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AWDE, B.A., WM. WILLIAMS, D.D., r^ W. J. FORD, LL.B., and LE ROY HOOKER. TORONTO: WILLIAM BRIGGS, 78 & 80 KING STREET EAST. r. W. CoATBS, Montreal, Que. S. F. HukSTis, Halifax, N.S. >>>»>>>>"> >>>>>»»^>» Ipl*'** .w|Sf»'T?^^-| ^m^^«'^^^»m>0>^^£^ ■ HIS RELATION TO EVANGELISTIC WORK. m \ 3. It may here be interesting to note that, at first, our Church stood in a relation to other Churches similar to that which the irregular evangelist holds to the settled pastorate. The appearance of an itinerant minister, drawing the masses by his earnest, natural preaching, was often the signal for fierce opposition, or petty persecution, by way of hard words, or harder missiles hurled by hands of violence. But, as men like Liddon and Farrar now admit, many of those discreditable scenes were caused by the lamentable failure of the English clergy to comprehend their true relation to the fervid evangelistic Wesleyan movement. Some of this feeling of hostility still lingers, especially in the more remote inland or insular communities; but it is rapidly passing away, unless, indeed, it is now finding vent in the persecution of the " Salvation Army." But a precisely similar difficulty is found in fixing the relation of the regular minister to the evangelist, within the same Church. The coming of an "outside" evangelist often engenders bickerings and jealousies. The settled pastor naturally treats him as an interloper ; and even when an evangelist "within the pale" appears on the scene, the same pastor is conscious of a struggle to quell unkindly suspicions. A few drops of the holy oil of the sanctuary may lubricate this part of our Church machinery, and promote harmony in adjusting the relations of these two agencies. I suspect the various phases of this difficulty furnished one reason for the selection of the subject of this lecture. This point will come up again as we advance. 4. The question, as given us, is not stated with crystalline clearness, but any obscurity that hangs over it arises from the complexity of the relation we have to examine. It may mean either the minister's relation to his own powers 10 THE MINISTER i^T WORK. \ applied in this direction, or the pastor's relation to the travelling evangelist, or the Churchman's relation to tho extra -ecclesiastical movements that invade his corner of the vineyard. Each ramification of this relation might appear to demand distinct and separate treatment, but such a method of procedure would prove tiresome and inexpedient, since the same general principles will apply to the conduct of a pastor, whatever may be his connection with e /angelism. If, then, we can see clearly, and grasp firmly, the funda- mental facts involved, we shall find it easy to apply our principles to the details of our behaviour in practical work. 5. In order, therefore, to obtain firm footing, we may begin by making a brief word-study of the terms applied in the Sacred Scriptures of the New Testament, to the minis- terial office. In Rom. xii. 6-8, St. Paul sa^ys, " Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the propor- tion of faith ; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering ; or he that teacheth, on teaching ; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation." In 1 Cor. xii. 28, we read, "God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." In Eph. iv. 11, we re d, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." In the 21st chapter of the Acts, Philip is called "The Evan- gelist," and in 2 Tim. iv. 5, Timothy is enjoined, " Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." In 1 Peter v. 1, 2, the ministers are addressed, " The elders which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder, feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof." In Acts xx. 28, Paul charges the elders of the r ~^^*- term is related to the word which means to make haste, to raise a dust, and we know that the pressure of duty often compels the minister to " raise a dust " as he gladly hastens in the Master's service. The minister is called Ao hupertes, a rower, an inferior sailor, an assistant workman ; and he must be ready at any moment to take a hand at the oar of the Gospel ship. He is called ho choregosy one who leads the chorus, or who defrays the expenses of bringing out the chorus ; and you will not be long in the active ministiy till you find work in the choir as well as in the pulpit. He is called ho hierourgoSj a priest, not an exponent of Papal sacerdotalism, but a man doing holy works, and sacrificing all his baser self upon the altar of Christ. He is ho leitourgos, a man serving in the temple of God, a minister of the sanctuary, performing the duties for God, and for the public, devoted to the well-being of the people. He is entitled ho potmen, the shepherd or pastor whose duty it is to guard and feed the sheep and lambs of Christ's flock. He hears the name ho didaskalos, the teacher who leads the children of God along the highways of spiritual knowledge. 12 THE MINISTER AT WORK. He is called Ao prophites^ the prophet, or preacher who, speaking in the name of God, interprets the written word, and announces the message of the Eternal to living men. He is also called ho euanggilisfes^ an evangelist, one who proclaims the joyful tidings, the good news of reconciliation and salvation to the alien and the lost. What an imposing view does this array of names give us of the manifoldness of this great work. Any one of these titles will tell some- thing of the importance of our calling; but combine all these names, and they give an overwhelming conception of the exceeding glory of this vocation. But a more splendid title than any of these is the simple Latin word, minister, a servant, a helper, an attendant or a steward. An adminis- trator of public affairs, a member of the Government, the head of a department, an ambassador in an imperial court, one who acts by delegated authority ; each of these is called a minister. As applied to the minister of the Gospel this is a noble word. It embraces the signification of all the other names in the single circle of its various meanings. For whether a man be an apostle or a prophet, a bishop or a presbyter, an evangelist or a pastor, an exhorter or a teacher, in whatever way he exercise his gifts by the call of the Holy Spirit, he is still, everywhere and always, a minister, an ambass&dor for Christ on the King's business, a steward of the manifold grace of God, a servant of the elect people and of the brotherhood of man. Such, my brethren, is the manifold splendor of this name by which our office is designated. Jesus Christ Himself saw the magnificence of this title, saw the blending difficulty and glory of this work, when He said to His Church, " If any man will be great among you let him be your minister." 6. I have made this rapid word-study that you may, for HIS RELATION TO EVANGELISTIC WORK. 13 •— tf?