen at once that this is a 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 303 

subject which claims the most careful attention of the 
pastor. It is one which he must not only study, but 
carry out into practice from the first to the last day 
of his ministry. Everything demands of him that it 
should be made most prominent in both thought and 
practice. 

(a) CONDUCTING PRAYER-MKETIXGS. 

The interests of the Church are so vitally connected 
with its prayer-meetings that the question of how they 
can be conducted so as to be made the most profitable 
is one which the pastor should carefully examine. Very 
much of the life and attractiveness and advantage of 
such meetings depends upon the mode in which they 
are conducted. They may be made so slow and cold 
and dull as to be positively repulsive, or they may be 
made so full of joyous animation as to prove the happy 
hours of the week. Great stress should be laid on this 
point, and it should receive earnest attention. It is 
deemed of so much importance that we shall go into 
considerable detail concerning it. 

Our suggestions have been gathered from all quarters ; 
they are the result of experience ; they have all been 
well tried, and they are perfectly practicable, so that 
they can be carried out under almost any circumstances 
of pastor or congregation. It is certain that they will 
greatly help in giving interest and profit to meetings 
which are too often but little attractive, and are con 
sequently shunned by all excepting those who are led 
to them by the imperative demands of duty. All our 
recommendations need not be carried out at each meet 
ing ; some of them are general, and should characterize 
every gathering for social worship, while some of them 
can be used at one time and some at another. Each one 



304 THE PASTOR IN THE 

of them should receive so much attention as would lead 
to its importance being seen. 

1. The prayer-meeting should be regarded as an index 
of the piety of the Church. It has not inaptly been 
called the thermometer by which the degree of that 
piety may be seen. In a measure that can scarcely be 
mistaken, the attendance and interest in these meetings 
show whose hearts are alive to the things of Christ, and 
what is the extent of spirituality that pervades the body. 
Most members will attend upon the principal service of 
the Sabbath from other considerations, but those who 
frequent the social meetings for prayer are ordinarily 
prompted by love for the cause, by spiritual earnestness 
and by a desire for the presence of Christ, They go 
often at some worldly sacrifice, because they are led by 
the impulses of a living piety. Then the prayer-meet 
ing not only indicates the degree of spirituality in a 
church, but it also tends most effectually to increase it, 
Its influence is to sustain the church s spiritual life and 
to warm it up into a richer glow. There is hardly any 
thing else which can have a more salutary influence 
upon that piety. It preserves it by breaking in upon 
the rush of the world that would sweep it away ; it in 
creases it through the prayers by which it brings down 
the Holy Spirit as a sweet but ever-brightening flame. 
In this way the prayer-meeting, when the hearts of 
Christians are in it and the life and unction of the 
Holy Ghost pervade it, sends out its blessed influences 
over all the other activities and interests of the Church. 
Through it the Lord s-day services are made more profit 
able, the Sabbath-school is blessed, the effort to attract 
to the sanctuary is prospered, the family is happier and 
the fruits of the Spirit are everywhere seen. Let the 
prayer-meeting, therefore, in the first place, be properly 



ACTIVITIES OF THK CJWliCIL 305 

appreciated as the index of the Church s life and as a 
centre from which flow out blessings in every direction, 
and then a deeper interest will be taken in it by both 
pastor and people. 

2. Let the prayer-meeting be made interesting, and it 
will be well attended. The professed people of God 
ought to attend it, because of the sacred obligations 
which rest upon them and out of love for the cause, but 
sad experience proves that multitudes of them will not, 
and in the work of the gospel we must take men just as 
they are. It is a fact which cannot be concealed that 
when prayer- meetings are not made interesting they are 
ordinarily but poorly attended, but when they are made 
interesting they will almost inevitably fill up of their 
own accord. And the interest which is needed in the 
prayer-meeting does not depend on mere novelty ; it is 
not the result of flippant methods of arousing attention; 
but it does depend on the warmth, life, promptness, good 
feeling and manifest earnestness which are made to per 
vade all the exercises. Let these be attended to and 
the meeting will be filled; and when the prayer-meet 
ing is filled the public sanctuary will not be empty. A 
stranger attracted habitually to the* prayer-meeting is 
certain soon to become a member of the congregation. 
The promise of the divine presence is made to the com 
ing together of even two or three, so that there need 
be no discouragement if only a very few are present; 
but, at the same time, when many are present all are 
cheered, there are more to partake of the blessings of 
the hour, the attendance of large numbers attracts still 
others, and the influence of a well-attended prayer- 
meeting is felt through the whole Church and com 
munity. 

3. A spirit of friendliness xJ><>ul<1 he cultivated. The 

39 



306 THE PASTOR IN THE 

prayer-meeting is eminently the social gathering of the 
people of God for prayer and praise and mutual spiritual 
edification, and therefore true friendliness ought to reign 
in it. There is no other place where there is so good an 
opportunity of showing the love of the brethren. Here 
the social element of our nature should be utilized and 
cultivated. If opportunities are sought for the exercise 
of these kindly feelings, they may readily be found. 
When entering the room and finding seats, or after the 
services are closed, there is time for friendly greeting 
and such little attentions as will show that there is a 
spirit of kindness. It will do no harm to linger a few 
moments for the cordial handshaking and for the word 
or two that may either establish or foster the acquaint 
anceship which ought to subsist between those who are 
of the same great family of Christ and of the same 
branch of that family. Then there should also be care 
taken to notice strangers and to introduce them, so that 
when they come again they may feel that they are 
among friends. Every one the pastor setting the 
example and leading the way should take pains and 
devise methods for cultivating this sociability in the 
prayer-meeting. It will spread an atmosphere of good 
feeling which will make such meetings delightful to 
those who habitually attend, and attract others to come 
to their enjoyment, as well as constitute them the very 
places where the Holy Spirit may most certainly be 
expected. 

4. The prayer-meeting should be carefully guarded 
against all scolding, grumbling and fault-finding. There 
are some persons who are constantly indulging in these. 
They complain of the small attendance, of the coldness, 
of the want of success ; they censure those who are ab 
sent for staying away; they expatiate upon the supe- 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 307 

riority of other churches; they have not one kind or 
encouraging word to speak about their own. Such 
persons take the course best fitted to bring about 
the state of things of which they complain. Many 
a meeting is killed by them either blotted out alto 
gether or made so repulsive that but few attend it, and 
none to edification. Scolding in prayer-meetings, by 
minister or others, never does good. It forces no 
body into attendance ; on the contrary, it drives and 
keeps many away. It is mortifying to those who really 
love the church to hear it before strangers who may 
happen to be present. It is discouraging to all those 
who are conscientious in their attendance, grates upon 
the nicer sensibilities, ruffles the feelings, drives away 
the sweet spirit of kindness and forms a very unsuit 
able atmosphere for the presence of the Holy Ghost. 
By all means should cheerfulness reign in the place 
where people go to get their hearts warmed and ele 
vated with holy emotions. 

5. The people should all be seated near to the leader 
of the meeting, in order to promote sociability and an 
imation. When they are scattered over the house, back 
by the door or around the walls, there is a feeling of 
coldness cast over the whole assembly. Then nearly all 
the advantages of the presence of numbers and of felt 
sympathy are lost ; the sensation of indifference is in 
evitably produced ; if strangers happen to be present an 
exceedingly unhappy impression is made upon them ; 
the minister or other leader is chilled by seeing nothing 
around him but empty seats, while the people seem to 
want to escape as far away from him as possible, and 
the feelings of the leader being dampened, they will 
soon communicate themselves to the whole meeting. 
The people ought to be told of this in the plainest 



308 THE PASTOR IN THE 

terms, and it ought to be repeated to thun again and 
again and again until they shall be led to think of it. 
This may appear to them a small matter, but where the 
very life of the meeting is at stake it is not a trifle. 
Most persons seem to be strangely thoughtless about 
it ; they are almost unkind in giving no heed to the 
entreaties of the minister when he even begs them to do 
him that little favor. But the effort should not be aban 
doned until the evil is overcome. It is well sometimes 
even to go down and take a seat among the people, to 
call attention more pointedly to the trouble. There is 
much in this little thing, as the testimony of all min 
isters will verify. 

6. Brevity is essential to the life and interest of the 
prayer-meeting. If, either as a whole or in its parts, it 
is too much protracted, many will grow weary and sink 
to sleep; the long-spun prayers or addresses will be filled 
with rambling verboseness, and there cannot be the in- 

O 

terest that would be imparted by the sound of a variety 
of voices. It is absolutely ruinous to a prayer-meeting 
to drag it out into weariness. To the young especially 
such a meeting is peculiarly distasteful. Instances in 
abundance could be given where a meeting, at first per 
vaded by a fine spirit, was spoiled, and most persons 
present positively irritated, by prayers being spun out 
to a quarter or half an hour. What can the minister 
do to prevent this abuse ? First, he can speak kindly 
in private to those who indulge in the habit. Very 
often they are sincerely devoted and humble men, and 
would not for the world offend, and they never dream 
that they are in the habit of occupying so much time. 
They strive only to do what is for the best, Second, 
he can set the example. He must not himself, by his 
long-protracted remarks and prayers, weary the jeo- 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 309 

pie and encourage others to take up much time. He 
should illustrate what is meant by brevity in prayer. 
As leader of the devotions he should do everything, and 
have everything done, as promptly as possible. There 
should not be an instant wasted in hunting up a chapter 
or giving out a hymn ; there should be no pause for some 
one to commence prayer. It is better to sing often and 
but a few verses at a time. In each part of the services, 
and in the whole, there should be no dragging. Not 
more than an hour should ordinarily be spent in the 
whole service. The people should be sent away hungry, 
and then they will carry with them happier impressions, 
and long for the next occasion when they can meet again 
with the children of God in blessed union around his 
mercy-seat. 

7. It is well sometimes on one week to announce the 
subject for remarks and prayer on the next. This plan 
is often found to be profitable, and to contribute very 
greatly to the interest of the services. When a subject 
has been announced beforehand it can serve to guide the 
thoughts of some in preparing words of address. Then 
there is often some point of doctrine or duty or comfort 
which individuals would like to have brought for con 
sideration before experienced Christians, and this plan 
will give them an opportunity for presenting such sub 
jects. Or the subject announced may be one on which 
many persons would like to hear the thoughts of others. 
Sometimes it will be advisable to ask some brother to be 
prepared to open the subject which has been announced, 
so that there may be no hesitation or delay at the be 
ginning. It would not be wise, in most congregations, 
to have this plan as the fixed rule of the prayer-meeting, 
but it might be used occasionally, both for its intrinsic 
value and for the sake of giving variety to the exercises. 



310 THE PASTOR IN THE 

Very often the prayer-meeting is best conducted by leav 
ing everything subject of remark and all else to the 
spontaneous feelings of the hour. 

8. Occasionally some other person than the pastor 
should conduct the meeting. This plan has several ad 
vantages. It helps to bring out those who for the time 
are called to lead, giving them more freedom and en 
couraging them in the future to take part in the services ; 
besides, it interests them as well as their friends more 
deeply in all the meetings. It also gives variety to the 
exercises when, from time to time, a new person con 
ducts them, and almost of necessity imparts to them some 
change. Moreover, the pastor must necessarily be some 
times absent, and this prepares for such emergencies by 
having those ready who can easily take his place. Be 
sides, it is often profitable for the pastor to sit among the 
people without the care of conducting the services on his 
mind, and give himself up to the reflections of the mo 
ment as to the subject of his remarks. Often the best 
addresses he makes are those which are prompted by 
something said or suggested at the moment. 

9. It is a good plan often to give an opportunity for 
voluntary remarks or prayer. There is less stiffness or 
restraint when the meeting is thus conducted. Then it 
is often the case that some one has some thought which 
he would like to present for the benefit of others, and 
only awaits such an opportunity. Then, too, those whose 
hearts are warm and who are in the spirit of prayer can 
lead in the exercises and impart the same spirit to others. 
One is not always in the same frame of mind, so that 
sometimes even the most devoted would rather keep 
silent. When persons will voluntarily take part in the 
services, this is a most excellent plan of conducting them, 
but they will not always, and hence the plan is not 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 311 

always practicable. It may, however, occasionally be re 
sorted to with profit to all. When it is resorted to there 
must be great care to avoid long pauses while waiting for 
some voice to be heard. They are fatal to the interest 
of a meeting. They ought to be provided against by 
requesting beforehand some of the brethren to be ready 
to fill up every instant. 

10. The presentation of requests that special prayer 
be offered up on behalf of relatives and others should be 
encouraged. In every congregation there are many de 
vout persons, believing that " the effectual fervent prayer 
of a righteous man availeth much," who long to have 
that prayer poured forth for sons, husbands, brothers or 
other dear impenitent friends. And such prayers are 
undoubtedly often answered, as multitudes of instances 
on record abundantly testify. Then when such requests 
are presented there is a definite thing before the meet 
ing upon which its prayers can be concentrated, and they 
become clothed with a reality and an earnestness that 
awaken every heart. There is hardly anything that 
will impart to a prayer-meeting so much interest as this, 
for there can be no deadness while all are pleading for 
the immortal life of some wandering soul. If the op 
portunity is only furnished, it will be found that such 
requests will be presented very frequently in almost any 
prayer-meeting. 

11. A meeting may sometimes be profitably taken up 
with a Bible exercise. A Bible exercise, as it is called, 
is simply taking up some theme of Bible doctrine, duty, 
promise or warning, analyzing it, finding Scripture pas 
sages bearing upon each of its points, assigning each 
one of these passages beforehand to some person as his 
portion, and then in the meeting calling upon these 
persons to read them publicly, the leader first describ- 



312 THE PASTOR IN THE 

ing the point they are intended to prove or illustrate. 
This opens up the subject in a most profitable and im 
pressive manner ; it awakens a closer attention to the 
study of the Scriptures ; it gives a comprehensive view 
of the teachings of the word on that particular subject, 
and it interests both those who read and their friends 
in the exercises of the prayer- meeting. Besides, it helps 
to prepare them for taking a public part in prayer or 
remark on future occasions. 

12. Ladies of the congregation might send communi 
cations that could with great profit be read in the prayer- 
meeting. Their voices are not heard in the public 
meeting, but they might make their thoughts known 
even more plainly by writing. In this way they could 
impart that which would tend greatly to the edification 
of all. They might send facts, thoughts, brief essays, 
questions, reflections on passages of Scripture many 
things that would interest, instruct, comfort, and elevate 
the piety of the Church. It will be seen at a glance 
how appropriate this would be and how much it would 
add to the interest of the prayer-meeting. Such com 
munications could be sent to the pastor, either with or 
without the writers names, through the sexton ; or they 
might be dropped into a box provided for the purpose; 
or, best of all, they might be sent through the post before 
the evening of the meeting, so that the pastor might be 
ready to read them with more facility. 

13. Spirited singing is an important aid to the prayer- 
meeting. In all great religious movements sacred song 
has had a very prominent influence. Among other 
agencies, it had much to do with producing and sustain 
ing the recent blessed awakening both in Europe and 
this country. There must be protracted thought before 
we can arrive at a proper estimate of the influence it has 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 313 

always had upon the devotions of God s people and in 
the extension of gospel blessings. Animated singing 
must necessarily give interest to the prayer-meeting. 
Other parts of the services may weary, but this is liked 
by all, both young and old. All can take part in it, 
and so it becomes eminently the service of all. Much 
of the life of the prayer-meeting depends upon the way 
in which it is conducted. It is a service which ought 
to be prompt, brief, joined in by every voice, frequently 
repeated and appropriate to the subject before the meet 
ing. It is profitable to use the old hymns and tunes 
which are associated with all that is dear and sacred in 
the past, as well as those sweet gospel lays with which 
the piety of the present is stirring the hearts of believ 
ers. Both of these styles of sacred song should find a 
place in the social meeting. There are persons to whom 
each is peculiarly dear. It would give an interest ever 
fresh to have some new piece introduced from time to 
time. The whole matter of the singing should be in 
the hands of some competent and devoted person, who 
would make it a specialty and be always ready to throw 
in its important influence toward the attractiveness and 
profit of the services. 

14. Variety should be observed in the mode of con 
ducting the services. In this meeting, which depends so 
much on life and interest, it is not well to continue 
always in precisely the same order of exercises, or even 
to adhere always to exercises which are exactly the 
same. It is safe often to vary the mode and diversify 
the services. There is charm enough in variety to make 
an effort for it here very desirable. There are several 
modes of conducting a prayer-meeting, and advantages 
in each ; but these several advantages cannot be reached 
if it is always managed in the same way, while varying 

40 



314 THE PASTOR IN THE 

the mode may in the end secure them all. Sometimes 
one plan can be adopted and sometimes another. There 
may be an attractive change produced by varying the 
subjects, the persons leading, the order of exercises, and 
even the kinds of exercises. It might be advantageous 
even to observe a rotation of modes of conducting the 
services. It would not be wise to publish such a plan, 
and so make it obligatory. But to guide the pastor in 
arranging for the meetings, to keep any of the methods 
from being omitted and to preserve an attractive variety, 
it would certainly be profitable. A plan for the suc 
cessive meetings might be something like this : (a) 
Meeting conducted in the common method ; (b) Bible 
exercise; (c) Prayers and remarks voluntary; (d) Ser 
vices conducted by a new leader ; (e) Papers from cor 
respondents; (/) Subjects previously announced. It 
is believed that the adoption of some such scheme of 
exercises, to be continued in as regular succession as 
circumstances might admit, would add very much to 
both the pleasure and profit of the prayer-meeting. 
One departure from the ordinary method should here 
be specially recommended. It is that of occasional silent 
prayer. When there is an unusual degree of solemn 
feeling in a meeting such prayer will have a most hap 
py effect. Sometimes it will do more than the most 
glowing eloquence. It should not, however, be too 
often resorted to hardly ever unless when deep feel 
ing prevails. Then it will deepen and improve that 
feeling. 

15. A sense of the Divine Presence should be cherished 
in every meeting. This is our final and most important 
counsel. The presence and the blessed influence of the 
Holy Ghost should be so highly esteemed that there 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 315 

would be a most determined effort to secure them at 
every assembly of the people of God for prayer. With 
out this all other devices to make the meeting interest 
ing and profitable will be in vain ; with it, a holy influ 
ence will come down a sweetness, a solemnity, a power 
which will impart a peculiar delight and make the spot 
the dearest on earth. That the presence of Christ by 
his Spirit, when it is prayed for and looked for, may 
certainly be expected, is made abundantly sure by his 
own promise : " For where two or three are gathered 
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." 
Why should not this promise be fulfilled to the letter in 
every prayer-meeting ? If it were believed, prayed for 
and expected, and the meeting entered upon in that 
spirit, it undoubtedly would ; and it certainly should 
be aimed at with all intensity of desire and purpose in 
every assembly of the people of God for his worship of 
prayer, praise and holy meditation. The presence of 
the blessed Master ! Oh, what an elevated and sacred 
tone it would give to all the services of the hour ! what 
a sweetness it would impart to every element of the ser 
vices, from first to last ! Then the blessing would surely 
be realized the blessing of peace, the blessing of par 
don, the blessing of comfort, the blessing of strength, 
the blessings of " love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle 
ness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" the bless 
ing that would build up believers in their most holy 
faith, and the blessing that from time to time would bring 
the impenitent into the kingdom of our dear Lord. This 
would be to the prayer-meeting the crown of interest and 
profit and glory. The presence of Christ would make 
every prayer-meeting so sacred and happy that it would 
of a truth be a foretaste of heaven. It would in the end 
draw the attendance of the people of God, and others 



316 THE PASTOR IN THE 

too, as no other plan, no matter how well devised, pos 
sibly could. 

(b) COTTAGE PRAYER-MEETINGS. 

In addition to the weekly prayer-meeting held ordi 
narily in some apartment of the church, it is an excel 
lent plan to sustain cottage prayer-meetings in private 
houses throughout the bounds of the congregation. The 
places for holding these meetings should be so selected 
that they would be held occasionally in every district 
covered by the territory of the church. All arrange 
ments for them such as the times and places of hold 
ing, and the persons to conduct them should be in 
the hands of one of the elders. The same elder might 
be the leader, or he might appoint some other person to 
take that place, while the pastor, who should attend as 
often as possible, takes his seat with the audience and 
joins very briefly in the exercises of prayer or remark. 
When such meeting is appointed at the house of any 
family, that family should feel it a special duty to en 
deavor to secure the attendance of all its neighbors, 
whether worshipers in that particular church or not. 
Notice should be given from the pulpit every Sabbath 
of the place where this meeting is to be held. 

The influence of such meetings would be very bene 
ficial in many ways. Holding them with families which 
perhaps had become somewhat cold or alienated would 
be likely to restore them to new interest. Families or 
individuals that could not otherwise be persuaded to put 
themselves under the sound of the gospel might in this 
way be induced to go to the house of a neighbor and 
there hear of its priceless blessings. There could be no 
better opportunity than is thus furnished for young and 
diffident men to begin to take part in the exercises of 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 317 

social worship. Then how could Christians be brought 
more closely together in social religious communion 
than when they assemble in the private house around 
the mercy-seat ? It is a company of God s people meet 
ing to confer about their souls immortal welfare and 
about their dear absent Friend. The addresses which 
are made can be more familiar and unrestrained ; 
they can get down to points of Christian experience 
that would hardly ever be reached in other kinds of 
assemblages for worship. As Christians are brought 
closely together in person, so also are they brought very 
near to each other in that spiritual affection which is the 
great characteristic of the followers of Jesus. To many 
people the hours spent in the cottage prayer-meeting are 
amongst the happiest seasons by which the days of their 
pilgrimage are cheered. They are blessed moments, be 
cause they are spent with those who most ardently love 
the Master; because he is himself in their midst; be 
cause they have some resemblance to the scenes of the 
upper room of Jerusalem ; and because they are a fore 
taste of the sweet fellowship that will prevail in the 
heavenly mansions. 

In every congregation there are persons who are kept 
away from the house of God by long-continued illness, 
by the infirmities of age, or by other causes. In the 
houses of such persons it is very appropriate that the 
cottage prayer-meeting should frequently be held. They 
cannot go to the sanctuary, but what constitutes the at 
traction of the sanctuary can be taken to them. Most 
precious to them will be the coming of the social meet 
ing into their houses. When the services are held in 
such families it is well sometimes to celebrate the Lord s 
Supper with them. They are ordinarily deprived of the 
benefits of that ordinance, but in this way they will be 



318 THE PASTOR IN THE 

enabled to partake of it, and that in circumstances which 
will render it more affecting both to them and to all 
who may be assembled. 

(c) NOT TOO MANY PRAYER-MEETINGS. 

It is often the case, especially in churches located in 
cities and large towns, that more prayer-meetings are 
attempted to be held than are profitable, either for their 
own success or for the edification of Christians. Some 
times two or three are held on the Sabbath, and one on 
almost every evening or day of the week. This is a 
mistake, as may be easily seen upon a little reflection 
and observation of the results. 

It is not advisable, because when there are too many 
meetings held none of them will be so well attended ; 
each of them will drag in consequence of there being so 
few persons in attendance ; many of the very best spirits 
in the church must necessarily be absent from some of 
them, and so there will be an apparent lack of interest 
that must be damaging to them all. It is not advisable, 
because the frequency of their repetition is likely to de 
tract from the impressiveness of their services, interest 
in them will be likely to decline, and there will not be 
the attraction of freshness and variety which are so im 
portant. It is not advisable, because when so much time 
is occupied in attendance upon social meetings many 
other duties of a personal and relative nature must ne 
cessarily be neglected ; much time must be taken away 
from what should be devoted to the deeply-important 
exercises of private prayer and meditation ; family 
duties that are essential will be in danger of being 
omitted, and there are other imperative duties owed to 
society and to one s calling in life the performance of 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 319 

which would be rendered either impossible or sadly im 
perfect. 

The better plan is to hold only just so many prayer- 
meetings as should, and reasonably could, be attended 
by the body of the members. Then let all the force of 
numbers and interest be concentrated upon these. Let 
there be a most strenuous effort made to have all the 
communicants at least generally in attendance upon 
them. Let everything be contrived to make them as 
attractive as possible. One or two prayer- meetings well 
attended and thoroughly interesting are worth a dozen 
dragging along with but a few in attendance and with 
scarce an appearance of life. 

This counsel of course applies to churches in their 
ordinary condition. There are seasons of the special 
outpouring of the Holy Spirit when meetings for prayer 
cannot be too frequently held when in fidelity they 
must be held day by day. 



MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 

One of the prominent and hopeful features of Chris 
tianity at the present time is that which is seen in 
the establishment by churches of outposts for preach 
ing, prayer- meetings or Sabbath-schools. In both city 
and country there seems to be a blessed impulse leading 
the people of God to engage in such enterprises. The 
various denominations of Christians are vying with each 
other in efforts to spread the gospel through this effectual 
instrumentality. Sometimes a company of young men 
and others go to the outskirts of the congregation, or 
beyond, and establish a mission Sabbath -school ; some 
times a prayer-meeting is set up and sustained by elders 
and others of the active members ; sometimes a post is 



320 THE PASTOR IN THE 

made at which there is a stated appointment for preach 
ing and lecturing ; or sometimes the whole enterprise is 
carried on with the fixed purpose of gathering together 
the nucleus for the formation of a church. This kind 
of work cannot be too highly recommended ; it should 
he carried on perseveringly, each church sustaining one 
or more such enterprises. 

Amongst the advantages of pursuing this plan we 
may enumerate the following: (a) The enterprise of 
pushing abroad the outposts of the Church is accord 
ing to the mission and the spirit of the gospel, which is 
appointed to spread like the leaven and grow like the 
mustard-seed, whose very nature is such that where its 
real influence prevails it must be aggressive, and whose 
progress is never to cease until it has brought the whole 
world to the feet of Jesus, (b) It extends the bless 
ings of the gospel in the immediate neighborhood of 
the church, which is manifestly the natural and appro 
priate method of progress, for it must ever be the rule 
to begin at Jerusalem ; besides, if its own suburbs are 
not cared for by any particular church, what other 
human agency is likely to be brought to bear upon 
them ? (G I ) This is the true plan by which to prepare 
for the establishment of new church organizations. It 
tries the ground, it gathers the material, it lays the 
foundations, so that when the real work of building up 
a separate organization is undertaken everything will be 
ready, and it will not in a little while be followed, as is 
too often the case, by mortifying failure and injury to 
the cause, (d) It carries the ordinances of preaching, 
social prayer and the Sabbath-school to many families 
and individuals in the outskirts of the congregation 
who otherwise must be deprived of them because of their 
remoteness from the house of God. This is particularly 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 321 

the case with the aged, the infirm, the poor, and the care 
less who have not interest enough to take the trouble of 
going any distance, but may possibly attend when the 
services are at their door, (e) This plan of extending 
the gospel gives the people something to do, which is 
made so essential by the great Master, which will prove 
such a blessing to their own souls, for which so many 
of them are ready if the way be open, and which 
will arouse such new currents of life and happiness in 
the whole Church. (/) It will strengthen the central 
church by gathering into it from the suburbs ; by help 
ing to drive out of it the spirit of selfishness ; by turn 
ing upon the objects of Christian enterprise that atten 
tion of the members which, if allowed to brood upon 
imaginary grievances, might lead to serious strifes ; and 
by fanning the noble and ennobling spirit of Chris 
tian benevolence, (g) It will prove to be a great benefit 
to the pastor, by raising up for him a multitude of help 
ers trained in this important school, and each bringing 
his own element of strength to assist in building up the 
general cause. Besides, it will furnish him a profitable 
opportunity for preaching in a less formal or restrained 
method than he would be likely to indulge in under 
other circumstances, and so prepare him for any emer 
gency which may arise. There are other advantages 
to which we might allude, but these are sufficient to 
show the importance of this duty which lies upon the 
church and pastor. Some such mission outposts should 
be established by every church. It is difficult to con 
ceive of any church so situated that, if it earnestly 
seeks, it may not find a suitable field for them. Even 
very small churches would be strengthened in the end 
by this plan of extending the blessings of Christ s 
kingdom. 

41 



322 THE PASTOR IN THE 



VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATIONS. 

This is a subject which is surrounded by difficulties, 
and which the pastor needs to handle with great deli 
cacy and wisdom. On the one hand is the danger of 
repressing the real Christian zeal which seeks to exert 
itself in this manner ; on the other are the evils which 
so often arise from a zeal that is not guided by know 
ledge or experience or the authority of the unerring 
word. We would throw out a few suggestions which 
may assist in averting both these dangers suggestions 
that, if heeded, may prevent the evils from arising ; 
which is far better in every case than to meet them 
after they have arisen, scattering discord and awaken 
ing unhallowed passions. 

1. It is a fundamental principle that God s plan of 
doing church- work of every kind is always best. The 
expediency of the hour may seem otherwise, but in 
the end it will always be found to work out the most 
satisfactory and abundant results for good. The agents 
for whose appointment God has ordained, the schemes 
which have been established by divine authority and 
the instruments which he has framed may always be 
relied upon as safest and most efficient. 2. If the 
agencies for doing good which God has manifestly ap 
pointed are faithfully worked, then no others will be 
needed, and no others will be ordinarily attempted. In 
multitudes of cases perhaps in most cases voluntary 
associations are organized for the purpose of doing the 
work which the church, as such, could do, and ought 
to do, but is culpably neglecting. Hence the effectual 
way of preventing the whole difficulty is for the church 
to be faithful in every work, and to enlist in it the piety 
and the zeal which are likely to seek some other meth- 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 32. ] 

ods of operation. 3. Independent organizations in a 
church very often lead to difficulties of various kinds. 
They distract the energies that ought to be concen 
trated on the great work, they alienate from the in 
terests of the church, they are in danger of giving 
rise to invidious comparisons, they sometimes awaken 
strifes and rivalries that are sorely to be lamented, 
and they occasionally run into evils which experience 
and a riper Christian judgment would have avoided. 
4. At the same time, there are certain auxiliaries which 
have been tested by time and perfected by experience, 
and are so manifestly in harmony with the scriptural 
methods for carrying on the gospel -work that they 
ought always to be approved, guided and used by the 
authorities of the Church. Among these may be placed: 
prayer-meetings for young people, where the diffident 
may become prepared for taking part in more public 
services ; organizations for distributing books and tracts 
an agency for doing good which is of incalculable 
value ; pastors aid associations of ladies ; Dorcas socie 
ties ; and bands of workers to look after young men 
and to gather strangers and others into the sanctuary. 
Such helps as these may be used with great profit, and 
should be encouraged and carefully supervised by pas 
tor and elders. 



TEMPERANCE. 

The evils of intemperance in corrupting the young, 
debasing the old, depraving the administration of public 
affairs, sending indescribable miseries into households, 
leading to crimes of every name and degree, stupefying 
the intellect, deadening the moral sensibility, placing 
insurmountable obstacles in the way of the gospel and 



324 THE PASTOR IN THE 

sinking tens of thousands of souls into eternal death, - 
these evils are so enormous, so peculiar and so perpet 
uated by the most unhallowed powers of men that 
special efforts should be made by all who love their race 
and their Church and their God to meet them. Here 
sin appears in one of its most appalling forms, and de 
mands that an extraordinary struggle be made at least to 
weaken its destructive force. All earnestness of thought 
and of effort is needed to meet evils which are so tre 
mendous. And the Church should not leave the cause of 
temperance without its sanctifying and heaven-guided 
influence. It should not leave the contest with the 
deadly foe to be carried on by the world alone. It should 
not give cause for the reproach that it is making no 
special efforts to stop a tide of moral, physical and spir 
itual ruin such as makes the heart sick that contemplates 
it. The Church should take the lead ; it should throw 
in the hallowed influence of religion ; it should bring to 
oear the motives which are drawn from heaven, earth 
and hell, from time and eternity, from God, Calvary 
and the soul s immortality. 

The pastor should be a leader in all proper move 
ments against the terrible evil of intemperance. By 
his example and by his untiring efforts he should show 
that he is in earnest in the strife against this gigantic 
foe to all that is holy and hopeful for men. On the 
noble principle of the apostle, " Wherefore, if meat 
make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the 
world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend," he 
should take his stand, and by hand and heart, voice and 
example, assist in a cause which is designed to save tens 
of thousands. He should preach on it often and em 
phatically, pointing to the self-sacrificing example of 
Christ, appealing to Christians by every feeling of hu- 



ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCH. 325 

manity and by their love to Christ and souls, warning 
them of their danger and pointing to the glorious tri 
umphs which might be achieved if the people of God 
were only alive to the subject and united in effort. He 
should lead the church in all her plans for helping in 
the great reform. Conducted by him and his elders, 
the church should organize schemes for promoting sound 
views on the subject of temperance, for rescuing drunk 
ards, for guarding the young against the dangers by 
which they are surrounded, for creating a public sen 
timent that will make all drinking habits disreputable, 
and for gathering men into the true Church of Jesus 
Christ, where alone they will be safe. 

In all the efforts which pastor and church may make 
in this cause it should be constantly repeated and em 
phasized that temperance is only one of the rudiments 
of the far higher thing, religion ; for where religion 
reigns, where the heart has been changed by divine 
grace, there sobriety will of necessity prevail. Make 
men true Christians, and they are saved from this as 
well as from every other foe. The gospel comes to 
make men free, and those who are redeemed by it can 
be no more enslaved by the demon of intemperance, for 
they have entered into the true liberty of the children 
of God. 



CHAPTER VII. 
THE PASTOR IN THE PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 

THE progress of the Church in every object for which 
it was established, and in every grace which should 
characterize it as composed of the redeemed people of 
God, is a subject so vital that it demands the considera 
tion of a distinct chapter. This element of the Church s 
life is so manifestly ordained of her great Head, so 
essential to her new nature, so comprehensive in its 
extent and so blessed in all its influences and results, 
that the pastor ought to look upon it as a great central 
aim of his whole ministry. Its nature, necessity, obliga 
tions, means and advantages should receive from him the 
most earnest attention from the first to the last day of 
his service in the gospel. He should set his mind upon 
this progress, and determine that by divine grace it shall 
characterize all his work. Everything should have this 
aim all that he does should be bent in the line of this 
tendency of gospel-work. 

PROGRESS ESSENTIAL. 

It has most obviously been made by its divine Author 
a fundamental principle and essential quality of the 
gospel that it is to go on increasing more arid more 
until its earthly work is done. All the scriptural pre 
dictions, descriptions and assertions concerning its nature 
abundantly establish this. At one time it is compared 

326 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 327 

to the mustard-seed, which grows from the smallest germ 
to be " the greatest among herbs ;" at another time to 
the leaven, which goes on affecting particle after particle 
until the whole mass is changed ; at another to the stone 
cut out of the mountain without hands, which is to ex 
pand until it fills the whole earth ; at another to " the 
shining light, that shineth more and more unto the per 
fect day." All these and many other scriptural utter 
ances show that progress is intended to be an essential 
attribute of the Church. The disciples in the time of 
Christ and under his personal supervision put forth 
every effort to this end. For this, too, after his depart 
ure, the apostles toiled and suffered without wearying 
until they went to their heavenly rest. The Church 
exists to glorify God, to edify believers and to extend 
the gospel throughout all the nations and languages of 
the world. It is her very nature to reach out after 
these momentous objects, and they are objects which are 
illimitable in their extent. There is no law more cer 
tainly ordained than that the Church is to gain on the 
world ; there is nothing more imperative on it than that 
it is for ever to be aggressive on the kingdom of dark 
ness. 

In both the individual soul and the united body of 
believers progress is the normal state. It is of the very 
nature of grace to grow. The regenerated man, if in 
a healthy spiritual state, must " grow in grace and in 
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 
Those who have been saved themselves must bring others 
to the same salvation. Growth should be considered 
as an essential element of the Christian life. If there 
is not advance, there is certainly something wrong. 
If there is not growth, both in the individual and in 
the Christian body, there is great cause for alarm. It 



328 THE PASTOR IN THE 

is not enough that we hold our own either in the ex 
perience of grace in the soul or in our advance on the 
territory of an ungodly world ; we must go forward. 
Where there is not this normal progress there must 
necessarily be, and there always is, decline. 

This progress should extend to every grace of the 
Christian and to every enterprise for which the Church 
has been established. There should be increase in grace, 
in the goodness which is wrought in the heart by the 
Holy Ghost, in the likeness to Jesus which is formed 
in every believer, in that beauty of character which 
should distinguish the Bride of Christ, in rneetness 
for the inheritance of the saints in light, in Christian 
liberality, and in the active zeal which springs 
from sympathy in the great enterprise whose object 
is the redemption of the world. Efforts to gain souls 
and honor God should become increasingly energetic. 
There should be constantly increasing numbers of 
those who are coming out of the kingdom of darkness 
and joining the blood-bought host of Jesus. If the 
number of those who are received into the member 
ship of the visible Church does not much increase, it 
is not a certain evidence that no good is being accom 
plished, but it is a cause for great anxiety. There 
should be no rest to the people of God in their en 
croachments on the world, which they are ever to 
strive to save. 



SPECIAL EFFORTS TO BE SOMETIMES MADE. 

It is well sometimes, as occasionally in connection 
with communion services, to awaken attention to the 
necessity for growth in the Church, and to make special 
efforts with that end in view. There might be an in- 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 329 

crease in the number of meetings, additional means 
of grace could be used, the prayers should be more 
earnest, the preaching might be more direct, and there 
should be greater activity and faithfulness with souls 
on the part of all the members. Such efforts, greater 
than it would be practicable to continue at all times, 
should without doubt be occasionally made in every 
church. 

The most appropriate time for holding services de 
signed to awaken such special attention is in connection 
with the celebration of the Lord s Supper not every 
time that ordinance is observed, but as often as may 
be deemed desirable. The communion season certainly 
calls for and justifies special thoughtfulness, special 
solemnity and special endeavor. Its affecting nature 
should assist in deepening the impressions which are 
sought to be made. Then it is generally expected, and 
justly so, that occasionally at least there should be 
special services and special interest too in connection 
with this precious ordinance. In fact, it has always been 
customary in Presbyterian churches at least, as in Scot 
land and Ireland, to observe days of solemn worship be 
fore or after its observance. It is undoubtedly a wise 
practice of many experienced pastors, who hold a week 
of daily services before the communion once in every 
year. 

The custom of improving communion seasons in this 
way, and using them to assist in attaining to higher 
measures of grace and efficiency in the cause of Christ, 
has many things to recommend it. In consequence of 
the continued services and thoughtfulness by which it 
is approached the ordinance itself will be likely to prove 
unusually profitable. Then there will be an important 
opportunity furnished for reflection as to the state of 

42 



330 THE PASTOR IN THE 

the soul and the progress of the new life, for breaking 
up the unprofitable monotony into which the church 
may have settled down, and for commencing anew on a 
higher plane of effort for the upbuilding of the kingdom. 
Besides, such continued and earnest services will be 
likely to bring some persons to a decision for Christ who 
have long halted, or who may be already his followers 
but have never felt as they should the necessity of ac 
knowledging him before the world by coming to his 
sacramental feast. 



REVIVALS. 

It is very often the case that the most rapid progress 
of churches is made during seasons of revival, and so 
it is necessary for us now to devote some attention to 
them. The value of revivals is well understood in 
most evangelical churches. They are often found to 
be blessed harvest-times which follow months, or years 
perhaps, of careful sowing and cultivating. A faithful 
minister will have much to do with them, as they will 
be most intimately connected with his success, use 
fulness and the state of piety in his own soul. Very 
carefully should all pastors study the subject, so that 
they may duly appreciate such seasons of reviving, and 
be prepared to improve them to the utmost when the 
blessing comes. 

(a) REVIVALS OF INESTIMABLE VALUE. 

Of their reality there can be no doubl in the mind of 
any one who casts his eyes over the manifestations of 
grace in the Church in either former or latter times. 
The past and the present give equal testimony that such 
gracious visitations are of a truth vouchsafed to the 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 331 

people of God. In this land the records of the Church 
are full of thanksgiving for seasons of revival more or 
less powerful in their results. In Great Britain there 
have been seasons of awakening in which the whole as 
pect of the Church has been changed both as to its num 
bers and piety. One great revival, lasting for many 
years, brought the greater part of Wales up from a con 
dition of spiritual ignorance and degradation to one 
where true scriptural piety exerts its highest influences. 
It is impossible to look over the names of the member 
ship in any of our evangelical churches without finding 
among them many of the most consistent and devoted 
who were brought to the salvation of Christ in seasons 
of revival. How often have single revivals been known 
to elevate a whole church to a higher sphere of piety 
and numbers and usefulness ! These thoughts are well 
worthy of attention : " To argue against revivals, or to 
say and do anything in opposition to the idea of revivals, 
has the appearance of finding fault with God s spiritual 
and providential administration. The gospel dispensa 
tion was introduced by the most marvelous outpouring 
of the Holy Spirit. The conversion of three thousand 
souls in a day was a miracle of grace in testimony of 
the glorious era of the fullness of the times/ The 
providence and grace of God have retained the idea of 
revivals in the Church. What was the Reformation but 
a revival of religion carried on by the Holy Spirit from 
nation to nation? During the early part of the last 
century divine grace wrought wonderful works, espe 
cially in England, Wales, Scotland and America. At 
the kirk of Cambusling alone five hundred persons are 
supposed to have been converted to Christ. At North 
ampton a mighty revival occurred under the ministry 
of that orthodox, great and good man, Jonathan Ed- 



332 THE PASTOR IN THE 

wards ; and revivals were numerous and powerful 
throughout our country under the preaching and 
labors of the memorable Whitefield and others. It 
is estimated that in two or three years thirty or forty 
thousand were born into the family of heaven in New 
England, besides great numbers in New York, New 
Jersey and the more southern provinces. Since that 
remarkable era revivals have at intervals blessed Zion 
in our own and other lands." The following extract 
from the Revivals of the Eighteenth Century, a book 
published a few years ago by the Free Church of Scot 
land, should be carefully pondered : " And first, is it 
not true that we also live under the ministration of the 
Spirit, and, as regards everything essential to conversion, 
as really as did the apostles ? Secondly, is it not equally 
true that, as a generation, we come sadly short of the 
power which accompanied the word during the age of 
the apostles, and also during the times which we have 
been reviewing ? Thirdly, is it not equally true that an 
awakening is much wanted, because of the prevalence 
of an ungodly and worldly spirit among professors, and 
on account of the multitudes who make not even a pro 
fession of religion? Fourthly, is it not further true 
that there is an important end to be served by awaken 
ings, however temporary namely, in disturbing the deep 
slumber of an ungodly and worldly age ? The ministry 
of John the Baptist was awakening and meant to pre 
pare the way for a fuller gospel, and the day of Pente 
cost itself was but a day, a day of grace ; moreover, the 
apostle Peter seems to refer to something of this kind 
when he exhorts: Eepent ye therefore, and be con 
verted, that your sins may be blotted out when the 
times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the 
Lord/ And lastly, might it not then be well consid- 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 333 

ered whether we are not sinning in this through unbe 
lief? whether we are not sinning against the faithful 
ness of God to his own promises?" 

When a true revival prevails in any church the pastor 
himself becomes one of the greatest gainers ; the reviv 
ing influence is felt in his own soul, quickening all his 
graces, giving him a fuller consecration to his work, and 
imparting a delight in it which was before unknown. 
Then preaching becomes a real pleasure; he finds easy 
access to inquiring souls, and the sweetest satisfaction 
is felt as one after another tells him of the first joys of 
pardoned sin. As the blessed work goes on he rejoices 
more and more in being privileged to lead to the cross 
large numbers of those who shall rise up at last to call 
him blessed, and to be his "joy" and "crown of rejoi 
cing" "in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at his 
coming." He rejoices, too, in the prospect of having a 
new accession of helpers who shall engage with him in 
carrying on the Lord s work. And oh, what encourage 
ment he receives ! What gladness takes possession of 
his heart as he sees that glorious work so greatly pros 
pering in his hands ! 

Such seasons of refreshing also bring with them bless 
ings that are most precious to all those who are already 
the followers of Christ. They receive into their souls 
a baptism of the Holy Ghost which increases their 
faith, strengthens their love, intensifies their joys in 
Christ and raises them nearer to their beloved Saviour 
in likeness and in hope. Then breaches which may 
have wretchedly separated them are healed ; their 
quenchless love to Jesus is gratified by seeing so many 
coming to him to swell the tide of his divine satisfac 
tion ; they rejoice that relatives and friends are saved 
from the wrath to come, brought up out of the horrible 



THE PASTOR IN THE 

pit, out of the miry clay, and enter upon the path of 
" glory and honor and immortality" that their num 
bers are being recruited, and a great increase made of 
the force with which they may come to the help of the 
Lord. 

Then, great as are the blessings which come down upon 
pastor or private Christians at such times, they are noth 
ing compared with those which are received by the happy 
subjects of redeeming grace who are then brought into 
the kingdom. Who can describe the change when they 
are rescued as " brands plucked out of the fire," released 
from the dominion of Satan and introduced into the 
kingdom of God s dear Son, delivered from the prospect 
of endless agony and made sure of an eternity of blessed 
ness ? It should never be forgotten that every soul saved 
is brought into a state in reference to whose present and 
future realities the pen of inspiration has written that 
" eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have en 
tered into the heart of man, the things which God hath 
prepared for them that love him" into the eternal 
friendship of the Son of God, into the guardianship 
of angels while on earth and their society throughout 
eternity. Such a change could have been wrought by 
no other power than that of Omnipotence, and would 
have been wrought by nothing else than divine love. 
Oh, what tongue can tell its blessings ! Is it any 
wonder that angels rejoice over it ? that amongst the 
blessed there is a joy that cannot be restrained ? Then, 
in striving to estimate the value of times of refreshing 
from the presence of the Lord, let it be remembered that 
there are many such changes from death unto life ex 
perienced. 

Ought not seasons which are so full of blessings to be 
constantly longed for and striven for and prayed for and 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 335 

pi cached for, and every other authorized means used to 
bring them about? Ought not the aim to be that they 
should not come intermittingly, but that they should 
abide in the ever-increasing intensity of the church s 
life? Why should it not be so? Why should not 
the church always continue in what is now called a 
revived state? 

(6) THE PASTOR HIMSELF SHOULD DO THE MOST OF THE 
PREACHING. 

In seasons of the special outpouring of the Holy 
Spirit upon a church, sometimes most of the preaching 
is done by the pastor himself, and sometimes by others 
whom he may invite, such as neighboring ministers, em 
inent revival preachers or professed evangelists. We 
would most unhesitatingly say that the first plan is the 
better one, and that their own shepherd should at such 
times lead the people to the fountain of divine truth. 
This is now generally admitted, for Christian wisdom 
endorses it, and experience sometimes very bitter ex 
perience has proved it. 

The pastor can present the truth to his awakened and 
inquiring congregation better than any one else. As he 
goes from house to house, and converses with one after 
another either of revived believers or of others who 
are beginning to inquire and pray he will know what 
the peculiar type of feeling and want of each is as no 
other person could possibly know it. Moreover, he can 
follow up, day after day, some fixed plan of presenting 
the truth, and so impart fuller information, which is so 
much needed when many are inquiring about the way 
of life or beginning to walk in it. Besides, he will be 
in the spirit of the revival, which one coming from a 
colder atmosphere cannot be expected to bring with 



336 THE PASTOR IN THE 

him. His heart will be in it his whole heart, his 
affections, his interests, his all. No other person could 
be expected to preach with the deep fervor that would 
move him. 

Then it should be considered that an ill-advised or 
imprudent discourse at such a time may do an incal 
culable amount of injury may even chill and destroy 
the whole work. Such sad instances are not unknown. 
If there be a new preacher every evening, people some 
times come actuated by curiosity, and instead of taking 
home the truth will let their minds run upon the com 
parison of the different ministers. A stranger coming 
into the midst of animated revival scenes will hardly be 
in the same spirit, and may diminish instead of increas 
ing its flame. Instances could be given where preachers 
other than the pastor have been invited to assist in sea 
sons of awakening, and by imprudent sermons ser 
mons utterly inappropriate or offensive in spirit have 
crushed out the rising hopes. 

It is also worthy of consideration that a minister may 
impair his own influence by calling in others to do 
most of the preaching in a time of special ingathering. 
Such times are his harvests, and after he has long sown 
the seed and cultivated the ground, why should he, 
without the best reasons, bring in others to have the 
credit of reaping it? People will scarcely be able to 
discriminate, but will be likely to conclude that the 
preaching which is followed by immediate results is 
superior to his, even though those results are but the 
fruit of his years of toil. The pastor will appear to 
disadvantage when he gives up his pulpit to others, as 
if he were not capable of preaching at such import 
ant seasons. He thus prepares the way for unfavorable 
comparisons. " We do not think," wrote the Rev. Dr. 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 337 

Thomas H. Skinner, " that the pastor will on the whole 
find it expedient to introduce another preacher into his 
parish. An occasional sermon, or an exchange of pul 
pits now and then with a neighboring pastor, may as 
formerly be still acceptable, but preaching a consecu 
tive course of sermons by a stranger, especially if he be 
a man of captivating address or uncommon eloquence, 
may not favor the advancement of the simple and spir 
itual work now in progress among the flock, and, what 
is more to be regarded, may put the pastor as a preacher 
into a disadvantageous contrast with this more attrac 
tive, but perhaps less solid, and on the whole less instruc 
tive, less profitable, preacher. There may be cases in 
which another preacher is necessary, as when the pas 
tor s health fails ; but there will probably be no gain, 
either to the pastor or to the flock, on the whole, by 
employing an additional preacher or evangelist, unless 
necessity seems to make the demand." It is a great 
gain for the pastor s influence to be regarded as the 
spiritual father of the young converts as they come 
into the church. He will thereby secure their more 
lasting affection and co-operation. 

Then, even if preaching is to be continued daily, 
most pastors will find that they are able to do the 
greater part of it themselves when the interest is so 
deep. It is easy to preach while the Spirit of God is 
poured out in unusual power. Great sermons are not 
then looked for or needed. Besides, any pastor can well 
afford to work hard for the few weeks during which 
such special services are ordinarily continued. It is 
the harvest-season, when, if ever, he must toil with all 
his might to gather in the richest store. 



338 THE PASTOR IN THE 

(c) MEETINGS WITH INQUIRERS. 

When a church is revived and meetings are fre 
quently held and deep feeling prevails, it is undoubt 
edly important that, after the ordinary services, the pas 
tor and others should meet with those who are awakened 
to converse and pray with them. Some adjoining room 
should be fixed upon, and while the audience is sing 
ing at the close of the services the inquirers should 
retire to it. Sometimes it may be better to request them 
to remain in their seats while the rest of the audience 
retire, that an interview might be had with them ; this 
plan will be less embarrassing to them than the other. 
Sometimes, but only when the seriousness is very deep, 
it may be wise to ask them to stand up in the audience 
and so manifest their awakened interest. This might 
deepen their impressions as well as influence others. 

There are several reasons why some such means as 
these should be used in connection with revival services. 
When special religious impressions are made upon any 
heart there is so much at stake that every lawful effort 
should be made to improve the opportunity. In the 
minds of inquirers there are often some difficulties to be 
removed, some want of information which needs to be 
met, something further that is required to induce them 
to close with Christ. Soul needs to be brought into 
contact with individual soul in order that the full power 
of the truth may be seen and felt. Sometimes the mere 
making it known to others that they are in earnest 
commits the inquirers to a course of seeking which is 
persevered in to the happiest results. Then it is all- 
important that those who become awakened to the 
interests of their souls should be made known by some 
such means as these, so that the pastor and others may 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 339 

visit them and help them in what may prove to be the 
very crisis of their being. 

(d) THE PASTOR TO BE INFORMED WHO ARE AWAKENED. 

After all his own efforts to discover the persons who 
are in this interesting state of mind, there still will be 
some concerning whose new interest in eternal things 
he will know nothing. There will often be many such 
inquirers in a congregation, and the minister cannot be 
expected to know of them all unless their friends in 
form him. From diffidence or other causes very many 
will not themselves let him know unless their convic 
tions are very deep ; relatives and friends should there 
fore tell him of all such cases, that he may visit them 
at once and that he may be guided in his ministrations 
to them. This may be easily done, and it should be in 
sisted on as a sacred duty. 

It is not difficult for friends who are frequently with 
them to discover when persons are concerned about the 
salvation of their souls. That concern will reveal 
itself in the unusual seriousness of demeanor, in the 
more diligent attendance upon the ordinances, or in 
other symptoms that cannot long be concealed. Some 
times inquirers will tell their intimate friends about 
their concern when they would not make it known to 
others. And words cannot express the importance of 
watching that rising flame, guarding it, and having it- 
kindled into a life that will never be extinguished. 
By all means should friends make it known to the pas 
tor when such symptoms of turning to Christ appear. 
Young converts should be encouraged to tell him of 
others whom they may find beginning to inquire con 
cerning the way of life. This is a duty which should 
be made very plain to all Christians. 



340 THE PASTOR IN THE 

A word then is too important in its promise of solemn 
results not to be spoken. The period may have come 
in the history of that inquirer when he may be induced 
to set out on the way which leads to life eternal, or when 
he may harden himself against conviction and seal his 
doom of woe. A word then may remove some difficulty 
that obstructs the way of the anxious soul to the cross, 
may direct what is to be done, may guide to the exact 
promise which is needed, or may deepen conviction and 
give an impulse heavenward. It may decide the soul s 
eternal destiny ; and who would not speak that word ? 
or who would not lead some other person, better in 
structed in the way of life, to speak it ? 

(e) THE AWAKENED SHOULD BE VISITED AT THEIR 
HOMES. 

At their homes there will more certainly be an op 
portunity of seeing them, and of seeing them alone, 
which is nearly always best. Then conversation can be 
had with them which will be more full and free and 
satisfactory. Moreover, when they see that their pastor 
is willing thus to take trouble to promote their spirit 
ual welfare, they will feel more deeply that he is in 
earnest, and that there are profound causes for that 
earnestness. 

At their homes persons who are under conviction of 
sin will open their minds more fully than they could 
be induced to do in the meeting for inquirers or any 
other meeting. By the excitement of the public mani 
festation they would be confused, and by the conscious 
ness of the presence of others they would be restrained. 
When not thus restrained or confused they will be able 
to give a better account of their convictions and doubts 
and difficulties, as well as to listen more attentively to 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 341 

the counsels they may receive. The minister also can 
give a clearer statement of the truth as applicable to 
their state. He can then preach the gospel with a more 
exact appropriateness to their wants than would be pos 
sible in public. He can sit down with them and show 
them the Scriptures which bear the precious message 
they need. Unquestionably, impressions on their minds 
can be more healthfully deepened and improved when 
they are apart from all distracting influences. 

In seasons of revival, then, the pastor should take 
great pains to find out who in the congregation are in 
quiring, and to visit them promptly at their homes. He 
should endeavor to discover it by urgently requesting 
relatives and friends and Sabbath-school teachers and 
others to give him the information. He should be 
watchful to make the discovery himself. He should 
endeavor to find it out through meetings for inquirers 
or any other methods of public manifestation. He 
should visit those whom he even suspects to be inter 
ested about their immortal interests. Even his visit 
may be the means of awakening them to the first move 
ments toward their Saviour. 

At considerable sacrifice even, if it be necessary, 
much time should be given to this personal work with 
souls by the pastor when there is such a golden oppor 
tunity. It is pre-eminently his harvest-time. Souls are 
ripe ; will he not undergo toil to gather them in ? Souls 
are at stake ; their condition for eternity is soon to be 
decided. The glory of Christ too is at stake, so far as it 
would be promoted by their salvation. Can any pastor 
endure the thought of a soul being lost through his 
neglect or unwillingness to undergo hardness even for 
a little season ? Surely we can afford to work hard 
while the Spirit of God is poured out in special effu- 



342 THE PASTOR IN THE 

sion and souls are pressing into the kingdom. Let us 
rather neglect anything than inquiring souls at such 
times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Let 
it be our rule that no matter what sacrifice, what watch 
ing, what trouble, what aid from others may be needed, 
they shall not be neglected. 

(/) BOOKS AND TRACTS SHOULD BE USED. 

Enough use is not made of the Bible with the awa 
kened in times of revival. Never should it be forgotten 
that this is the sword of the Spirit. There is nothing 
that comes with so much authority, nothing that goes 
so directly to the conscience, nothing that is so certainly 
clothed with the power of the Spirit, nothing that is 
such pure truth, nothing that can do the execution of 
God s own word. Inquirers should by all means be 
urged to search it daily, and guided to those portions 
of it which are most appropriate to their awakened 
state of mind. Then other books also may be of very 
great use, and should be put in their hands, so that 
nothing may be left undone. This is an instrumentality 
for conveying truth, deepening impressions and guiding 
inquirers to the Lamb of God, the efficacy of which 
has been so well tested that much should be made of it 
in revivals. Books and tracts are easily given, and they 
should therefore be diligently used. 

Appropriate tracts or small volumes put into the 
hands of a person who is awakened will be read, even 
though at other times they would scarcely be looked at. 
They will sometimes give information about points that 
may not have been reached in the pulpit ; they may 
present some things more impressively than the preacher 
has presented them ; they may enforce his teachings by 
adding the authority of other honored names ; they 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 343 

influence the anxious heart in its most solitary hours ; 
they will keep the impressions made in the public assem 
bly fixed in the mind. They have been owned of God 
many and many a time, not only to the comfort but also 
to the conversion of souls. 

Pains should be taken to find out works which are 
suitable for this purpose. Many excellent ones are now 
published brief, impressive, full of the very marrow 
of the gospel, and pertinent to almost every conceivable 
case. The minister should make himself familiar with 
these, and keep a supply of them on hand to give to 
such inquirers as he may think they would help. Some 
times, when they are expensive volumes, he could lend 
them ; sometimes, when smaller, he could present them, 
so that they could be perused and reperused. 

In times of reviving it is also well to have tracts dis 
tributed throughout the community. The pastor him 
self can do it by handing them to one and another whom 
he approaches on the subject of religion ; they can be 
put into the pews of the church ; friends can give them 
to friends ; and there can be some arrangements made 
for their general distribution. The Spirit will certain 
ly accompany them when they are given in faith with 
prayer. They may awaken some, and some they may 
bring to Christ. Moreover, the reading of appropriate 
tracts by Christians at such a time may excite them to 
more zeal, and direct them how to deal with awakened 
souls, how to approach the careless, and what else they 
can do to help forward the blessed cause. Then the 
distribution of tracts can be made an important branch 
of Christian effort in which young Christians and others 
may be exercised. 



344 THE PASTOR IN THE 

(g) DANGER OF KE ACTION. 

Sad experience shows that there is danger that after 
a season of unusual fervor there will follow a time of 
unusual indifference. After a state of great activity in 
the Church there follows another of almost none ; after 
the joy of seeing many professing the name of Christ 
comes the sorrow of seeing scarcely any ; after revival 
there may follow a time of deeper sleep. 

We warn of this danger, not because we would plead 
it as an argument against revivals, nor because we be 
lieve it to be a necessary consequence of them, but be 
cause the frequency of the occurrence of such reaction 
is such that special precaution ought always be taken to 
avert it. It is the great evil which is to be dreaded after 
revivals. Experience shows that this caution is needed. 
The thoughtful observation of Dr. Archibald Alexander 
was undoubtedly correct, that even after genuine revivals 
there is very often spiritual dearth. 

This reaction occurs when the people form for them 
selves a sort of salvo that the work is now all done. 
Many friends and neighbors have been brought into 
the kingdom, the house of God has been filled up 
with new worshipers, the tone of piety throughout the 
church has been greatly improved, religion has been 
elevated to a higher stage of importance and power : 
now that so much has been accomplished, there may 
properly be a rest ; and a rest is taken which soon 
proves a lamentable retrogression. 

Such reaction after a season of revival is an evil 
greatly to be dreaded, and it should be guarded against 
by every possible precaution. It is a sin against God, 
a sore calamity to the church and a misfortune to the 
minister, the bitter fruits of which he may have to reap 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 345 

for many a day. This is a time when animosities and 
strifes very often break out. From a new-born zeal 
which is not always acccording to knowledge or wis 
dom, from the influence of some individuals recently 
brought into the church who were self-deceived, and 
from recrimination because of the spiritual dearth 
which all must acknowledge, from these and other 
causes lamentable discords arise. How often have such 
things been ! and how often have the godly wept over 
them ! 

To know and admit the existence of this danger is to 
be in a great measure prepared to guard against its oc 
currence. Even during the progress of the revival it 
will be advisable to use every possible precaution against 
the return of spiritual lethargy to the church. Then, 
afterward, much prayer will be needed and sound judg 
ment required to be used, so that there shall not be even 
the appearance of waxing cold. It will be found of the 
greatest advantage to keep the people busy in the va 
rious avenues of usefulness which at such a time are 
opened up. In fact, there should be no end to the re 
vival. Why should there be? The number of meet 
ings must be diminished, but why should not everything 
else that characterizes the favored season be continued 
as the permanent life of the church ? A true revival 
raises the people of God to a higher degree of spiritual 
ity : why should its blessings ever be diminished? 

In this connection it must be profitable to study the 
criteria of a genuine revival of religion as they were 
given by Dr. Archibald Alexander. They are in sub 
stance these : 1. The truth of the gospel is the only 
instrumentality used God never makes use of error as 
an instrument, and it mars the work ; 2. The effects are 
such as the Spirit produces namely, trust in God, re- 

44 



346 THE PASTOR IN THE 

pentance, meekness, love to the brethren and the like ; 
3. There is a predominating desire to do the will of 
God, arising out of love to him ; 4. The converts have 
a high reverence for the word of God in this it differs 
from enthusiasm ; 5. The subjects of the revival are 
rendered humble, docile, meek not self-conceited, ar 
rogant and censorious; 6. The inquirers are brought 
to the feet of Christ not puffed up witli self-righteous 
ness; 7. It leads to justice, truth, honesty, purity and 
general uprightness in all the relations of life ; 8. It 
produces reverence for the worship of God, and leads 
to order and decency in conducting its services ; 9. Its 
fruits are permanent. 

(h) CARE FOR YOUNG CONVERTS. 

Concerning them emphatically should be received the 
charge, " Feed my lambs," which Christ gave so im 
pressively and in such memorable circumstances. What 
they will be in the future as to devoted piety and useful 
Christian life depends very much upon the attention 
which is given to them now. If, as babes in Christ, 
they are not carefully trained now, they may very soon 
backslide and become mere ciphers in the church. What 
is to be done for them so as to help them on in the way 
of spiritual progress is one of the most perplexing prob 
lems with which the pastor has to do. It often tries 
him greatly to determine what will be really practicable 
in assisting not only to keep them in their first love, but 
also lead to their growth in grace and usefulness. Here 
the counsels of experience, gathered up from many pas 
tors and many years, are needed. We would collect a 
few such counsels, which may be studied, adopted, im 
proved or modified according to the circumstances of any 
particular church or pastor, or "which may suggest other 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 347 

ways of nurturing those who are as yet but babes in 
Christ. 

1. Until they become well established in the faith and 
practice of the gospel, there ought to be more care bestowed 
on them than on any other class of members in the church. 
This advice is undoubledly sanctioned by the example 
of the great Shepherd, who left the ninety and nine in 
order that he might make sure of the lost one, and by 
the tender nature of Jesus, of whom it is said, " A bruised 
reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not 
quench." They need more care now than others more 
than they will themselves need after a while. All is 
new to them. They meet temptations and difficulties 
which they did not expect. There are dangers peculiar 
to the new Christian life for which they are utterly 
unprepared. The scriptural modes of growth in grace, 
which are so essential from the beginning, have as yet 
been untried, almost unknown to them. They are at once 
met by duties which must be performed, and yet every 
step of the new pathway through which they lead has 
to be tried, Their Christian character is at first un 
formed, but in a few months or, even weeks, it will take 
on those great features which will fix it for life. Can 
all these wants of young converts be carefully thought 
over without leaving the impression that they now need 
the greatest attention from pastor and other experienced 
Christians ? 

2. Some method or methods should be contrived by 
which to interest them in the study of the Scriptures. 
This is what God himself has provided as a " lamp 
unto our feet and a light unto our path." The " sincere 
milk of the word" is that which is to be desired, in 
order that the soul may " grow thereby." In the Bible 
they can find Christ, who must ever be the life and 



348 THE PASTOR IN THE 

strength of the believer. From the pages of the Holy 
Word they may learn the mind of Christ the very 
same mind that must be in them more and more as they 
advance in the new life. They will become strong in 
the graces of the Spirit as they grow in " the knowledge 
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," which the 
Scriptures reveal. They should be led to engage in 
this study habitually and carefully, and to persevere in 
it until their keenest interest shall be awakened. They 
should be shown how to study it, and aided therein by 
being either teachers or scholars in the Sabbath-school 
and by the pastor s Bible-class. 

3. Through the plan of Bible exercises or Bible read 
ings, as we have already described them, young converts 
may be greatly strengthened and especially interested 
in the Scriptures. This has so many things to recom 
mend it that it ought by all means to be adopted. Its 
analyses of divine truth, its research through the sacred 
pages, and the aid it furnishes by the members studying 
together, cannot but be advantageous in a high degree. 
It is a kind of Bible study which is practicable and easy 
as well as attractive, so that any, even the youngest, 
will engage in it ; which is an important point gained. 
The encouragement, the sympathy and the mutual 
assistance make it very profitable for numbers of per 
sons to unite in this way for the perusal of the sacred 
pages. When young converts habitually study the Bible 
in this way, they will gain important ideas as to the best 
modes of searching the Scriptures; they will see more and 
more of the precious depths of the word of God ; their 
interest in its perfections will increase ; they will arrive 
at the knowledge of doctrines and duties that will in 
fluence their whole Christian character; their faith in 
each doctrine which is thus looked at in the light of 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 349 

inspiration will become more firmly established; and their 
trust and hope and love and every other grace will be 
increased. Besides all which, young men by reading 
passages of Scripture audibly in the presence of others 
will gradually become prepared to take part publicly in 
social meetings. 

4. Young converts should be carefully noticed by pas 
tor, elders and other members of the church. There is 
too great a tendency simply to receive them into the 
church, and then give them no further attention, as 
if henceforward they must take care of themselves. 
What we now recommend is that they should not be 
thus neglected, but that they should be well known 
and noticed and spoken to, and their friendship culti 
vated. Pains should be taken, especially by the pastor, 
to see them often, to visit them, and to let them see that 
he takes sincere interest in them. In this way a corre 
sponding interest will naturally be awakened in them 
toward the church, its session and its pastor, and, more 
important still, toward the great cause for which all 
exist. This will make their views of religion those 
early views which are so influential to be more ex 
alted, and will attach them more firmly to the church. 
This is a point which is in so much danger of being 
overlooked that it ought to receive particular attention. 

5. It is an excellent plan occasionally to invite the young 
converts, in small companies, to spend a social evening 
with the pastor and his family. They should be in small 
companies, so that there may be more sociability and 
that the house may not be crowded. By this means 
the pastor will have a better opportunity of becoming 
personally acquainted with them than he could in any 
other way. They too will know him better, become 
more interested in him, and learn to look upon 



350 THE PASTOR IN THE 

him as a personal friend. They will become more 
and more attached to him through all such little at 
tentions, and that attachment may become to him a 
source of sanctified influence. Their social nature may 
thus be made to contribute to the improvement of their 
spiritual nature. In the cultivation of religion enough 
is not made of the social elements of our being, as may 
be learned from the example of Christ and from the 
wholesome satisfaction which friendly intercourse is cal 
culated to afford. 

6. It might be well to assign each young convert by 
name to some elder or other influential member of the 
church, male or female, who would have it as a special 
care to watch over his spiritual interests. Some such 
arrangement as this carefully matured would keep any 
of them from being overlooked. It is impossible for 
the pastor to do all this kind of work himself, and he 
ought therefore to be cordially assisted in it, especial 
ly by the elders. The division of them into suitable 
numbers for each person could be carefully planned out 
in meetings of the session ; or better, perhaps, the pastor 
himself could fix the quota for each, and hand him the 
names of those committed to his care. The individuals 
could be selected according to acquaintanceship or neigh 
borhood or social influence. Through this plan the su 
pervision of the spiritual welfare of the young converts 
could be more minute, and they could be brought into 
closer personal sympathy with the church. 

7. Those who are the subjects of renewing grace 
should be made to understand from the very first that 
they will be expected, as a matter of course, to attend the 
prayer-meetings, as well as the more public services of 
the church. These are among the most essential of the 
means of grace, and progress can scarcely be expected 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 351 

without them. It should be insisted upon that there 
they must be if they would live near to God, near to 
his people, and gain the spiritual enjoyment and prog 
ress which are their privilege. If they begin to be 
occasionally absent, they should be looked after at once 
to prevent their falling away. The habit should be 
formed at first of going as regularly as the meeting 
comes, and then afterward the attendance will be given 
as a matter of custom, as well as pleasure and spiritual 
profit. 

8. There ought by all means to be meetings of the 
young converts by themselves, where they could engage in 
prayer and conference without the feeling of embarrass 
ment which the presence of others would produce. At 
such meetings, being all equally learners, they would 
be comparatively free from restraint. Then, too, feeling 
their responsibility for the conducting of the services, 
they will each take part, while under other circum 
stances they would certainly hold back. There is no bet 
ter way than this for them to become accustomed to pray 
in public. Before they are aware of it almost they will 
find the great mountain removed, and be able to lead in 
the devotions of the social meeting with comfort to them 
selves and profit to others. The pastor and elders need 
not be present at these meetings of young converts, but 
they may so encourage them as to render them efficient 
aid. A meeting of this kind, held with persons who 
are very young, is thus described in a note by Rev. 
Stephen W. Dana: "I have had for more than two 
years what I call the boys circle. We meet every 
Monday evening from seven to eight o clock. I limit 
the age from ten to fifteen. I have made the meetings 
as informal as possible. For many months I led the 
meetings, and usually assigned the topics from week to 



352 THE PASTOR IN THE 

week, selecting those of a practical and personal na 
ture. We always had our Bibles, and looked earnestly 
for a thus saith the Lord on the questions before us. 
We generally began the meeting with each repeating a 
passage of Scripture. I encouraged them in asking me 
questions about anything of interest to them. The ex 
ercises were interspersed with short prayers ; often eight 
or ten of them would engage in prayer. Latterly, the 
young men or boys take charge of the meeting in turn, 
though I am always present. It has given me an op 
portunity to keep near the boys, and exercise a more 
personal influence with them than I could otherwise 
have done. The constant aim is to combine work and 
worship, zeal and knowledge, to stimulate the young to 
a generous activity for Christ, but to lead them also to 
commune much with their own hearts and with God. 
I am fully convinced that there is too much effort to 
get people into the church, and too little care for them 
when in it." 

9. It is of exceeding great benefit to those who have 
but recently come into the kingdom, to keep them busy 
in the work of the Lord. They are willing now to work 
at almost anything which their hands can find to do ; 
they are anxious to do something for the Master 
with whose love their hearts are glowing, and they can 
render efficient service, especially in a season of great 
religious interest. If they are at once led to take an 
active part in doing good, it will accustom them to work, 
and now is the time for the habit to be formed ; it will 
interest them more and more in the cause of Christ, 
and perpetuate that interest ; it will quicken and beau 
tify their piety, and it will commit them more fully to 
a life of thorough consecration in the service they have 
espoused. Besides, the direct effects of their work, in 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 353 

the first glow of its love, will be most important, not 
only on themselves, but also on their fellow-members 
of the church, and on their former companions still 
in impenitency, whom they can influence as no other 
persons can. 

Without any delay, then, should they be set to work, 
and kept busily at it from the very first. The rule 
should be that something would be found for each one 
of them to do. Not one of them should be left idle. 
If something is not ready to be done, then work should 
be made. The pastor and elders should enter into the 
minutiae, and study out work in detail for them all. In 
genuity should be exercised in devising plans so that 
something profitable shall be always ready for them to 
undertake. But what can be found for them all to do? 
Why, the field of work is boundless. They can teach 
in the Sabbath -school ; they can write letters recommend 
ing the salvation of Christ ; they can give away tracts as 
opportunity presents ; they can gather neglected chil 
dren into the classes where they may learn the way of 
life ; they can bring friends and neighbors to church and 
prayer-meeting ; they can influence individuals to seek 
for the redemption of the gospel ; they can hold meet 
ings for prayer in neglected neighborhoods or with the 
aged and infirm ; they can visit the sick or they can 
watch for inquirers. One or more of these things they 
can do many things they can devise or can be devised 
for them, by which they can help forward the great 
cause of Christ and strengthen their own graces. This 
element in the nurture of young converts is of the first 
importance. They should be kept busy from the very 
first busy in cultivating their own hearts, busy in scat 
tering blessings around them, busy in striving to honor 
the Lord by bringing others to his service. 



354 THE PASTOR IN THE 

CONVERSIONS TO BE EXPECTED AT ALL TIMES. 

It is too common a tendency to look for conversions 
only in seasons when the Church is revived by the spe 
cial outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The influence of 
this impression is wrong, and ought to be stoutly con 
tended against, for when churches are in a healthy 
spiritual condition the communion season when there 
are no conversions to be recorded is very rare. Then 
the conviction that revival-times are the only ones in 
which to look for conversions is sure to paralyze efforts 
for that blessed object at all other times ; it limits the 
Holy Ghost, as if he could work only according to our 
plans, and it keeps the Church in an unhealthy state, 
aiming to do its great work only periodically, and all 
the rest of the time being inert. The true theory is, 
that conversions are constantly to be expected when the 
means of grace are faithfully used, and the true plan is 
to look for them at all times. Why should they not be 
perpetually occurring? Have we not the ordinances, 
the word, the Spirit, the promises, the prayers, the 
motives all the means that are necessary, all that God 
has appointed ? Why do we not have the faith, and see 
precious souls coming into the kingdom from month to 
month, and that always? While God is a sovereign, 
and does sometimes send down the blessing in copious 
effusion, yet the more common method is to send the 
gentle showers and the sunshine day by day and month 
by month. There are churches which have never been 
blessed by what is ordinarily called a revival, and yet 
in twenty years they have been as largely increased 
with true converts as those which have often had such 
seasons of refreshing. 

Then it is wise to be on the watch at all times for those 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 355 

who are awakened and seeking to know what they must 
do to be saved. Almost always there are some such per 
sons in every church. Why should there not be abso 
lutely always? Is God unwilling? Is the way of life 
not plain enough ? Are not the gates always open. At 
all times, probably, in every church, there are those who 
are just waiting to be spoken to by pastor or other Chris 
tian friend, and taken by the hand and led to the cross. 
The pastor should himself watch for such persons, no 
ticing the well-known symptoms which indicate a turn 
ing Christward ; he should have others to watch for 
them also and keep him informed ; he should keep a 
list of them, so that none of them shall be forgotten, 
but in due time be visited, and at once and often car 
ried to the throne of grace. If there is not diligent 
attention they may be overlooked ; and oh what a sad 
thing, to overlook a soul which is struggling for 
the light of God and the safety which is found in 
Christ! From them and from others conversions 
may be constantly expected ; and fresh ingatherings 
to the church from month to month should be the 
rule, any departure from which should cause serious 
anxiety. 