* yourselves, compare the content of the title, "evangelist," with the content of the title " minister." This once done, we have taken a long step in the exposition of our subject. The evangelist proper has one function, to convey the message of mercy to sinnera, to bring men to Christ ; the minister, in the ample range of this name, has to perform every function that aims at the moral, the religious and spiritual improvement of man ; he is an evangelist, but he is much more. It is, therefore, evident that the evangelistic work is one department of the ministerial vocation. This being granted, we proceed to consider : — I. TJie relative position and importance of this department of m,inisterial service. 1. Here we are met by two extreme opinions. On the one hand, it is held that evangelistic movements are the most signal instances of Divine interposition vouchsafed to the modern Church ; and on the other side, it is contended they are the result of Satanic agency, the most appalling examples of a wild, unregulated fanaticism. Beyond ques- tion, however, these movements have played a prominent part in the expansion of the Church. To quote a sentence from President Finney's work on " Revivals," " This is true in philosophy, and it is an historical fact." 2. The most cursory glance at the records will show that the revival has been a constant quantity in arousing the noblest forms of social and moral sentiment. Every great range of human life has been indebted to those great swells of impassioned feeling and united action which constitute the essence and the form of the evangelistic movement. In religion we call the movement a revival, in other circles we give it various names, but it is essentially the same or similar. Thus some fiery soul, like William Tell, appears 14 THE MllflSTEB AT WORK. among hia countrymen with an evangel of national freedom, and begins a Revolution. Some man of Titanic strength, his poet's eye in fine frenzy rolling, lisping in numbers, as the numbers come, preaches an evangel of art or letters, and, hence, loUows a Renaissance. Some plain preacher, by earnest eloquence, plants a seed of Gospel trutli in some torpid soul, which, by the touch of the Divine Spirit, is awakened into a new life, and we have a Regenera- tion. Some mighty leader of men, filled with indignation at the ecclesiastical corruptions of his age and country, shakes the entire national fabric, till the people arise, cast off the incubus of error and vice, and we have a Reforma- tion. In like manner, an evangelist, endowed with the gifts of winning exhortation and sweet song, arouses a church or community, till the spiritual impulse thrills the whole society, and we have a Revival. All these are similar movements, viewed in relation to diverse aspects of life; so that the evangelistic work is not a solitary fact, it is not merely Methodistic, it is not merely Christian, it is not merely religious ; it is human, it is universal, it belongs to man in all the wide spheres of life. 3. The annals of the Church, in every chapter, exemplify the recognition of the evangelistic factor of prpgress. In the Jewish theocracy, nation and Church were blended, and the children of Israel were the most profoundly religious people ever known. Their three great annual festivals were a fixed provision of the Mosaic economy for reviving the religious feelings of the people. Their history was a constant alternation of seasons of decline and revival. Elijah, slaying the priests of Baal, is making a wild effort, aided by the people, to purify the national religion. Heze- kiah, when he comes to the throne, undertakes an evangel *^;- 1»^. BIS ttELATION TO EVAKOELISTIC WORK. 15 of a pure faith, leads his people back to the religiou of their father?, sends a circular letter post-haste to the remotest comers of his kingdom, calling all his people to the temple of prayer, and holds a protracted meeting of fourteen days, till the sacred fires of religion are rekindled upon the heart of the nation, and the land echoes with glad songs of devo- tion. A similar movement took place under the young king Josiah, when by accident he found a copy of the Sacred Law in the temple. I need not depict that august revival, led by Ezra and Nehemiah, when, after seventy years of exile, the temple and city were retvuilt, and Zion vibrated with the melody of former times. John the Baptist was a revivalist in the Jewish Church, and we trace in the story of his work all the characteristics of evangelism. It has been remarked that the Galilean ministry of Jesus Christ Himself was substantially an evangelistic work, in which, wherever He went, the people were moved by the unwonted excitement, the concerns of daily business fell into the background, and the thousands hung upon His lips. What was Peter but an evangelistic leader on the day of Pentecost, when three thousand were added to the infant Church 1 In the Post- Apostolic Church, in the Primitive Church, in mediaeval times, such movements were felt in more limited areas ; until, in the sixteenth century, came the great Protestant Reformation, which carried a warm evangelistic propaganda in its bosom. The stupen- dous work, led by Whitfield and Wesley with their coad- jutors, has been called par excellencey "The Evangelical Revival of the eighteenth century." And as we enter the nineteenth century, the air resounds with the peals of the evangelist's trumpet. The Roman Catholic Church, with her usual wisdom, appoints such of her clergy as possess rare 16 THE MINISTER AT WORK. g^fts of native eloquence and popular address to hold mis- sions, that is, revival services in her congregations. The Church of England has her Haslams, her Hay Aitkins, her Knox Littles, and her increasing band of missioners, to do the work of evangelists. Even the grave Presbyterian Church is introducing evangelistic services ; and not long since held in Toronto a convention to discuss the whole subject. The Congregationalists, the Baptist;^, the Method- ists, and the smaller bodies, have their evangelists. These are the days of the Palmers, the Moodys, and the Booths. These are the days of the Salvation Army, the Church Army, and the Methodist Band. The evangelist is abroad. The historical records, the march of contemporary events, the activity of the Churches, abundantly demonstrate the conspicuous and powerful place of the evangelistic method in the work of the ministry. 