The conversion of souls is an object which ought to 
lie very near to the heart of every one whom God has 
called to the serious work of the pastor. He should 
long for it ; he should keep its importance and its pos 
sibility before him in every duty which he undertakes ; 
he should keep his heart set on it day and night ; he 
should pray for it and preach for it, and be on the watch 
for it, as the only possible thing with which he would 
be satisfied. He should have others unite with him in 
striving for it through all the instrumentalities which 
God has provided. He should regard this work of 



356 THE PASTOR IN THE 

saving souls as his great work as the greatest work to 
which mortal man could be called. If he does not see 
souls coming into the kingdom, or at least giving some 
symptoms of yielding to the claims of God, his heart 
should be burdened and his prayers rendered more ag 
onizing. And he should rejoice above everything else 
in hearing the awakened saying, " What shall I do to be 
saved ?" He should be glad in this above mere popu 
larity, which is so dangerous, and above applause, which 
never can satisfy a noble mind. As the fisherman casts 
the net, and then looks most intently for the ingathering, 
so should he fish for souls with every thought bent upon 
the blessed results. This should so occupy his mind that 
he never would be satisfied without some such results 
of his ministry. He should be instant in season and 
out of season, in order that he might by all means 
save some. 



A HIGH TYPE OF CHRISTIAN LIFE TO BE CULTIVATED 
IN THE CHURCH. 

There should be aimed at in every church a type, air, 
degree of piety which would be very high, and manifest 
to every beholder. There should prevail throughout 
the body which is so closely united to Christ a sensitive 
conscientiousness, a sanctified public sentiment, a gen 
eral consistency and goodness of character, and a read 
iness to engage heartily in every good work, which 
would leave no doubt, either within or without the 
church, that the Spirit of the Master pervaded all. 
Then the degree of all these should ever be increas 
ingly high. With the united body of believers it 
should be as it was with the apostle when in noble 
ness of aim he could say, " I count not myself to have 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 357 

apprehended ; but this one thing I do, forgetting those 
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those 
things which are before, I press toward the mark for the 
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." The 
great weakness of the Church, showing itself in every 
direction, is, that it has not a more fully-consecrated 
piety. If there were this thorough devotedness per 
vading the members, then there would be no difficulty as 
to any branch of work or life or fellowship. All would 
go on prosperously. Success would mark every depart 
ment of Christian work, contributions to benevolent ob 
jects would be given generously without a grudge, con 
versions would constantly be witnessed, brotherly charity 
would prevail, and all else would be marked by the peace 
of God which passeth all understanding. For this high 
type of piety in the Church should the pastor set him 
self with all earnestness from the beginning ; he should 
keep it before him as a specific aim in all his preaching, 
praying and pastoral visiting. 

That any church may attain to a more eminent 
degree of godliness there is no question, and the possi 
bility should encourage all to make the effort for it. It 
is possible. In some churches it may be seen in the 
scriptural piety and godly walk of the bulk of its mem 
bers, as well as in their promptness to engage in every 
good word and work. And if it may prevail in some 
churches, why not in all ? Have we not all the ap 
pointed means for bringing it about? And would it 
not be in accordance with the mind and work of the 
Holy Spirit to see his own image reflected in all his 
churches ? Yes, it is possible to reach even this high 
standard of piety. The most cold and worldly churches 
might be brought up to a degree of spiritual life that 
would be felt far and near. And as pastors we should 



358 THE PASTOR IN THE 

blame ourselves if we do not see our own churches con 
stantly growing in grace. 

But how may this type of piety in the Church be 
reached ? We can hardly think that there is one right- 
spirited pastor who can consider its importance and not 
earnestly set his heart upon its attainment. And the 
urgent question arises, What can be done to this end ? 
Our answer is, that the means are at hand, and abundant 
and easily used. It would be contributing much toward 
it if the pastor would preach earnestly and often on the 
subject, showing the blessings of more piety, proving 
plainly that it might be attained, and pointing out the 
methods for reaching it. And to elevate the Church 
to this blessed condition of spirituality should be the 
aim in all the ministrations of the sanctuary. It is a 
state of things which ought to be sought after by prayer 
and all the other ordinances which the great Head of the 
Church has established ; by using every agency to get 
the minds of the whole congregation imbued with the 
truths of the Scriptures; by thorough indoctrination 
of the people in the great principles of godliness ; by 
close spiritual preaching ; by the pastor s example of 
deep-toned and consistent piety ; and by utilizing the 
example and influence of those in the Church who 
are already the most spiritually -minded. By each 
of these and by all of them, persistently used, the 
Church will gradually rise higher and higher in 
that earnest devotedness which is its highest glory 
and blessedness. 

The pastor should always be laying plans and study 
ing anxiously how his people may be brought up to 
this exalted character. He should look for their grow 
ing piety, and carefully search for indications that it is 
increasing and the image of the Master becoming more 



PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. 359 

and more marked. It is an object of so much import- 
ance that he should constantly wrestle for it in prayer. 
And, as the highest motive he can possibly set before 
him, he should ever be impelled by the sublime thought 
that Jesus will thereby be glorified. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE PASTOR IN THE SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

THE subject of Sabbath-schools has not hitherto re 
ceived much attention in works on Pastoral Theology. 
In most of them it has not even been noticed. Its vast 
importance, even its existence, is too recent for it to have 
found a place on their pages. The special training of 
the young on the Lord s day in their spiritual and eternal 
interests is a grand branch of the work of the Church 
which has sprung up within a comparatively few years, 
and which requires from her careful study and diligent 
effort. It is a subject which demands very earnest at 
tention from the pastor at the present time, when its 
importance is becoming more and more obvious, and 
when it is enlisting so much of the thought and energy 
of the Christian world. Since it is the object of pas 
toral theology to assist the minister in becoming thor 
oughly equipped for all his sacred work, it should indi 
cate to him the present progress of the Sabbath-school 
cause; it should endeavor to awaken in his mind a 
deep interest in that cause, to point out its duties, and 
to give at least some general suggestions as to the man 
agement of an institution whose interests, though ap 
parently humble, are among the most momentous that 
can engage the thoughts of man. 

360 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 361 

IMPORTANCE OF THE SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

There are but very few persons, probably, who duly 
appreciate the importance of the Sabbath-school work. 
We must fix our minds upon it, awaken our attention 
to it, measure its proportions and study it well, before 
we can see it in anything like the greatness to which it 
has attained. The assertion may be ventured that there 
has seldom been a religious movement of the world 
like it. When it shall be looked back upon in the 
light of history, it will be better appreciated than it is 
now. It is less than a century since this wonderful 
movement commenced, and to what has it already 
grown! It has spread throughout the whole Protest 
ant Christian world. It has taken its stand in the 
front rank of agencies for the conversion of men. It has 
enlisted a large part of the activity of the Church. It has 
committed to it the care of millions of youthful souls. 
It calls from the press as large an issue as almost any 
other cause in the world. It has risen to a position 
which places it second only to the preaching of the 
gospel. And if it has grown to such a magnitude in 
so short a time, what is it yet to be ? What immeasur 
able good may it yet accomplish ? What dangers may 
stand in its way ? What perversions of it may be made 
by the great enemy ? These are questions of trans 
cendent importance. If we are wise, we shall awake to 
this subject and look at it with the keenest attention. 
We shall do it now. There is no time to be lost. 

It is a trite saying that everything depends upon 
the training of the young. The world understands 
this. Popery understands this. What the Church is 
to be, what its piety, what its Christian activity, what 
its theology, what its ministry, what its missionaries, 

46 



362 THE PASTOR IN THE 

what its seminaries, what its boards, what its liberality, 
what its influence for good in fifteen or twenty years, 
all depends upon the religious training of the young. 

Look at the thousands upon thousands of our own 
children upon whom influences are to be exerted that 
will give them character for life and affect their destiny 
for ever. Look at the millions upon millions of chil 
dren of irreligious parents who, but for the Sabbath- 
school, would receive no religious training whatever. 
They are at an age when the deepest impressions can 
be made when, if ever, there is hope for them. And 
look at the Sabbath-school as a field of Christian work. 
It is a field in which every heart that is burning with 
love to God can find something to do for him ; it is a 
field in which all who are willing to work for Christ 
can be employed. 

The whole matter of Sabbath-school work is be 
coming more and more grave from the growing tend 
ency to relax religious instruction in the family and 
to throw that work upon the Church and the Sabbath- 
school. This is most deeply to be deplored, but we must 
accept the sad fact as it is, and do what we can to repair 
the loss by making the Sabbath-school more efficient 
and more spiritual. When the matter is viewed in this 
light, when it is seen that circumstances are compelling 
the Sabbath-school to make up this deficiency of family 
religious training, no tongue can utter, no figures can 
estimate, what should be done in this solemn work. 

There was no exaggeration in the assertion of one of our 
most eminent ministers that no subject of more import 
ance could come before presbytery, synod or general 
assembly nothing extravagant in the declaration of 
the most able of living theologians that no amount of 
time or money or thought was too much to be bestowed 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 363 

on it. It will help to give irapressiveness to these 
thoughts to see the estimation in which it was held by 
some whom the Christian world has long delighted to 
honor. The Rev. Dr. Ashbel Green, near the close 
of his life, said : " If I had my ministry to go over 
again, I would give more attention to the children." 
The Rev. Dr. Samuel Miller gave this emphatic 
testimony : " After the observation and experience 
of a long life, I have come decisively to the conclu 
sion that if I had my life to live over again I would 
pay ten times as much attention to the young of my 
charge as I ever did. If I were now about to take a 
new or feeble church, I would consider that to give at 
tention to the children and young people of the neigh 
borhood would be one of the most certain methods of 
collecting a large congregation that could be employed." 
The Rev. Dr. S. H. Tyng asserts : " If every pastor 
would give one sermon on every Sunday especially 
addressed to the young, and designed and prepared to 
teach them, he would find himself enlarging his direct 
usefulness in this particular work, and equally advancing 
the value and benefit of every other class of his public 
and private labors in religious instruction." Bishop 
Janes declares that the time is coming when there will 
be two sermons preached to children and youth where 
there is one to adults. Dr. Doddridge said, "I had 
rather feed the lambs of Christ than rule a kingdom." 



THE SABBATH-SCHOOL A PROMINENT PART OF THE 
PASTOR S WORK. 

It will not do for the candidate for the gospel minis 
try to overlook this, in the supposed greater importance 
of other branches of preparation for his sacred office. 



364 THE PASTOR IN THE 

It will not do for the pastor to look upon these interests 
as beneath his most earnest attention and efforts. It 
will not do for him to leave the whole ordering of them 
to laymen, who may or may not have an opportunity 
of studying them and preparing for thje discharge of 
the difficult duties they involve. It is just as much his 
duty to attend to the religious training of the young as 
it is to preach or to visit the sick or to do anything else 
to which his office calls. He is a spiritual teacher, and 
there is no more important or promising class of his 
scholars than this. To realize in some good degree the 
importance of this element of his work is fundamental 
with the pastor who would glorify God and benefit the 
souls of men to the utmost attainable measure. 

It should be realized by the pastor that the young 
form the majority of his congregation, and that his work 
must be largely with them. It was a somewhat remark 
able, but certainly important, advice of Dr. Bacchus of 
Hamilton College, to students, that in their ministrations 
they should give especial attention to the young under 
twenty and the aged above sixty. Upon this plan he 
had himself acted, and his ministry had been eminently 
blessed. From necessity, unless their spiritual wants 
are ignored, a large amount of the pastor s time and 
energies must be given to this most promising part of 
his charge. And there is no better way in which he 
can reach them, no way more economical of time, no 
way in which his efforts will be more impressive, than 
through the Sabbath-school. Nearly all the young of 
his congregation are or should be in it, and then he can 
reach them reach the very youngest of them as he 
can hardly do in any other way, reach them so that the 
prevailing sympathy will awaken deeper attention to 
his instructions. 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 365 

The mere fact that the Sabbath-school furnishes the 
pastor an excellent opportunity of coming in contact 
with the young is one which should not be overlooked. 
It is a matter of very great importance that he should, 
if possible, know every child in his congregation, that 
not one of them should be lost sight of. To do so will 
keep up his interest in them, and, what is no less im 
portant, it will attach them to him and his ministry. 
Much is gained when the young become personally ac 
quainted with their minister, when they overcome their 
ordinary feelings of reserve toward him, learn to have 
affectionate confidence in him, and come to look upon 
him as their spiritual counselor to whom they can open 
their hearts. A lasting attachment will be created which 
may become of incalculable value to both them and 
him. 

No pastor can afford to neglect the special religious 
training of the young of his congregation. To do so 
would be to be unmindful of the larger part of the 
charge which God has committed to his care. It would 
be to neglect them at that age when their minds are the 
most impressible and when the hope of bringing them 
to the blessings of salvation is the greatest. It would 
be to throw away a most important influence with those 
who are hereafter to be the active men and women of 
the Church and community. It would be to miss the 
opportunity of securing a lasting place in the hearts of 
those who will soon be the main-stay of the congregation, 
who will be its elders, its trustees, its Sabbath-school 
teachers, its principal workers. Here is a splendid op 
portunity for laying a solid foundation of a structure 
in which God may be glorified, many souls eternally 
blessed, and the minister himself made to rejoice the 
rest of his days ; but it is not improved. It is saying 



366 THE PASTOR IN THE 

but little to predict that the pastor who can be so 
strangely remiss will not remain long with that congre 
gation. 

It may be confidently asserted that in all ordinary 
cases the future character of the Church depends upon 
what is now done for the religious training of the young 
by the Sabbath-school and other agencies. It is thin 
which is to determine what the Church of the future is 
to be in sincere piety, in love to God and his people, in 
stability, in beneficence and in intelligent zeal in every 
good word and work. Everything now done will have 
an important arid self-propagating influence for good in 
the generations to come. In no other field is it more 
certain that what is sown now will be reaped hereafter. 
No work of the pastor will more abundantly repay than 
this. All Scripture, all our knowledge of human nature, 
and all history abundantly warrant this belief. The 
teachings of Calvin, of Knox, of Wesley and of others 
have moulded the religious character of whole commu 
nities for generations and generations. What object 
can the minister or any other mortal man set before him 
so noble as that of influencing the generations of the 
future to be better and more useful than those of the 
present ? 

Hence, as an overseer who is to care for all the flock, 
as a pastor who is to feed the lambs of Christ, as a watch 
man who is ever to stand on the walls of Zion, it be 
comes the minister to be thoroughly acquainted with 
the work of the Sabbath-school and all other efforts for 
the spiritual welfare of the young. The Church in all 
its branches is becoming more and more awake to the 
subject : he must be awake too. There is wonderful and 
healthy progress in the work ; he should fall in with 
that progress and endeavor to secure its benefits to 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 367 

himself and the youth of his charge. He should avail 
himself of all the real helps in the Sabbath-school work 
which are being so rapidly developed by the active piety 
of the age. He should consider it as a matter of the 
first importance with him to investigate the subject fully 
and see what is going on in this work, what he can do 
to help it, and how he may be assisted by its valuable 
improvements. If all our pastors would do this faith 
fully, there would soon be a wonderful advance in the 
efficiency of the Church in the department of Sabbath- 
schools and in all her other agencies for the promotion 
of the cause of Christ and righteousness. 



THE SABBATH-SCHOOL AND THE FAMILY. 

The nature and functions of the Sabbath-school can 
hardly be understood in an adequate manner without 
considering its relations to the family. Family re 
ligious instruction must be first, and paramount to all 
other. Its efforts must not be interfered with, nor its 
obligations lessened, by any other plans that can possibly 
be devised. It is placed first by divine wisdom and 
authority, and there it must stand. Very plain is the 
teaching of God on this subject. It is found, among 
other places, in the command, " Thou shalt teach them 
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them 
when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walk- 
est by the way, and when thou liest down, and when 
thou risest up ;" also in the example of Abraham, " For 
I know him, that he will command his children and his 
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the 
Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may 
bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him ;" 
also in the apostolic charge, "And, ye fathers, provoke 



368 THE PASTOR IN THE 

not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord." The Sabbath- 
school ought to recognize distinctly this divine and un 
changeable law, and guard carefully against even seem 
ing to infringe upon it. It should beware of the most 
remote assumption of the duties which belong to father 
and mother. According to this rule, of the first obli 
gation resting upon Christian parents, should the Sab 
bath-school act; in view of it should all its plans be 
laid ; and its wisdom will ever be to utilize the influ 
ence of the family in co-operating with its sacred en 
terprise, instead of in any way running counter to that 
influence. 

The emphatic testimony of Rev. Dr. A. T. McGill on 
this point is most valuable : " The primary obligation 
of a parent cannot release him, by any method the 
Church may adopt, from his personal duty to lay the 
word of God as early as possible on the memory and 
heart of his child. The Sunday-school has no legiti 
mate existence in the Church without a compact, well 
understood, that the family institute shall remain a dis 
tinct and sacred bundle which no conventionalities of 
men may ever loosen or untie. To delegate holy func 
tions and holy time to persons not known to the parents 
to be both capable and faithful must be a fearful rec 
reancy of parents under solemn vows which God will 
punish. Either the parents themselves, therefore, or 
the pastor, as their own teacher and representative, 
should never fail to inspect the Sabbath-school, and be 
sure that it supplements rightly the instruction of a 
covenanted home, and tends to bind up the family 
rather than disband it for a communism in the Church 
that must ultimately reduce alike the strength of true 
religion and sense of individual responsibility." 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 369 

It is feared by many that even in Christian house 
holds at the present time there is a general relaxing 
of fidelity in family religious instruction. If this fear 
is well founded, it reveals an evil that is most formid 
able and threatening. And certainly there is some real 
foundation for the alarm, for where is the careful Sab 
bath-evening instruction by the pious parent? Where 
is the indispensable catechising of all the children ? 
Where is the laborious indoctrinating of the young? 
Where is the parental authority that secures the reg 
ular attendance of the whole family at the house of 
God? Where is the careful supervision of the reading 
which will rigidly exclude the mischievous and the dis 
sipating? Where is the unwearied effort to bring up 
the offspring in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? 
And where, in many instances, is there even that family 
worship which should impart its hallowing influence to 
every household? Alas! is it not the fashion in many 
quarters to sneer at these things as the narrow bigotry 
of other days ? That there is a deplorable declension 
and danger in this direction is felt by many of the best 
and wisest at the present time. The greatness of the 
danger should be estimated in the light of God s un 
altered and unalterable command, which is disobeyed 
when the religious instruction of the young in the fam 
ily is neglected. It should be estimated in the light of 
the fact that this neglect is raising up a generation with 
out God s own chief agency for training them in virtue 
and happiness. 

There are many who think that this relaxing of 
family religious instruction is owing, at least in part, to 
the Sabbath-school. They think that, at any rate, the 
decline in the one keeps pace with the improvements in 
the other, while the Sabbath-school is not so much the 

47 



370 THE PASTOR IN THE 

cause as the occasion of the evil. It is an evil which 
develops itself when parents gradually come to consider 
themselves released from their most solemn obligations 
by the Sabbath-school. They indolently flatter them 
selves that it teaches their children the truths of the 
Bible, that it does all that can be done for their conver 
sion, and that it sufficiently indoctrinates them with the 
great principles of godliness. They think, or at least 
strive to think, that this is enough. Thus they succeed 
in stifling the voice of conscience while they shift an 
irksome duty from themselves to the Sabbath -school. 
They let this act as a salvo for what is nothing but in 
dolence, unfaithfulness to their children and coldness 
of heart toward their God. 

It may be that sometimes this has something to do 
with the sad decline in family religious instruction ; but 
there are other causes far more certain and far more 
potent, and which rather call for increased diligence in 
the Sabbath-school work. There is no necessary con 
nection between steady improvement in the Sabbath- 
school and decreasing care of family training. On 
the contrary, fidelity in the one should lead to fidel 
ity in the other. But there are other causes which are 
leading directly to this result. The multitudes of other 
things studies, books, papers, pleasures, excitements, 
ambitions which now attract the young ; the louder 
voices with which the world calls, and the stronger 
grasp with which it draws the parents ; the weakening 
of the lines of demarcation between the Church and the 
world ; the diminishing value which is attached to doc 
trines and principles in religion, these account for the 
declining attention of parents to the religious training 
of their children, and only furnish additional motives 
for Sabbath-schools to be faithful. 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 371 

The pastor should take special care to prevent the 
Sabbath-school from weakening the sense of parental 
duty. There is enough danger in the matter to put 
him on his guard. He should keep the evil and danger 
before him as a possibility to be feared, and he should 
faithfully warn the people of them. He should fre 
quently preach on the general subject, urging parents 
never to relax their efforts for the spiritual welfare of 
their children, no matter how many other agencies may 
come in to help them. 

It cannot be insisted upon too strongly that family 
religious training is first in importance, first in the ad 
vantages with which it is accompanied, and first in the 
ordination of God. The prime obligation rests upon 
parents. No other agency can possibly relieve them 
of their responsibility, or even lighten its weight. It 
would be a great evil if they fancied for a moment that 
either church or Sabbath -school could take their place 
in this respect. There is no affection for the children 
like that which dwells in the parents heart. The Lord 
has placed it there, and chiefly that it may constrain 
them to train their offspring for him. What motive 
is so likely to produce untiring efforts for the spirit 
ual and eternal welfare of the children as the yearn 
ing of a father s or mother s heart? And with this 
parental affection there goes also a parental authority 
that may tell effectively in the religious training of 
the young. It gives an advantage to parents in this 
work which no other agency can possibly have. To 
parents, then, God has given the first charge, and on 
parents has he laid the first responsibility. The voices 
of God, of piety, of affection, of experience, of all that 
is holy and wise, unite to press this home upon all pious 
parents. 



372 THE PASTOfi IN THE 

These sentiments are forcibly expressed by the Rev. 
Dr. J. Grier Ralston : 

" It is hardly possible to overrate the importance of 
religious instruction in the household. It is here the 
foundations of character are laid, and hence flow out 
the ever-widening streams of influence that blight and 
wither or refresh and bless whatever they touch. The 
urgency of the language and the frequency with which 
the duty is enjoined in the Bible leave no room to doubt 
God s estimate of its importance. He has in all ages of 
the Church been pleased so to bless the faithful labors 
of parents for the good of their children as to indicate 
clearly his special approbation of such efforts. 

" The results of careful religious training in the fam 
ily have ever been such as fully to vindicate the wisdom 
of God in assigning a position so prominent to the prop 
er instruction of children. 

" The pastor who does not direct special efforts to the 
promotion of family religion neglects the most effective 
means of permanent prosperity in his church. If he 
would have a steady, healthful growth in his spiritual 
household, he must provide suitable food for the little 
ones. But his work in their behalf is not so much 
with them as for them. The parents must be carefully 
instructed as to their duty to their offspring. The 
family is God s university, and to those who preside 
over it must we look for successful results from its 
teachings. 

" The Jews have a tradition that the fire of the altar 
was miraculously kept alive under ground during the 
Babylonish captivity. In like manner God seems to 
have hidden in the family organization the germ of a 
church. The proper development of the one is the 
hope of the other. Aquila and Priscilla had a church 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 373 

in their house, as had also Nymphas and Philemon. 
No labor for Christ pays so large a reward as that spent 
in feeding his lambs." 

It would tend to render the instructions of both 
family and Sunday-school more efficacious if some 
harmony of plan were established between them. This 
may be done by both studying at the same time the 
same answers of the Catechism and the same Bible les 
son of the week, or by establishing some other concert 
of study. By such arrangement each would be kept 
from encroaching on the other, they would be retained 
in their positions of relative importance, and they would 
render mutual assistance and encouragement in the same 
blessed work that lies before both. 



RELATION OF THE SABBATH-SCHOOL TO THE CHURCH. 

The Church in her organized capacity is bound to 
make the religious training of her children one of her 
most promiment aims. In her visible form she is com 
posed of both old and young. In her families the 
aggregate of the young is greater than that of the old. 
She was organized into a visible form that she might 
embrace and give good heed to this branch of her 
interests, as well as every other. In a special manner 
is she bound to this by her covenant relations. And 
to this also she must be led by that new nature, that 
Christ-like nature of pity and sympathy, which has 
been imparted to her as composed of redeemed men and 
women. Who can feel for the children and labor for 
their salvation so well as those who have themselves 
been redeemed from sin and death and hell ? 

Now, the Sabbath-school has grown up as a great 
instrumentality by which this duty of the Church may 



374 THE PASTOR IN THE 

be effectively performed, and it becomes us to consider 
well what the Sabbath-school is, what are the founda 
tions upon which it is built, what is the authority ac 
cording to which it exists, what is the place it holds, 
and what is the special work to which it is called. 

It is not an institution which is separate or inde 
pendent of the Church. It is not a mere humanly- 
devised institution, a church within a church. There 
is a feeling of this kind somewhat prevalent, but it is 
always wrong and injurious. Instead of being some 
thing separate, independent or added to the Church, the 
Sabbath-school is simply the Church putting forth her 
energy in the department of the young. The young con 
stitute an important element in the composition of the 
visible Church, and the Sabbath-school is the agency 
by which she has found this element can be success 
fully reached. The school is the Church herself in 
that department. She has not delegated her work or 
authority or responsibility to any other. That could 
not be done. The Sabbath-school is hers appointed by 
her, supported by her, conducted by her, responsible to 
her, working in and by her authority, and forming an 
essential part of her life. 

Any other theory of the nature of this institution is 
erroneous, and must in the end lead to confusion and 
many an evil. It is impossible upon any other theory 
than this of the identity of the Church and Sabbath- 
school to justify its existence. We must look to the 
appointment of God for our authority in what we do 
in the gospel cause ; and as the Church stands by his 
authority, when the Sabbath-school is thus regarded 
as a vital, organic part of the Church we see the stamp 
of divine authority upon it. When we look at it in 
this light we see that it is from God ; it rises into a 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 375 

glorious nobility, and we engage in its work with a 
new zeal. 



(a) THE CHURCH AS SUCH SHOULD CONDUCT THE SABBATH- 
SCHOOL. 

It is now admitted on all hands that on the Church, 
as a Church and in her organized capacity, devolves the 
duty of conducting the Sabbath-school. That she should 
acknowledge this duty, and act accordingly, is most 
evident. She should sustain the Sabbath-school ; she 
should conduct it ; she should look upon it as her indis 
pensable charge ; she should feel responsible for its vig 
orous prosecution ; she should make provision for all its 
wants just as much as for the worship of the sanctuary 
or for any other branch of her duties. 

She should keep it, either directly through her or 
dained officers or indirectly through persons whom she 
appoints and holds responsible to her, in her own hands, 
and manage all its interests. She should not merely 
have a general supervision of this important branch of 
her work, but she should herself perform it. She should 
not leave it to be conducted by others or attempt to 
transfer her duty and responsibility, for she has no 
right by any sort of contrivance to ignore her divine 
ly-appointed task of training her children for the king 
dom of Christ. It is hers not only to see who teaches 
and what is taught, and to be alive to all the interests 
of the Sabbath school, but also herself to teach and 
conduct all these interests. 

This duty of the Church can hardly be questioned. 
She is bound to attend to the religious instruction of the 
children, especially in the Sabbath-school, because she 
is commanded to train the young for the service and 
glory of God ; because this is one of the chief objects 



376 THE PASTOR IN THE 

for which she has been established as a Church ; be 
cause her organs are responsible as no others are to both 
earthly and heavenly authority; because she has, or 
ought to have, the piety and intelligence needed for 
performing this work; because she has the very best 
instrumentalities for this enterprise, which is spiritual 
and eternal in its issues ; because, if the Church leaves 
this teaching of the children to other hands, their minds 
may be filled with error and falsehood ; and because, 
when she fails to perform this work herself, discords 
and troubles are almost sure to be the consequence. 

(6) DIFFICULTY OF HARMONIZING THE CONTROL OF THE 
CHURCH AND THE FREEDOM OF THE TEACHERS. 

This is a very delicate and difficult point, and requires 
great caution on the part of pastor and elders. Many a 
strife has been engendered by it and many a Sabbath- 
school and church shaken to the foundations. 

The peculiar difficulty lies in the solution of this 
question : How can the control of the Sabbath-school 
be kept in the hands of the session, and yet the teach 
ers have so much freedom in the management of its 
affairs that they will still keep up that interest which 
is so essential ? When the ordering of all the ar 
rangements of the school is too much given up to the 
teachers there is danger that the highest interests of the 
church and school will not be consulted, and that true 
wisdom and experience will not rule. On the other 
hand, inasmuch as they do the work and endure the 
hardness, it is but justice that their voice should be 
heard ; and if it is too little heeded, it can scarcely be 
wondered at if their hearts cease to be fully in the 
cnuse. 

It is not probable that any one definite plan can be 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 377 

suggested by which this difficulty may be avoided. 
Tact, good sense and a sanctified spirit are rather to 
be relied upon to keep strifes from arising and coming 
to an issue. There are, however, a few things attention 
to which may overcome much of the difficulty in the 
case. These things we will point out as well worthy of 
consideration. 

1. All the members of the session, the minister in 
cluded, should be connected with the Sabbath -school. 
They ought always to be present. If they are not 
regular teachers, they can attend as members and per 
form other important duties. They can fill vacancies 
when teachers are absent ; they can visit missing schol 
ars and search for new ones; they can assist at the 
opening or closing prayer-meeting ; they can be con 
sulted about any difficulties that may arise in the 
school ; they can encourage superintendent and teach 
ers, and by their presence they can show their interest 
in the school and the importance they attach to it. 
Then, being members of the school, they can influence 
its counsels without any appearance of undue inter 
ference. 

2. One of the elders ought always, if practicable, to 
be the superintendent of the Sabbath-school. It is not 
often wise, though it may sometimes be necessary, for 
the pastor to hold the office. The superintendent ought 
to be one of the most devoted men in the church, and 
such men are almost always in the session. Moreover, 
the man who is qualified for being superintendent is 
certainly qualified for the eldership, and ought to be in 
it. When the vast influence of the superintendent in ap 
pointing and guiding the teachers, in visiting the scholars 
and in numerous other things is considered, it will be seen 
how important it is that he should be in the session, 

48 



378 THE PASTOR IN THb 

and so bring all his influence to be tributary to the 
authorities of the church. As both superintendent of 
the Sabbath-school and member of the session he can 
harmonize the relations of the two, and utilize the whole 
weight of both in building up the cause of Christ. 

3. The session ought always to appoint, or at least 
nominate, the superintendent. They could give the 
names of two or three persons, and then let the teachers 
elect from them ; or the election might be made subject 
to their approval ; or they could at once appoint the 
superintendent, and let him be their agent in carrying 
on the Sabbath-school. If this rule were incorporated 
in the constitution of the school, there would not after 
ward be any friction in the matter. It ought to be 
made the law in the organizing of every new school. 
It may generally be worked into others, by proper tact, 
without much difficulty. 

4. It ought to be the established law that the benevolent 
contributions of the school should be appropriated to the 
Boards of the Church under the direction of the session. 
We single out this matter, and would have it fixed, be 
cause experience has proved it to be one of the most 
fruitful sources of controversy and strife. Instances 
could be given where it has led to the most serious dif 
ficulties. We would therefore have the whole thing set 
tled settled when peace reigned for all time to come. 

Adherence to these few principles, it is believed, will 
prevent most of the difficulties which ordinarily arise 
between the teachers and the authorities of the church. 



THE PROVINCE OF THE SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

What is the exact sphere of this institution ? what is 
the place it occupies ? what the general work it has to 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 379 

do ? In answer to these questions it may be said that 
its mission is 

1. To assist in the religious training of the Church s 
own children and youth. It is merely to assist in this, 
not to take it out of the hands of either parents or pastor. 
Parents are to give the first, most affectionate and most 
persistent instruction in divine things. But the Sab 
bath-school can supplement, and that in a very import 
ant manner, this indispensable work of Christian parents. 
It can impress the teachings of the parents by the varied 
instructions of the teacher. It can clothe those teach 
ings with the charm by which they are surrounded in 
the Sabbath-school. It can carry them home to youth 
ful hearts with all the force of the sympathy and exam 
ple of other children and youth in the same class and 
the same assembly. Many a time a child will turn away 
from the truth when presented to itself alone, but will 
listen attentively to the same truth when others are seen 
listening. Many a time it will be drawn to Christ when 
others are seen pressing into the kingdom. This use 
of the force of example and sympathy is an important 
element in the Sabbath-school work. It adds the im 
pulse given by youthful companions to the fidelity of 
teachers, and both to the affection of parents. 

In the same manner its work is supplementary to that 
of the pulpit. The children of the Church have by 
right a place in the public worship of the sanctuary. 
There they ought to be as regularly as their parents. 
And nothing can take the place of this privilege. But 
the Sabbath-school comes in again to supplement the 
impressions of the public service. It comes in with a 
service that is attractive, because it is the children s 
own service, and especially adapted to the wants of the 
young. 



380 THE PASTOR IN THE 

2. To reach with the gospel the children of those 
parents who give them no religious instruction, and who 
themselves are not accustomed to go to the house of God. 
There are many, very many, such youth and children 
in every community. They are not taught to pray, 
the words of Holy Writ are not impressed upon their 
memories, they are not accustomed to go to the sanctuary, 
they have no example of true piety set before them. 
They are in the midst of gospel privileges, but not one 
of those privileges is put in their possession. What is 
to become of them ? Who is to bring them into the 
enjoyment of those blessings of which their parents are 
themselves practically ignorant ? 

The Sabbath-school is the very best instrumentality 
that has been devised for reaching this class of the 
young. Indeed, it was for the purpose of reaching 
them that it was first established. It seeks out such 
youth and children and brings them into its classes. It 
attracts their hearts to the claims of Christ and of their 
own perishing souls by the example of other youth who 
are piously educated, by the affectionate care of teachers, 
by the pleasure of its sacred songs and by all the blessed 
allurements of its exercises. And then, be it remem 
bered, that these hallowed influences are exerted upon 
the young, who need them most, and with whom they 
will be the most salutary and abiding. The importance 
of the sphere which the Sabbath-school occupies in this 
respect cannot be too highly estimated. By its gospel 
influences it reaches this large and important class of 
children, who could not be reached by any other instru 
mentality of which we know. This one thing makes 
it worthy of the unwearied care and efforts and prayers 
of all true Christians and philanthropists. And on this 
account it should be our deliberate purpose to gather 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 381 

into it all the children who have no religious instruc 
tion at home, and who have no other friends to draw 
them to the house of God. 

3. To furnish a field of work for every willing Chris 
tian hand. There are multitudes of people in all the 
churches who are willing to work for the kingdom. 
Their hearts have been touched by the Spirit of God, so 
that they have something of the mind of Christ, whose 
great delight it was to go about doing good. They have 
been made to see the need that souls have of being saved 
and purified. They feel in some measure the obligations 
under which they rest to that Saviour who redeemed 
them by his blood, and who calls them to his help in 
seeking to redeem others. They are willing to put forth 
some effort in the blessed gospel enterprise if the prac 
tical thing only lay before them as to what they should 
undertake. 

Now, the Sabbath-school meets this want in a very 
important manner. It lays open a field of work in 
which all can engage can engage at once, can engage 
with comparative ease, can engage with a promise of 
success that is hardly to be found in any other enter 
prise. Here are classes of imperishable minds to which 
the Christian can go and teach the way of life through 
Christ; or if no class is ready, he can take the place of 
some teacher who is necessarily absent for a day, or he 
can go out among the neglected and gather up a rlas.- 
for himself. Or he can go into an adult class as a mem 
ber, and so lend his influence in attracting others and 
increasing the interest of the school ; or he can spend 
the hour in going about from street to street and house 
to house, seeking for children who neglect the Sabbath, 
and striving to bring them into the classes. And all 
can take a lively interest in the Sabbath-school ; they 



382 THE PASTOR IN THE 

can pray for it, they can help in its support, they can 
visit it, they can speak a good word for it as opportunity 
offers, they can say something to encourage superintend 
ent and teachers, who often have much to depress and 
try them. Here is an important field of work for all. 
There is no other so ready, so easy, or that promises 
such early and abundant harvests. 



DIRECT AIMS OF THE SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

What are, or ought to be, the direct objects of the 
Sabbath-school in the study of the Bible and in all its 
other exercises ? We want to enter into the school, visit 
its classes, listen to its services, watch its working, study 
its lessons, and see what it aims to accomplish. After 
careful study of the subject it will be found that there 
are three objects which should constantly be before the 
minds of teachers and officers. 

(a) THE CONVERSION OF THE SCHOLARS. 

This is the object which should stand at the head of 
all others in this school of the Church. It is for this 
object primarily that the Bible is to be studied, and its 
great saving truths reiterated and pressed upon the 
hearts of the learners. This one pre-eminent purpose 
will run through the books that are read, the lessons 
that are studied, the improvements that are devised. It 
will pervade the devotional exercises of the school, give 
tone to every movement, and lie on the heart of every 
teacher. The conversion of the soul is an object which 
will well repay all that can possibly be done for it. When 
this is accomplished there is a foundation laid for all 
other blessings. 

That the young may be converted has been estab- 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 383 

lished beyond the possibility of question or doubt. 
It is a practicable thing to seek for the immediate sal 
vation of the young. Why should they not be brought 
to Christ now? What qualification of heart or head 
necessary to conversion is not theirs now ? Cases innu 
merable of the conversion of the young warrant us in 
striving for it with all diligence. Where is there a 
church in which such instances cannot be found ? Tens 
of thousands of the most devoted Christians were brought 
into the kingdom when they were young. While they 
are young is the most hopeful time to look for the con 
version of the scholars. It is, humanly speaking, the 
period when the probability of their being saved is the 
greatest. The records of all churches will undoubtedly 
show that the greater part of all who are ever converted 
experienced that blessed change before they were twenty 
years old. This makes the first twenty years of life 
very solemn. Those who see youth passing through these 
years in their sins may well tremble for them. The 
human probability is that if they are ever saved it will 
be now. 

(6) THE INDOCTRINATION OF THE SCHOLARS. 

The second direct aim of the Sabbath-school is to 
imbue the minds of the children with the great prin 
ciples of our holy religion. There is in some minds a 
prejudice against teaching or laying much stress upon 
the doctrines. But what are doctrines ? Are they not 
the great principles of the gospel the momentous truths 
which God has revealed for the benefit of men ? Are 
they not simply the topics according to which the teach 
ings of the Scriptures may be classified? And what 
shall we teach about religion if not these ? In fact, we 
must teach doctrines if we would teach anything what- 



384 THE PASTOR IN THE 

ever about the gospel. And doctrines are the founda 
tion for a solid and stable Christian character. It is by 
a deep-laid substratum of these that that permanency 
of Christian character is to be obtained which is not 
afterward driven about by every wind of doctrine, 
which is almost sure in the end to find its way to 
the cross of Christ, and which becomes a power for 
good in the circle of society in which it moves. 

Now, it is in the minds of the children that this 
foundation of doctrines should be laid. Their mem 
ories, which will keep as long as life lasts what is now 
put in them, their wills, now easily influenced, and 
their youth, needing principles that will be their 
guide through all their future years, all indicate that 
the present is the period for them to store up the doc 
trines. And this should be an incessant aim of the 
Sabbath-school. By its teaching of the holy oracles, 
by its reiteration of the Catechism week after week and 
year after year, by the great truths contained in its 
sacred songs, and by all its public addresses, it should 
labor to fill the hearts of the scholars with the vitally- 
important doctrines of our holy religion. On this sub 
ject the Rev. Dr. James M. Crowell, in a recent article, 
uses the following language : 

"Careful, continued, systematic instruction in the sym 
bols of doctrine to which we hold as a Church is essen 
tial to the perpetuity and establishment and solid growth 
of true religion. We are not only to hold fast to sound 
words/ but to the form of sound words/ And since 
the young are at an age when they are most susceptible 
to the impressions of truth and when the memory is 
most retentive, that seems to be the best time for the 
work of catechetical instruction to be attended to. 
And since, by reason of the force of natural depravity, 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 385 

or original sin, or whatever we may call it, there is un 
deniably a strong natural bias to error of understanding 
as well as to evil of heart and disposition, therefore the 
ground of the youthful heart should be preoccupied, as 
it were, by the diligent sowing of the seed of divine 
truth. It is true that objection is made against this on 
the ground that it is not fair to forestall the mind in 
favor of religion. But the obvious reply to this is, that 
it is impossible to leave the mind through childhood 
without prejudice in regard to religion. The question 
does not lie between furnishing the mind with opinions 
in childhood and leaving it empty. The simple fact 
is that it cannot be left empty. We must either fill it 
with the sifted wheat of truth or leave it to be filled 
spontaneously with the flying chaff of all kinds of error. 
If you do not employ the revealed doctrines of the Bible 
in the training of your child, you have not maintained 
neutrality ; you have decided for your child against the 
Bible. Instead of keeping out the error and the evil 
which were pressing hard to come in like a flood, you 
have left wide open the floodgates, and you have made 
your poor child a victim. 

" The story of Coleridge is a familiar one that on 
one occasion he showed a friend a garden which he had 
been unwilling to prejudice in favor of fruits and 
flowers, and the result was that it chose most perversely 
to bear a prolific crop of weeds. So in the minds and 
hearts of our children there is a crop of weeds all ready 
to spring up, and if we do not educate them in God s 
truth, they will be sure to grow up indoctrinated in the 
devil s error; and then when we come, after a while, 
with the good seed of the kingdom, we shall find the 
soil preoccupied and a luxuriant crop of rank and nox 
ious weeds covering it all over. This objection is of no 



386 THE PASTOR IN THE 

account. If we do not hesitate to prejudice our chil 
dren in favor of true science in the matter of their sec 
ular education, we surely need not fear to do the same 
thing in regard to religion." 

(c) THE TRAINING OF THE CHILDREN IN BENEVOLENCE. 

Beginning with conversion, and following it up with 
diligent teaching of the doctrines, the Sabbath-school 
looks for immediate results in acts of benevolence. It 
teaches this as a doctrine, but it also insists upon its 
being carried at once into practice. It is made imper 
ative upon us by the command of the Master, by that 
benevolent spirit which we have received and by the 
piteous cry of perishing millions of our race, that we 
put forth every effort to save the lost, and continue to 
do so while we have prayers to offer or tongues to speak 
or alms to give. This is the blessed conviction which 
is taking more and more firm hold upon the conscience 
of the Church. Everything should be done to foster 
and intensify it. And the youthful mind is the most 
hopeful soil in which it can be cultivated. Because of 
the natural selfishness of the heart this lesson is very 
hard to be learned ; it needs to be taught early and re 
peated very often. The principle of benevolence, once 
firmly established in the mind of a child, will live and 
grow and lead to splendid development. And the Sab 
bath-school should keep this constantly before it. By 
teaching the scholars to live for the good of others, and 
by accustoming them to contribute of their money to ob 
jects of benevolence, it should implant and strengthen 
the spirit of Christ, who ever went about doing good. 
It is for this purpose, as well as for the actual good that 
may be done, that the school contributes regularly 
that the scholars are encouraged to save that they may 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 387 

have to give to assist in rescuing souls from endless 
death and in building up the blessed cause of God in 
the world. 

These three objects, the conversion of the scholars, the 
filling of their minds with the doctrines of grace, and 
the training of them to habits of benevolence, are the 
objects which should ever be paramount in the Sabbath- 
school. According to the measure of success in these, 
the school will prove a blessing to the young, to the 
Church and to the world. 



CONDUCTING THE SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

This is a matter which the pastor should thoroughly 
influence, even though he does not personally perform it, 
because of his position as leader in all the work of the 
church, and because of his qualifications as trained and 
devoted to religious teaching. For this purpose he 
should keep himself well informed as to all that is going 
on in the general Sabbath-school work, with its helps, 
facilities, improvements and progress. To assist him 
we will touch upon a few important points without 
attempting to cover the whole field, which would neither 
be possible nor in place here. There are valuable works 
devoted exclusively to the Sabbath-school cause which 
can be profitably studied to that end. Our suggestions 
are confined to a few general, comprehensive subjects in 
which the pastor is particularly interested, and which 
will give tone and character to all the exercises of the 
school. 

(a) EXCITING INTEREST IN THE BIBLE. 

We place this first, because it is of first importance, 
and because it ought to give impulse, direction and color 



388 THE PASTOR IN THE 

to everything that is done or attempted in the Sab- 
bath-schc ol. It is one of the saddest things in the world 
that the Bible, the word of God. the sure guide to an 
eternity of blessedness and the infallible directory to a 
life of virtue and happiness, should be so little read and 
appreciated, even by those who have not a doubt as to 
its divine authority. The heart, naturally alienated from 
God and everything he does, lays hold of advantages, 
such as long familiarity with the Bible and the ease with 
which it can be obtained, and uses them in closing up 
the sacred volume, so that it becomes, in effect, a sealed 
book. Hence the effort of Christian teachers should be 
to break up this indifference to the word of God, to 
awaken such interest in its pages that they will be re 
sorted to with pleasure, perused with satisfaction and 
sought for with quickened curiosity, and to produce 
some suitable conception of its depths and grandeur 
and importance to every man. Whoever succeeds in 
awakening this interest with old or young is one of 
the great benefactors of his race. 

Now, the essential object of the Sabbath-school is to 
arouse this interest in the word of God, and to secure 
the production of the appropriate results in the heart 
and life of the young. It is, in its very essence and 
design, a Bible-school. This is its great idea as under 
stood by all those who have just conceptions of its 
nature. It studies the Bible. It honors the Bible as 
God s own book. It shows the beauty and perfections 
of the Bible. It helps to understand the Bible, and 
strives to open some of the wondrous mines of truth 
which it contains. The authority for whatever is taught 
in the Sabbath-school is drawn from the pages of the 
inspired volume. Hence also are derived the motives 
by which teachers and superintendent would influence 



SABBA TH-SCHOOL. 389 

the tender hearts of their scholars. Through the incul 
cation of the truths of the Bible it would draw the 
young to Christ, establish in their hearts the doctrines 
of godliness, and train them to lives of active benevo 
lence. If the Sabbath-school succeeds to any degree 
in awakening this interest in the word of God and in 
imparting the influence of its truths, its benefits to the 
world will be greater than tongue can utter or thought 
conceive. 

In order to arouse this interest in the divine word 
every possible effort should be made by those who have 
the conducting of the Sabbath -school. To this end it 
should be kept in mind that children, and adults too, 
will be interested in the Bible just in proportion as they 
understand it. It will also help much if we clothe its 
histories with life and reality, and invest the persons 
with flesh and blood, enter into their feelings, and sym 
pathize with them in the events that are recorded. If 
we do this with the children, they will soon come to think 
much of the Bible. It almost seems as if there were an 
eye to the children in revealing so much of the will of 
God in the form of narrative, which is so well adapted 
to arrest their attention. What perfection, what variety, 
what adaptation to all the elements of our understand 
ing are to be found in the Scriptures, and might be used 
to enlist the attention of the young ! We might now 
dwell with them on the marvelous history of the Crea 
tion ; now on the affecting story of Joseph ; now on the 
sublime visions of Isaiah, where at one time hell is seen 
wide open, and at another the throne of God is disclosed, 
with the seraphim around it crying, " Holy, holy, 
holy is the Lord of hosts;" now on the inimitable 
beauty of its poetry, carrying away ^ur souls with the 



390 THE PASTOR IN THE 

prophet as he sings, "Although the fig tree shall not 
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of 
the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, 
the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall 
be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 
I will joy in the God of my salvation ;" now on the 
sweet history of the Babe of Bethlehem ; now on the 
Sermon on the Mount, filled with such words as never 
man spake; now on the sacredness of Christ s inter 
cessory prayer to the Father in the seventeenth chapter 
of John ; now on the heavenly logic of Paul ; and now 
on the glorious scenes of the Apocalypse. Let the 
teachers become enthusiastic about these things, about 
the whole of the wonderful perfections of the word of 
God, and there will be no difficulty in awakening the 
deepest interest in the minds of the scholars. 

Plans should be contrived for the express purpose of 
making the study of the sacred volume more and more 
attractive. We should experiment with ourselves to 
know how we personally are most drawn to it, and we 
shall generally find that the same methods are effective 
with the children. We may also learn from other Sab 
bath-school workers what methods they have tried and 
found successful. If one plan does not succeed, we can 
try another. Sometimes what will do with one person 
or class will not do with others, and there should there 
fore be variety. It should ever be kept before us for 
our encouragement that it is possible to awaken an in 
terest in the Bible in most minds, if the effort is dili 
gently persevered in. It should therefore be made a 
distinct object, by every pastor, superintendent and 
teacher, to effect this most desirable end. 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 391 



(6) AIMING DIRECTLY FOR THE CONVERSION OF THE 
SCHOLARS. 

The one thing needed in all our Sabbath-schools is 
to make the immediate conversion of the scholars their 
great object. This idea must be made to rise above all 
others. The mode of conducting the school, the study 
of the Bible, the teachers meeting and the appointment 
of teachers should all be influenced by this ever-present 
motive. What all feel to be needed in our Sabbath- 
schools is a more devotional spirit and a deeper sense 
of the divine presence. The fixed purpose of bring 
ing the young to Jesus will give this air of sacred- 
ness. It will produce the feeling that all have met to 
transact business with God and souls. The idea of 
a school will then be lost in the far higher ideas of 
worship, of the mercy-seat and of souls entering the 
kingdom. 

Such a purpose must necessarily affect the teachers. 
It will ever keep before them the one great thing at 
which they are to aim. In studying and teaching, in 
managing their classes and in their intercourse with 
each other, all their bearing will receive its tone from 
the thought that they are striving for the salvation of 
their scholars. Such teachers must be successful. The 
records of Sabbath-school work are full of facts proving 
that this singleness of aim for the glory of God will not 
be in vain. This settles the whole question as to who 
should be teachers. The heart to strive for the conver 
sion of the young is the first and great qualification. It 
is indispensable. Whoever has it, and is capable of 
explaining the way to Christ, may teach. Whoever is 
destitute of it should not be placed in that deeply re 
sponsible position. The teacher who cares not for the 



392 THE PASTOR IN THE 

salvation of the scholars has no business in the Sabbath- 
school. 

The scholars, too, will feel the influence of this great 
aim whenever it pervades the school ; it will not long 
lie hidden from them ; the earnest purpose will soon 
affect them. They may be reckless, and strive to ap 
pear more so than they really are, but something will 
soon reach their hearts and make an impression that 
they cannot shake off. The school will be easily man 
aged ; in fact, it will need no managing. Its minutes 
will glide quietly away, and all will feel that they have 
been in a sacred presence. This is the true method of 
securing order. This, moreover, will attract scholars to 
the school, and keep them there. Innumerable devices 
such as exhibitions and shows of various kinds 
have been tried to give attractiveness to the Sabbath- 
school work, but thoughtful friends of the cause are 
settling down into this conviction. The motive we have 
now urged will not be temporary in its effects. The 
school where this great object reigns will, in the long- 
run, prove to be the prosperous school even in outward 
growth and permanence. 

(c) CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTION. 

Very great stress should be laid upon catechetical in 
struction as a part of Sabbath-school work. The Cate 
chism for Young Children should be used in the primary 
or infant department, and the Westminster Catechism 
in all the rest of the school. The family is the place 
where this instruction is expected to be given most early, 
most affectionately and most perseveringly, but it should 
also find a very prominent place in the Sabbath-school. 
It should be made a part of the opening or closing exer 
cises of each session, as well as of the class instructions 



SA BBA TH-SCHOOL. 393 

of the teacher. The catechism should be repeated 
over and over and over ; it should be memorized ; it 
should be explained, so that the scholars may never re 
member the time when they were not familiar with it. 

It may seem like a waste of words to recommend the 
Shorter Catechism after it has been tested for centuries 
and held in such high esteem by the wisest and best of 
the people of God ; and yet it is well sometimes to call 
fresh attention to its surpassing excellencies. It is prob 
ably the best summary of the truths of the Scriptures 
that has ever been formed by man. The comprehensive 
manner in which it presents all the essential points of 
religion is simply wonderful. Its teachings embrace a 
full statement of the way to Christ and life eternal, of all 
the great doctrines of the gospel, of the various duties 
we owe to both God and man, and of the future destiny 
of the righteous and of the wicked. It forms in itself 
a complete system of theology. It is simply the teach 
ings of Scripture arranged according to their great lead 
ing topics. One can hardly help feeling sometimes that 
its words verge closely on inspiration. The longer it is 
tried by time and experience and the utterances of Scrip 
ture, the more valuable does it appear. 

The memorizing of this catechism in youth becomes 
a matter of overwhelming importance when it is con 
sidered that so treasured up it has a vast influence in 
fixing the doctrines and principles for life. Based as it 
is on Scripture, and more and more clearly seen to be so 
as it is better understood, it can hardly fail of having 
this abiding effect. Experience abundantly proves that 
where the mind is thus early filled with the truth of 
God by having it wrought into its very texture, it 
does not often depart from it. Those who are thus 
trained become comparatively safe from infidelity and 



394 THE PASTOR IN THE 

from running after wild and destructive opinions in 
religion. Surely, it is much needed at the present time, 
when there is so much looseness of religious belief, so 
much falling away into errors and skepticism. 

On this subject we quote again from the article by 
the Rev. Dr. Crowell to which we have already re 
ferred : 

" One great advantage in giving instruction through 
the Catechism is found in this fact that it contains, 
in short and pithy sentences where every word tells, a 
complete and accurate summary of doctrine. Nor can 
it be objected that this is exalting it to a place which 
belongs only to the Scriptures, since every proposition 
in the Catechism is based upon the word of God, makes 
its appeal to the word of God, and so by that very 
thing exalts the Bible to its normal place as the ultimate 
standard and rule of faith and practice. This form of 
sound words is such that sometimes one single phrase 
or expression, one word rather than another, will con 
dense in itself, and keep for ready use, a whole set of 
Scripture teachings in fact, a very body of divinity. 

" The advantages of such clear, simple, concise state 
ments of God s truth as these must be evident at once 
to every candid mind. And if in early life a system 
atic view of Christian doctrine be obtained and digested 
and stored in the memory, the harmony and relation of 
the teachings of the Bible will be recognized, and the 
pernicious heresies which gain the assent of so many 
people will be at once rejected. And in these days of 
ours, when respect for all that is sacred and venerable 
is sneered at by many as weakness and superstition, 
when the march of intellect, as they call it, is the pre 
text for so much change, and when the very founda 
tions are in danger of being destroyed, what a grand 



SABBATH-SCHOOL, 395 

thing it would be, for the young especially, to be rooted 
and grounded in the truth, that they may not be the 
helpless dupes of every plausible impostor and be tossed 
about like feathers by every wind of doctrine ! 

"And if, at any time, there should be shown a dis 
position to banish the form of sound words from the 
early training of our children, then it should be recog 
nized as a solemn obligation, on the part of those whom 
God has set as watchmen on the walls of Zion, to incul 
cate it with renewed zeal as an invaluable bulwark of 
the truth. The peculiar characteristic of our age in 
the domain of religious truth is looseness. The tend 
ency most prevailing is to make the way of religious 
belief smooth and broad and easy, to avoid giving 
offence, and to please the natural heart, even though 
God declares that heart to be deceitful and desperately 
wicked. " 

The value of this formula of divine truth has been 
abundantly demonstrated by the experience of ages, by 
the testimony of piety and by the deep foundations of 
righteousness it has helped to lay in many a highly- 
favored community. All who have well understood it, 
all who have compared it with the Scriptures, all who 
have candidly studied the uprightness and stability of 
character which have ever distinguished those who were 
imbued with its principles, will add their testimony. Its 
influence in making any people intelligent, virtuous, 
religious, free and stable may be seen in Scotland, in 
the north of Ireland, and in those parts of America 
and England where it has been most used. If the Sab 
bath-school only succeed in fixing this in the memory 
and hearts of the great body of its scholars, if will have 
accomplished a mission the benign effects of which will 
have no limits either in time or eternity. 



396 THE PASTOR IN THE 

We ought to be the more incited to make this a part 
of the regular exercises of the Sabbath-school from the 
consideration that if the Catechism is not memorized in 
youth it probably never will be afterward. Like spell 
ing, reading, writing and other fundamental branches 
of education, it must ordinarily be learned in childhood 
if ever. As a matter of fact, it is seen that very few 
do study it in adult years. Children memorize easily, 
and it would not be the task for them to lay up this 
treasure in their memories that it would be for others. 
Moreover, by committing it in childhood it will be re 
tained more tenaciously, and become incorporated as an 
essential part of the earliest and tenderest associations 
of their being. How anxious, then, should we be not 
to let the golden opportunity slip until this precious 
acquisition is made ! We should be stirred up by the 
homely motto, so true here, that it is " now or never" 

An objection very often brought against the learning 
of the Catechism by children is, that they cannot un 
derstand it that it is to them nothing but a tissue of 
unmeaning words. This difficulty is greatly exagge 
rated ; there is far more in the Catechism that is compre 
hensible by children than is commonly imagined. But 
supposing it to be so in part, they will understand it 
more and more fully as reason strengthens, and after 
ward see it to be a mine of the most valuable of all truth. 
And then they will thank the Sabbath-school with all 
their hearts that it persevered even against their incli 
nation it may have been in enriching them with treas 
ures of divine knowledge which gold could not purchase. 

Now, the Sabbath-school is a most important instru 
mentality for this teaching of the Catechism. It has 
collected within its walls the very class of persons who 
ought to learn it, and who may be induced to undertake 



SABBA TH-8CHOOL. 397 

the task. The incitement of the example of others 
learning it, and the influence of pastor, superintendent 
and teachers, will lead many to begin the work and to 
persevere in it who would not otherwise think of so 
doing. It is a school for learning religious truth, and 
this comes in naturally as an appropriate branch of its 
exercises. The experience of many Sabbath-schools, 
where the Catechism is studied successfully, proves that 
it is practicable to introduce it into all ; and it is to be 
remembered that many of the children collected in 
our Sabbath-schools never will be taught the Catechism 
at home. 

We would strongly recommend a plan for its constant 
study in the Sabbath-school and for making it a part 
of the regular exercises which has been tested by years 
of use. In the closing exercises of every Sabbath let 
the whole school repeat two answers of the Catechism 
in concert, and then go back and review ten by repeat 
ing them in the same way. In this manner the whole 
Catechism will be recited every year, and reviewed at least 
ten times. This process, continued year after year, must 
necessarily make the scholars familiar with it. The 
plan is perfectly practicable ; it takes up but a short 
time of the school ; it becomes an interesting part of 
the exercises, and it fixes the Catechism in the memory 
and affections of the scholars with hardly any effort. 
When any school adopts it, it is not likely soon to be 
abandoned, as an experience of ten or twelve years has 
proved. Even if some of the scholars should read them 
as they repeat the answers, or if they should only hear 
others answering, still much of the phraseology and of 
the truth will ultimately lodge in their memories. 

We would earnestly recommend that in this or in some 
other way the study of the Catechism be made a prom- 



398 THE PASTOR IN THE 

inent part of the exercises of every Sabbath -school. 
The school should never tire of it or think that it has 
been memorized to perfection. It should be repeated 
year after year repeated until it never can be forgot 
ten, repeated until it becomes a part of the thought 
and the language, of the very mind of every child and 
youth in the Sabbath-school. We would impress this 
counsel by the words of the Rev. Dr. W. G. T. 
Shedd as he closes his admirable work on the duties 
of the pastor : " In closing these brief chapters upon 
Pastoral Theology we feel deeply that there is not a 
topic of greater importance than this subject of cate 
chising ; and the last words we should desire to address 
a young clergymen as he is going forth to his life-long 
labor would be to make full proof of that part of his 
ministry to which belongs the indoctrination of the 
rising generation in the truths and principles of the 
Christian religion." 

(d) CULTIVATING THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE CHILDREN. 

We have already shown, in another place, that one 
of the three great objects of the Sabbath-school is to 
cultivate the benevolence of the young; and in doing 
this it should not merely teach what beneficence is, but 
should also illustrate it by leading the scholars to its actual 
practice. It should train them in doing good, especially 
by offering their gifts to the treasury of the Lord. Its 
object should be to exercise them in giving out of a- 
spirit of benevolence, to accustom them to give for 
Christ s sake, to train them to give because it is an 
essential element of the Christian life. It should be 
the established rule of every Sabbath-school that every 
Sabbath an offering of the scholars shall be made for 
the cause of God and righteousness. Both in theory 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 399 

and practice it should be perpetually inculcated, as it 
is taught in Scripture, that prayers and alms must go 
together in the worship that is true and acceptable. It 
should be impressed upon the minds of the children 
from their earliest days by the teaching of parents, 
pastor and Sabbath-school that this is fundamental in 
religion. 

The great hope of the world to-day, inasmuch as God 
has connected its salvation so intimately with human 
agency, is that the rising generation will be more lib 
eral than their fathers. The principle of beneficence, 
which demands the giving away of that which is most 
highly prized among men to objects which are purely 
spiritual, and at the mere command of God, is a very 
difficult principle to establish. It encounters the 
natural and most formidable selfishness of the human 
heart, and that love of money which even the pen of 
inspiration declares to be " the root of all evil." And 
the great thing to be aimed at is to get the principle of 
benevolence established before the other principle of 
selfishness shall have become so firmly rooted as to ab 
sorb everything. If ever the nobler principle is to gain 
the ascendency, except as it is done by the supernatural 
grace of God, it must be worked into the soul while it 
is yet tender and susceptible of abiding impressions. 

Hence the importance of the Sabbath-school culti 
vating in the children the spirit of benevolence. To 
this end they should be thoroughly instructed in the 
benevolent work of the Church ; they should be made 1 
to see that it is by far the greatest work of the world, 
and their minds should be enlarged and drawn out of 
self by the study of the grandest enterprise of the a.ge. 
Then it should be impressed upon them that this is a 
work in which they have something to do, to which God 



400 THE PASTOR IN THE 

and their own highest glory call them. They should be 
so trained that they will love to give that their whole 
life will be ennobled and sweetened by the effort to save 
that they may have the more to give to the cause which 
brought down Jesus to the cross, and on which the salva 
tion of millions upon millions of souls is dependent. Oh, 
blessed will it be for them and for their generation if 
they are so trained that they never shall remember the 
time when they did not love to give to God and his 
blessed gospel ! 

In this matter of developing the benevolence of the 
children it is worthy of special attention that their gifts 
be placed in the treasury of the Lord, and not devoted 
to their own interests. In many a school all that the 
scholars contribute is spent in defraying its own ex 
penses a system which is most objectionable on many 
accounts. Certainly it is not cultivating their benev 
olence to have all their gifts terminate in themselves. 
It is only selfishness. It is moreover a shame for any 
church to compel its children to defray the expenses of 
its own school. Unspeakably better is it to accustom 
them to giving to objects of general benevolence, so that 
they may learn to do good to others and help forward 
the cause of Christ and truth. 

This is important for the purpose of training the 
young in the work of benevolence, but it is also import 
ant because of the aggregate amount which might be 
contributed by all our Sabbath-schools. It would tell 
in a very important manner upon the whole benevolent 
work of the Church. It would tell far more on the 
future, and that the very near future. It would soon 
impart a new impulse to all the Boards and other be 
nevolent operations of the Church. Let us take exam 
ples. Supposing that in a school of three hundred 



SABBA TH-SCHOOL. 401 

scholars each contributes one cent every Sabhath, the 
aggregate will be one hundred and fifty-six dollars a 
year enough to pay the appropriation of the Board of 
Education to a young man preparing for the ministry. 
Supposing each scholar gives three cents a Sabbath, the 
amount will be four hundred and sixty-eight dollars a 
year, which would support a Sabbath-school mission 
ary of the Board of Publication. Supposing that each 
brings five cents, then the sum will be seven hundred 
and eighty dollars a year, and this would pay the salary 
of a lay missionary of the Board of Foreign Missions 
and the appropriation to one of our home missionaries. 
Or if the contributions were distributed among all the 
Boards, still the amounts to each would be very consid 
erable. If all our schools would do this the income to 
the Church would be vast. It would soon shame the 
adult members of our congregations into giving far more 
than they now do. As a matter of fact there are Sab 
bath-schools which actually contribute more to the 
Lord s cause than do all the rest of the congregation. 
Let this matter receive due attention in all our Sabbath- 
schools, let the scholars be properly instructed and 
trained in giving for the spread of the gospel in all its 
departments, and the whole aspect of the Church and 
the world will soon be changed. 

The contributions of the Sabbath-school ought to be 
appropriated to the Church s own Boards or benevolent 
operations. The united piety and wisdom of the Church 
have planned and perfected these schemes of benevo 
lence ; they embrace the whole field of benevolent 
operation ; they are economical; they are for the prop 
agation of the truth as the Church itself understands 
it; they are responsible in their management to the 
whole Church ; and they have therefore a right to 



402 THE PASTOR IN THE 

look to the Sabbath-school as well as the church for 
their support. On this point it was very appropri 
ately said by Rev. Dr. John W. Dulles: "Where does 
the money go? The money given by our Sabbath- 
school scholars, we mean. Who get it? Our Sabbath- 
schools are the hunting-ground of every good cause, 
from the widows homes to exploration societies, and of 
some causes not so good. The hungry and homeless 
enterprises that cannot effect an entrance to the church, 
at whose doors sit the watchful session, sidle up to the 
Sabbath-school arid modestly ask for only the crumbs 
from the children s table. Soft-hearted superintendents 
shrink from saying No to so good a thing, and the 
gifts of the little ones are voted away with .uplifted 
hands. In Presbyterian churches this matter should 
be controlled by the session. Where organization has 
not reached this perfection the greatest firmness should 
be exercised by the officers of the school in barring out 
these miscellaneous appeals. The established Church- 
channels of benevolence afford abundant outlets for the 
gifts of the children. Here we have Boards under the 
strictest supervision and most economical management 
carrying on the grandest schemes of benevolence. Mis 
sions to the heathen, home missions, Sabbath-school mis 
sion-work can be aided through these organizations, with 
the assurance that the money is safely given. Moreover, 
if our children give through these Boards when they are 
young, they will love them and give through them when 
they are old. With such channels open to us for the 
use of Sabbath-school mission-funds, it is most unwise 
to dissipate these gifts through agencies of which we 
know little and over which we have no control." 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 403 

(e) THE SABBATH-SCHOOL TO BE KEPT IN SYMPATHY WITH 
THE CHURCH. 

Very much of the value of the Sabbath-school de 
pends upon keeping it in vital connection and strong 
sympathy with the Church. The Church has this high 
claim upon teachers and scholars because it was appoint 
ed of God ; because it was set up to be the light of the 
world ; because it has outlasted every other institution 
the world has ever seen ; because it is composed of the 
very best of men, even the redeemed of the Lord ; and 
because with its interests are bound up the interests of 
the young, the interests of truth and righteousness, all 
the highest interests of the race. For these and other 
reasons in the Sabbath-school there should be not an 
act, not a word, not a thought, in opposition to the 
Church ; neither should there be any ignoring of its 
authority, or any disposition to stand aloof or to act in 
dependently of that body of which Christ is the Head, 
and old or young but component parts. The Sabbath- 
school should take pains to be identified with it in every 
thing. Superintendent and teachers should remember 
that their manner of conducting the school will have 
much to do with keeping up this reverence for the 
Church in the minds of the children. 

To this end the scholars should be kept thoroughly 
acquainted with the Church in all her interests, nature, 
history and destiny. It is well that the school should 
be often spoken to concerning it in affectionate terms. 
Patriotism loves to dwell upon the high honors of its 
country and relate them to its children ; far more ar 
dently should loyalty to the Church of God fill the 
minds of its offspring with admiration for her glories. 
The children should be made to see the superior advan- 



404 THE PASTOR IN THE 

tages which the Church has above every mere institu 
tion of men ; they should be taught her honorable his 
tory, and they should be kept well acquainted with the 
various projects she is carrying on for the purpose of 
saving and sanctifying the human race. The more they 
are made to know of the Church, the more they will be 
interested in her and be drawn to her fold. They 
should be made to feel that the Church is theirs, and 
awakened to a loving concern in all her affairs. They 
should also be taught that they have duties toward the 
Church duties to help forward her interests, to love 
her and to strive to bring others to love her. There 
should be cultivated in the minds of the scholars an 
intelligent and sincere attachment to their own denomi 
nation. If patriotism loves its own country, should not 
piety love its own Church? Our own denomination, 
whatever it is, we think to be the best, as we show by 
our connection with it ; should we not teach our chil 
dren what we so sincerely believe ? To stay them in 
the midst of wildly-floating theories, to fix them in the 
possession of the blessings of the house of God, it is 
deeply important that all our children should be taught 
to love their own Church. 

The Sabbath-school should use its influence to induce 
the scholars to attend regularly upon the services of the 
sanctuary. They are a part of the congregation, and 
it is their right and duty to be present at its worship. 
There they may receive the highest blessings which 
God comes into the assemblies of his people for the 
purpose of bestowing. If they are influenced to attend 
it in their youth, the habit will be formed, and in 
after years they will be drawn to the house of God by 
the old hallowed associations. They will be led to 
love the sanctuary, and in many an hour of retirement 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 405 

to long for its blessings. The superintendent and teach 
ers of the school have peculiar facilities for influencing 
the scholars to attend the services of the church. They 
can show them that it is their duty to go ; they can ar 
range plans for taking them there ; they can question 
them about the sermons and other services, and so stimu 
late their interest; they can always be present themselves, 
and lead by their example ; and they can notice whether 
the scholars have been there, and thus show that it is an 
object which rests upon their hearts. Sometimes the 
teachers may take their classes, or as many of them as 
they can induce to go, in a body a plan that will have 
influence with many. It should be affectionately and 
emphatically impressed upon the minds of the scholars 
that only a part of their duty on the Lord s day is 
performed when they attend Sabbath-school the other 
part is to attend upon the preaching of the sanctuary. 
Let them be accustomed to go from their childhood, and 
then they will not be absent from their places in the 
house of God in their adult years. 

If possible, pastor and elders, as well as superintend 
ent, should know the children of the Sabbath-school in 
dividually. This of course will be very difficult in 
large schools. But much can be done toward it by 
giving close attention to them personally, and by striv 
ing to recognize them, at least by their family resem 
blance. Nothing will gain their affection more surely 
than to let them see that they are noticed, and so much 
thought of as to be known even by name. Then, more 
over, they can be personally watched over in their spir 
itual interests. That pastor who is so highly favored 
as to be able to tell the scholars of his Sabbath-school 
by name, or even by their family, has in his hands a 
wonderful power for good. 



406 THE PASTOR IN THE 

(/) IMPROVEMENTS IN SABBATH-SCHOOL WORK. 

The progressive age in which we are living requires 
that there should be advance toward perfection in this 
noble enterprise. There are very great improvements 
in the art of secular teaching ; so also should there be 
in the art of religious teaching. As a blessed fact it is 
manifest that the whole subject of the Sabbath-school, 
with its various interests, is becoming better and better 
understood. Now, it is clearly our wisdom in this mat 
ter to fall in with the spirit of the age and guide the 
improvements. There must be change, and it is better 
for us to admit the fact, and if possible control that 
change. As is admitted on all hands, we should aim 
at a far higher standard of teaching in our Sabbath- 
schools. The working of them needs to be vastly im 
proved. This is felt everywhere. Those who are to 
teach youthful immortals the way of salvation need a 
preparation that is but seldom appreciated. We can 
never hope to arrive at perfection here, but we can 
make it our aim. We can rise far higher. There 
should be strenuous efforts made, in some way, to qual 
ify our teachers better for their task. Mere novelties 
in teaching are to be guarded against. Some of these 
may take the life and spirituality out of the schools. 
Among the wisest and best of our people these novelties 
are greatly dreaded. At the same time, every real im 
provement in the working of the Sabbath-school is to 
be diligently sought after and adopted. There should 
be progress here. Our motto should be, " Higher ! 
higher!" The everlasting truths of the gospel cannot 
change or be changed, but the modes of communicating 
and impressing them may be greatly changed and 
improved. 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 407 

1. The necessity for constant wakeful ness as to all real 
improvements in the Sabbath- school work may be seen 
when it is considered that that work is still in a forma 
tive state. At first, and for a long time afterward, its 
main object was to instruct ignorant children in spell 
ing, reading and writing. Then, for a while, little more 
was aimed after in its teachings than what pertains 
simply to the intellectual part of religion. Afterward 
the chief attention seemed to be bestowed upon the 
machinery of the school and upon the entertainment 
of the children upon furnishing them with shows, 
exhibitions, festivals and other things by which they 
might be attracted. Now the institution is manifestly 
settling down into what it should be namely, the 
Church working in the department of the young, and 
that with the aim of leading them, through the study 
of the Bible, to a saving knowledge of Christ, to the 
possession of principles formed by the great doctrines 
of the gospel, and to the practice of true benevolence. 

2. It should be the aim, in the management of the 
Sabbath-school, to adopt all real improvements all im 
provements which are calculated to make the work more 
effective in accomplishing its great end. In order to do 
this wisely, however, suggested schemes, called improve 
ments, must be carefully scrutinized. And this again 
will involve an intelligent investigation of what these 
proposed improvements are, what their authority, what 
their aim, what their tendency, and what, as tested 
by experience, their influence. It will very often be 
advisable to wait, to watch and to continue the exami 
nation. If the suggested plans infringe upon the Bible 
or Bible truth, if they ignore the Catechism, if they 
slight the Church which Christ has established, if they 
propose to worship God in some other way than he has 



408 THE PASTOR IN THE 

appointed, if they lead to error, if their influence is to 
divert attention from the real object which ought to be 
had in view, if they secularize the Sabbath-school, if 
they pander to the love of novelty and show, if such 
be their prevailing tendency, they ought to be rejected 
without any hesitation. 

Leaving out all these exceptions, it will be found that 
there are many modern real improvements in this work 
which ought to be adopted. Many important ideas as 
to the manner of imparting religious truth have been 
borrowed from the improvements in the secular schools. 
Some of the best minds and hearts of the age have been 
devoted to this subject, and the result of their labors is 
telling most beneficially. The progress of the Sabbath- 
school may be seen in its improved methods of interest 
ing the young, in its helps, books, commentaries, journals 
and other appliances for facilitating the teacher s work, 
and in the singing by which it attracts and gives a 
sweet charm to the truths of salvation. There is con 
stant and healthy improvement in all these things. 
Discoveries are being made for imparting old truths 
in more attractive and successful ways. Old plans of 
teaching are better understood, better appreciated and 
better applied. The one great improvement which is 
now looming up as to the conception of the chief end 
of the Sabbath-school is gradually changing and sancti 
fying the whole character of the work. 

Now, in this blessed effort to elevate the Sabbath- 
school to a higher stage of efficiency, usefulness and 
spirituality, every pastor, every superintendent and 
every teacher should stand ready to take a part. Every 
improvement that evidently promises better things 
should be tried and worked out to still higher perfec 
tion. No plan should be rejected simply because it is 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 409 

new. In the example of the great apostle, who could 
say of himself, " I am made all things to all men, thai 
I might by all means save some" (1 Cor. ix. 22), we have 
scriptural authority for adapting ourselves to circum 
stances which are favorable to the promotion of the 
cause of Christ and truth. 

3. At the present time there is probably need for 
special care that too much machinery be not wrought 
into the management of our Sabbath-schools. In many 
quarters the tendency is strongly in this direction. It 
may be that abuses of this kind are merely temporary, 
as the result of the wonderful progress of the whole 
work. The danger lies in the disposition to adopt mere 
novelties, and in the tendency to spend the energies of 
the school in drills, entertainments, banners, fancy names, 
responses, fantastic plans of studying Scripture, and in 
other contrivances which have no other promise than 
to interest and amuse. But experience has already 
proved that many of these are impracticable or useless, 
or detrimental to the real object of the Sabbath-school 
in the spiritual welfare of the scholars. The evils are 
curing themselves. The pastor should carefully guard 
his school against this multiplication of harmful ma 
chinery, and yet not so as to exclude that which is really 
valuable. 