4. What is the philosophy of this movement 1 Why, its remarkable persistence ? The reason is to be sought in the constitution of man and society. It is wise, before deciding to deal with him, to ask what man is, and in what conditions he is placed. We are told that the potato and the tomato both belong to the same genus of plants, but the succulent product of the one grows at the bottom, that of the other at the top. It is easy to say, " This is quite out of order. Both plants ought to bear their fruit on the top, o? both at the root. Men ought to eat either what grows on the top of the potato or what is found at the root of the tomato." But if we omit to question nature for the reality of things, our ought may become despotic. A man of finely organized conscience may lose sight of what is, in dwelling upon what ought to be. We say : " Men ought to be converted in the dull uniform worship,'' but they are not. "Christians ■■A w HIS mSLATION O EYANOELISTIC WORK. 17 1^ . «• A ought to be active on low planes of feeling/' but they seldom are. " The plain man, of little education, ought to relish the artistic ritual and sermons," but he does not. " We ought to crowd all our churches with the most needy classes," but we sometimes do not. Let us not be fettered by any despotic ''Ought to be," but let us look at the realities ; and when we treat man as we find him, any petty dispute between the pastor and the evangelist will soon be settled. In the Church itself a place will be found for these occasional agencies. To cite an able writer on this point, " Whether the worship be liturgical or not, a church tends to wear ruts and to make dead machines of things. In the regular organization we should make room for the spon- taneous, irregular impulses of men. In the most highly organized bodies revivals are the most necessary. They purge out the old humors and give new life and vigor." The charge which the prophet laid against the Church of his day, *< Israel slideth back like a backsliding heifer," is too often the story of the great national Church and of the Christian congregation. In such a state any Church will do well to hail the advent of the fiery evangelist. But without the sacred enclosures of the Church dwell multi- tudes of people who are not reached by ordinary methods. Even in the villages and small towns are many men who seldom or never enter a place of worship. In the great urban populations one half of the people never pass the threshold of a church. We who move among the people know that in our parishes live many families who never generate any more pure religious sentiment than so many Pagans. You will find roses in a December snow-bank as readily as the fragrant flowers of religion in many of these 18 THE MINISTKB AT WORK. families. If the ued be not taken and planted in raoh plaoe8» the fruit of holiness will not grow there. Besides, men are so made that they do not move alone. They are to be reached by moving those about the . A professor in Auburn Sem- inary, with a spioe of hum jr, onoe told the students that, after thirty years' study, he had found the secret of success in the ministry. It was this, " Get a big audience." Place a sinner in a tabernacle alone, and let a Spurgeon preach to him, and he will not be impressed ; but put him among 2,000 people, all moved by one impulse, all sympathetic, all radiating religious feeling, and he will be lifted up. This is one distinction between individual effort and special evangelistic work. In a revival, a Icrge number of people move en nuMge^ the same spiritual wave sweeps over all, and many a man, whom the uniform services would have left unmoved, is borne into tbe kingdom of heaven on the crest of a sweeping revival. Hence you say in evangelistic work the first step is to arouse the entire Church to action. This is the philosophy of the preaching of the " Higher Life " in revivals. Its power lies in waking up the Church with a common impulse, and setting the great body of the members in motion. Secular life is full of excitements, and these the Church should seek to counteract by religious excitements. Social sympathies hold men down in the life of sin, and tbe Spirit of Gkxl uses these social attractions to lift men up. Sinners are interlocked with multitudes of the reckless and ungodly classes, and if Christians are to attain their maxi- mum influence they must be interlaced with many in the common work. The gregarious factor is to be taken into account in the saving of men. In giving the strength of the whole body to one member, the spiritual warmth of the whole Church to one frozea outcast^ the sympathetic help of •• ?IS RELATION TO EYANGEUSTIC WORK. 19 tm- >• ,1. all the Lord's people to one broken-hearted, difscouraged wandemr, many of the most debased and helpless of men have been lifted from the mire and the clay, and placed upon the rock of salvation. Hence the utility of special evangelistic work in the saving of men. 5. Since then the vast im|)ortance of aggressive evange- lism may be so triumphantly vindicated on historical and philosophical grounds, we are under no obligation to attempt any labored refutation of the current objections raised against the method of Christian labor. Not that these criticisms are quite dead and buried. In the typical revival of Pentecost, in apostolic days, the spectators looked on in wonder, perplexity and doubt, and the scornful critics hissed, "These men are full of new wine." One might sometimes fancy that the old Jewish hive had swarmed again in this age, and this country, and that the same critics were filling the air with the buzz and hum of their ancient monotone. " Oh," they say, " but this revival movement is very imperfect." " Some of the preaching is' shallow, in bad taste, and of poor literary quality." "Some of the workers are ignorant and conceited." " This work is attended with undue excitement, and runs into fanati- cism." "The results are transient, they are followed by backslidings of many individuals, and by violent reactions in the churches." All these we have heard repeated with tiresome iteration. All these objections, however, are superficial, being grounded neither in reason nor in fact, and would be just as forcible turned against any moral or social movement taking place among considerable numbers of men. They have been amply answered in the discussion. If the arguments from history and humanity are sound, i 10 THE MINISTER AT WORK. these are a sufficient reply to the critics, and their objections vanish. 6. Evangelistic work, in the Church, is abundantly justified by its results. The great majority of our converts have been won to Christ through direct evangelistic effort. The men and women brought into the Church, duiing special visitations of the Holy Ghost, will compare, man for man, in piety, usefulness and power, with the members coming into church fellowship through the ordinary means of grace. Other things being equal, the soul sees clearer in those moments of high feeling which a revival implies. As two pieces of iron must be welded when red-hot, every pastor knows that rents and feuds in the body of Christ are best healed by making the unloving and contentious members red-hot with evangelistic fire. Experience demonstrates that the revival spirit is the best conservator of sound doctrine, the best solvent of the conflicts between the old and the new theology. A genuine revival of religion gives the most powerful impulse to all moral reforms. If you would consume the filth and rubbish of any community, apply the torch of Pentecost, and wrap the place in an evangelistic flame. The surest way to help and redeem a x'allen soul, a drunkard, an outcast, a publican, is to get him into a revival. Our churches are full of earnest and lovable men and women, who stand forth as trophies of the wisdom and efficiency of the evangelistic method in the work of the Lord. 7. A touching tale is told of the Apostle John, in his old age. On a visit to Pergamos, he won to Christ a young man, to whom his heart was strangely drawn. On his departure, he turned to the resident minister, and said, " I » . ona tJjr rts pt. a] n, « •* . HIS BELATION TO EVANQELISTIC WORK/ 21 eommit this youth to yon before the Church and oongre* gation." On a subsequent visit tc