The Sabbath-school ought never to be turned into a 
drill-room. That is not its design, and never can be 
one of its perfections. The effort to make it such has 
been carried to the most absurd lengths ; even to the de 
gree of proposing that the boys be subject to military 
drill during the week in order that they might yield 
more prompt submission to the discipline of the school. 
Too many and useless rules are sure to be violated, and 
so lead to interminable difficulties. A school may be 

52 



410 THE PASTOR IN THE 

very easily systematized to death, as many sad instances 
prove. Prof. John S. Hart, whose ripe judgment and 
large experience in both Sabbath and secular schools 
give his opinion peculiar weight, has forcibly said upon 
this subject : " There are two ways of killing all life 
out of a school. One is to load it down with a complex 
machinery of laws and by-laws to constitution it to 
death. The other is to make its offices a bo-ne of elec 
tioneering contention." 

A good rule to adopt in this matter is that just as 
much machinery shall be used in conducting the school 
as may be necessary for securing good order and atten 
tion, and no more. Whatever plans are calculated to 
produce a devotional spirit on the Lord s day, or to im 
press the truth more deeply on the heart, or to aid in 
turning the feet into the way of life, are worthy of being 
faithfully tried. These will probably prove advanta 
geous, but it will hardly be safe to go beyond them. 
And even these should be used as means to the higher 
end, never as the chief object of the school. 

(g) PROMPTNESS IN EVERYTHING. 

This is the one great, comprehensive principle extend 
ing to the opening and closing of the session, the con 
ducting of its public exercises, the movements of the 
superintendent, the instructions of the teachers, the 
work of the librarians, and the duties of the scholars, 
which involves nearly all that need be said as to the 
management of the school. It is, in fact, the great se 
cret of managing the Sabbath-school. The exercises 
should always commence at the appointed minute. There 
should be no dragging in giving out hymns or announ 
cing notices, and no whispering by superintendent or 
other officers between the parts of the services. The 



SA BBA TH-SCHOOL. 411 

scholars should never be allowed to become weary by 
pauses or by dull and tiresome exercises. There should 
always be something to do, and it should be done to the 
minute. By every movement and every word the chil 
dren should be made to see that those who conduct the 
school are deeply in earnest, and that they have an im 
portant business on hand. If this one counsel is care 
fully heeded, thought out and followed, it is believed 
that there will be but very little trouble in conducting 
any Sabbath-school. 

(A) THE LIBRARY. 

It is not the purpose in this treatise to enter with 
much minuteness into the consideration of the manage 
ment of the Sabbath-school ; but the library has grown 
to be such a prominent feature of the work that it would 
not be justifiable to pass it over without some notice. 
The making of books for the Sabbath-school, the pur 
chasing of libraries and the furnishing of the reading 
of the scholars have become matters so vast in their 
magnitude and important in their influences that few 
persons are properly awake to them. The Sabbath-school 
libraries, to an important extent, constitute the reading 
of the youth of the community. They are helping 
very greatly to shape the taste for reading in the rising 
generation. Looked at in this light, as furnishing both 
the material and taste for reading in this reading age, 
the subject of the Sabbath-school library becomes one 
of immeasurable importance. Every pastor should 
look into it most carefully, for it is sending out its influ 
ences all around him, and affecting his work to a degree 
which he perhaps little imagines. 

That there are serious difficulties and dangers con 
nected with the subject will appear manifest to every 



412 THE PASTOR IN THE 

one who enters into its investigation. Because of the 
great demand and profit immense numbers of these books 
are published and pressed into libraries. As a conse 
quence, books are often found in Sabbath-school libra 
ries that have scarcely any religious element in them ; 
others, again, that are purely secular, such as the lives 
of generals and statesmen ; still others that are simply 
novels ; and others that as to literary merit and every 
other merit are worthless. And all these are given to 
the children on the Sabbath, to be read on the day that 
is set apart for the service of the Lord ! When Sabbath- 
school libraries are composed of such books they do 
more harm than good. By their constantly reading 
them the minds of the children become crammed with 
matter which is of no profit often crammed with that 
which is unreal or worse and often, after a while, they 
become so accustomed to such reading that they will 
scarcely look at anything else. 

At the same time, it is manifest that fiction ought 
not to be excluded from all the books that are placed 
in the hands of the Sabbath-school scholars. Stories 
illustrative of gospel truth are well adapted to the minds 
of children. They will read them, and through them 
receive and understand the truth as they cannot be in 
duced to do in any other way. The fact is well estab 
lished that such stories may impress religion in a most 
beneficial manner. Then the works that contain them 
may be made to take the place of other books of an evil 
tendency that would certainly be read. In the para 
bles of our Lord, and in such stories as the Pilgrim *s 
Progress, we have abundant proof that this method of 
presenting sacred truth is both lawful and profitable. 
Fiction, then, cannot be banished, but its character 
should be guarded with the most watchful care. 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 413 

There are two things in reference to this matter which 
ought to receive diligent attention from the authorities 
of the Sabbath -school : 1. The books for the library 
should be selected with exceedingly great care, so that 
none but those which are suitable may be admitted. 
And such selection cannot be made directly by either 
teachers, officers or pastor. They cannot go over all the 
books that are offered for Sabbath-school libraries; and, 
unless they could do so, it would be impossible for them 
to choose only those that are reliable. Hence, the only 
safety is to select from catalogues of books which have 
been carefully read and approved by persons whose judg 
ment can be trusted. Much time should be devoted to 
the purchasing of books, so that there may be as few 
mistakes as possible. No book should find a place in 
the Sabbath-school library unless it is known to be ap 
propriate for that sacred purpose. 

2. Every possible effort should be made to have other 
books, as well as stories, read by the children. Books 
on religious history and biography, on the Bible and 
personal piety, will sometimes be read by even very 
young persons if they are properly brought before 
them. If the pastor or officers of the school, having 
themselves first read them, would commend such books 
by name, publicly and privately, some of the scholars 
would be induced to read them and to persuade others 
to do so also. A single good book, made popular in 
this way, becomes a treasure in the school. 

(i) PRAYER-MEETING BEFORE OR AFTER THE EXERCISES 
OF THE SCHOOL. 

This is a practice which we would very highly recom 
mend. It brings down the influences of the Holy Spirit 
upon the teachings of the day and seals them upon the 



414 THE PASTOR IX THE 

hearts of the scholars. It stamps the impress of sacred- 
ness upon all the other exercises. It sanctifies the whole 
work, leads the teachers to a proper sense of dependence 
for success in their labors and turns the school into a 
glowing scene of worship. The best time for holding 
this prayer-meeting is at the close of the exercises of 
the Sabbath-school. Then more of the teachers and 
scholars will be likely to attend, and it will seal the 
instructions of the past hour by a special, earnest 
and united petition for the divine blessing to follow 
them. In order to make such a prayer-meeting in 
teresting and permanent, it must be exceedingly brief 
in each of its exercises and in its whole continuance ; 
it ought not ordinarily to last more than twenty 
minutes. 



THE PASTOR S PERSONAL WORK IN THE SABBATH- 
SCHOOL. 

He is pastor of the whole congregation in its various 
branches, and we have already seen that there is no part 
of his charge which demands of him more sedulous at 
tention than the young. Hence his whole duty toward 
the Sabbath -school will not be done if he simply turns 
it over to superintendent and teachers and holds them 
responsible for its management. There are some things 
in connection with it which he alone can do, and which 
are indispensable to the faithful discharge of his office. 
To avoid the omission of these duties through inadver 
tency or temporary disinclination, he should keep be 
fore him a fixed plan of what they are, and when 
and how they should be performed. They should not 
be left to the capricious feelings of the hour. We 
suggest the following programme, which may be of 



SABBA TH-SCHOOL. 415 

use to the pastor in the formation of a fuller one for 
himself. 

(a) REGULAR ATTENDANCE. 

In order that he may show his sincere interest in the 
Bchool, that he may be at hand for consultation about 
its management, that he may keep up an intimate ac 
quaintance with teachers and scholars, that he may be 
thoroughly identified with all its operations, and that 
he may render any other needed assistance, the pastor 
ought to be present at every session, as far as his other 
duties will permit. This should be regarded as an es 
sential part of his general pastoral work. That pastor 
loses much, very much, who does not keep up this prac 
tice throughout his ministry. 

Then, when present, it will of course be expected of 
him that he will generally make a short address. On 
such an occasion, when all the children are assembled, 
it would be scarcely justifiable in him not to utter at 
least a few words that might help to fix the truth in 
their hearts. He can reach them there as he cannot 
reach them in any other place. In this way he can 
make up in part for the deficiency which it is feared 
there is, and always will be, in the instructions of some 
teachers. That these addresses may have more cohe 
rence, and consequent profit, it would be well to adopt 
some system in reference to them. Some such order of 
subjects as this might be adopted and carried out month 
after month : First Sabbath, the current answers of the 
Catechism ; second, the various objects of benevolence 
for which contributions are made, in turn ; third, some 
important subject of Christian duty or practice ; fourth, 
review of the lessons of the month. It will be seen at 
a glance that this would give variety and comprehen- 



416 THE PASTOR IN THE 

siveness to the remarks which the pastor might mak^ to 
the school Sabbath after Sabbath. 

In some schools it may not be necessary or desirable 
that the pastor should make an address at every visit, 
but a kind word and an encouraging look will do much 
to cheer superintendent and teachers and to incite the 
scholars to diligence. These he should always be ready 
to give, and then his presence in the school will be 
welcomed with pleasure. 

(b) GENERAL SUPERVISION. 

It is manifestly the duty, and may be the- great plea 
sure, of the pastor to be fully alive to all the plans and 
operations of the Sabbath-school. He should keep him 
self well informed concerning all its interests, in order 
that he may guide them. All the influence which his 
office carries, and all the facilities which his superior 
training gives him, should be used in helping forward 
this institution. His identification with it should be so 
thorough and constant that the idea would never pre 
vail for a moment that any important movement could 
be undertaken without his knowledge, approval and 
help. Prof. John S. Hart undoubtedly presented this 
point in its true light when he said, " I most fully be 
lieve that the minister should be the chief animating 
soul of the school. The superintendent should be his 
right-hand man, his counselor and co-worker in all his 
plans for sowing the seed in the hearts of the young of his 
charge. The minister should spend some time, not less 
certainly than half an hour, in the school every Sabbath. 
He should know all that is going on in it. He should 
know every teacher and every scholar by face and by 
name, and what influences are at work in each depart 
ment and in every class ; and he should find the means 



SABBA TH-SCHOOL. 417 

to make his own influence felt in every movement of 
the school. Every scholar and every teacher should 
feel that the pastor is cognizant of his or her doings in 
the school not, of course, by any system of espionage, 
but simply by the fact of his constant and pervading 
presence. The school, in short, should be thought of 
and spoken of as his." Never should he forget that 
the Sabbath-school is an important part of his charge. 

The actual direction of the Sabbath-school ought al 
ways to be in the hands of the pastor, either directly or 
indirectly through its officers. He is responsible for the 
management of his whole charge. He is in theory, and 
almost always in fact, better qualified for the wise gui 
dance of its affairs than any one else. It is justly ex 
pected of him that he will exercise this control. If the 
helm is kept in his hands it will very often prevent 
the introduction of schemes which are merely novel or 
Utopian, or highly mischievous in their tendency. And 
it is but very rarely indeed that the right of directing 
the school will not be conceded to him with cheerfulness. 
By the proper spirit and tact he may exercise it without 
even the semblance of offensive interference with any of 
the officers of the school. 

Among the duties of this pastoral supervision of the 
Sabbath-school, the selection of teachers is one of very 
grave importance. This will appear if we consider the 
harm which may be done by an unsuitable teacher. 
Such an one when placed over a class will do far more 
harm than good. He may teach the most preposterous 
errors to his class ; he may be a troubler of the whole 
school by bringing strife and discord into its counsels ; 
or he may be a reproach to his fellow-teachers and damage 
their influence for good. Hence the greatest possible 
care should be taken in selecting persons for this respon- 

53 



418 THE PASTOR IN THE 

sible office. The pastor should not be willing to leave 
this duty wholly in the hands of any other ; he should 
have the chief voice in it ; he should at least be con 
sulted on the introduction of every new teacher. Here 
again we would avail ourselves of the wisdom of Prof. 
Hart. As the result of his experience he says : " I 
never saw a church yet, big or little, in country or city, 
that did not contain in itself the materials, the men and 
women, capable of fitting out a school with a first-rate 
corps of teachers and a good superintendent. But 
usually these materials bear about the same relation to 
the actual work that cotton growing in the field bears 
to the finished fabric. The man who is to pick the 
cotton, gin it, sort it, spin it and weave it into cloth 
ready for use is the minister. He must select the men 
and women of his flock who have the natural fitness 
for taking care of the lambs. He must enlist their 
sympathies in the work, and know how to counsel and 
direct them in it. He is not to do the work of the 
school himself, but he should be the animating spirit 
of those who do it. To do all this he must, however, 
be himself practically familiar with it." If the right 
persons for teachers cannot be found, it is better to 
make large classes under the care of those whose value 
has been well tested. 

Should the pastor hold the office of superintendent ? 
There would be many advantages in his so doing. His 
superior qualifications, the influence of his ministerial 
office, the very deep interest he has in the cause, his 
facilities for promoting its welfare in moving about 
through the congregation, his knowledge of all the 
families, and the importance of his personally knowing 
and having the affection of the young, all these point 
to him as a person most suitable for it. But there are 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 419 

also disadvantages. Among them we may enumerate 
that to hold this additional office imposes too great a 
burden upon the pastor, and very few have the strength 
to bear it; that the odium often incairred by exercising 
the discipline of the school ought not to come down 
upon the minister and so impair his influence; and that 
it is unwise to keep suitable laymen from holding an 
office the exercise of which would greatly benefit them 
and extend their usefulness. It is best, then, to be 
guided in this matter by circumstances. When there 
is in the church a layman suitable for the office it is 
better that he should hold it, the pastor still guiding. 
When there is no such person to be had, then it is 
clearly the duty of the pastor to be not only the gui 
ding, but also the acting, head of the school. 

(c) THE PASTOR S BIBLE-CLASS. 

Considering the very full explanations of the lessons 
which are now furnished by the Sabbath -school journals 
of various kinds, it seems scarcely needed that the pas 
tor should spend his time in giving the teachers instruc 
tion upon them. Besides, there is objection in the 
minds of many teachers to the minister going over the 
lesson in the presence of some of their scholars previous 
to the Sabbath, as that might take away the interest 
when they come to teach it in the school. Hence it is 
better for him to devote his energies in this direction to 
the study of the Bible as a whole. His object should 
be to direct them how to teach the Sacred Book. He 
should endeavor to go over the ground which is ordi 
narily known as the " Introduction to the Bible." It 
is very evident that the pastor is the proper person to 
give instruction in this important study of the Holy 
Book. 



420 THE PASTOR IN THE 

The advantages of his giving weekly instruction to 
teachers, scholars and others in this particular branch 
of Bible study are very great. It does not interfere 
with the ordinary teaching of the school, as it covers 
entirely different ground. It prepares the teachers for 
the more thorough and loving discharge of their duties. 
By opening new fields of investigation it awakens a 
deeper interest in the study of the Sacred Book. 
Through it the people will gradually grow to prize the 
Bible more highly. The congregation will ultimately 
become more intelligent in the Scriptures and in scrip 
tural doctrines. It lays a solid foundation of truth in 
every mind which undergoes its process of training. By 
means of it the pastor has a splendid opportunity of in 
fluencing the congregation to their highest profiting, and 
for keeping himself also more thoroughly versed in all 
the wondrous depths of scriptural knowledge. 

The best time for holding this pastor s class for Bible 
study is at the close of the principal week-evening ser 
vice of the church. It ought not to occupy more than 
half an hour, so that adding it to the hour of the other 
service will not make the whole time too long. By 
holding it at that hour it will be more likely to be well 
attended, as most of those who come to the other meeting 
will probably remain for it. Besides, in holding it then 
there will be the advantage of not multiplying meetings, 
which in most churches is a thing which should be con 
sidered. 

In conducting the exercises of this class certain brief, 
well-defined courses of Bible study should be carefully 
planned out; they should be distinctly announced and 
described and their value indicated, and then taken up 
one after another until the whole field is gone over, no 
matter how- much time it may take. The blackboard 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 421 

should be freely used, and there should be so much repe 
tition and drilling as will fasten the important facts and 
truths indelibly in every mind. 

We suggest a list of such courses for Bible study, the 
importance of which will be seen at a glance. Its sub 
jects are these : 1. Memorizing the names of the books 
of the Old and New Testaments in their order; 2. The 
leading chronological epochs of the Bible ; 3. Prominent 
places in biblical geography ; 4. Author, history, design, 
contents and place occupied by each of the books of the 
sacred canon ; 5. Leading evidences of the authenticity 
and genuineness of the Scriptures ; 6. A few comprehen 
sive rules of biblical interpretation. When these sub 
jects have been mastered by any class, then the study 
of the Bible will become one of the greatest pleasures. 

(d) PREACHING TO THE CHILDREN. 

That the pastor should preach expressly to the chil 
dren at stated periods seems now to be admitted as an 
essential duty of his sacred office. This practice appears 
to be necessary in order that he may present the truth 
to this class of his people more fully than can be done 
in the short addresses of the Sabbath-school. He must 
have such opportunity of reaching the children express 
ly. By so doing he can attach the young to the Church, 
which is important for both them and it. He can also 
attach them to himself, and so gain an influence that 
may be used in promoting their highest well-being. He 
is pastor of the children, and toward them, as well as 
toward adults, he must discharge the highest duty of 
his office, which is to preach the gospel of Christ. 

How often and under what arrangements sermons 
should be specially addressed to the children must be 
determined by each pastor according to his circum- 



422 THE PASTOR IN THE 

stances and facilities for that peculiar service. Some 
ministers do it every month, some oftener, and some 
less frequently. An excellent plan which has proved ac 
ceptable is to preach to the children on a fixed Sabbath 
in each quarter, to have the sermon take the place of 
the ordinary Sabbath-morning discourse, and to have 
all the children of the church and Sabbath-school as 
sembled and mixed in the seats with the ordinary 
congregation. 

This plan of preaching to the children, not apart from 
the ordinary congregation, but in connection with it, has 
many advantages. It gives the pastor an opportunity 
of reaching all the children of the church in connection 
with their parents. It accustoms the young to going to 
the house of God from their earliest days. It makes 
them acquainted with the church, and familiarizes them 
early with its worship. It keeps up a sense of their 
covenant obligations, and of their interest in the priv 
ileges of God s house. It also interests adults, who 
will often obtain clearer views of the truth when they 
hear it presented to children than at any other time, 
and who will sometimes listen to duties set forth in chil 
dren s sermons to which they would scarcely give ear 
if addressed directly to themselves. 

It is a great mistake to suppose that only those 
ministers can preach to children who have a special 
faculty for so doing. Many think they cannot do 
it, and consequently never make a determined effort. 
But there are very few cases indeed where a min 
ister, if he made the proper preparation, could not 
preach to the children of his church with acceptance 
and profit. The great secret of it consists in these two 
things: 

1. The preacher should know exactly what he wants 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 423 

to say, not only in the leading heads but also in the 
subordinate points of his sermon. He should so com 
pletely master the thoughts that he could, if desira 
ble, express them in other than the ordinary technical 
phraseology with which they are associated ; and then 
the plainest possible words should be used in communi 
cating what is thus clearly in the speaker s mind. Child 
ish language is not needed should not be used but 
language which will convey the thoughts in the most 
natural manner. 

2. The subject should be divided into several distinct 
heads, which should be clearly enumerated and an 
nounced and repeated, so that they may be understood 
and take hold upon the memory. This is a most im 
portant element in successful preaching to children. It 
will enable almost any one to do it. To make it clear 
and show its advantages, we shall give three examples. 
Let us take the text, "And the streets of the city shall 
be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof." 
Zech. viii. 5. Introduction what is meant by the city ? 
Then the heads : 1st. Boys and girls may be in the 
church they were in the streets of the city ; 2d. They 
would be very happy in it they were playing in the 
streets ; 3d. They would be safe in it cities were walled 
for safety ; 4th. It would be a great honor to be in it 
this city was the residence of the King of kings ; 5th. 
How to get into the city. Let us take, again, the text, 
"And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord 
were with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would 
recover him of his leprosy." 2 Kings v. 3. Narrate the 
circumstances of her being captured, brought to the 
slave-market, bought by Naaman s wife, who Naanian 
was, his honors, his leprosy and trouble, the little maid 
uttering this wish, and the results. Then, 1st. The 



424 THE PASTOR IN THE 

importance of the young learning about God and his 
servants if the little maid had not known him she 
could not have directed to him ; 2d. God brings the 
richest blessings out of afflictions the sorrows of her 
captivity, and blessed results of Naaman s cure ; 3d. 
Great results may come from little causes the wish of 
the little maid, and the influence upon Israel of the 
great Syrian being miraculously cured ; 4. Children 
can often do much good how much this one did. 5th. 
God honors children this one spoken of wherever the 
Bible is read. Let us take a third example, the sub 
stance of which is from a sermon of the Rev. Dr. 
Richard Newton. The text is, " The whole family in 
heaven and earth." Eph. iii. 15. Introduction what 
is meant by this family? Then, 1st. It is a family 
composed of old and young ; 2d. It is a large family ; 
3d. It is an old family ; 4th. It is a happy family ; 5th. 
It is an honorable family ; 6th. It is a useful family ; 
7th. Are you in tha,t family ? It can be seen at a glance 
how easy it would be to interest children for a few mo 
ments on each of these points, and to work them out into 
a sermon. 

Is it advisable to use many anecdotes in this kind of 
preaching? Rev. Dr. Richard Newton, that prince of 
preachers to children, uses them very abundantly, and 
to the best effect. Rev. Dr. Archibald Alexander, who 
could enchain an audience of children in a most profit 
able manner, on the contrary, hardly ever related one 
perhaps never, except it was some fact within his own 
experience in proof of his subject. Whether they should 
be much used or not depends greatly upon the speaker s 
facility in relating them. A few pertinent facts that do 
not overshadow, but really illustrate, the subject, are cer 
tainly advantageous. But in the use of them care should 



SABBATH-SCHOOL. 425 

always be taken that they are not ludicrous or extrava 
gant or improbable, for such anecdotes will rather impair 
than assist the impression it is desired to make. They 
may amuse, but they certainly will not profit. It is 
an excellent plan to lay up and arrange a store, as it 
can be collected from time to time, of facts, anecdotes, 
texts and plans of sermons, which can be used at any 
time in preaching to the children. This plan is carried 
out by many of those who succeed so well in this im 
portant service. Such a store, if judiciously collected 
and well arranged, will grow to be an invaluable treas 
ure to the pastor who devotes himself with proper fidel 
ity to the religious instruction of the young. 

(e) PROMOTING THE INTERESTS OF THE SABBATH-SCHOOL 

THROUGH THE CONGREGATION. 

In his pastoral visits and general intercourse with the 
families of his charge the minister has constant oppor 
tunities of doing something to help forward the work 
of the school, and if he is vigilant to improve them he 
can thereby add greatly to its prosperity. Indeed, there 
is not one agency, outside of the school-house, on which 
so much depends as on his. He can be watchful for 
new scholars, and exert himself to have them attend. 
He can inform himself about missing scholars, and, if 
possible, secure their return. No one so appropriately 
as he can search for persons suitable for teachers, and 
induce them to enter upon the duties of that office. He 
can create an interest in it throughout the whole con 
gregation that will be most helpful to the school. He 
can enlist the prayers of the people on its behalf, and 
call forth their contributions for its liberal support. He 
can contrive plans by which it may become more and 
more dear to the people, and through them send out 

54 



426 THE PASTOR IN THE SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

wider and deeper streams of influence for good. He 
should have its interests continually on his mind, so that 
he may promote them whenever an opportunity is pre 
sented. 

We would say to every pastor, with all earnestness, 
Remember that the Sabbath-school is a most important 
part of your pastoral charge ; remember that what is 
now done for the children will tell upon the Church in 
a very few years ; remember that their most impressible 
and hopeful days are fast passing away. Oh, give your 
self no rest, give your praying people no rest, give God 
uo rest, until they are all brought into the fold of the 
Great Shepherd. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE PASTOR IN THE BENEVOLENT WORK OF 
THE CHURCH. 

IN this subject another class of ministerial duties is 
involved which is not discussed in older works on pas 
toral theology. The benevolent work of the Church, 
in anything like its present magnitude and importance, 
was unknown in former times, and hence it occupied a 
very subordinate place in the consideration of pastors 
and churches. Very much of that work, as it now ex 
ists, has been commenced within less than a century. 
It has brought with it a new class of pastoral duties, 
and they are amongst the foremost duties which claim 
the attention of the sacred office. We can only touch 
some of the leading points which ought to be carefully 
considered by every gospel workman who would make 
full proof of his ministry. 



CHRISTIAN BENEFICENCE THE GREAT PRACTICAL 
QUESTION OF THE AGE. 

It involves obedience to Christ s final charge gi.ven to 
his Church as he ascended from our world : " Go ye, 
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatso 
ever I have commanded you ; and, lo, I ana with you 
alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." It in- 

427 



428 THE PASTOR IN THE 

volves the upbuilding of Christ s kingdom of truth and 
righteousness and life, with all its unspeakable blessings. 
It involves the salvation of the world, now lost, depraved, 
wretched, hopeless. It involves the true elevation and 
moral well-being of the race. It involves the higher 
life of the Church, which is to be developed only by the 
exercise of that benevolence which was perfectly illus 
trated in her divine Lord. All other questions, of gov 
ernment, of commerce, of improvements, of discoveries 
and of science, are really nothing in comparison with it. 
The Church is awaking to its importance. The most 
thoughtful minds are beginning to turn to it as the last, 
only reliable hope of mankind. 

What does it aim to do for our race ? It aims to dis 
enthrall men from their most terrible bondage to sin 
and Satan, to enlighten them with the brightness of 
divine truth, to change that corrupt nature which, con 
tinuing, would never allow the prevalence of righteous 
ness and peace to fill the hearts of men with that glad 
ness, the first notes of which were heard as the angels 
heralded the advent of Christ, and to raise them from 
" a certain fearful looking-for of judgment and fiery 
indignation " to an eternity of bliss and joy unspeak 
able. It not only purposes and promises these great 
objects, but in the might of the Lord it will certainly 
accomplish them. Is it not true, therefore, that all that 
is really hopeful for our race hinges upon the Church s 
work of beneficence, which God has made his great 
instrumentality for disseminating the blessings of sal 
vation ? 

This great enterprise, committed to the people of 
God, is growing sublimer as it is better understood and 
more fully developed. It is becoming vaster in extent 
and deeper in its influence upon the whole framework 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 429 

of human society. New instrumentalities for carrying 
it on are being developed age after age, which give it 
a wider sweep and a mightier impulse. The vast mis 
sionary enterprise in its various departments and rami 
fications ; the circulation of the Bible and other publica 
tions, which seems almost like the gift of tongues im 
parted to tell all nations, in their own languages, the 
wonderful works of God ; and the Sabbath-school, mak 
ing its impress upon the whole rising generation, are 
among the grand agencies through which it is now work 
ing. New classes are cared for, new communities are 
opened to the gracious influence, new methods of using 
old instrumentalities are developed. The benevolent 
enterprise is penetrating more deeply into every ave 
nue of life. It is sweeping more widely in great tides 
of blessings over the nations. 

The benevolent work of the Church has become a 
sublime science. It is a noble Christian science. It 
has its distinct and important phenomena, and these 
phenomena are linked together by many relations, and 
the whole compose one vast body of sacred knowledge 
which involves the glory of God and the highest 
interests of humanity. The great facts are worthy of 
the most careful study : 

Phenomenon A. The field now open for Christian 
activity is as extensive as the world. This is a very 
sublime and noteworthy fact. 

Phenomenon B. Through the arrangements of 
Providence and grace, it is so ordered that all the 
benevolent enterprises have to be carried on largely 
through the instrumentality of money. From th,. 
divine plan it results that all believers can do some 
thing, that what is the most prized among men can 
be offered to the Lord, and that there can be a check 



430 THE PASTOR IN THE 

put upon the selfishness which is the bane of our 
nature. 

Phenomenon C. As vaster fields of usefulness are 
opening up before the Church, God is putting vaster 
wealth into the hands of her people for cultivating 
them. Tenfold greater than a century ago is the prac 
tical work which now lies before us, and tenfold greater 
are the means we possess for carrying it on. 

Phenomenon D. The benevolent enterprises of the 
Church, through her Boards, which are her working 
arms, have become the great business to engage the 
attention of her ecclesiastical assemblies. In Associ 
ations, Conferences, Conventions, Presbyteries, Synods 
and General Assemblies, missions and other agencies 
for extending the gospel are the subjects which are the 
most frequently heard and which awaken the deepest 
interest. 

Phenomenon E. Liberal giving to Christian enter 
prises is both the cause and the effect of deeper piety 
in the Church. All experience proves this. When 
believers love much, they give much, and when they 
honor God with their substance, he blesses them in their 
own souls. 

A great problem of practical importance which in 
every quarter now presses for solution is, how the liberal 
ity of Christians may be brought up to anything like its 
capabilities or to the crying demands of the perishing 
millions. Unbounded means are in the hands of the 
people of God. Vastly more of them could be ex 
pended in a most advantageous manner. The need for 
them which is developed in almost every department of 
Christian enterprise is appalling. How, then, can the 
consciences of the professed people of God be so 
aroused that they will look upon the matter as pressing 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 431 

upon them, and feel their responsibility as they ought? 
How can they be persuaded to believe God fully when he 
commands, " Give, and it shall be given unto you ; good 
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and run 
ning over, shall men give into your bosom. For with 
the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be meas 
ured to you again"? How can they be brought up to 
the standard of giving in anything like just proportion 
to the means which have been put in their hands, to 
what has been done for them, to what they spend on 
selfish gratifications which might easily be dispensed 
with, or to the wants of a world lying in sin? If this 
could be done, then, humanly speaking, there is not a 
doubt but that the gospel would make far more rapid 
progress than has ever yet been witnessed. 

The enterprise of modern benevolence is not only 
a science, but it is the most sublime of all practical 
sciences. Look at the changes which the gospel is 
making, bringing up whole communities from the lowest 
state of barbarism to one of substantial Christian civil 
ization. Behold the vastness of the work that is goinjjr 

o o 

on throughout every continent, and by the operation 
of such noble instrumentalities. Consider the indirect 
influences which it is sending out on the piety, the 
intelligence and the general improvement of society. 
Think of the aim which it keeps before it, even that of 
changing the face of the whole world, subduing it, and 
bringing all things into captivity to Christ. When we 
reflect upon all these we shall be prepared to say nm-r 
emphatically that men do not know what Christian 
benevolence is doing, even as they did not know Chribt 
when he was among them. 



432 THE PASTOR IN THE 



INFORMATION CONCERNING THE BENEVOLENT WORK 
OF THE CHURCH. 

It is important that the pastor should keep himself 
and his people well informed concerning the progress of 
the various agencies which are working for the spread 
of the gospel throughout the world. This is one of the 
very best things which can be done toward solving the 
problem of how the Church may be brought up to her 
duty in the great enterprise of benevolence. The peo 
ple generally do not know much of what is going on in 
the kingdom. If they knew more, they could not but 
be more deeply interested. If they were more interest 
ed, they would pray and give and do more to help for 
ward the blessed cause. This is knowledge that would 
expand the mind and heart, that would elevate the 
whole moral and intellectual nature. Moreover, this is 
a kind of study which might be made most attractive, 
especially to those who love the Lord Jesus Christ and 
his kingdom, for what is more fascinating than to watch 
the sublime footsteps of God through the nations and 
the ages ? Most diligently, therefore, should the pastor 
labor to have his people well informed about the mis 
sions and other benevolent operations of the Church. 
He should never rest until he excites enthusiasm in his 
congregation about this most noble of all enterprises. 
To this end 

(a) THE PASTOR SHOULD KEEP HIMSELF WELL INFORMED. 

He should make himself acquainted with all the in 
strumentalities that are used, and all the enterprises that 
are undertaken, and all the progress that is made in 
every part of the field, both at home arid abroad. He 
should know what is going on throughout the whole 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 433 

kingdom. Ministers ought to read the various reports 
of the Boards of the Church, for they contain a reliable 
summary of what is going on in the various departments 
of Christian benevolence. Facts will show that those 
pastors who are the most eminent for their Christian 
intelligence, and for the lively interest their churches 
take in the great work, are conscientious in perusing all 
these documents as they appear. They are not dry or 
uninteresting reading to those whose heart is in the work 
and who follow them up from year to year. They should 
not only be read, but also studied, so as to make the 
deeper impression and exhibit the work in its various 
relations and progress. The pastor should follow it out 
into its minute details. He should become enthusiastic 
as to the great work. He should get his head, heart, 
conscience, his whole mind, filled with intelligent ad 
miration of what Christ is doing through his people for 
the redemption of the world. 

When his mind is thus filled with a glowing know 
ledge of the present operations of the kingdom, that 
knowledge will gradually but surely work itself down 
into the minds of his people. It will do so even without 
an effort on his part. It will come out in special sermons 
preached when collections are to be made, in addresses, 
in prayers, in the Sabbath-school and in private con 
versations ; and it will affect the people before either 
they or their minister will be aware of the influence. 
They will catch his enthusiasm, and insensibly become 
imbued with the spirit of Christian beneficence. What 
the pastor is in this matter, his church will soon become. 
A missionary pastor will have a missionary church, a< 
will be seen in the interest, the liberality and the air of 
benevolence that will pervade it. And this, rather than 
dogged importunity for larger contributions, is the true 

55 



434 THE PASTOR IN THE 

way to excite liberality in the people and bring them 
up to a higher standard. This is the first step toward 
effecting such a reformation in the Church as will cause 
her wealth to flow tenfold more copiously into the treas 
ury of the Lord. 

It is to be greatly lamented that, whilst it is their 
special calling, and they have every opportunity of 
knowing, and so much depends on it, many of our 
ministers are so poorly informed about the missionary 
and other benevolent operations of the day. It must 
surely be through inadvertence that they allow it to be 
so. Shall the watchmen know but little of the move 
ments of either friends or foes to that cause in which 
they are enlisted ? Shall the stewards be ignorant of 
the vast interests which their King has committed to 
their trust? Is not ignorance on the part of pastors 
here both a sin and a disgrace ? 

&) THE PASTOR SHOULD COMMUNICATE THIS INFORMATION 
TO THE PEOPLE. 

He should preach on the obligation and magnitude 
of the general benevolent work of the Church, upon 
the important and detailed operations of each branch 
of it, and upon its present condition and wants. He 
should incidentally introduce into his sermons and ad 
dresses matters pertaining to the cause. He should keep 
the people informed by reading the deliverances of the 
Church courts concerning collections and other duties 
^connected with the furtherance of the gospel ; and he 
should encourage them to inform themselves, and direct 
them in the study of a subject which is the grandest 
that can engage the thoughts of man. 

People need to be well informed about the progress 
of Christ s kingdom in the world, in order that they 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 435 

may be led to labor and give and sacrifice, if need be, 
to help forward the blessed enterprise. If they know 
but little, they will care but little and do but little. 
But there is that in the objects contemplated in the 
gospel which cannot be clearly understood by the pious 
heart without awakening its sympathies and calling 
forth its efforts. Any church, by keeping these objects 
clearly arid impressively before it, may be brought up 
to a high degree of liberality. Some pastors have the 
faculty of so doing in a very high degree. As soon as 
they enter upon their ministrations in any church it 
instantly feels the touch of their enthusiasm, waking up 
its interest and increasing its gifts to the treasury of the 
Lord. To reach this holy art is a duty ; it should be a 
pleasure, and it may be an actual attainment with every 
gospel workman. 



COLLECTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN UP FOR EACH BE 
NEVOLENT CAUSE OF THE CHURCH. 

The rule should be that whatever objects the General 
Assembly, or highest authority of the Church, may ap 
point shall be faithfully presented to the people for 
their contributions. There are some pastors who are 
strangely insensible to the obligations which rest upon 
them in this respect. They urge as reasons why they 
should not take up collections for all the objects of be 
nevolence, either that such objects are too numerous, or 
that their churches cannot afford to give to all, or that 
the amount which they could contribute to each would 
be so small as to be mortifying, or some other excuse 
which satisfies themselves. But it is a great mistake. 
There should be a rigid adherence to the rule of pre 
senting to the people, for whatever amounts God may 



436 THE PASTOR IN THE 

put in their hearts to give, each object which the Church 
appoints. Be the amount expected large or small, the 
congregation should have an opportunity of contributing 
something. The importance of this rule is manifest 
because 

(a) THE UNITED WISDOM OF THE WHOLE CHURCH, SUR 
VEYING THE ENTIRE FIELD, HAS FIXED ox THEM. 

It should be remembered that the whole field, both 
home and foreign work, in all the relative importance 
of its various branches, has been carefully surveyed, and 
then the existing objects of benevolence decided upon. 
They have been tested by experience, and found to be 
practicable and efficient, and also necessary as auxil 
iaries to each other and to the complete operation of the 
sublime enterprises of the gospel. The seal of God has 
been set upon them in the measure of success to which 
they have already attained. None of them are unim 
portant. The authority of the Church, which appoints 
them all, and enjoins upon each of its members to do 
his part in the support of each, is not to be disregarded. 
A part of the responsibility for carrying on the work 
with more and more efficiency rests upon each minister 
and each private member of the Church. 

There are individuals in every church who are ready 
to contribute to each of its Boards ; and will the pastor 
or session take the responsibility of saying that they 
shall not have the opportunity? He may think that it 
is a matter of no consequence to the people that they 
will only be too glad to escape from the obligation ; but 
there are some of them who know something about each 
cause, and are expecting to hear from it. There is no 
benevolent enterprise of the Church in which some in 
dividuals are not specially interested, whether the pastor 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 437 

is or not. There are other persons who make conscience 
of giving systematically and appropriating something 
for each object. All these will be disappointed if the op 
portunity is withheld because minister or elders think 
otherwise. We have no right so to do. We have no 
choice but to let the people of God give as it may be in 
their hearts to each object which the united wisdom and 
experience of the Church have designated. 

This should be done, though the amount contributed 
or expected should be ever so little. The fear that the 
sum given will be small is no doubt what keeps many 
pastors from doing anything. But is it not more honor 
able in the sight of both God and man to do a little 
than to do nothing ? And then when a little is given, 
it tends to form a habit of giving, and it recognizes the 
object and the authority of Him who has made us simply 
stewards of whatever he has put in our hands. Besides, 
consider what a very little contributed by each member 
throughout the whole Church will amount to in the 
grand total. Only twenty-five cents from each member 
would amount to three times as much as is now given 
to some of its Boards ; one dollar from each would 
almost double what is given to any of them. There 
is no practical point of more importance in this matter 
than that of giving an opportunity to each individual, 
and getting all to do something. 

(6) THE MORE THERE is CONTRIBUTED TO THE BOARDS, 

THE MORE THERE WILL BE GIVEN TO ONfi s OWN 

CHURCH. 

The duty which we are now considering is that of 
giving to the cause of missions, to the circulation of 
the Bible, to the distribution of religious publications 
and other such objects of benevolence. And the tru ih 



438 THE PASTOR IN THE 

we assert is, that if we induce our people to contribute 
liberally to these objects, it will not interfere with the 
support of our own individual churches. It will not 
abate their interest in their own particular church ; it 
will not diminish the amount they contribute at home ; 
it will rather increase that amount. We may go a great 
deal further, and say that the true way to increase the 
people s liberality at home is to cultivate it toward the 
general objects of benevolence. 

Many pastors act as if they thought otherwise. They 
are afraid to have their people give to anything outside 
of their churches, for fear that there should be a falling 
off in what is needed for domestic expenses. At least 
they have this excuse when some object of general be 
nevolence is presented to them. They always have 
something at home which is absolutely necessary, and 
must receive all that can be gathered. They seem to 
think that every cent which goes to an outside object 
of benevolence must be just so much taken from their 
home purposes. Many ministers who ought to be better 
informed appear to act on this conviction. 

But let us look at the subject as it really is. When 
the claims of God and duty and humanity are admitted 
in one direction, they sweep on until they cover the 
whole field. When the principle of benevolence is 
cultivated as to one object or set of objects, it must also 
extend to others and regard them all in their relative 
importance. Then the church which yields a generous 
obedience as a recognition of the authority of God, and 
out of love to him, is sure of the divine blessing in other 
ways, for the promise is, " Bring ye all the tithes into 
the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house ; 
and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if 
I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 439 

you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough 
to receive it." Besides, very few people indeed ever give 
to the cause of God as much as it is in their power to 
give, and there is but little danger that the treasury of 
their benevolence will become exhausted by what thev 
contribute outside of their own church. Moreover, the 
testimony of all experience is that, instead of curtailing 
their gifts to their own church, Christians become more 
liberal to it as their sympathies are drawn out to the 
wants of the world beyond. A fact of his own minis 
try, as related by the devoted Andrew Fuller, will illus 
trate this. He said to a friend : " There was a period 
of my ministry marked by the most pointed systematic 
effort to comfort my serious people ; but the more I tried 
to comfort them, the more they complained of doubts and 
darkness. I knew not what to do .nor what to think, for 
I had done my best to comfort the mourners in Zion. 
At this time it pleased God to direct my attention to 
the claims of the perishing heathen in India ; I felt that 
we had been living for ourselves and not caring for their 
souls. I spoke as I felt. My serious people wondered 
and wept over their past inattention to the subject. 
They began to talk about a Baptist mission ; the fe 
males especially began to collect money for the spread 
of the gospel. We met and prayed for the heathen 
met and considered what could be done among ourselves 
for them met and did what we could. And whilst all 
this was going on the lamentations ceased ; the sad be 
came cheerful and the desponding calm. No one com 
plained of a want of comfort. And I, instead of hav 
ing to study how to comfort my flock, was myself com 
forted by them. They were drawn out of themselves. 
That was the real secret. God blessed them while they 
tried to be a blessing." 



440 THE PASTOR IN THE 

There could not, therefore, be worse policy than for a 
pastor to countenance the withholding of contributions 
from missions and other similar objects lest it might in 
terfere with the revenues of his own church. It is to 
lend his influence toward withering up the hearts and 
sympathies of his people, and toward cultivating in 
them a narrow and selfish spirit in reference to every 
good object. The Lord will not bless such a people, 
but his frown will rest upon them even in their own 
church affairs. When nothing is given to objects out 
side of the particular church, there is generally a miser 
able struggle within it to find the means for meeting its 
necessary expenses. Ministers who either adopt or yield 
to this wretched policy do a great injury to the whole 
cause of Christ. 

(c) COLLECTIONS SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE CHURCH S OWN 
ESTABLISHED BOARDS. 

It is not wise or right to keep collections away from 
these well-arranged schemes, and devote them to what 
the fancy of the hour may deem better or to other ob 
jects over which our Church has no control, or to squan 
der them in projects which are doubtful, untried and 
perhaps unknown. The evident course of both wisdom 
and duty is to regard them as sacred trusts belonging to 
those great enterprises of benevolence which the united 
wisdom of the Church has carefully matured. 

These enterprises or Boards have the first claim, be 
cause the protracted deliberations of the Church and its 
piety and its prayers have worked them out and tried 
them, and recommended them as best adapted to accom 
plish the desired ends ends which are themselves neces 
sary for the spread of truth and the upbuilding of Christ s 
kingdom. The whole field of benevolent activity has 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 441 

been carefully surveyed to find out its most important 
points ; the most anxious study has been bestowed upon 
the subject ; the collective wisdom of the best of minds 
lias been devoted to it ; the successful experience of years 
has added its authority ; and these schemes of benevo 
lence are the result. They have been established for 
the purpose of disseminating the doctrines of the gospel. 
Then, too, all the authority of that Church which we 
love, and to which we owe so much, presses upon us 
to comply with her appointment and help to sustain 
the works of benevolence which she has appointed. 
It should therefore be regarded as a privilege to do 
something for each of these enterprises. It ought to 
be looked upon as a sacred duty that none of them 
should be ignored. We should deem it a dereliction in 
the obligations which rest upon us if as pastors we do 
not distinctly present each object and urge its claims 
upon all our people. 

It should not be forgotten or overlooked that the 
continued existence of these benevolent schemes of 
the Church depends on the contributions of Christians. 
They have no other income on which they can rely. It 
is through what the churches in their individual and 
collective capacity may give that they must work. 
Without these contributions none of our Boards can 
be kept up. Then the church of each pastor is just as 
certainly responsible for the continuance of the work as 
any other church. Supposing all our congregations 
should do as do those which withhold their contribu 
tions from some of the Boards, supposing all should 
squander their gifts upon objects which are irresponsi 
ble and untried, then what would be the result? Some 
of our great enterprises of benevolence, which are so 
essentially woven into all the others, must cease, amidst 



442 THE PASTOR IN THE 

a wail of sorrow from all those who have a clear per 
ception of what is needed to build up the walls of Zion, 
Should not, then, even every little be gathered up that 
may help to swell the volume of influence and blessing 
which these enterprises might carry with them? 

It is undoubtedly better to concentrate the contribu 
tions of the Church upon those well-tried and respon 
sible schemes of benevolence than to scatter them upon 
objects which are not likely to tell much upon the pro 
motion of the general cause. When the liberality of 
the Church is brought together in a few reliable enter 
prises it is likely to impart to them a stability and a 
force the weight of which will be far greater in the 
end. Whatever our temporary impulses may be, there 
is no doubt but the principle will hold good that the 
established agencies of the Church will devote its gifts 
to those objects which are the most important, all things 
considered ; and the duty rests upon every pastor and 
private Christian to lend his aid in the support of them 
all. 

SYSTEMATIC GIVING. 

That there ought to be some plan according to which 
Christians would lay aside the amounts which it is their 
intention to put into the treasury of the Lord, some 
rule to guide them in determining what these amounts 
shall be, is becoming the settled conviction of the most 
thoughtful and godly. A matter of such immense 
importance ought not to be left to be settled by the 
varying impulses or the uncertain circumstances of the 
hour. What shall be given to the Lord, and the amount 
of supplies by which his work is to be carried on, ought 
not certainly to depend upon the state of the weather 
or on the degree of force with which the subject may 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 443 

happen to be presented. It should be made a matter 
of principle, and as such be provided for by each person 
according to his own peculiar circumstances. 

There is no doubt but that some such system and 
proportion is in accordance with the teachings of the 
Scriptures. We discover unmistakable traces of it in 
the Old Testament. Before the time of Moses we find 
Abraham giving one-tenth to " Melchisedek, king of 
Salem, priest of the most high God." We find Jacob 
also, on the night when God appeared to him in the 
vision of the ladder extending from heaven to earth, 
vowing to the Lord and promising, " Of all that thou 
shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee." 
In the Mosaic institutions the exact proportions to be 
dedicated to the Lord were repeatedly prescribed. 
In the New Testament the systematic devotion of 
a proportion of property to purposes of benevolence 
is specially appointed by the apostolic injunction, 
" Upon the first day of the week let every one of you 
lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." 

When some such plan is adopted, the exercise of be 
nevolence becomes a fixed and well-regulated principle, 
and is not left to the capricious impulses of the moment. 
The amounts to be contributed to the service of the 
Lord, and the proportions to be devoted to each object, 
can be carefully calculated beforehand and made a 
sacred treasury. Far more will be given when the 
amounts are arranged according to some system and 
dedicated out of love to God and souls. And this plan, 
faithfully pursued, will also furnish a steady revenue on 
which the Boards can rely in following out their com 
plicated work. 

It is manifest that in this plan of systematic giving the 
first element included is that of determining beforehand 



444 THE PASTOR IN THE 

the absolute amount or proportion of income which is 
to be devoted to the treasury of the Lord. This is a 
matter which each one must carefully decide for himself 
with the demands of benevolence and a sense of his re 
sponsibility before him. Following scriptural examples, 
many devote one-tenth of their income. In very many 
instances this is a wise arrangement, but multitudes could 
and should give more than this, while others may not be 
able to contribute so much. The scriptural maxim, "As 
God hath prospered him," is the principle which should 
govern in the matter. By all means, some such rule 
should be adopted, so that the claims of God, the de 
mands of benevolence and our own spiritual growth 
and comfort may be duly heeded. 

One great benefit of such previously arranged system 
would be its tendency to foster the habit of saving and 
economizing in order that there may be the more to 
give. This habit formed, the whole of life would be 
ennobled. It would be a sublime economy ; it would be 
an industry which would turn the whole of life into a 
service of worship to toil and treasure up, in order that 
there may be the more to devote to the glory of God 
and the redemption of men. The pastor should often 
dwell upon this point, explaining the methods, urging 
the duty and depicting the nobleness of a life thus con 
secrated to God in a benevolence which extends to 
day and every act. 



PLANS FOR MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS. 

The way in which the whole subject is brought before 
the people, as well as the presentation of each branch of 
it, especially the mode in which they are expected to 
make their contributions, has much to do with their 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. . 445 

liberality in giving. The minister should therefore 
study the matter well, in order that the benevolence of 
his congregation may be thoroughly developed. As an 
assistance to him the chief plans of making contribu 
tions may be here enumerated. By the study of them, 
in connection with the peculiarities of his people, he 
may determine the method which is best suited to them. 
The five modes we here give are the chief ones ; all others 
are but modifications of some of these. A custom highly 
recommended is to offer up special prayer either before 
or after making a contribution in the church. It treats 
the offering as an act of worship, it sanctifies that act, 
and it is scriptural, for we find that prayers and alms 
are placed together. The general methods of making 
offerings are the following : 

1. The old and ordinary method is to take up the 
collection in the church on the Lord s day after the ob 
ject has been previously announced and its claims pre 
sented with more or less fullness. This plan has the 
advantage of furnishing an opportunity for exciting an 
interest in the special object, and having the people make 
their offering under the impulse of that feeling. Some 
pastors who are among the most successful in stimulating 
liberality adhere to this. But it has the disadvantage 
of being dependent on the earnestness of the pastor s 
address, upon momentary impulses, and even upon the 
state of the weather. 

2. The second plan is to have elders or other* ir/io are 
interested go through the congregation, to each family ami 
each individual, and receive whatever amount* I hey are 
willing to contribute. This brings the duty home per 
sonally and with a greater weight of obligation to eaeh 
individual. It, however, involves so much attention 
and labor that it is not likely to be continued long in 



446 THE PASTOR IN THE 

any congregation without a large amount of devoted 
piety. 

3. The foundation-fund plan, as it is called, is the 
next one which may be described. Its most essential 
feature is that of obtaining a subscription of one cent 
a day each from as many members of the congregation 
as possible, to be gathered by collectors appointed for 
the purpose or in any other way deemed best. Once a 
year the aggregate is distributed among the various 
Boards by the session according to some scheme ar 
ranged and published beforehand. Supplementary col 
lections for all of the Boards are also taken up in the 
church on the days appointed by the General Assembly, 
so that there may be an opportunity of presenting the 
cause, and that contributions may be made by those 
who have not subscribed and by those who may wish 
to give in addition to their subscriptions. This plan 
may often be advantageously modified by allowing per 
sons to put down their names for more or less than one 
cent a day as their means may allow or demand. For 
a church the body of whose members are in moderate 
or humble circumstances this is an admirable method. 
But its permanent success depends upon having at least 
two or three persons of piety, energy and perseverance 
who will diligently work it out. 

4. The next plan that we would mention is that of 
putting into the hands of the members of the church 
at some definite period, say the beginning of the year, 
cards properly prepared with space for each Board, and 
asking them to fill them up with their names and the 
sums they will give to each cause. The subscriptions 
can be collected either by envelopes or in any other 
way the subscribers may choose. This plan allows every 
person to contribute according to his own estimate of 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 447 

the importance of each object, and it secures a steady 
revenue for benevolent purposes. It is well adapted to 
a church where there are persons of wealth who may wish 
to make a careful distribution of their benefactions. 

5. The best plan of all is that of the apostle : " Upon 
the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him 
in store, as God hath prospered him." This is best, be 
cause it is scriptural, because it makes giving an act of 
every Sabbath worship, and because experience has 
proved that small sums given statedly and frequently 
will amount to far more in the end than larger ones 
given as the impulse of the moment may prompt. 
The collection of the amounts treasured up on the 
Lord s day can be made in any of the ordinary methods. 



MONTHLY CONCERT. 

This has become a hallowed institution of Protestant 
Christianity throughout the world. And most appro 
priate it is that all of every land who love the Lord 
Jesus Christ should meet in concert at least once in 
every month to unite in prayer for the coming of the 
kingdom, to show their interest in the great salvation, 
and to study the progress of the gospel throughout 
the world. No pastor should be satisfied unless this 
meeting is regularly observed in his church. 

It is a service which may be made very profitable to 
both people and pastor, as well as in its general influ 
ence upon the cause of Christ. Such prayers of be 
lievers in concert cannot be in vain. We cannot con 
ceive them to be so unless we discredit the promise of 
Christ : " Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall 
agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask. 
it shall be done for them of my Father which is in 



448 THE PASTOR IN THE 

heaven." The coming together so often and praying 
and talking over the spread of the gospel will keep up 
the missionary spirit with all its blessings. The know 
ledge, too, which is there gathered and communicated 
will be very valuable ; and the pastor s research for 
information to be imparted from month to month will 
keep him well acquainted with the grandest movements 
of the world and tend to enlarge his sympathies and 
enrich his mind. 

The great difficulty about the monthly concert in most 
churches is that so few persons ordinarily attend it. The 
pastor and the few others who do attend become dis 
couraged, and not unfrequently abandon the effort for 
its continuance. The remedies to be suggested are : 
First, that it be held on Sabbath evening, either taking 
the place of the regular service, or, if there be no stated 
service, having a special one appointed for it. Second, 
that the pastor exert himself to make the meeting in 
teresting. This he can do by filling his own mind with 
the details of the missionary work in various lands, and 
then presenting that information along with the prayers, 
and by enlisting others to study and describe what God 
is doing among the nations. Only let the people be 
instructed and interested, and there will be no difficulty 
about their attendance. 



WOMEN S MISSIONARY ASSOCIATIONS. 

This is a new phase of missionary enterprise in the 
churches which is meeting with extraordinary success 
and promises immense results for good. It is well 
worthy of the close attention and hearty co-operation 
of every pastor. It is not intended to take the place 
of the older missionary operations of the Church or to 



BENEVOLENT WORK OF THE CHURCH. 449 

infringe upon them in any way, but to supplement them 
by awaking new sources of benevolence and working in 
a new department of the great gospel field. 

The special object which it contemplates, through col 
lections taken for that purpose, is the evangelization of 
heathen women women fearfully degraded and op 
pressed women hitherto almost neglected, because it 
was supposed that they could not be reached women 
peculiarly needing the blessings of the gospel women 
who, judging from the reception the sex has always 
given the gospel, would welcome it as that alone by 
which they can be freed, elevated and saved. This is 
a peculiarly appropriate work for Christian women. It 
is a noble work a work which is as promising of suc 
cess as any which the hands of piety can undertake a 
work which it is strange devoted zeal and ingenuity had 
not discovered before. The women of the Church, old 
and young, should engage in it with all ardor. It is 
illimitable in its extent and promise. Those who em 
bark in it with loving zeal will undoubtedly grow in the 
spirit of Christ, and their influence for every good word 
and work will be deeply felt in the discharge of their 
other duties to the Church at home. 

The rapid progress of this department of the great 
gospel enterprise is most encouraging to all who love 
Zion. The whole Church, as it looks for the coming 
of Christ s kingdom, approves it ; humanity, groaning 
beneath the burden of sin and longing to be released, 
approves it; future ages, upon whose interests it has 
such a bearing, will approve ; all eternity, rejoicing in 
its glorious results, will approve; and, with becoming 
reverence, we may assert that God the Father, God tin- 
Son and God the Holy Ghost looks with approbation on 
this and the other enterprises of the missionary work. 

57 



CHAPTER X. 
THE PASTOR IN THE SESSION. 

As presiding officer of the session and leader in its 
counsels and activities, a class of duties lies before the 
pastor which demands his earnest attention, for on their 
faithful discharge depends very much of the character 
and usefulness of the church. The management of the 
spiritual affairs of the church is in the hands of the ses 
sion. With them also rests the duty of exercising an over 
sight of its members and of guarding the door of entrance 
to its privileges. It is theirs to stimulate and guide the 
activity by which the cause of Christ is to be promoted 
within the bounds of the congregation. We shall un 
derstand how momentous the interests which have been 
committed to the session are if we consider that it is 
theirs to promote the peace of the church, upon which 
so much depends ; that they are to guard the purity of 
its doctrine, worship and practice ; that the measure of 
its spirituality will always be, to a great extent, what 
they make it ; and that the credit of the church, involv 
ing the honor of the Master, the extension of the gospel 
and the present and future blessedness of believers, has 
been given to them as a special trust. All that is holy 
and hopeful in that best of causes, to the oversight of 
which they have been appointed, is most intimately con 
nected with the fidelity, the piety and the zeal of the 
session. 

450 



THE PASTOR IN THE SESSION. 451 



A LARGE SESSION DESIRABLE. 

When persons suitable for the sacred office can be 
obtained, it is desirable, in most cases, that the session 
should be large in number. It will be possible then to 
have in it individuals who represent the various social 
elements of society, which is a point of considerable 
importance. Its doings and decisions will also have 
more weight of influence with the congregation over 
whose spiritual interests it presides. Besides, the more 
persons there are in the session, the more hands there 
will be for its appropriate work, which is so vast in 
extent and importance. 

Great care should be taken in selecting persons for 
this responsible office that they be men well known, 
tried and proved to be of the proper spirit. Before 
they are ordained to a calling so sacred it should be 
indubitable that they are men of suitable intelligence, 
who will keep themselves well informed about the in 
terests of the cause of Christ ; men who will exercise 
brotherly charity and study the peace of the church ; 
men of patience, who, for Christ s sake, will bear with 
much that is trying in conducting the complicated in 
terests committed to them; men who are willing to 
deny self in order that they may honor the Master; 
men of good repute, who have the confidence of the 
whole community for real godliness; and men who can 
be looked up to as examples and confided in as follow 
ing in the footsteps of Christ. Very much of the peace, 
prosperity, usefulness, comfort and honor of the church 
depends upon the character of its elders, and hence the 
exceeding great care which should be taken in selecting 
men for that office. 



452 THE PASTOR 

WORK OF THE ELDERS. 

In almost all cases far more church work woulcTbe 
performed by the elders if it were only committed to 
them and they were held responsible for its faithful dis 
charge. They were ordained to their exalted office not 
only that they might exercise rule in the Church of God, 
but also that they might help in the work for which the 
Church was established. There is enough of it for them 
all to do, and many of them are willing and waiting to 
put their shoulders to any task which may be assigned 
them. Their duties are neither few nor unimportant. 
Even a superficial survey will show that they can help 
in the social meeting; can assist the pastor in visiting, es 
pecially those who are sick, sorrowing and anxious ; can 
act as peacemakers in the strifes that will too often creep 
in among the people of God ; can defend the good name 
of the pastor, so often wantonly assailed to the great in 
jury of the cause of Christ; can gather worshipers into 
the sanctuary from those who are living in its utter 
neglect ; can welcome strangers to the house of God ; 
can look after the interests of the church in their re 
spective neighbor hoods ; can watch over young; converts 
and care for those members of the church who are back 
sliding. In these and innumerable other duties they 
can help, as well as in the more obvious ones of serv 
ing at the communion, conducting the Sabbath-school, 
attending ecclesiastical meetings and the like. The ses 
sion should be a band of laborers closely knit together 
and intently bent on doing the work of God in the 
church and community. 

As we have shown in another place, it is a great mis 
take for the pastor to undertake too much himself, and 
not entrust work to the elders and others. By so doing 



IN THE SESSION. 458 

he keeps their individual and united powers of doing 
good from being developed, and he overtasks himself, 
and so injures his energies and endangers his health. 
There is too much work for him single-handed to ac 
complish, and he must enlist others or it will be left 
undone. This attempting too much themselves, and 
giving too little to others, is a very common error with 
ministers, and greatly hinders the efficiency of the 
church where it prevails. 

Most elders would work willingly in the cause of 
Christ if the work were only given them to do. Far 
more might be accomplished in this way if pastors 
would call forth and employ the energies of their 
sessions. There are many duties from which the elders 
can relieve the pastor, and give him more time for his 
own appropriate work of preaching. There are many 
things which they can do better than he, because of 
their more intimate intercourse with the people and 
identity of sympathy with them. Then, if the elders 
are busy, their interest in the cause of Christ and his 
Church will be kept alive, they will study the things 
which make for the peace of Zion, and they will be 
happier in themselves and spread good feeling over all 
the circle in which they move. To do nothing is to be 
unhappy and make others unhappy also. Enough is 
not made of this divinely-ordained agency in the work 
of the church. The ingenuity of the pastor and session 
should be taxed to find work for every elder and to keep 
him diligently at the post of duty. 

Unless it is absolutely necessary, the pastor ought not 
to incur ill-will by becoming the agent of inflicting dis 
cipline. It is to be lamented that enmity is so often 
aroused, not only on the part of him who is disciplined, 
but also on the part of his relatives and friends. And 



454 THE PASTOR 

when the discipline comes directly from the pastor, he is 
often made the victim upon whom the weight of the dis 
pleasure is heaped. And those who take offence at him 
are likely also to become offended and alienated toward 
the whole church. From this difficulty, therefore, the 
pastor ought to be saved by one or more of the elders 
being appointed as the ostensible agents for communi 
cating or inflicting the censures decided upon by the 
session. Very often such censures will come with more 
weight from elders, inasmuch as they will appear less 
functional and enter more into the realities of society. 
From mingling with the people in daily life, and sym 
pathy with them and participation in their views and 
wants and trials and modes of thinking, elders will fre 
quently be able to exert an influence that would be im 
possible to the pastor. No doubt one of the great bene 
fits of the office of the eldership is this very thing of 
being able to get near to the people and enter into their 
feelings. Then it should not be forgotten that the gov 
ernment and discipline of the church are the elders 
work, just as preaching is the pastor s, and that they 
should therefore bear its burdens. Moreover, if the 
pastor stands aloof as much as possible when discipline 
is inflicted, he will have a better opportunity of coming 
in afterward and striving to heal the wound and restore 
the wanderer. 

The elders ought to be leaders in all that is under 
taken for the edification of believers, for the progress 
of the church, and for the promotion of objects of be 
nevolence. They are appointed to that office, they are 
qualified for it, the discharge of its duties is expected 
of them, and their position in the church gives them 
an influence which will make their efforts successful. 
They should plan work for the church to undertake; 



IN THE SESSION. 45o 

they should use their influence in getting others to assist 
in the various enterprises for doing good ; and they should 
set an example of zealous industry in the blessed work. 
When any church is cold, idle, unprofitable, and, as a 
consequence, filled with bickerings, much of the blame 
is almost always to be laid at the door of the session, 
which neither performs its own duties nor sees to it that 
the members are busy in doing good. 

It is a serious matter when an elder persists, year 
after year, in the neglect of those solemn duties to which 
he was ordained, and which are expected of him by the 
church and by the church s Lord. To do so is to prove 
unfaithful to his ordination vows, to set an example which 
must necessarily be deleterious, and to keep back others 
who might have been happy and useful workers in the 
church. When one has fallen into this lamentable 
state he should repent before God and his people, and 
diligently redeem the time in the future. 



PLAN OF SESSIONAL WORK. 

We would here present a scheme of sessional opera 
tions which may be profitably adopted, and which, if 
carried out with any measure of fidelity, can hardly 
fail of raising a church to a high degree of prosperity. 
Its main features, as they have been actually adopted, 
are as follows : 

A. DIVISION OF SESSIONAL WORK. 

In order that the interests of the church may be 
conducted as efficiently as possible, the following stand 
ing committees of session shall be maintained : 1. Com 
mittee on benevolence; 2. Committee on music; 3. Com 
mittee on prayer-meetings ; 4. Committee on the poor ; 



-156 THE PASTOR 

5. Committee on Sabbath-schools. 6. Committee on 
strangers. 

1. It shall be the duty of the Committee on benevo- 

9 

lence to keep itself well informed in reference to the 
general work of benevolence in the whole Church, to 
recommend to the session when and for what objects 
collections shall be taken up, and to devise the best 
means for collecting these contributions, to develop 
the spirit of benevolence in the congregation, and to 
propose in what amount and at what times appro 
priations shall be devoted to the various Boards of the 
Church. 

2. The Committee on music shall have special over 
sight of all the music in the church ; it shall confer 
when necessary with the trustees in the appointment of 
those who are to lead it ; it shall see that some one is 
present to conduct the singing in the weekly meetings ; 
it shall recommend the hymn and music books to be 
used in the devotions of praise, and it shall devise plans 
for the improvement of this department of the church s 
worship. 

3. It shall be the duty of the Committee on prayer- 
meetings to fix upon the places for holding the cottage 
prayer-meetings, to recommend any desirable changes 
in the times and places of holding other prayer-meet 
ings, to appoint persons to conduct these meetings, 
and to have full superintendence of all this branch of 
church s work. 

4. The Committee on the poor, when there are no 
deacons, shall have special charge of such members of 
the church as are in want. It shall examine all such 
cases, visit them, apply to the treasurer for such assist 
ance for them as the sessional fund will afford, when 
that is exhausted use special means for their relief, and 



IN THE SESSION. 457 

make other needful efforts to succor and comfort them 
in their trials. 

5. The Committee on Sabbath-schools shall, if possi 
ble, be composed of officers of the Sabbath-school. It 
shall be the agency for exercising the sessional author 
ity over this branch of the church s activity. It shall 
recommend from time to time whether any, and whew, 
branch schools shall be established, and be in every 
thing the bond of connection between the session and 
the schools. 

6. It shall be the duty of the Committee on strati yn^ 
to use all practicable means for discovering strangers 
who may come occasionally or regularly to the church, 
to report them to the member of session in whose dis 
trict they reside, to make their acquaintance, to intro 
duce them to other members of the congregation, and 
to make them feel at home in the church. The mem 
bers of this committee shall either themselves be pres 
ent, or appoint some others to be present, at the doors of 
the church on every occasion of public worship and at 
the weekly lectures, to seat strangers. It shall be the 
medium of communication between the session and the 
pastor s aid association, and furnish the ladies with 
lists of such families as should be visited. And it shall 
devise all practicable means for increasing sociability 
and friendliness in the church. 

B. OVERSIGHT OF THE FAMILIES OF THE CONGREGATION. 

The following rules are adopted by the session for the 
better performance of this duty : 

1. The territory of the congregation shall be divided 
into as many districts as there are elders in the session, 
and to each district one elder shall be assigned, whose 



58 



458 THE PASTOR 

duty it shall be to exercise a general supervision of the 
interests of the church within these bounds. 

2. In the exercise of this supervision it shall be the 
duty of each elder to keep up a personal acquaintance 
with all the families of the church in his district, visit 
them as often as he may find convenient, and report 
at the meetings of session any persons who are anxious 
about their souls, or sick, or in sorrow, or disaffected, or 
anything else that should be known ; also to keep a con 
stant outlook for any families of our denomination that 
may move into the bounds of his district, and for chil 
dren who may be brought into the Sabbath-school. 

3. When, for any particular reason, an elder may deem 
it advisable, he may secure the assistance of any other 
elder or of the pastor, to confer with him or to visit any 
of the families of his district. 

4. An elder who from relationship or from any 
other cause has special influence with any family not 
in his own appointed district shall not be considered as 
intruding on the prerogatives of others if he shall visit 
and strive to keep that family interested in the common 
cause. 

C. MEETINGS OF SESSION. 

It is manifest that the very important work thus laid 
out cannot be successfully done unless there be frequent 
and full meetings of the session, to report the progress 
of its various departments, to devise methods for its 
greater advance, to keep alive an interest in the cause, 
and to pray for the divine guidance and life-giving 
power of the Holy Ghost. To this end, therefore, it is 
established 

First. That a stated monthly meeting of the session 
shall be held on such day of the month as may from 
time to time be determined. 



IN THE SESSION. 459 

Second. That it shall be considered a sacred duty of 
each member regularly to attend these stated meetings, 
unless prevented by sickness or other unavoidable 



cause. 



Third. That the following order of business shall 
be observed in the meetings of session : 1. Twenty 
minutes in devotional exercises ; 2. Reading the min 
utes of last meeting ; 3. Excuses for absence from last 
meeting; 4. Reports of special committees; 5. Reports 
jf standing committees ; 6. Free conversation about the 
interests of the cause in the various districts ; 7. New 
business ; 8. Adjournment with prayer. 



DISCIPLINE. 

This is of all duties devolving upon pastor and session 
the most difficult and unpleasant. And yet it cannot 
always be ignored without bringing the church into 
contempt and seriously injuring the cause. The purity 
of the church, the honor of the cause of God, the 
value of the privileges of membership, the good of 
offenders, even the existence of an organized body of 
believers, demand that it shall sometimes be exercised. 

But it ought to be resorted to as seldom as possible, 
and only when persistent injury is done to the cause of 
Christ by the unchristian conduct of members. It is 
extremely difficult at the present time so to conduct a 
process of discipline as to impart to it any value either to 
offenders or to the church ; and when not so conducted 
it will do harm rather than good. On this account a 
process of discipline should never be entered upon until 
it is seen to be absolutely indispensable. Every possible 
effort to reclaim the offender should first be made in pri 
vate, for the man who cannot be influenced by the per- 



460 THE PASTOR 

sonal appeal made to him, in the right spirit, by pastor 
or elders, is not likely to pay much regard to their cen 
sures, whether threatened or inflicted. It is hardly ever 
wise for a pastor to encourage the prosecution of a mem 
ber of his church when the matter is one which is per 
sonal with himself. 

When the session has determined to impose the cen 
sures of the church, it is best not to make them any more 
public than necessary. To publish them in the church 
is likely to render the person disciplined more reckless 
and to give offence to his relatives and friends, and it 
needlessly exposes the sores of the church to a world 
only too ready to gloat over them. The announcing of 
the sentence in the meeting of session, or sending it to 
the person disciplined, will ordinarily be sufficient; and 
the consideration had for his feelings will leave more 
hope of ultimately reclaiming the offender. 

On the roll of every church there will be found, after 
the lapse of years, the names of many persons who have 
ceased to appear at its communion-table or to attend any 
of its ordinances. They have fallen away from their 
regular standing by removing from the bounds of the 
congregation without taking with them their certificates 
of membership, or they have gone into other commu 
nions, or they have lost all interest in divine things. To 
know exactly what to do with such cases is very per 
plexing. There are only three ways in which persons 
can cease to be responsible members of a given church 
namely, by death, by certificate of dismission, or by dis 
cipline. Hence it will not do merely to strike their 
names from the roll; at some future day they may 
claim the recognition of their membership. Neither 
will it do to retain their names as in regular standing, 
for then the roll will not present a fair record of the actual 



IN THE SESSION. 4^ 

membership of the church. The best plan, probably 
of disposing of them is to place opposite their names 
some conventional word or expression denotin- their 
irregular standing. Their status will then be seen at a 
glance, and their names can be found if ever afterward 
they should be wanted, while at the same time they will 
be distinguished on the roll from regular members. 

The pastor need not be surprised if he finds troublers 
in his church. The discovery of such persons among 
the professed people of God sometimes shocks ministers, 
especially inexperienced ones, and discourages them, and 
sometimes leads them unwisely to give up their charges. 
But it should be understood as a lamentable fact that 
such persons are most likely to be found in every church, 
that the pastor will almost certainly encounter them, and 
that he ought to be prepared for the discovery, and not 
to be too much cast down by it. 

It is well for the pastor to be forewarned on this sub 
ject, and to be undismayed if he encounters many dis 
positions which are calculated to disturb the peace of 
the church. He will find that some are sadly inconsist 
ent, bringing constant reproach upon the cause ; some 
are complainers and fault-finders, acute at finding 
or inventing things to annoy ; some take pleasure in 
criticising and opposing everything that is done or said 
by the pastor; some are so utterly unreasonable that 
they will listen to neither argument nor entreaty ; some 
are restless, always finding something to agitate and dis 
tract; some are quarrelsome, as if they found their 
greatest satisfaction in strife ; and others again there 
are whose business it seems to be to pull down, never 
to extend a helping hand even to the cause which they 
profess to love. The injustice and the cruelty of such 
persons toward him and that, too, when he is consrinu- 



462 THE PASTOR 

of doing the very best in his power will sometimes 
almost break the minister s heart. 

We would recommend as the sovereign remedy for 
such troublers in the church simply to let them alone. 
Our advice would be, Do not notice them ; do not speak 
of them ; do not oppose them ; if possible, do not think 
of them ; and they are disarmed for evil. If they can 
not excite any commotion, they soon become weary of 
their fruitless efforts to annoy. 

Then there are certain considerations which ought to 
be borne in mind by the pastor concerning such unhap 
py spirits as are found in every church: 1. It is im 
possible to satisfy them by any excellency of preaching 
or action. As was truthfully said by Dr. J. W. Alex 
ander, " If you could act like an angel, some would 
blame. Do your best, and in the long run you will 
please more than by doing anything for the bare pur 
pose of pleasing." 2. Though there may be one or 
more such persons in the church, yet their number is 
but small compared with the great body of the true- 
hearted members who are ever ready to stand by the 
pastor and help him in his work. 3. Even such trou 
blers and the dissatisfied and the constitutionally un 
happy are a part of the material upon which the min 
ister is appointed to work as he strives to build up and 
beautify that spiritual temple which will be perfected 
only when the Church s earthly work is done. 4. More 
over, they are not without their mission and use; for if 
the knowledge that we are watched by critical or un 
friendly eyes should serve to make us more vigilant, 
more consistent and more active, then even this, one of 
the pastor s sorest trials, may be turned to good account. 

Certain it is that this is a part of that salutary disci 
pline to which it is the good pleasure of our All-wiee 



IN THE SESSION 453 

Father we should now be subjected. On this point Dr. 
James W. Alexander says : " It is unreasonable to hope 
for a situation where men will not be found to oppnH 
envy and blame. To expect this would be childish* 
Humble perseverance in plain duty is the way to main 
tain an easy mind. Apply the Lord s rule about anxiety 
for the morrow. Work by the day ; you may not live 
till to-morrow. Why cripple to-day s exertions by fore 
casting a trouble which may never come ? Such vexa 
tions are trials sent of God. They have been common 
to all saints. Learn to bear the reproaches of even 
good men, for many sincere Christians are far from 
perfection in wisdom ; there are degrees in knowledge 
and experience; there are diversities of opinion and 
strange and extravagant, tempers. Some virtue is put 
to the test by every one of these troubles. Humility, 
patience, meekness, courage, fortitude, love of truth, 
faith, hope and charity are exercised. If a man s ways 
please the Lord, he will cause even his enemies to be at 
peace with him." 



CHUECH STRIFES. 

It is a lamentable fact that these will often arise and 
do incalculable harm. They are deplorably frequent, 
and their evils are aggravated and exaggerated by an 
unfriendly world. The feeling which they engender is 
peculiarly deep, because of the important interests which 
they are supposed to involve. And they often spring 
from the merest trifles, which ought to have been ignored 
by Christian people. Such strifes are amongst the great 
est evils that can possibly come upon a church. It is 
one of the greatest inconsistencies ever witnea^ed to st * 
those whose distinguishing badge ought to be brotherly 



464 THE PASTOR 

love arrayed in bitter hostility against each other. If 
there is anything in the wide world against which the 
pastor should steadfastly set his face, it is this. 