Perganios, John inquired for this young man. " Ah ! " said the pastor with a sigh, "he is dead." "Dead!" exclaimed St. John. "In what way did he die 1 " Replied the pastor, " lie is dead to God, he fell from his first love, and has joined a band of robbers in the mountains." Then the story relates how the aged saint secures a guide, leaves the city, makes the hard journey, invades the mountain fastness, throws himself into the bandit's presence, and beseeching him with tears, leads him back to Christ, and to a life of virtue. We recognize John as an apostle, a leader of the Church ; we admire the skill and courage with which he wars against the Gnostics in defence of the divine glory of Christ; we gaze with rapture upon the resplendent poetic visions of the Fatmos dreamer ; but not less do we honor John, the evangelist, who exposes his white head to the mercy of a savage mountain banditti, in order to rescue a wayward soul from destruction. If any man have reason to walk God's foot- stool with head erect and spirit joyful, it is the successful, pure-minded, Christ-conimissioned, heaven-sent evangelist. " Let him know that he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." 8. Such then is the exalted place of evangelism in the Church of God. I am glad to thus vindicate its high posi- tion, its intrinsic value, as a department of our work. But, while I am convinced of its great importance, I am bound to return to our former statement, that it is only one depart- ment of a minister's work. This I would strenuously main- tain against extreme views of the evangelistic function. It is of the very first importance, we grant, but it is only one ^ THE MINISTER AT WORK. branch of our duty. It were a fatal blunder, in these days it were almost a crime, to forget that other departments of ministerial service are also important. There has existed, in certain quarters, a tendency to narrow the ministerial work to one line. The firbt Methodist preachers were evangelists pure and simple, and the pastoral office advanced by slow stages to a more prominent place among us ; but the opinions and demands of our people, in this matter, are still subject to considerable fluctuation. I have heard able men contend, with most offensive dogmatism, that a minister has nothing to do but get men converted, and that other forms of service are of little or no consequence. Hence spring some of the perils of our time — perils of fanaticism, of neglected Bibles, of false exegesis, of unsound exposition, of defective religious teaching, of converts lost through want of training, and of scattering through the country so many who formerly " experienced religion." I would defend the high place of evangelism against all comers ; but it is only one department, and there are other branches of ministerial service which no wise man can afford to ignore. As mind and soul and society are all complex, the work of the min- ister of religion is many-sided. That man who faces this fact is the wisest minister. That church, which most skil- fully harmonizes all these departments of service, and com- bines all the evangelistic, the educational, the pastoral, the nocial and the aesthetic forces at her command, is destined to be the most progressive and powerful church of the future. Hard and fast lines separate the evangelistic from the other forms of work. The teacher, the pasiior, the social reformer, the exegete and the journalist are assisting the evangelist, nnd he in turn is imparting a helpful spiritual impulse to th^m all. K^ HIS RELATION TO* EVANGELISTIC WORK. 23 K^ This is the lofty sentiment of Longfellow in his poem of "The Singers." ** And those who heard the Singers three Disputed which the best might be ; For still their music seemed to start Discordant echoes in each heart. " But the great Master said, ' I see No best in kind, but in degree ; I gave a gracious gift to each To charm, to strengthen and to teach. " 'These are the three great chords of might, And he whose ear is tuned aright Will hear no discord in the three. But the most perfect harmony.'" 11. Having thus far defined the place of evangelism in the Church, nie come now to consider the minister's practical administration of this department of his work. In proceed- ing to this branch of our subject, you will not expect me to give you a set of formal rules for conducting prayer-meet- ings and inquiry meetings, for selecting music to be used in the service, and for the numerous details and contingencies incident to your work. Such an undertaking would be hopelessly tedious, and I have no taste for it, believing that, for the most part, every man must be left to find out these things for himself. I have somewhere read that, " Preaching is a continual reminding of the people of what they are continually forgetting." This is one purpose of this* lectureship, and I shall render you a more valuable service by recalling to your minds the main principles of action involved in the practical administration of this department of your work. Having done this, I may safely leave you, with a few rapid suggestions, to apply theso 24 THE MINISTER AT WORK. i ■ principles to the minute questions and difficulties that often arise in actual life. The fundamental principles are two, or perhaps three, which I will rapidly indicate. 1. The first is the law of union with God in the prayer of faith. In our human dependence we lean upon the sovereign power of God. Man, or minister, or church, without the Divine energy and impulse of the Holy Ghost, can do nothing. I will repeat an illustration which was more common when Arthurs' " Tongue of Fire " was a new book. "Suppose we saw an army sitting down before a granite fort, and they told us that they intended to batter it down, we might ask them, ' How?' They point to a can- non-ball. Well, but there is no power in that, it is heavy, but not more than a hundred-weight ; if all the men in the army hurled it against the fort they would make no impres- sion. They say, *No, but look at the cannon!' Well, there is no power in that, a child may ride upon it, a bird may perch in its mouth ; it is a machine and nothing more. 'But, look at the powder.* Well, there is no power in that, a child may spill it, a sparrow may peck it. Yet this powerless powder and powerless ball are put into the powerless cannon, one spark of fire enters it, and then in the twinkling of an eye that powder is a flash of lightning, and that ball a thunderbolt which smites as if it had been sent from Heaven. 