Never should he allow himself to be drawn into strife 
as a participant. There is a special scriptural injunction 
laid upon him to this end : "And the servant of the 
Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt 
to teach, patient." He should dread strifes as among 
the most dangerous attacks that Satan can possibly make 
upon the Church of God. If there is anything he can 
do to prevent their occurrence or allay them when they 
prevail, it ought to receive his most earnest attention. 
He should make sacrifices of his own personal feelings 
in order to prevent them. Every sort of right motive 
presses upon him to flee from contention. Very em 
phatic on this point was the counsel of John Wesley : 
" Oh beware, I will not say of forming, but of counte 
nancing or abetting, any parties in a Christian society. 
Never encourage, much less cause, either by word or ac 
tion, any division therein. In the nature of things there 
must be divisions among you, but keep thyself pure. 
Leave off contention before it be meddled with ; shun 
the very beginning of strife. Meddle not with them 
that are given to dispute, with them that love conten 
tion. I never knew that remark to fail : He that 
loves to dispute does not love God. Follow peace with 
all men, without which you cannot effectually follow 
holiness. Not only seek peace, but ensue it ; if it seems 
to flee from you, pursue it nevertheless. Be not over 
come of evil, but overcome evil with good. Happy is 
he that attains the character of a peace-maker in the 
Church of God! Why should not you labor after this? 
Be not content not to stir up strife, but do all that in 
you lies to prevent or quench the very first spark of it. 



L\ THE SESSION. 

Indeed, it is far easier to prevent the flame from break 
ing out than to quench it afterward. However, be not 
afraid to attempt even this; the God of peace is on your 
side. He will give you acceptable words, and will send 
them to the hearts of the hearers." 

The effects of dissensions in churches are so baleful 
that they may well be looked upon with a feeling of 
horror. The v ery best that can be said of them b thai 
they never do any good. But, alas! far more must be 
said of them, for in the language of the Spirit, " where 
envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil 
work." They destroy all true happiness in the minds 
of those who are agitated by them; they grieve away 
the Holy Spirit, to whose peaceful influences they are 
so much opposed; they lead to the most lamentable 
divisions and alienations between those who were once 
dear to each other in Christian fellowship; they rend 
asunder churches and make incurable breaches in house 
holds; they dishonor religion and expose it to the con 
tempt of the world ; and they inflict deep wounds upon 
Christ, of which he may bitterly complain as having 
been received in the house of his friends. 



THE PASTOE S PERSONAL DIFFICULTIES. 

These are the worst of all, inasmuch as they involve 
not only the minister and those with whom he is imme 
diately at variance, but also generally spread through 
out the congregation. They also destroy his happiness, 
blight his energies, and prevent his ministrations from 
having that weight which would make them edifying 
to almost any class of his hearers. Moreover, thev an* 
so conspicuous, from the eminent position which he 
holds, that they are more seen and known and trum- 



466 THE PASTOR 

peted, and therefore send abroad more influences for 
evil than if he moved in a more obscure sphere. 

The minister cannot afford to descend to the conten 
tions which are sometimes indulged in by others. It 
is *$uch a gross inconsistency that he almost necessarily 
throws away everything if he does. He throws away 
influence^ he lets himself down in public esteem, and he 
dishonors the cause. He also destroys his own hap 
piness and brings upon himself sorrows on sorrows. 
Quaintly was it said by Bishop Hall : " I never loved 
those salamanders that are never well but when they 
are in the fire of contention. I will rather suffer a 
thousand wrongs than offer one ; I will suffer an hun 
dred rather than return one ; I will suffer many ere I 
will complain of one and endeavor to right it by con 
tending. I have ever found that to strive with my 
superior is furious ; with my equal, doubtful ; with my 
inferior, sordid and base ; with any, full of unquietness." 

It need hardly be said, therefore, that the pastor who 
has the proper spirit will be careful to avoid falling into 
such personal strifes. The rule with him will be that 
of the apostle when he exhorted, " Give none offence, 
neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the 
Church of God : even as I please all men in all things, 
not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, 
that they may be saved ;" and again, " Giving no of 
fence in anything, that the ministry be not blamed." 
The minister should do everything that lies in his power 
make any personal sacrifice that is consistent with 
principle to prevent these difficulties from arising. 
He should determine that such strifes shall not be if 
he can prevent them. And to this end Christ s injunc 
tion should be the motto of his life : " Be ye therefore 
wise as serpents and harmless as doves." A little yield- 



IN THE SESSION. 4^7 

ing wheii no principle is involved, a kind word, the 
suppression of a harsh thought, or a slight explanation 
will often avert a whole train of bickerings and aliena 
tions. Then, if the pastor finds that he is unhappily 
involved in a personal strife, he should use all wisdom 
and tact and Christian spirit to have it settled just as 
speedily as possible. 

It is an important rule for the pastor to keep aloof 
from all parties which may have arrayed themselves 
against each other in the church. It is well for him to 
keep in mind the inspired maxim, " He that passeth by, 
and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like 
one that taketh a dog by the ears." Both sides in any 
controversy stand in the same relation to him as the 
pastor of the whole church. Some ministers very un 
wisely embroil themselves in every quarrel by espousing 
one side or other of it. By this course they incur the 
ill-will of those who are on the opposite side, and lose 
the opportunity of coming in as arbitrators to harmo 
nize the parties. Far better would it be for them to 
stand aloof, unless when they can interfere as peace 
makers to settle the strife. 

In this connection there is great need for the caution 
that ministers should guard against everything which 
looks like gossip, to the malign influences of which 
they are peculiarly exposed. They should not listen 
to gossiping rumors about themselves or others which 
so many will be ready to pour into their ears. They 
should not allow idle or scandalous news to be imparted 
to them. They should not themselves indulge in gossip 
a habit into which they are liable to fall as they go 
from house to house. 

Personal difficulties, or personalities of any kind, 
ought not to be brought into the pulpit. This is some- 



468 THE PASTOR 

times done, but never either to the edification of the 
people or the advantage of the pastor. There are ob 
jections to it on every hand. It is cowardly to arraign 
persons under circumstances where they have no op 
portunity of replying ; it enrages those who are assailed, 
and leaves scarcely any hope of healing the breach ; it 
makes offensive matters public which ought to have re 
mained in the dark ; and it prostitutes the dignity of 
the pulpit, whose appointment is to nobler themes. The 
answer of the Rev. Dr. Francis Wayland on this point 
is not too emphatic : " But it may possibly be asked, 
Should a minister use personalities in the pulpit? I 
answer, If he does, he ought never to enter it. To use 
the office of an ambassador of Christ for the purpose 
of personal abuse is shameful and intolerable." 

Absolute silence in reference to those who would 
annoy or oppose or even slander him is generally the 
pastor s best course. Great is the power of silence. It 
allows brands of discord to go out, which if blown up 
would soon kindle into a flame. It is often the keenest 
rebuke that can be given to wanton assaults. It saves 
one from saying many things which he might after 
ward regret. It is dignified. In most cases it is by 
far the safest course. Let the minister bear in silence 
many things which are sorely trying, and in the end he 
will see the wisdom of having pursued this course. 

Most oppositions and slanders are easily lived down. 
Real, consistent, devoted piety will generally disarm the 
attacks which are made upon it. The simple rule of 
life given to ministers by Dr. J. W. Alexander is worthy 
of being written in letters of gold : " Do that which 
you think will please God, and you will keep a good 
conscience. By so doing you will, in the long run, as 
much avoid the censure of men as if you made it a 



IN THE SESSION. 469 

special object to please them. Every act of your life 
will be tending to form the right kind of character. 
You will be more likely to be useful, and will certainly 
be happier. If you fail, you will not have the addi 
tional pain which arises from blaming yourself. This 
is the simplest of all rules of life. It admits of perpetual 
application, nor is there any conceivable case which it 
does not reach. Please not yourself nor vain human 
creatures, but God." 



THE PASTOR AND THE FINANCES OF THE CHURCH. 

The management of the financial matters of a church, 
frequently involving the erection of new buildings or 
the repairing of old ones, current expenses and the liqui 
dation of debts, requires much skill as well as attention. 
Sometimes, when the church is very weak or new, it 
may be necessary that much of this work should be 
done by the pastor. Sometimes he is forced into it 
against his inclination. More generally he takes a 
prominent part in these affairs because he thinks that 
he can conduct them better than the people would. 

But, as a general rule, the pastor should have as little 
as possible to do with the money affairs of the church. 
(1) It is not his calling to manage them. (2) He has not 
time for it, and cannot bestow much attention on it with 
out drawing away from the energies which ought to be 
concentrated upon his appropriate spiritual work. (3) 
If he has much to do with such affairs, he will almost 
necessarily become more or less secularized. (4) He 
will be in constant danger of involving himself in dif 
ficulties which will damage his ministerial usefulness, 
for what would be but injudicious in others will be con 
sidered criminal in him. (5) There are often in the 



470 THE PASTOR IN THE SESSION. 

church far better business-men than he men better 
trained and practiced in business who can perform all 
this work. (6) If the people themselves conduct these 
important affairs, they will be more interested in the 
church and all her work. 

The minister should not always interfere in the secular 
affairs of the congregation, even when he thinks that 
the people are not conducting them in the wisest and 
best manner. He may be sincere in his conviction, but 
he may be in error. The event may prove that those 
who are in the actual management are doing what is the 
most advantageous. At any rate, he has a higher work 
before him on which he should fix his whole energies. 
Then in the end his own soul will prosper and be in 
peace, the Christian people will appreciate his efforts to 
build up the church in the righteousness of Christ, and 
God will bless the toil which is put forth with a single 
eye to his glory. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE PASTOR IN THE HIGHER COURTS OF THE 

CHURCH. 

THE minister sustains other important relations besides 
those which belong to him as pastor of a particular con 
gregation. These relations impose on him duties which 
require very close and persevering attention. He is a 
member of presbytery and synod, or of General Assem 
bly, conference, association or convention, and as such 
has a part to take in conducting the general interests 
of the kingdom of Christ. When the gravity of the 
duties devolving upon these bodies is considered, it will 
be easily understood that the responsibility of each of 
their members is very great. It is theirs, under the 
teachings of the inspired word, to frame the rules which 
are to control every department of order and worship and 
work, to settle controversies that may arise in the com 
plicated working of the Church, to hold the keys of ad 
mission to the sacred office, to guard the purity of the 
doctrines which shall be taught, and to manage the ma 
chinery of the Boards through which the benevolent 
work is carried on. These duties are momentous in 
themselves and in their results. They involve the 
peace, the purity and the perpetuity of the Church. 
The minister should assume his share of them with a 
deep sense of his responsibility, with an earnest desire 
for the glory of God, and with a full purpose of being 
falthfuf in every personal duty which they involve. 



471 



472 THE PASTOR IN THE 



ATTENDANCE UPON THE HIGHER CHURCH COURTS. 

In this matter the first duty which rests upon the 
minister is to attend promptly upon every ecclesiastical 
meeting of which he is a member, and take part in its 
duties and responsibilites. He should attend his pres 
bytery and synod at each of their meetings, and the 
General Assembly when appointed so to do. The rule 
of regular attendance should be laid down as inviolable. 

This is a matter of serious duty which should be rec 
ognized and appreciated by every minister. His ordi 
nation vows include this as well as the other class of 
duties which belong to his peculiar pastoral work. 
These higher organizations of the Church are undoubt 
edly appointed of God, and that because they are neces 
sary for conducting the interests of the kingdom. Each 
minister is one of the elements which make up their 
combined wisdom and force for performing that mo 
mentous work, and as such he cannot lawfully be ab 
sent. Duty to God, duty to the Church and duty to 
himself all require him to do his part. The plea that 
his mite of influence will be of no account is no excuse 
whatever, for he is not the judge; but he is a constituent 
part of the great whole, and cannot stand aloof without 
damaging all the rest. 

Our fellow- members have a right to our presence and 
assistance. The obligation resting upon us is as solemn 
as that which is on them. We wrong them when we 
stay away. We desert them in their troubles, their 
toils and their hopes, and we keep from them that por 
tion of aid which we might render. We may appre 
ciate the evil tendency of this course, if we depict to 
ourselves the sad results which would follow should all 



HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 473 

be as unfaithful as those are who unnecessarily absent 
themselves from meetings where the great interests of 
the cause of Christ are to receive attention. It is enough 
to say that, so far as human agency is concerned, all those 
great interests would be necessarily paralyzed. 

The minister who is not found regularly in the meet 
ings of presbytery, association or convention is also 
himself a great loser. He soon loses the run of the 
business, and that is followed by his losing all interest 
in what is going on. And then, when occasionally he 
comes in, he must interrupt and delay the business and 
annoy his brethren by asking questions about matters 
with which he would have been perfectly familiar had 
he been present. Besides, he does not know at what 
meeting or what hour business may come up which is 
of great importance to himself or his church or the 
general cause, but by his absence he loses it all. Then 
such meetings are calculated to strengthen the sympa 
thies, to quicken the faculties, to lodge in the memory 
important information, and to establish most valuable 
friendships. All this those ministers lose who cannot 
be induced to perform their duty and enjoy their privi 
lege of statedly attending. 

Connected with this matter of attendance upon eccle 
siastical meetings is another which ought not to be passed 
over without a word of notice namely, that of staying 
to the close of their sessions. This caution is rendered 
necessary by the conduct of many who come in, perhaps, 
after the opening services, and then in an hour or two, 
or at most long before the sessions close, go away, and 
leave their brethren to finish the business as best they 
can. They might almost as well not come at all. The 
result of this habit often is to leave the greater part of 
the business to be hurried through at the close by a mere 

60 



474 THE PASTOR IN THE 

handful of the members. The reasons given in excuse 
for these withdrawals are such, in almost all ordinary 
cases, as might have been provided against by a little 
forethought. Arrangements should be made previous 
to leaving home, so that there may be no need to with 
draw until the close of the sessions. Meetings of pres 
bytery or other ecclesiastical bodies do not come so often 
but that some trouble might be taken to stay through 
out them all. 

It is singular that many ministers are so thoughtless 
about absenting themselves from these meetings or 
slighting them by a mere nominal attendance of an 
hour or two. This may seem like a small matter, and 
yet attention to it is one of those things which have 
very much to do with the minister s influence and use 
fulness. To be always in his place at such meetings is 
likely to result in the faithful performance of his duties 
as a member. He will thereby make the warrantable 
impression that he is in earnest in all his work. He will 
thus acquire the confidence of his brethren and the re 
spect of the people, and be looked up to as one worthy 
of being consulted about church affairs, and that to such 
a degree as will give him opportunities of helping for 
ward the blessed cause. The men to be relied on are 
those who can look back upon their ministerial life and 
say that they have never been absent from presbytery, 
synod or other ecclesiastical meeting which it was their 
duty to attend. 



THE PASTOR S INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY IN CHURCH 

COURTS. 

It is difficult duly to estimate the reponsibility of the 
members of such courts, owing to the vastly important 



HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 475 

interests committed to them; and each one has a por 
tion of it resting on him so resting on him that he 
cannot flippantly cast it off. Each one is, in his meas 
ure, blamable for whatever duty is either omitted or 
wrongly performed. It is important that this personal 
responsibility be recognized by the minister, so that he 
may not fail of taking his share in the general interests 
of the Church through neglect or the vague impression 
that he has nothing to do with them. 

It is a responsibility which extends to the adjudica 
tion of questions of discipline, to the admission of can 
didates into the ministry, to the appointment of repre 
sentatives to the General Assembly, to the conducting 
of schemes for the promotion of the cause of Christ at 
home and abroad to every thing for which the higher 
courts of the Church exist. No member can justifiably 
shrink from his share of responsibility in each and all 
of them. No one, without unfaithfulness, can sink his 
own duties in the general mass ; he must take them up 
and perform them according to his own personal con 
victions. 



ASSUMING THE DUTIES ASSIGNED IN ECCLESIASTICAL 
MEETINGS. 

Much of the work of these bodies such as serving 
as clerks, drawing up reports, shaping business, exam 
ining candidates for the ministry, visiting congrega 
tions in difficulties, installing ministers and organizing 
churches must necessarily be performed by individ 
uals or committees, and each member should promptly 
consent to whatever part of it his brethren may assign 
to him. Sometimes the task required is difficult, labor 
ious and disagreeable, and the first impulse is to shrink 



476 THE PASTOR IN THE 

from it. There are ministers who are constantly de 
clining every such duty that is asked of them, and thus 
embarrassing the business, imposing upon their breth 
ren and injuring themselves. But the rule should be 
promptly to accept every appointment as the call of 
duty, and at once enter upon its fulfillment. 

This is a matter which the minister ought not to 
neglect. If the task be an onerous one, he ought to 
reflect that it must be performed by somebody, and why 
not by him as readily as by any one else ? His appoint 
ment implies some supposed fitness in him for that par 
ticular service ; and if he does not think that he is qual 
ified for it, he should regard himself in the light of a 
learner who ought to be prepared at some time to take 
up every duty of the ministry. By declining the duty 
he misses the training which its performance would fur 
nish. Besides, it greatly embarrasses the business of the 
body when members are constantly refusing the various 
duties requested of them. Moreover, for the minister 
to indulge in the habit of shrinking from the tasks re 
quired of him is to throw away his influence, and finally 
to become a mere cipher in the body. 

Promptness in assuming and discharging the various 
duties required of him as a presbyter will do much 
toward securing that confidence and respect that will 
be of such assistance to the minister in his exalted work. 
It will enable him to perform those duties more accept 
ably, and prove him to be actuated by true principle in 
every part of his sacred calling. His brethren will 
then understand that he is to be relied upon. He will 
be enabled to do far more good, and the talents which 
have been given him, and for which he is accountable, 
will be used to better advantage. Many a name could 
be given of the most highly esteemed of presbyters 



HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 477 

whose invariable rule has been to accept of every duty 
committed to them and promptly proceed to its per 
formance. 



THE PRESBYTERY SHOULD TAKE PART IN EVERY GOOD 

WORK. 

It is the working body in the general enterprises of 
the Church. It is the exponent of whatever is active in 
the united body of believers or aggressive on the king 
dom of darkness. It should therefore be the aim of 
every one of its members to make it a living, active, 
progressive body. Very much of the measure of piety 
and Christian activity in the churches under its care 
depends on the presbytery. Hence it ought to make 
much of the influence which it is in its power to exert 
over these churches. And each one of its members 
should feel bound to do all in his power to set it to work, 
and keep it working, in every department where its duty 
lies. 

If the presbytery were properly awake to the great 
work to which it is called, it would foster its Sabbath- 
schools amongst other ways, by devoting one session of 
ea.ch of its stated meetings to the children of the church 
where it assembles ; it could stimulate its congregations 
in the great work of benevolence ; it could superintend 
the carrying out of the various deliverances of the 
General Assembly ; and it could assist in bringing up 
each of its churches to higher degrees of spirituality. 
All these things come within the province of the pres 
bytery. To these interests it was appointed, and t<> 
none of them can it, in faithfulness, be indifferent. 



478 THE PASTOR IN THE 



THE PRESBYTERY A MISSIONARY ORGANIZATION IN 
ITS OWN TERRITORY. 

Every Christian in his sphere, every church in its 
vicinity, every presbytery in the district of country it 
covers, and every General Assembly or conference in 
the country and world, is obligated to be aggressive on 
the kingdom of darkness. It is its duty to pray, to 
plan and to work so as to bring that portion of the 
great field into subjection to Christ s righteous reign. 
The whole presbytery and each of its members should 
recognize this high calling. The question which de 
mands consideration from each of them is, What is the 
portion of the field which is specially committed to me 
or to us ? and then follows the imperative obligation of 
applying every energy to its cultivation. 

(a) THE TERRITORY OF THE PRESBYTERY TO BE REGARDED 

AS ITS SPECIAL MISSIONARY FlELD. 

Pastors ought not to consider that their ministrations 
in the gospel are to be confined exclusively to their own 
congregations. There is an important sense in which 
the field to which they are appointed is the whole world. 
But then, in company with their co-presbyters, they are 
to look upon the district of country covered by their 
presbytery as the portion of that great field which has 
been specially entrusted to them. Each pastor should 
regard the immediate vicinity of his church as his 
peculiar charge. Then the whole territory of the 
presbytery lies before him and his fellow-members, and 
by their counsel, their work and their prayers it is to 
be leavened by the saving influences of the gospel. 
Here each one should put forth his most strenuous 



HIGHER COURTS OF THE ( IUTJ 11. 479 

efforts efforts as strenuous as if the whole work de 
pended on himself. 

The district in the midst of which he lives has been 
committed to the minister for his gospel efforts by the 
providence of God, which has placed him in it as his 
post of duty and toil. It has also been entrusted 
to him by the Church, which has called him and 
ordained him and settled him there to do her work, not 
merely in the midst of his own particular fold, but 
also in all its vicinity. For the cultivation of that 
part of the field he is accountable to the author 
ities which had such confidence in him as to place 
him there. 

Not many pastors are so happily located but that 
in their immediate vicinity, or at least within the 
bounds of their presbytery, there are places which are 
in need of the stated ordinances of the gospel. There 
are some communities where, if proper investigation 
were made and efforts put forth, it would be found that 
churches could be planted to great advantage. There 
are neighborhoods where great good could be done by 
establishing Sabbath-schools and holding occasional 
preaching and prayer meetings. Everywhere there are 
multitudes living in utter neglect of the ordinances 
whose case should never be forgotten, but plans of vari 
ous kinds be devised for bringing them to the know 
ledge of the truth. In almost every presbytery there 
are destitute fields where colporteurs might spread th<- 
gospel through the printed page and gather the nuclei 
of future congregations. That no field, no opportunity, 
no agency, for extending the truth as it is in Chri>t. 
shall be neglected should be the rule with every minis 
ter and every presbytery. 



480 THE PASTOR IN THE 



(b) IF ITS OWN TERRITORY is NOT CULTIVATED BY 
PRESBYTERY, IT WILL NOT BE BY OTHERS. 

There is a sort of vague impression in the minds of 
many that, somehow or other, the work will be done 
even if they do omit it. But the question is not 
whether these home destitutions shall be supplied by 
us or by some one else : it is, whether they shall be met 
by us or utterly neglected. They must be supplied by 
us, to whom God has entrusted this part of his field, or 
be overlooked and souls be lost. 

The people themselves who are destitute of the bless 
ings of the gospel will not put forth the efforts needed 
to secure its ordinances, for the gospel has always to be 
pressed upon men. Other denominations will certainly 
not plant it in that form which we think the best, what 
ever name we may bear. Other presbyteries and synods 
cannot be expected to come in and take up our work by 
encroaching upon our territory with its rights and duties. 
The field must be cultivated by us, or, so far as our de 
nomination is concerned, be left utterly waste. It is 
entrusted to us, and it is expected of us that we shall 
be faithful to its every call. God calls, duty calls, the 
pressing wants of perishing souls call, and we shall incur 
great guilt if we do not obey these calls of duty. 

(c) CONSTANT OUTLOOK FOR NEW LOCALITIES. 

The faithful performance of this missionary work will 
require that there be a constant outlook for places where 
enterprises can be started which may finally culminate 
in churches. It ought not to be taken for granted that 
such fields will come to light of themselves, but desti 
tute places should be sought for ; unwearied diligence 
should be exercised to find appropriate spots in which 



HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 481 

to set up the banner of Christ, Especially should there 
be watchfulness by each pastor in the immediate neigh 
borhood of his own congregation. If this be not done, 
many a settlement which sorely needs the means of grace 
will be overlooked so long that the opportunity of taking 
possession of it will be lost. The obligation which rests 
upon each member and the whole presbytery is to be 
unceasingly aggressive upon the world. 

It is not difficult to determine where there is a prov 
idential call to commence operations with a view either 
to establish a missionary outpost or to gather tbe nu 
cleus of a future church. It is an appropriate place 
where there is a neighborhood that is peculiarly des 
titute of all the means of grace ; where there is a com 
munity that is likely rapidly to increase in numbers : 
where there is an opening for commencing a Sabbath- 
school with good promise of success; especially when 
there are warm-hearted, active Christians who will take 
the lead. Such locations ought not to be neglected. 

(d) WHAT PRESBYTERY CAN Do IN SUCH LOCATIONS. 

It is well to have a distinct understanding of this 
matter, and to form some system by which to conduct 
operations in extending the gospel within the presby 
tery s own bounds. It is a matter which ought not to 
be left at loose ends, but should be performed according 
to some definite plan persistently carried out. Where 
there is some system the work will be more compre 
hensive, more regular, more thorough. We will there 
fore specify some of the plans which may be adopt 
ed by presbytery to aid in its evangelistic efforts at 

home. 

1. There might be a standing committee of presbytery 
whose duty it would be to exercise a general supervision 

61 



482 THE PASTOR IN THE 

of the missionary work within its bounds. This com 
mittee could keep its eye upon the various destitute 
places of the district and estimate them in their rela 
tive importance ; it could counsel with new and strug 
gling enterprises; it could advise presbytery where to 
commence its efforts ; it could be the medium of com 
munication with the Board of Missions ; and so, with 
its comprehensive views, it could lead in an economical 
prosecution of the work of domestic evangelization. It 
ought to be composed of some of the most active and 
persevering men of the presbytery, so that it may sys 
tematize the work and keep the whole body alive to the 
claims of the destitutions in their midst. 

2. The ministers of the presbytery might be detailed 
to preach in turn at such missionary stations as are not 
yet ripe for the entire services of one man. This could 
be done in most presbyteries by each member giving 
one or two Sabbaths in the year to missionary work. 
This is an excellent arrangement. It gives all the min 
isters an opportunity of seeing and becoming interested 
in the various points of aggressive operations, and of 
doing that missionary work which is an important 
branch of their calling. It also provides supplies to 
such new or weak enterprises as are not able to support 
a ministry of their own. Its whole value and success, 
however, will depend upon the members faithfully 
fulfilling their appointments when they are detailed to 
such evangelical work. 

3. Presbytery should constantly have some new church 
enterprise on hand, on which its efforts and contributions 
may be concentrated until its building is completed. 
One should be kept on the anvil until it is finished, and 
then it may be dropped and another taken up. Who 
can tell the gain when an additional church edifice is 



HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 483 

completed, with a congregation well equipped for main 
taining and propagating the truth in the ages to come? 
It is better to concentrate the contributions on one, and 
finish it, than to scatter them over many where they 
will do but little good. The only caution needed is to 
be careful about selecting such an enterprise that it be 
in a location where it is needed and where it will grow 
up into a church that will have a permanent life. 



SPEAKING IN ECCLESIASTICAL MEETINGS. 

This is a duty which will sometimes necessarily de 
volve upon every minister, and to which it is therefore 
desirable that attention should be given, in order that 
it may be done in a profitable manner. It is cer 
tainly important that one should be able to present 
his thoughts so clearly to his brethren that they will 
be fairly understood and make the impression which 
they merit. 

At the same time, a much-needed caution in such de 
liberative bodies is to avoid saying too much by either 
prolixity of address or by being too frequently on the 
floor. There are some ministers who are constantly on 
their feet, to the great annoyance of their fellow-mem 
bers. They seem to think that nothing can be rightly 
transacted unless they have a voice in it. This habit 
should by all means be avoided. 

Whoever indulges in the practice is sure to weaken 
the force of all that he may say. He lowers himself in 
the esteem of his brethren and takes away from the 
influence which he might otherwise wield. He show^ 
a self-importance which is exceedingly offensive to all 
his fellow-members; he keeps back others whose words 
would have far more weight; and so he wrongs them 



484 THE PASTOR IN THE 

as well as the whole assembly. His course is also a 
culpable wasting of the time of so many ministers and 
elders, all of whom have important duties in theii 
respective charges. 

Again, no one ought to take the floor and consume 
the time of himself and others unless he has something 
to say something that is important and relative to the 
point in hand something that has not been said ovei 
and over again. No one should be guilty of the wrong 
of talking merely for the sake of making a speech 
Great prudence is needed to know when to speak, as- 
well as what to say ; and to have this prudence is 
the secret of success in addresses before deliberative 
bodies. 



BROTHERLY KINDNESS IN ECCLESIASTICAL ASSEMBLIES. 

Christian affection ought to distinguish those who 
are so closely united to Christ and to each other. The 
members of these bodies are brethren in the Lord Jesus; 
they are animated by the same loving spirit ; they all 
have their hearts set upon the same great interests; they 
are all looking forward to an eternal residence in the 
same heavenly mansions; and the character common 
to them all is that which was indicated by the Saviour 
when he breathed peace upon his followers. A very 
different temper should pervade the assembly which ig 
composed of such persons from that which is found in 
the gatherings of the world. The highest and holiest 
motives call for the spirit of brotherly love to charac 
terize all that is said and done. This should reign 
for the comfort of the whole body and of each of its 
members, for the prosperity of the cause, and espe 
cially for the honor of the great Master, the blessed- 



HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 485 

ness of whose spirit will be the better understood when 
it is illustrated by the loving intercourse of his servants 
with each other. 

We make this subject very emphatic, because we feel 
that there is great need for awaking special attention to 
it. Scenes are sometimes witnessed in Church courts 
which are a shame and a scandal to religion, and which 
do incalculable harm. There are some persons who seem 
to lose their Christian spirit and temper as soon as they 
engage in public discussions. They enter upon them in 
a wrangling and angry manner, and at once render the 
exercise of calm, Christian wisdom impossible. Such a 
spirit is utterly inconsistent with the character which 
should be found in Christ s servants. It disappoints 
and sorely grieves good people of the laity who come 
to have their hearts warmed by hearing of the prosper 
ity of Christ s kingdom. It disgusts the ungodly with 
religion and with those who are its advocates. It injures 
the church where the meeting is held, and sometimes 
renders it very difficult to find a congregation that is 
willing to entertain a body which is almost sure to leave 
a legacy of evil behind it. It is strange, passing strange, 
that this harsh and unlovely spirit will be so much in 
dulged in even by good men. 

We cannot account for it in any other way than that 
custom gives it a sort of respectability. The feeling is, 
that inasmuch as so many yield to an irascible temper 
in conducting religious discussions, therefore it cannot 
be so very censurable. Thus others are induced to fol 
low in the same course, and the evil is perpetuated. But 
custom, no matter how long or by whom it is followed, 
can never make it right, or even palliate it. The evil 
is the more formidable if it has become a habit in relig 
ious bodies. It must be inadvertence that will allow 



486 THE PASTOR IN THE 

any true minister to look with anything less than ab 
horrence upon angry discussion amongst Christian 
brethren concerning the interests of the peaceful king 
dom of the Son of God. It is an evil which cannot be 
calmly considered without exciting a sense of incongru 
ity and wrong that should cause it to be shunned with 
all intensity of purpose. 

It is, then, the duty of each member to exercise a spirit 
of forbearance, of courtesy and of kindness in public 
deliberations and in all his intercourse with the breth 
ren. If each one keeps a watch over his own spirit, an 
air of Christian friendliness will soon be felt pervading 
the whole assembly. Each one, as he has opportunity, 
should strive to banish angry strifes. He should pour 
oil on the troubled waters when from any causes they 
are aroused. The evil effects of contention should al 
ways be dreaded, and the blessings which flow from 
brotherly love should be earnestly sought. " By this 
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have 
love one to another." 

Every servant of God should learn to endure contra 
diction, even when it comes in the form of wounds in 
flicted in the house of friends. Offences will come as 
long as there are so many human infirmities adhering 
to us, as Christians are only partially sanctified. It is 
like men to resent opposition, but it is like Christ to 
bear it. In this, as in everything else, it is our blessed 
privilege to imitate his glorious example. To do so will 
require self-restraint; but with such an exalted aim, who 
would not rejoice even in that? 



HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 487 



WRITING LETTERS AS A PRESBYTER. 

This may at first sight be regarded as a small matter, 
but when it is more closely considered it will be seen 
to have considerable bearing on the comfort and useful 
ness of the minister, and will be appreciated as an in 
strumentality that may be used to very great advantage 
in helping forward the interests of the gospel. Who 
can read the correspondence of such men as Calvin, or 
Hutherford, or Hamilton without being impressed with 
the importance of the agency for good which this may 
be made ? 

As a matter of course, all letters received, especially 
those which pertain to the interests of the Church in 
any of its branches, should be answered with as little 
delay as possible. We should adopt the rule, and rigidly 
adhere to it, of replying to them, if practicable, the day 
on which they are recieved. It is easier to answer let 
ters at once than it is to put off the task if it be a 
task even for a day. Then the matter is off the mind. 
Besides, though the subjects of the letters may be of 
very little importance to us, they may be of great con 
sequence to our correspondents. At any rate, they will 
be pleased with prompt attention to their communica 
tions, whilst neglect will give offence. 

By attention to this subject a minister may do much 
toward establishing his character for promptness, and 
so enlarging his power of doing good. Certainly, com 
mon civility requires that letters which persons take the 
trouble of writing and sending should at once be noticed. 
And if it be so in the ordinary intercourse of life, how 
much more is it demanded by Christian courtesy ! And 
how much more, again, is it demanded of those men of 



488 THE PASTOR IN THE 

God who should be pre-eminently distinguished by 
" whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are hon 
est, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are 
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things 
are of good report " ! To heed this apparently small 
matter will prove that the kindness of the religion of 
Jesus has penetrated the whole man and affected all his 
principles. It will be business-like in a high Christian 
sense. It will save from subsequent embarrassment, 
and from the necessity of contriving awkward apologies. 
There are not many things by which ministers will be 
more surely judged, outside of the circle in which they 
daily move, than by this. 

It should also be considered what an admirable ve 
hicle letters may be made for conveying comfort, instruc 
tion, warnings, affectionate entreaties and other gospel 
messages to those whom we may not be able to reach by 
the voice or whom we may more deeply impress by the 
pen. We may also in this way hold profitable inter 
course with other ministers at a distance concerning 
matters in which the interests of the kingdom are in 
volved ; with churches which we may assist in their 
trials ; with private Christians about their spiritual 
progress and the work for Christ which they may ac 
complish ; and with impenitent relatives or acquaint 
ances, striving to win them to the salvation of Jesus. 
In this way we can reach many persons to whom we 
could never go with the message of grace. This is an 
instrumentality for preaching the gospel which is not 
sufficiently appreciated. 



HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 489 



OUTLOOK FOR YOUNG MEN FOR THE MINISTRY. 

It is the duty of every pastor to have an eye upon the 
young men of his charge with a view to discover any 
of them who may be suitable in piety and talents and 
other qualifications for entering upon a course of prep 
aration for the ministry. We specify this particular 
duty because it involves the continuance of the min 
istry in the Church, with all the important interests 
connected therewith. In fact, it is an indispensable 
and solemn duty of every man who is himself in the 
active work of the ministry. He should constantly 
bear it in mind, and strive to find the young men who 
may he prepared to take his place and that of his breth 
ren in the sacred office. There may be suitable young 
men in his church for that calling, and they ought not 
to be overlooked through his negligence. 

But very great care should be taken that only those 
who have the appropriate qualifications of piety and 
talents are encouraged to commence a course of prep 
aration for a calling so sacred. With individual pastors 
mainly rests the responsibility of opening the door to 
the ministry with which the future purity and prosper 
ity of the Church are so closely connected. It is the 
pastor, in fact, and not the presbytery, who judges of 
the call of the young man presenting himself as a can 
didate for this office. It is but seldom that the presby 
tery goes behind, or can go behind, the recommendation 
of the pastor. And then, after the young man has en 
tered upon the course of preparation, it is difficult to 
arrest him at any of its future stages. The die is ordi 
narily cast for life when his minister awakens within 
him or establishes the purpose to preach the gospel, and 

62 



490 IN THE HIGHER COURTS OF THE CHURCH. 

then presents him, together with his favorable opinion, 
to the presbytery. Great care should therefore be ex 
ercised at the first. A young man of doubtful qualifi 
cations ought not to be fixed upon. It will be great 
kindness to him and to the Church not to speak the 
first word or encourage the first hope unless the evi 
dences are very clear that he would be called and 
blessed in the sacred work. For this, as well as for 
many other reasons, a very high appreciation of the 
noble work of the ministry should be entertained. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE PASTOR IN HIS RELATIONS TO OTHER 
DENOMINATIONS. 

SCAKCELY any minister can have a pastoral charge BO 
located but that he will be surrounded by ministers and 
members of other denominations, and be brought into 
more or less intimate relations with them. He will 
meet them at funerals, weddings and other gatherings 
of society. He will be brought into ministerial rela 
tions with them at union meetings, temperance gather 
ings, Sabbath-school conventions and other public occa 
sions. Union religious services should be held occasion 
ally in every community for the purpose of keeping up 
acquaintance among Christians of the various denomina 
tions and of manifesting to the world that they are one 
in the essentials of the gospel. The pastor should re 
member, in all his intercourse with Christians of other 
names, that he is a public man, and is therefore watched 
and his demeanor closely scrutinized. His own denomi 
nation will, in his circle, very largely bear the character 
that he makes for it. His bearing toward his brethren 
of the other branches of the Church will greatly affect 
his comfort in the ministerial work, his success in build 
ing up the cause of Christ, his standing and influence 
in the community, the credit of the denomination with 
which he is connected, and the glory of his divine Master 
and Head. 

491 



492 THE PASTOR IN HIS 



FRIENDLY INTERCOURSE WITH OTHER DENOMINATIONS, 

Much of the character of the feeling which prevails 
between the denominations depends on the pastor. He 
can irritate or he can soothe. By his example and by 
his words, public and private, he can drive them farther 
and farther asunder, or he can bring them together in 
happy Christian intercourse. He should therefore cher 
ish kindly relations toward all who love the Lord Jesus 
Christ. He should shape his own conduct with a view 
to keeping up this Christian feeling. It is far easier 
and pleasanter to do this than to indulge in the opposite 
course of feeling and action. 

It is the duty of every Christian man, and especially 
of every Christian minister, to take some pains to be 
come acquainted with the people of God with whom he 
is likely to meet in the ordinary intercourse of life. 
Some of the most excellent of the earth are in parts 
of the fold that bear a different name from our own. 
Many of them have so much of the spirit of Christ 
that to know them is to love them ; and why not enjoy 
the pleasure of their Christian fellowship ? On every 
account it is better, more Christian, more for the pros 
perity of the cause, more for the honor of Christ and 
our own comfort, to know them, to be neighborly with 
them and to rejoice in their welfare. 

The most charitable judgments should be formed 
concerning those who entertain different views from 
ourselves about some points of doctrine and order. 
They should receive credit for being sincere in their 
belief. We should sympathize with them in their 
peculiarities. They are dear to them, even though 
they may appear insignificant or erroneous to us. We 
should not be too sensitive with regard to seeming en- 



RELATIONS TO OTHER DENOMINATIONS. 493 

croachments upon our rights by attempts to lead away 
families or individuals from our church. It may not be 
so intended on their part, or they may not have anything 
to do with it, or they may be so circumstanced that they 
could not do otherwise ; and they may be doing just as 
we would if situated as they are ; or the whole impres 
sion on our part may be a mistake. At any rate, it is 
best to give them credit for good intentions, and neither 
act nor feel toward them as if they were enemies. 

To cultivate this Christian friendliness in our inter 
course with all other evangelical denominations will 
take away from the enemy one great advantage in 
reproaching us. It will illustrate and recommend the 
charitable spirit of the gospel. It will help forward the 
cause of Christ on every hand. Moreover, at some 
future day it will turn to our interest, and we shall 
experience the wisdom of it in the reaping of benefits 
that we now but little suspect. 



EXCHANGING PULPITS. 

It is advisable for neighboring pastors occasionally to 
occupy each other s pulpits for either the whole or part 
of a Sabbath s services. Undoubtedly, such exchanges 
should be made with ministers of our own denomina 
tion, but it would be wise to arrange them sometimes 
with others also. Of course, they are to be made only 
with ministers who are reliable and evangelical in their 
views, for we have no right to impose, even for one ser 
vice, upon our congregation a person who might preach 
erroneous doctrines or by word or act awaken discord. 
It is also an unwise belittling of himself for a pastor to 
bring some brother into his pulpit to say that to his 
people which he is afraid to say himself. But, guard- 



494 THE PASTOR IN HIS 

ing against these two abuses, an occasional exchange of 
pulpits by neighboring pastors, even of different denom 
inations, is profitable to both churches and ministers. 

By making such exchanges a minister enlarges the 
circle of his influence and opportunities for doing good. 
Then the people, as it is well that they should, have an 
opportunity of hearing other clergymen of their vicin 
ity without leaving their own house of worship. Be 
sides, the minister being relieved for a week from the 
necessity of preparing a new sermon, will have the time 
to devote to other important studies. 

How often is it advisable that pulpit exchanges should 
be made ? Circumstances will ordinarily decide this 
question, but it is well to have in the mind some gen 
eral rule that may serve as a guide. They ought not to 
be so frequent as to distract the minds of the people 
and look like restlessness on the part of the pastor. 
They ought not to be so seldom that scarcely any of 
the benefits we have named will be gained. It would 
not be far from a proper medium if the boundaries 
were fixed for once in five or six weeks. On this point 
we may cite the judicious advice of the Rev. Dr. Enoch 
Pond in his Pastoral Theology : " The question as to 
the frequency of exchanges must be determined some 
what by circumstances. They may be so frequent as 
to prove a serious interruption to the regular ministra 
tions of the pastor, rendering his services in his own 
pulpit rather occasional than habitual. They may be 
so unfrequent that the benefits of them shall scarcely 
be realized. Ordinarily, they are less frequent in cities 
than in the country, chiefly perhaps because they are 
less needed, the city minister having sufficent help in 
his pulpit without resorting to exchanges. They are 
less frequent also in new countries and where there is a 



RELATIONS TO OTHER DENOMINATIONS. 495 

comparative destitution of ministers than where there 
is a more abundant supply. Under the most favorable 
circumstances, an exchange once in four Sabbaths may 
be regarded perhaps as the extreme of frequency. An 
exchange once in eight Sabbaths may be considered as 
verging to the other extreme." 

PROSELYTING. 

This practice is carried on by some ministers in such 
a manner and to such a degree as to do great harm to 
themselves, their churches and neighboring churches. 
Others are too sensitive about it, and neither indulge in 
it themselves nor bear it as much as it is both allowable 
and a duty that they should. It is one of the first prac 
tical difficulties that most ministers have to encounter in 
their intercourse with other ministers and other churches. 
Almost all must meet it at some time. There is nothing 
else which is in so much danger of stirring up animos 
ities between different churches, and consequently noth 
ing which, on that account, needs to be so carefully 
watched. It is well to have some definite understand 
ing concerning it that is, as to when it is wrong, dis 
courteous and unchristian, and when it is not only right, 
but a duty. 

(a) WHEN WRONG. 

The question should be settled in the mind of the 
pastor as to when it is wrong, and when it is right, to 
attempt to draw people away from any other connection 
to his own church. There are circumstances when pros 
elyting is wrong in principle, wrong in practice and 
wrong in policy, and should be so regarded by every 
minister. 



496 THE PASTOR IN HIS 

Of course, it is a great wrong to attempt to unsettle 
persons by drawing them from one congregation to an 
other of the same denomination. So also is it culpable 
to endeavor to proselyte from one evangelical denomina 
tion to another. The whole thing is calculated to arouse 
unchristian feelings between churches and ministers. It 
unsettles those who are proselyted, so that they soon lose 
all healthy attachment to any particular church. It is 
discourteous, dishonorable, dishonest. A pastor s mem 
bers and families are his treasures, and to attempt to 
draw them away from him is to attempt to rob him of 
what he prizes among the dearest of earthly things. 

The evil effect of such proselyting may be still fur 
ther seen if we consider the unhappy state of feeling 
it produces between the churches. It awakens evil 
surmisings; it fosters unhallowed strifes ; it diverts the 
energies from the great cause of Christ, upon which 
they ought to be concentrated, and it wastes the powers 
in hateful controversies. It taints the character of the 
preaching, of the Sabbath-school instructions and of the 
pastoral visits, and it is calculated to grieve away the 
Holy Ghost. 

And, still further, it never proves to be any real, per 
manent gain to the church and pastor by whom it is 
practiced. The persons whom they succeed in attracting 
to themselves from other churches add nothing to their 
real strength. Very often they were among the dissat 
isfied and the troublers in the churches from which 
they came, and they will be quite likely to make diffi 
culties in their new connection, or they will not be long 
satisfied with it. Hence it is wise, on the other hand, 
not to be too much depressed when persons are per 
suaded to leave us and enter other congregations. We 
ought not to harbor the thought of retaliation. The dig- 



RELATIONS TO OTHER DENOMINATIONS. 497 

nified course of true Christian honor is the one that will 
come off best in the end. Under no circumstances should 
we have anything to do with low, selfish intriguing or 
taking advantage of circumstances for weaning persons 
away from their own churches and attaching them to 

ours. 

(b) WHEN RIGHT. 

There is a sense in which proselyting is right, and 
there are circumstances under which it is obligatory 
and is simply carrying out the aggressive spirit of the 
gospel. What is true proselyting but winning over con 
verts to the cause of Christ? This, therefore, should be 
studied out carefully as an important ministerial duty. 

It is obviously right to attract as many persons as 
possible into one s church from the ungodly world. 
This is made an evident duty by the command, " Go 
out into the highways and hedges, and compel them 
to come in, that my house may be filled." Compassion 
for the souls of men will justify us in also seeking to 
draw them from connections where fundamental error 
is taught and where salvation by the death of Christ 
alone is ignored. We are also under obligation to 
endeavor to win to our fold those who, though once 
connected with some other church, have abandoned 
it and turned their backs upon all the ordinances. 
There can be no objection to the effort to influence 
all these. On the contrary, the progressive nature of 
the gospel demands of us that we should earnestly strive 
with them. 

The only care we need to have is that the efforts 
which we put forth for them be prompted and guided 
by true scriptural motives, that they be pure, honorable 
and aboveboard, and that in them all we have a proper 
regard for the rights and feelings of others. Whatever 

63 



498 THE PASTOR IN HIS 

we do should be done in such a way as will bear the 
clearest light and closest scrutiny. Our aim should 
always be to constrain the world to admit that the 
Christian minister is a gentleman of the highest type. 
Of this kind of proselyting there cannot be too much. 
This is the very genius and spirit and object of the gos^ 
pel. Its mission amongst men is to bring the whole 
world unto itself. In all its great movements and in 
each of its members it is to strive to convert men from 
irreligion and to bring them into the fold of Christ. In 
accordance with this divine appointment, the pastor 
should constantly have some persons definitely before 
his mind whom he will strive to win over to Christ and 
his Church. In every community there are many ne- 
glecters of religion who, if they were dealt with in fidelity, 
might be influenced by the truth. It is in this way that 
the gospel is to be spread farther and wider, and to sink 
deeper into society. It is in this way that souls are to 
be brought into the kingdom, where they may glorify 
God by testimony and example. 



A NEIGHBORLY SPIRIT TO BE CHERISHED WITH ALL. 

This kind of spirit should be aimed at by every 
pastor and church. Freedom from an over-sensitive 
disposition to take offence will do much toward pro 
ducing it. It can be cultivated by a frank and open 
demeanor in all the necessary intercourse and relations 
of life. Friendliness of manner and efforts to oblige 
even in little things will surely cause its blessings to be 
enjoyed. 

We may see the evil of the contrary spirit the spirit 
of unamiable, unfriendly selfishness as it is sometimes 
exhibited in ministers, and between them and the com- 



RELATIONS TO OTHER DENOMINATIONS. 499 

munity where they dwell. It brings odium upon the 
cause of Christ, it creates disrespect for the ministry, 
it wounds the Saviour among his friends, it retards 
the blessed cause of Christ in society, and it makes 
its possessor wretched. Its meanly selfish aims defeat 
themselves. It is worthy of no sympathy, and it re 
ceives none in the community where it continues to 
reside. Often it becomes the cause of unsettling pastors, 
and forcing them away from neighborhoods which have 
no affection for them and for whose esteem they have 
never striven. 

But the good-neighborly feeling which we advocate 
will adorn the doctrines of Jesus Christ the Saviour, 
it will add greatly to the pastor s own personal comfort, 
it will increase his influence and means of doing good, 
and it will undoubtedly make him more successful in his 
great work. Some of those persons whose good-will he 
gains by the kindness of his ordinary demeanor may be 
induced to come to his church occasionally, and finally 
to become constant attendants, or, touched by the Spirit 
of God, consistent members. Nor should we overlook its 
reflex benefits upon the pastor himself in expanding his 
heart and drawing out all his affections into a warmer 
glow of Christian charity. 

It should never be forgotten that the increase of the 
Church both of the whole body and of each congre 
gation must largely come from without. It is not 
enough that we merely hold our own, either in graces or 
members or families ; there must be expansion through 
out the community and the world. Others, and still 
others, must be constantly gathered in. Hence we 
must not alienate those who are around us by our un 
friendliness. We must not treat them as if they were 
utterly outcast and hopeless. Men are lost, it is true, 



500 THE PASTOR AND OTHER DENOMINATIONS. 

but it is our appropriate work as ministers of Christ to 
try to save them. They are diseased, but we are de 
puted to go to them and seek to restore them by the 
healing balm of the gospel. If they were already safe 
and perfect there would be no need of our ministrations, 
and our office would be at an end. But in order rightly 
to perform its momentous duties we must first labor 
diligently to have our own hearts full of love to our 
blessed Master, full of kindness toward Christians of 
every name, and full of compassion for those who are 
perishing in the midst of the richest gospel privileges. 
Then will our efforts go forth spontaneously and with 
the very delight of our hearts, and through them souls 
will be gathered into the kingdom; Christians will feel 
the sweet influence, and grow in lovely graces; Christ 
will see of the travail of his soul, and feel an infinite 
satisfaction ; the richest joys will come back upon our 
own hearts, and we shall every day be preparing for the 
immortal ecstasy of those who, having turned many to 
righteousness, shall be "as the stars for ever and ever." 



INDEX. 



ACTIVITIES of the Church, pastor in, 
273 ; pastor not undertake too much 
himself, 274. 

Activity, pastor in activity of the 
Church, 273 ; in the Church indis 
pensable, 276; present need for, 
277. 

Addresses, by the pastor in the Sab 
bath-school, 415. 

Afflicted, visiting the, 248. 

Age, activity of the, 28 ; Pastoral The 
ology should be up to the, 33. 

Aged, pastor visiting the, 251 ; women 
visiting the, 294. 

Aggression, constant, on the kingdom 
of darkness, 276. 

Ambassador, the pastor an, 41. 

Analysis, of books of the Bible, 123. 

Assuming, duties imposed in ecclesi 
astical meetings, 475. 

Attendance, on higher courts impera 
tive duty of pastor, 472. 

Awakened, ministering to the, 253; 
to be made known to the pastor, 
339; to be visited at their homes, 
340. 



BAPTISM, when to be administered, 
259. 

Beneficence, children to be trained in, 
386; Sabbath-school should train 
children in, 398; the great prac 
tical question of the age, 427; a 
science, 429 



Benevolent contributions, of the Sab 
bath-school to be given to the 
Boards of the Church, 378. 

Benevolent work, the pastor in, 427 ; 
the great practical question of the 
times, 427 ; aim of, 428 ; a science, 
429; information concerning, 432; 
pastor to inform himself concern 
ing, 432 ; people to be informed 
about, 434 ; collections to be taken 
up for each cause, 435. 

Bible, great source of Pastoral Theol 
ogy, 17 ; ministerial piety increased 
by its study, 76 ; incessant study of, 
110, 125 ; everything to the pastor. 
112 ; plans for studying, 115 ; whole 
book of, to be read at a time, 123 ; 
to be studied until it becomes a fas 
cination, 124 ; memorizing, 127 ; 
the substance of preaching, 155 ; 
the pastor should honor, 163 ; the 
Sabbath-school awaking interest 
in, 387 ; how awaken that interest, 
389. 

Bible-class, of the pastor, 419; plan 
for, 421. 

Bible-readings, what are? 311; in 
prayer-meetings, 311; with young 
converts, 348. 

Boards, collections to be taken up for 
each, 435 ; established by the united 
wisdom of the Church, 436; the 
more contributed to, the more given 
at home, 437 ; contributions to be 
given to our own, 440. 

Books, and reading, 141 ; none but the 
Ml 



502 



INDEX. 



best, 143 ; lists of, 144 ; giving to the 
sick, 246 ; and tracts, circulating, 
263 ; to be used in revivals, 342. 
Brotherly kindness, should prevail in 
ecclesiastical meetings, 484. 



C. 

CANDIDATES for the ministry, the 
pastor should watch for, 489 ; great 
care in selecting, 489. 

Catechism, children should be taught, 
384 ; should be taught in the Sab 
bath-school, 392; value of, 393; 
fixes the doctrines in the mind, 
393; can be understood by chil 
dren, 396; plan of studying in 
the Sabbath-school, 397. 

Children, parents have first charge 
of their religious training, 364; 
form greater part of the congre 
gation, 364; instruction of, in the 
family of first importance, 371 ; 
Sabbath-school to supplement the 
training of the children of the 
Church, 379; Sabbath -school to 
reach the children of the irrelig 
ious, 380; should be indoctrina 
ted, 387 ; to be trained in benev 
olence, 386; aiming for their con 
version, 391 ; Sabbath-school should 
train them in benevolence, 398 ; the 
amount of their contributions im 
portant, 400 ; preaching to, 421. 

Christ, a preacher, 42 ; to be sum and 
substance of all preaching, 167 ; 
every sermon should contain, 169 ; 
nothing else to be preached, 173. 

Chronology of the Bible, plan for 
studying, 118. 

Church, relation of Sabbath -school to, 
373, 403 ; should conduct the Sab 
bath-school, 375; harmonizing the 
Sabbath-school with, 376 ; Sabbath- 
school to be kept in sympathy with, 
403. 

Church extension, by Presbytery, 479. 



Church members, should all be work 
ere, 280. 

Closet, pastor in his, 37. 

Collections, of the children amount to 
much, 400; of the Sabbath-school 
should be given to our Boards, 401 
to be taken up for each Board, 435 ; 
to be given to our own Boards, 440 ; 
plans for systematic, 444. 

Commentaries, to be studied, 119; 
certain ones to be read through, 
120 ; lists of, 144. 

Consistency, a sense of, helps pastor s 
piety, 87. 

Conversions, depend on pastor s piety, 
47 ; to be sought in preaching, 200; 
to be looked for at all times, 354 ; 
pastor should constantly strive for, 
355 ; of scholars, direct aim of the 
Sabbath-school, 382 ; aiming for, in 
the Sabbath-school, 391. 

Correspondence, as a presbyter, 487. 

Cottage prayer-meetings, importance 
and manner of sustaining, 316. 

Courses of sermons, importance of, 
180; cover whole field of truth, 
180 ; have subjects for sermons al 
ways ready, 182 ; bring up truth in 
its proper proportions, 181 ; keep 
up variety in sermons, 182 ; lists 
of subjects for, 184. 

Courtesy, in ecclesiastical meetings, 
486. 

Criteria, Alexander s, of a true re 
vival, 345. 

D. 

DENOMINATIONS, customs of, a source 

of Pastoral Theology, 21. 
Direct aim, of the Sabbath -school, 

382. 
Discipline, sometimes necessary, 459; 

should seldom be resorted to, 459; 

not unnecessarily public, 460. 
Divine presence, i:i the prayer-meet- 

ing, 314. 
Doctrines, to be preached, 175 ; are 



INDEX. 



503 



presented in the Bible, 176; are 
all-important, 176; heart affected 
through, 177; impart stability of 
character, 178; centres of truth, 
179 ; teaching children, 383. 
Dorcas societies, value of, 296. 



E. 

EARNESTNESS, in preaching, 188. 

Ecclesiastical meetings, ministers as- 

i. suraing the duties imposed by, 475 ; 
speaking in, 483 ; brotherly kind 
ness should be cultivated in, 484. 

Elders, work of, 288, 450, 452 ; all to 
be workers, 289; should all be in 
the Sabbath-school, 377 ; care in the 
choice of, 451 ; giving work to, 452 ; 
to be leaders in every good work, 
454. 

Eminent glory, awaiting faithful pas 
tors, 62. 

Eminent piety, expected of ministers, 
59. 

Engagements, should be always kept, 
106. 

Enthusiasm, in preaching, 193. 

Epochs, of Bible history, 118. 

Examples, ministers to be, 57. 

Exchanging pulpits, with whom, 493; 
advisable, 493 ; benefits of, 494 ; how 
often, 494. 

Experience, a source of Pastoral The 
ology, 20. 

Extempore preaching, dangers of, 97 ; 
written or extemporaneous ser 
mons, 218 ; advantages of, 219. 



F. 

FAMILY, relaxing religious instruc 
tion in, 362 ; relations to the Sab 
bath-school, 367 ; its obligations first, 
371. 

Family religious instruction, relaxing 
of, 369 ; many think Sabbath-school 
injures, 369 ; real cause of its de 



cline, 370; of first irjportance, 

371. 
Fault-finding, should be excluded from 

prayer-meetings, 306. 
Female prayer-meetings, importance 

and manner of conducting, 291. 
Fiction, in the books of the Sabbath- 
school, 412. 
Finances of the church, pastor in, 

469 ; pastor should have little to do 

with, 469. 
Friendliness, in the prayer-meeting, 

305. 
Funerals, attending, 260; trials of 

ministers at, 260 ; suggestions as to 

addresses at, 261. 



a. 

GEOGRAPHY OF THE BIBLE, plan of 
studying, 116. 

Giving, to the Boards, not diminish 
gifts at home, 437; God s blessing 
is on, 439 ; systematic, 442 ; plans 
of systematic, 444. 

Good neighborhood, with other de 
nominations, 449. 

Gossip, minister should guard against, 
467. 

Greek and Hebrew, study of, 129. 

Growth, in church and individual 
graces, 327. 



HEBREW and Greek, study of, 129. 

Higher courts of the Church, pastor 
in, 471 ; importance of their duties, 
471 ; minister should always attend, 
472 ; staying throughout the ses 
sions, 473; pastor s individual re 
sponsibility in, 474; pastor should 
assume duties required by, 475. 

High type of Christian life, to be cul 
tivated in the Church, 356; value 
of, 357; attainable, 357; how 
reached, 358. 



504 



INDEX. 



History, of Pastoral Theology, 15; 

much of the Bible composed of, 

118. 

Holiness, necessary in the pastor, 38. 
Hospitality, in the house of God, 299. 
Hours, number to be spent daily in 

study, 102. 
Human nature, a source of Pastoral 

Theology, 19. 
Hurry, to be avoided, 108. 



IMPROVEMENTS, in Sabbath-school 
work, 406. 

Inconsistency, of ministers a sore evil, 
60. 

Index-rerum, value of, 142. 

Individual effort best way of work, 
285. 

Indoctrination, of Sabbath-school 
scholars, 383. 

Information, concerning benevolent 
work of the Church, 432; should 
be sought by the pastor, 432 ; about 
benevolent work should be commu 
nicated to the people, 434. 

Inquirers, ministering to, 253 ; meet 
ings with, in revivals, 338; pastor 
should be kept informed of, 339; 
to be visited at their homes, 340. 

Interruptions, in study to be provided 
against, 109. 

Introduction, to strangers in church 
not to be waited for, 300. 



KIND feelings, in ecclesiastical meet 
ings, 485. 



LANGUAGES, study of Hebrew and 

Greek, 129. 

Leader, the pastor a, 45. 
Letters, writing, as a presbyter, 487. 



Library of Sabbath-school, import 
ance of, 411; fiction in, 412; sug 
gestions about, 413; selecting, 
413. 

Lord s Supper, with the sick, 248, 258 ; 
make much of, 257 ; special services 
in connection with, 329. 

Love, of pastor to the people, 271. 



M. 
MACHINERY, danger of too much, in 

Sabbath-school, 409. 
Matter of preaching, the word of God, 

155. 

Mediator, the minister a, 44. 
Memorizing of Scripture, 127; plan 

for, 128. 
Minister, grandeur of his work, 45; 

a leader, 45; must be active, 279. 
Ministry, importance of, and Pastoral 

Theology, 24; there should be a 

high estimate of, 28; greatness of 

the work, 43-46; happiest calling 

in the world, 56; prayer in the, 

68. 
Missionary associations, of women, 

448. 
Mission enterprises, in vicinity of the 

church, 319; benefits of, 320; by 

presbytery, 479; constant outlook 

for new localities, 480. 
Monthly concert, value of, 447. 
Morning hour of prayer, 71. 



N. 

NAMES of pastors, imply eminent pie 
ty, 40. 

Neighborhood spirit, to be cherished 
with all, 498; value of, 499. 

Newspapers, value of, 147; pastor 
should read, 148; circulating re 
ligious, 266; value of religious, 
266; in each family, 268. 

Normal class, of the pastor, 419. 

Notices, reading, in the pulpit, 217. 



INDEX. 



505 



OPPORTUNITIES, for doing good to be 
sought for, 283. 

Organization, advantages of, 285. 

Other denominations, the pastor in 
his relations to, 491 ; friendly in 
tercourse with, 492 ; neighborly 
spirit to be cherished with, 498. 

Outlook, for new localities for mis 
sion enterprises, 480; for young 
men for the ministry, 489. 

Oversight, of the Sabbath-school by 
the pastor, 416. 



P. 

PAROCHIAL work, of the minister, 
223. 

Parties in the church, pastor should 
not be identified with, 467. 

Pastor, in his closet, 37; the name, 
40 ; greatness of his work, 43-46 ; 
deep piety in, 39; prayer for, 90; 
in the study, 91 ; in the pulpit, 
151 ; in his personal parochial 
work, 223; identifying himself 
with the people, 269; in the ac 
tivities of the Church, 273; not 
undertake too much himself, 274; 
in the progress of the Church, 
326; in the Sabbath-school, 360; 
the Sabbath-school a prominent 
part of his work, 363 ; his person 
al work in the Sabbath-school, 414; 
attending the Sabbath-school, 41 5 ; 
supervising the Sabbath-school, 416 ; 
his Bible-class, 419 ; preaching to 
children, 421 ; help the Sabbath- 
school throughout the congregation, 
425 ; in the benevolent work of the 
Church, 427 ; should keep himself 
well informed about the benevo 
lent work of the Church, 432; in 
the session, 450 ; not personally in 
flict discipline, 453 ; personal diffi 
culties of, 465; and the finances of 
the church, 469; in the higher 
64 



courts of the Church, 471 ; in his 
relations to other denominations, 
491. 

Pastoral office, importance of the, 
24; importance of preparation for, 
24 ; high appreciation of, 27. 

Pastoral Theology, what is? 13, 29; 
history of, 15 ; sources of, 17 ; ne 
cessity of, as a branch of training 
for the ministry, 22; importance 
of the ministry makes its study 
imperative, 24; mode of treating 
the subject, 29 ; should be up to 
the times, 33; how the subject 
should be studied, 34. 

Pastoral visiting, importance of, 224 ; 
how often visits to be made, 229, 
231 ; system in, 229 ; secret of suc 
cess in, 232 ; how to be conducted, 
233. 

Pastor s aid associations, importance 
of, 292 ; mode of working, 292. 

Peace, ministers should strive for, in 
their churches, 466. 

Periodicals, value of, 147 ; pastor 
should read, 148. 

Personal difficulties, of the pastor, 
465; of pastor should never be 
brought into the pulpit, 467. 

Personal piety, necessity of, in the 
ministry, 39, 40 ; conversion of souls 
and prosperity of church depend 
on it, 47 ; the pastor s real power, 
49 ; will make work easy, 54 ; pas 
tor to be an example of, 57 ; emi 
nent, expected of the pastor, 59; 
because eminent glory awaits the 
minister, 62; how to cultivate it, 
64; cultivated by morning hour 
of devotion, 71 ; increased by de 
votional study of Scripture, 76 ; 
cultivated by the minister preach 
ing to himself, 79; hinderances to, 
82; helps to, 85. 

Personal work, with inquirers in re 
vivals, 341. 

Piety of the pastor, conversion of soula 



506 



INDEX. 



depends on, 47 ; prosperity and 
piety of the Church proportioned 
to, 47 ; his real power, 49 ; will 
make his work easy, 54 ; pastor an 
example of, 57 ; eminent, expected 
of ministers, 59 ; for eminent glory 
awaiting, 62 ; how to be increased, 
64; increased by morning hour of 
prayer, 71 ; increased by study of 
Scripture, 76; cultivated by the 
pastor preaching to himself, 79; 
hinderances to, 82 ; helps to, 85. 

Plans, of daily ministerial work, 102, 
103; of Bible study, 115; of study 
ing Bible geography, 116 ; of study 
ing Bible chronology, 118; of 
memorizing Scripture, 127 ; of 
series of sermons, 183; of repeat 
ing sermons, 221 ; of register of 
families in the congregation, 230 ; 
of pastoral visiting, 232; of visit 
ing the sick, 239; of conducting 
prayer-meetings, 303 ; of caring for 
young converts, 346 ; of catechizing 
in the Sabbath-school, 392 ; of pas 
tor s Bible-class, 421 ; of preaching 
to the children, 422; of sessional 
work, 455 ; of presbyterial work, 
481. 

Plans of work, devising, 287. 

Poor, women visiting the, 294. 

Power, of the pastor is his earnest 
godliness, 49. 

Prayer, ministerial piety cultivated 
by, 64; morning hour of, 71. 

Prayer-meetings, female, 291 ; great 
importance of, 302 ; mode of con 
ducting, of great consequence, 303 ; 
rules for conducting, 303 ; ther 
mometer of the Church, 304 ; make 
interesting and will be well at 
tended, 305; friendliness in, 305; 
exclude fault-finding, 306; audi 
ence should be near the leader, 307 ; 
brevity in, 308 ; subject sometimes 
previously announced, 309 ; not 

always conducted by the pastor, 



310 ; voluntary remarks and prayer, 
310 ; requests for prayer, 311 ; 
Bible readings in, 311 ; ladies write 
for, 312; spirited singing, 312; 
variety in, 313 ; divine presence to 
be sought, 314 ; cottage prayer- 
meetings, 316 ; not too many, 318 ; 
young converts to attend, 350. 

Preaching, pastor to himself, 79 ; 
minister s chief calling, 152; mat 
ter of, 155; notbing but the word, 
164 ; Christ the sum and substance 
of, 167 ; without Christ is vain, 172 ; 
nothing but Christ, 173; the doc 
trines, 175; manner of, 188; earn 
estness in, 188; with tenderness, 
194 ; with sympathy, 198 ; aiming at 
conversions, 200; sensational, 205. 

Preaching to children, a duty of pas 
tors, 421 ; plan of, 422 ; secret of, 
422; are many anecdotes advisable? 
424. 

Preparation, for the ministry, import 
ance of, 24 ; for entering the pnlpit, 
215. 

Presbytery, should take part in every 
good work, 477 ; what it should do, 
477 ; a missionary organization in 
its own territory, 478 ; church ex 
tension by, 479 ; should cultivate its 
own territory, 480 ; constant outlook 
for new localities, 480 ; what it can 
do in such localities, 481 ; plan of 
operations by, 481. 

Procrastination, of work to be guarded 
against, 108. 

Progress, pastor in the progress of the 
Church, 326; essential, 326; in 
what? 327 ; special efforts for, 328. 

Promptness, in the Sabbath-school, 
410. 

Proselyting, one of the first practical 
difficulties, 495 ; evils of, 496 ; when 
wrong, 495; when right, 497. 

Prosperity, of the Church depends on 
piety of the pastor, 47. 

Province of the Sabbath-school, 378. 



INDEX. 



507 



Public prayer, rules for, 208; sense 
of the divine presence, 208; com 
prehensive, 209; specific, 210; di 
rect and simple in language, 211; 
brief, 212; saturated with Scrip 
ture, 213; learned in the closet, 
214. 

Pulpit, pastor in the, 151 ; everything 
bent toward preaching, 154; pre 
paration for entering, 215. 

Punctuality, in all duties, 104. 

R. 

REACTION, danger of, in revivals, 344. 

Beading, and books, 141. 

Register, of families of the congrega 
tion, 230. 

Repeating sermons, rules concerning, 
221. 

Responsibility, for our work, 281 ; not 
sink personal, in the mass, 284 ; of 
the pastor in ecclesiastical courts, 
474. 

Revivals, general subject of, 330 ; of 
inestimable value, 330; reality of, 
331; blessings of, 333; the pastor 
do most of the preaching in, 335 ; 

1 meetings with inquirers, 338 ; the 
pastor to be informed who are 
awakened, 339; the awakened to 
be visited at their homes, 340; 
books and tracts to be used in, 342 ; 
danger of reaction, 344; Alexan 
der s criteria of a genuine, 345; 
care for young converts, 346. 

.Roll of members, purging, 460. 

Roll of families, described, 230. 



S. 

SABBATH, no study on the, 104. 

Sabbath-school, the pastor in the, 360 ; 
now looming up into vast propor 
tions, 360 ; importance of, 361 ; im 
portance of, because of relaxing fam 
ily instruction, 362 ; testimonies to 
its value, 362 ; a prominent part of 



the pastor s work, 363 ; enables the 
pastor to reach the young, 365 ; the 
future of the Church depends on, 
366; and the family, 367; does 
not interfere with family religious 
instruction, 370; relation to the 
Church, 373, 403; should be con 
ducted by the church, 375; har 
monizing with the church, 376 ; 
province of, 378; to assist in the 
religious training of the Church s 
own children, 379; to reach the 
children of irreligious parents, 380; 
furnishes a field of work for Chris 
tians, 381 ; immediate aims of, 382; 

. seeks the conversion of the scholars, 
382, 391 ; aims to indoctrinate the 
scholars, 383, 392; it trains the 
young in benevolence, 386, 398 ; 
conducting the, 387 ; awaking in 
terest in the Bible, 387; teaching 
the Catechism, 392 ; amount of its 
contributions, 400 ; its contributions 
should be given to its own Boards, 
401 ; in sympathy with the Church, 
403; improvements in, 406; dan 
ger of too much machinery, 409 ; 
promptness in everything, 410; the 
library, 411 ; prayer-meeting at 
close of, 413; the pastor s person 
al work in, 414; the pastor attend 
ing, 415 ; the pastor supervising, 
416; the pastor s Bible-class, 419; 
the pastor preaching to children, 
421 ; the pastor promoting the in 
terests of, through the congrega 
tion, 425. 

Sacraments, administering the, 256; 
importance of, 256; making much 
of, 257. 

Sameness in preaching, study alone 
overcomes, 95. 

Scholars, conversion of, the great aim 
of the Sabbath-school, 382 ; indoc 
trination of, 383. 

Science, Christian beneficence has be 
come a, 429. 



508 



INDEX. 



Scrap-book, should be used, 150. 

Scriptures, the chief source of Pasto 
ral Theology, 18 ; ministerial piety 
increased by devotional study of, 
76 ; should be compared with Scrip 
ture, 121 ; the great instrumentality 
of conversion, 157; sword of the 
Spirit, 157 ; come with authority, 
159; efficiency of, 161; nothing else 
should be preached, 164; should be 
used with young converts, 347. 

Sensational preaching, sin and folly 
of, 265. 

Series, of sermons, 180; lists of, 184. 

Sermons, the best to be done in pre 
paring each, 135; Christ in every 
one, 172; courses of, 180; written 
or extemporaneous ? 218 ; repeating, 
220. 

Session, all its members should be in 
the Sabbath-school, 377 ; should ap 
point the superintendent, 378 ; the 
pastor in the, 450 ; a large one de 
sirable, 451 ; work of, 452 ; plan of 
work for, 455. 

Sick, visiting the, 237 ; suggestions 
about manner of visiting, 239 ; vis 
iting the, by women, 294. 

Silence, power of, in strifes, 468. 

Singing, spirited, in prayer-meetings, 
312. 

Slothfulness, a great temptation of the 
ministry, 98. 

Sociability, of the pastor with the peo 
ple, 269. 

Something, for each one to do, 284. 

Sorrowing, visiting the, 248. 

Sources, of Pastoral Theology, 17. 

Speaking, in ecclesiastical meetings, 
483. 

Special efforts, for progress to be occa 
sionally made, 328. 

Stewards, ministers are, 41. 

Strangers, attention to, 297; church 
kept up by, 297 ; making acquaint 
ance of, 298 ; hospitality to, in 
the house of God, 299 ; introduc 



tions to, should not e waited for, 
300. 

Strifes, in churches, 463; terrible evils 
of, 464 ; the pastor should shun, 
464; the pastor s personal difficul 
ties, 465. 

Student s Bible, value of, 122. 

Study, the pastor in the, 91 ; close, in 
dispensable, 92; scheme of the day s, 
102; number of hours to be spent 
in, daily, 102; of the Bible, 110; 
of Hebrew and Greek, 129. 

Success, of the pastor depends on his 
piety, 52. 

Superintendent, an elder should be, 
377 ; appointed by the session, 378 ; 
should the pastor be ? 418. 

Sympathy, in preaching, 198. 

System, importance of, to the minis 
ter, 99; plan of ministerial duties, 
102, 107. 

Systematic giving, importance of, 442 ; 
plans of, 444. 



T. 

TALENTS, of each person to be studied 
out, 282. 

Teachers, pastor should be consulted 
in the selection of, 417. 

Temperance, attention to the subject 
of, imperative, 323. 

Tenderness, in preaching, 194. 

Text, connection of, should be stud 
ied, 116. 

Theological seminary, now the train 
ing agency for ministers, 16; the 
times require great diligence in, 
29. 

Thermometer, the prayer-meeting is, 
of the Church, 304. * 

Times, a source of Pastoral Theology, 
21 ; the ministry needed for the, 28, 

Tracts and books, circulating, 263 ; to 
be used in revivals, 342. 

Troublers, of the church, 461 ; in ev 
ery church, 461 ; how to deal with 



INDEX. 



509 



them, 462; considerations about, 
462. 

Truth, only to be preached, 165. 

Type of Christian life, a higher, to be 
cultivated in the Church, 356 ; val 
ue of a high, 357 ; a high, may be 
attained, 357 ; how it may be reach 
ed, 358. 

V. 

VARIETY, in preaching maintained 
only by study, 95 ; in prayer-meet 
ings, 313. 

Version of the Bible, evils of correct 
ing, in the pulpit, 134. 

Visiting, importance of pastoral, 224 ; 
how often pastoral visits should be 
made, 229 ; plan of pastoral visits, 
232; how pastoral visiting should 
be conducted, 233; the sick, 237; 
rules for visiting the sick, 239 ; the 
sorrowing, 248 ; the aged, 251 ; in 
quirers, 253; the aged, sick and 
poor by women, 294. 



W. 

WOMEN, work of, 290; visiting the 
aged, sick and poor, 294 ; Dorcas so 
cieties, 296 ; writing for prayer-meet 
ings, 312; missionary associations 
of, 448. 

Word of God, the matter of preach 
ing, 155; the great instrumentality 
of conversion, 157 ; the sword of 
the Spirit, 158; it comes with au 
thority, 159; its efficacy, 162; the 



pastor should honor, 163 ; nothing 
else to be preached, 164. 

Work, to be ahead with, 107 ; for all 
to do, 281 ; each responsible for his, 
281; to be studied out, 282; what 
can I do ? 283 ; something for each 
one, 284; ministers should find 
some, for each person, 286; devis 
ing plans of, 287; of the elders, 
288 ; of women, 290 ; young con 
verts should be kept at, 352 ; the 
Sabbath-school furnishes a field of, 
381. 

Workers, church-members all should 
be, 280. 

Written sermons, advantages of, 219. 



Y. 

YOUNG, importance of their religious 
training, 361 ; form the greater part 
of the congregation, 364 ; can be 
reached through the Sabbath-school, 
365. 

Young converts, care for, 346; coun 
sels concerning, 346 ; more atten 
tion to them than to others, 347 ; 
should be interested in the Scrip 
tures, 347 ; Bible exercises with, 
348 ; should be carefully noticed, 
349 ; might be invited to the house 
of the pastor, 349; individuals to 
watch over them, 350 ; should be 
induced to attend prayer-meetings, 
350 ; should have meetings of their 
own, 351 ; should be kept busy, 352. 

Young men, speak to, 300. 



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