'So it is with our church machinery at this day, we have all the instruments necessary for pulling down strongholds, and O! for the baptism of fire!" In God lies the sovereign power. He alone can communicate it. From Him we receive it, by the prayer of faith, in which a fully consecrated ministry and Church claim the promise of the Spirit. This is the inflexible law of union with God. HIS RELATION TO EVANGELISTIC WORK. 25 2. The second principle is the law of human agencj. To seek no further, this law is implicated in Mr. Arthurs' illustration. No shot can be projected without the touch of fire, but, on the other hand, the fire alone will not propel the ball. The tire may play upon its surface, may make it red hot, may melt it, may destroy it, but the fire alone, though it flame from the sky, cannot hurl the shot through a given spot in a granite wall. Here the agency of man must intervene. Before the shot is a mould and a moulder, before the cannon is a forge and a founder, before the ex- plosion is a laboratory and a chemist. Nor does it suffice to throw all these things into a promiscuous heap, they must be arranged in a fixed and definite order, the cannon mounted, the charge inserted, the gun sighted, the jaref ul aim taken, or the flash may do more harm than good. You cannot bombard the enemy's fortress without fire, but to make the fire etfective requires a hundred modes of human action. This applies to evangelistic work. With- out the Spirit of God we can do nothing, but in the Divine order the power is applied through human instruments. We should go to work with the same saci-ed regard for nature and for law as the Captain of Artillery. We should not deem it a small matter that the elements and forces of our church life are lying about in a loose, promiscuous state of lazy disorder. In conformity with the Divine order, we should marshal our forces in certain combinations. We should " clear away the rubbish " that hinders the work, we should uproot all malign feelings, mend the lines of social contact, see that our souls are in sound health, and living in sound relations to the brotherhood. In the Pentecostal revival the members of the Church "were all with one accord in one place." " They continued, with one accord, 26 THE MINISTER AT WORK. ; : ' i in prayer and supplication." This is the place of the human instruments. The elements are in happy and orderly combination, ''n warm fellowship, in united prayer, all of one heart and soul, yet not an isolated society, but by lov- ing labor, by the word of testimony, by Christlike sympathy, by deep compassion for the sinful world, they become the medium of the Divine communication of salvation to men. 3. The third principle is the essential harmony of Divine action and human action in all evangelistic work. There are two extreme views of evangelistic success, one regarding it as a miracle, a movement above law, with which man has nothing to do; the other deeming it a social movement, following definite, natural or psychological law's, where man can do everything. Neither of these views, ts^ken alone, is sound or safe, and we attain the whole truth only by uniting these two extremes in the golden mean. To assume that a revival is a miracle quite above law annihilates the sense of responsibility, lulls the Church into a fatal stupor, and smites with paralysis her all-conquering aggressive activity. To assume that a revival is a purely natural phenomenon, severs the worker from the supernatural Spirit, and robs him of the fine quality of unction. The autumn harvest is a miracle, but Heaven never works it without the human agency of the agriculturist, and the most skilful farmer could never produce a harvest without the Divine agency in the miracle of growth. So in the spiritual harvest which the Church reaps in the field of the world, the natv ral and supernatural combine to produce the desired result. It is because we overlook this law of harmony between Divine and human action, that we allow ourselves to be brow- beaten, .«nd driven from the path of duty by loose talk about getting up" a revival People warn us to "stand HIS RELATION TO EVANGELISTIC WORK. 27 still and we shall see the salvation of the Lord," and if we swallow this fatal soporific, we incur the danger of relaps- ing into indolent action, and the revival will not come at all. Every island on the surface of the globe is connected with London by the solid earth which forms the bottom of the sea, but only that island which lays a cable through the ocean, to complete the electric circuit, has direct tele- graphic communication with the metropolis. The power of God will flow from Heaven, and circulate through a church, only when the circuit is complete. God, in the order n ad constitution of His spiritual kingdom, has laid down the one line of the circuit. By this line of Divine power and love all churches are alike connected with the throne of God, but only that church which completes the circuit, by stretching across the expanse the human line of fervid desire, of invincible faith, of importunate prayer, of con- secrated labor for the cause of God, and the salvation of men, wiil enjoy the blessings of a revival. This is the law of harmony between the Divine Spirit and the human instrument. We should pray and believe as if everything depended upon God, but we should work as if all depended upon our faithful labor. 4. From these fundamental principles of action we may, with tolerable certainty, deduce some practical counsels. For example, it is obvious that a wide awake minister, in fixing the times and seasons for special evangelistic services, will follow the indications of Providence. It is better to open such a campaign when the community is free from any counteracting excitement. It is not well to attempt revival work when the place L ablaze with political excitement, in the midst of an election contest, for society cannot be agitated by two powerful contradictory excitements at the same time, and the political movement will check the 28 THE MINISTER AT WORK. religious. In a farming; community wo seldom see a revival in mid-harvest, and it is wiser to postpone your efforts till the people have more leisure. In these things follow the leadings of Providence. When the people have most leisure from the demands of secular business, press them into special religious work. When the community is calm, then arouse them with the tempest of religious emotion. When some great calamity or sorrow, as the sudden taking away of some promising youth, calls the serious attention of the congregation to the verities of death and eternity, then strike when the iron is hot. A great general once com- manded a " masterly inactivity " as the best strategy. Do not move rashly, but be ready to move with promptitude when the hour strikes. Watch for the opening of Provi- dence, and when the open door is set before you, enter with the blessing of Heaven. Take the warning of the Summer Sea Song : — " The winds blew east, and the winds blew west, And the full tide rose in the sea, But my anchor was down when the fair winds blew. And the tide was lost to me. " The havened ships went out to the sea In the track of the swift sea-mew, But my anchor was down, and in vain for me The winds o'er the waters blew. " And the ships came in from the ocean wide. And they sang, and fed the town ; But I never knew what I lost with the tide As I dreamed with the anchor down. " Is your anchor down when the free winds blow ? Is your anchor down when the fall tides flow ? Weigh, weigh the anchor, ho, ho ! ho, ho I For the tide will come no more ! " HIS BELATION TO EVANGELISTIC WORK. 29 5. From what has been said, it follows that the best evangelistic work is done by the evolution of the Church's own life and resources. This is the natural method. A revival under a pastor will have a more wholesome effect upon the congregation than the same work under an outside evangelist. A revival carried forward by the workers in your own flock is better for the Church than a movement following the efforts of imported bands, and itinerant musicians, and "singing pilgrims." Even when an evan- gelist is employed, the work will be more permanent in its effects, when the Church has been well prepared to meet her Lord in earnest work. The first duty of a pastor is to infuse into his own people the evangelistic spirit, to muster his own forces, to organize his own workers, and to train his own church members for service. Rev. H. T. Crossley, our own evangelist, in a letter on this subject, says, " Evan- gelists are like extra harvest hands." Just so, but who stumped the fields, and built the fences, and ploughed the broad acres, and dug the drains, and prepared the soil, and sowed the seed, and watched over the maturing grain 1 It was the patient, diligent, faithful pastor. The "extra harvest hand" comes in for a few days, and we are involved in the rush and fervor, and busy toil of gathering in the sheaves. And when the evangelist has gone, the endless activities of pastoral oversight, education, and religious nurture continue and multiply. The order of grace here is the order of nature, and the Church which follows this order by developing her own resources, and kindling the evan- gelistic tire on her own altars, will derive the richest blessing from the >isit of a judicious evangelist, and when he has departed, that Church will prove the most faithful and efficient nurse of the young converts. 30 THE MiyiSTER AT WORK. 6. From this discussion, the proper bearing of the regular minister to the travelling evangelist is rendered quite plain and easy. Evangelism being one branch of the minister's work, he ought, simply and naturally, to deport himself in this as in any other department. When he wishes, for example, to arouse the missionary spirit in his congregation, he does it himself if he can, otherwise he sends for some special advocate of missions. If he desires to awaken the temperance sentiment among his people, he takes the plat- form himself, or he calls in some speaker of superior gifts and wider information on this question. So in advancing the cause of education. Now evangelism, as a branch of the minister's work, is to be done in the sensible way. The evangelist who comes to assist a pastor is not a substitute, but an auxiliary. The minister will do all he can, by a skilful use of his own resources ; but when he is convinced that a visit from an evangelist will kindle or fan the holy fire, the pastor will joyfully welcome the evangelist as a brother beloved, and as a fellow-helper in the salvation of souls. But as every healthy Canadian farmer insists upon taking the front seat in his own waggon, and driving his own team, so the pastor will be wise to keep a firm hold upon the reins in the management and thi control of evangelistic services upon his own field. While s<) many various interests clamor for a pastor's attention, he y /ill be greatly benefited by the presence and labors of a man who is set apart for this one work, and devotes all his energies to the one concen- trated purpose of leading men to decide for Christ. He will trample under foot the absurd suspicion that the influ- ence gained by an evangelist will alienate the affections of his people, for if both workers are good men and true, the visit of the evangelist will leave the pastor higher in the • J •■ » ! Si m i " -•. _^ '* > « 9* I '^ f " ♦ V ^ «- BIS RELATION TO ETANOELISTIC WORK. 31 esteem and more securely intrenched in the love of his flock. At the same time, to avoid any possible eruptions of antagonistic feeling, the minister will be careful to call in a helper whose ways of conceiving and presenting religious truth and experience are in harmony with the lines along which the life of his congregation has been unfolded. As Henry Ward Beecher said, " There are a thousand wheels that are just as good wheels as any in a certain watch, but not one of the thousand is adapted to take the place of a particular wheel in that watch." And so of the genus, evangelist. Call in one who will work on the same lines, and in harmony with you. He will render you material assistance — he will probably leave your Church stronger than he found it, and you better rooted in the Church than when he came. 7. The positions already taken anticipate the answer to the numerous questions concerning the adoption of the methods of the '' Salvation Army." The true answer, for our own people, is, let u» develop our own system. The Salvation Army cannot give us any good measure which we do not, in some form, already possess. If we cannot see it at a glance, in our own house, the reason is that we hs.ve cost it aside into some dark closet or lumber-room, as a worn-out article of furniture. We need no violent innova- tions ; in the line of evangelistic activity the Methodist Church sees no new thing under the sun. We are not one of the Churches that need to steal Salvation Army fire ; let us rather apply the bellows to the embers half-buried in ashes on our own hearth. All the elements of the Salvation Army's success were once ours, and there is yet room, free- play, in our economy to adopt or to restore any good thing. Is it the facility of extempore exhortation 1 There is 32 THE MINISTER AT WORK. on old by-law that requires our young men to exhort with- out taking a text. Is it the band idea ? That is one of our old institutions. Is it the working band] That is lay agency, one of our most potent forces in former times. Is it the use of popular hymns, set to popular music f The Wesleys M'ere the pioneers of this adaptation of sacred song for evangelistip efiect. Do you say the Salvation Army may teach us to be direct and earnest ? I reply, that lesson was thoroughly learned and understood by our fathers, both in the ministry and laity. The Salvation Army have, in cer- tain directions, advanced beyond us; they have trespassed the limits of scriptural order, of propriety and of rdverence; such, at least, is the opinion of many excellent Christian people. One of our present dangers is a strong tendency to follow the " Salvationists " in these excesses from which our own people, in the past, cannot claim to have been wholly free. Let us avoic* the faults into which they have been betrayed, while we prosecute our work with impassioned earnestness, with patient consistency, and with unflinching courage. Nor should we be misled, on the other hand, by the silly confusion of mere formal properness with religious propriety. What a surpliced priest deems propriety may be very proper for him, but for us, my brethren, may be a gross violation of the most essential propriety. As the prophet of Bond Street lately said, " Everything that is pleasing and sinless should be appropriated by religion. The fiddle, the comet, and the organ are such, and should not be neglected when found useful in the house of God. If you are afraid that the fiddle is contaminated by its former associations, let a new uncontaminated fiddle he obtained." On one occasion, Dr. Frazer, the late excellent Bishop of Manchester, went to hear Mr. Moody, in the Free Trade Hall in that city — I ' HIS RELATION TO EVANGELISTIC WORK. 83 •■ "•k quote the Bishop's words : " When we left, I said to my good Archdeacon of Manchester, ' Anson, what do you think of this ? ' He. said, ' What I have been thinking of it is, why can't we do the same ? why can't we reach five or six thousand people, and keep them listening for half an hour, and see none of them go to sleep 1 ' " Such thoughts may we entertain concerning any instrument found mighty in the saving of men, why cannot we employ the samel We, of all the churches, will have small reason to startle this generation with novelties, for if we water and fertilize the roots of our own system, we can grow any kind of good fruit on our own stock; if we restore the old landmarks which our fathers did set, we shall keep touch with the needs of the age ; if we dig out the wells which refreshed our fathers, we shall turn streams of blessing upon the children's children. Not that I would counsel you to cling to an old form or method which has become effete, simply because it retains a place in some unexplored corner of the Book of Discipline. Some old bottle may occasionally burst when the new wine fills it ; and, if possible, you will obtain new and better bottlef*. 8. Let us keep near to the people where we can feel the pulse-beat of humanity, and minister to their manifold sins and sorrows. I am counted among so-called college-men, and may therefore be permitted to remii^d you of the jeu cPesprit of Dr. Bushnell, " Most theological seminaries are behind the age, but the X seminary is behind all ages." To the same effect is the lapstLS linguce of the famous Mrs. Partington, who commended a young candidate for the ministry, "because he had spent three years in a cemetery." This evangelistic work will draw you out of the cloisters, it will keep you in closer contact with the people, ■ « u THE MINISTER AT WORK. while your personal knowledge of the lives and thoughts, the homes and hearts of the people will equip you for the work of the evangelist. In the emphatic language of the great West : " We need not only preachers in silken gowns, but shirt-sleeve preachers." And whatever means we employ, whether as pastors or evangelists, we may ponder the fable of Saint Antoninus of Florence, where he represents Satan as preaching the Gospel in the disguise of a friar. When asked why he, the foe of God and man, proclaimed the truth, he answered that nothing is so hardening as the Gospel preached without unction, and that as he hod no unction, it was only a savor of death. The first qualification of an evangelistic ministry is the anointing of the Spirit of the Lord Ohrist. No time is lost in waiting for this Divine unction. "Tarry ve, tarry ye, until ye be endued with power from on high." » r •> M^ f tititre II. THE MINISTER'S RELATION TO THE DEVELOP- MENT OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AND PERFECTION OF MANHOOD. REV. WILLIAM WILLIAMS, D.D. *• J» 1 •«. « I IvKCTURE II. THE MINISTER'S RELATION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OP CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AND PERFECTION OF MANHOOD. j» 1 ^ « I! We shall endeavor to look at this subject, as it presents itself, in the pure white light of revelation. We know that it is possible for us to read and hear much about the Bible, and yet know little of the sacred book itself. The lights and shadows thrown upon its pages by the conflicting sys- tems which man has constructed, frequently tend, rather, to the confusion than to the illumination of the mind of the sincere seeker after truth. The analysis of the witers of life may be an interesting exercise for the minute ^ ^''oso- pher, but it is enough for many of us to know the general fact that they are more pure and sweet at the fountain, than they are after flowing far through human channels. The minister of the Gospel is not required by the terms of his commission to present to the lips of the thirsty anything of his own manufacture, but it is his privilege — a privilege of unspeakable value — ^to offer them the unpolluted, undi- luted, and life-giviiig contents of the " wells of salvation." The limits of a single lecture do not afford us scope for an exhaustive presentation of the subject assigned us. Nor shall we presume to deliver an authoritative and dogmatic utterance in relation to it. We shall merely indicate the n \ f 38 THE MINISTER AT WORK. path which you may pursue with advantage in reaching your own conclusions concerning it. Our subject relfttes to Character. Character has been defined as "the sum of moral qualities which distinguish one person from another." Taken in this sense, the character of each individual must di£fer somewhat from that of others, for, though two or more persons may possess the same qualities, no two persons have them in exactly the same proportion, and the result, in each case, distinguishes it from all others. But though the sum and proportion of moral qualities in each individual may cause him to differ somewhat from all others, the same general characteristics may appear in one class of persons, distinguishing it from all other classes. As, however, we form our opinions concerning individuals and communities, principally from what we see them do, and hear them say, or from what we hear or read of them, from the lips or pens of others, it is difficult for us to detect the difference between character and reputation. Yel they are by no means identical. Character is what a man is. Reputation is what a man appears to be. We are called upon to deal with Christian character. Christian character may be defined as " the sum of qualities which distinguish the true disciples of Christ from other men." This definition may be objected to on the ground that the followers of Christ have many moral qualities in common with men, who, though not disciples of our Lord, are known to be honorable and upright. But the grace of God so thoroughly changes the inner nature of His children, that their words and actions, though resembling those of other moral men, are connected with motives, and based upon principles, of which men of the world kn'^w little or nothing. The Christian is moved to goodness, neither by •1 THE PERFECTION OF CHRISTIAN MANHOOD. 39 "1 his own self-respect, nor his regard for the opinions of his fellowmen, nor by his conviction of the superior advantages of a righteous life, as compared with an unrighteous one, but by the grace of God and the leadings of the Holy Spirit. Hence the inspired declaration will be found to be verified by human experience. " If any man be in Christ he is a new creature." (There is a new creation -R. V.): "old things have passed away; behold all things are become new." (2 Cor. v. 17.) The Holy Spirit, in giving the subject of saving grace a new heart, does not destroy his identity, but infuses new qualities, and imparts spiritual life and power. The death of the old nature, and the life of the new, are described by Paul, as illustrated in his own experience : — '* I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me ; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." (Gal. ii. 20.) The purity of the Christian is holiness ; that of the man of the world, morality. The former is the development and mani- festation of f n inward and spiritual grace ; the latter, a merely human attempt to reach a conventional standard of uprightness. The former is divine, and seeks the glory of God ; the latter is human, and ends, ad it begins, in self. It will be seen that the development of Christian charac- ter commences with the work of the Holy Spirit in the soul. In human nature there is no germ of spiritual life which requires but the fructifying showers of heavenly grace, and the sunshine of God's favor to quicken it, cause it to grow, and effloresce into the full flower of Christian activity and beauty. You cannot evolve from the corruption of the carnal nature the vital forces which, in their growth and fruition, prodjice true godliness. As in the natural world, 40 THE MINISTER AT WOJSK. V-. 80 in the spiritual realm, there can be no spontaneous gen- oration. Life can conic only from life. The regenerating grace of God lies at the foundation of all Christian character. That the spiritual life may be simulated, cannot be denied. As many a restless ghost, bom of superstitious creduU.^y, or nervous apprehension, has seemed to n<^ and pass before the eyes of the terrified spectator, as when " The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets : " so athwart "^he darkness have moved many ghostly imita- tions of the Christian life, made visible only by the gloom about them, and finding their end, as their beginning, in the tomb. There is but one voice that can reach the profound recesses of that sepulchre in which our moral nature lies entombed, stir it into life, and call it forth. It is the voice that said, " I am the resurrection and the life ; he that be- lieveth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." Yet let us be thankful that to man it is given to " take away the stone " that separates the Lord of Life from the waiting dead, and when a Lazarus comes forth, it is his privilege to " loose him, and let him go." If we look at this subject in the light reflected upon it by Christ's conversation with Nicodemus, we see the " new birth " presented as the starting-point of the Christian life. The Divine Teacher said to the enquiring Jew, " Except a man be born again (or from above), he cannot see the king- dom of God." Not until that momentous change has taken place, is a man endowed with sufficient clearness of vision to discern the mysteries of the kingdom of God. But through regenerating grace he is born into a new world, the things formerly invisible to him reveal themselves ; he N . THE PERFECTION OF CHRISTIAN MANHOOD. 41 <> I A moves in the midst of new objects ; he stands in new rela- tions to God and His kingdom ; heavenly things are all arovnd him. What is hidden from the wise and prudent, because of their want of spiritual discernment, is made known to him, though he is but a new-born babe in his Heavenly Father's house. His vision, imperfect at first, because of the dazzling light which so suddenly shines upon him, speedily becomes more clear and fa^- reaching, and ho learns to see " the deep things of God." He walks in the light, as God is in the light, enjoys the fellowship of saints, and knows that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. He growr in strength, endurance and courage as well as knowledge, he exercises himself unto godliness, endures hardness as a good -soldier of Jesus Christ, puts on the whole armor of God and fights manfully the battles of the Lord; he conquers self, sin and Satan, ruleth his own spirit, and thus becometh mightier than he that taketh a city, and at the close of life's conflict he can say, " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day." From the same starting-point he grows in communion with God, he enjoys fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and walks in the comfort of the Holy Ghost. United by indissoluble bonds to the great object of his adoring love, he reaches " the full assurance of faith," and in the fulness of his confidence in the promises and the grace of God, exclaims, " Who shall separate us from the love of Christ 1 Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or swordi . . . Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, I 42 THE MINISTER AT WORK. nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. viii. 35, 38, 39.) One important part of our Redeemer's purpose, which He came to accomplish directly by His own life, death and resurrection, and indirectly, through the preaching of the Gospel, was the perfecting of His saints. He placed per- fection before His disciples, as the point they were earnestly to strive to reach. He said to them, "Be ye therefore per- fect, even as your Father which is in heaven is peiiect." (Matt. V. 48.) In these words Christ did not teach that His disciples could reach the absolute perfection that can belong only to the Supreme Being. But He did insist upon this, that as their Heavenly Father was perfect as God, they were to be perfect as men. God was perfect, as the Ruler of the universe ; they were to be perfect, as His subjects. He was perfect, as a Father ; they should be perfect, as His children. God was perfect in His sphere; they should, therefore, be perfect in theirs. Adamic perfection is in some respects higher, and in other respects lower, than that into which we may be brought by the grace of God. There is much truth in the lines of Watts, ^' " In Him the tribes of Adam boast More blessing than their father lost." Of angelic perfection we know, and therefore can say, nothing. God alone is absolutely perfect. That perfection He can share with no creature. But to the true believer in Christ is given the privilege of attaining to, and manifest- ing, that Christian perfection which is the crown and excel- lence of godly manhood. THE PERFECTION OF CHRISTIAN MANHOOD. 43 The Saviour sought to perfect the whole nature of man. His purpose was faintly intimated by His dealings with the sick and infirm who were brought to Him during His earthly ministry. He seemed to be incapable of meeting with a case of human infirmity without manifesting His healing power, as the " Great Physician." In this way He dealt with physical imperfection. He healed the sick, gave speech to the dumb, hearing to the deaf, eyesight to the blind, and soundness to the lame. He cleansed the lepers, and even raised the dead. In a similar manner He dealt with mental imperfection. It made no difference to Him whether it was produced by organic defect, disease, or demoniacal possession. He rebuilt the ruined mind, reha- bilitated the dismantled manhood, and drove out the in- truding demon. Through His grace, the Great Healer cured the moral maladies of the people, forgave their sins, and changed their hearts. For this purpose He lived, died, and rose again. The fact is not sufficiently insisted upon that the salvation procured for man by the Lord Jesus Christ will renew and perfect his whole nature. The Holy Ghost illuminates the mind, the regenerating grace of God renews the heart, and through the more protracted change that shall culminate in the resurrection of the body, " this cor- ruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." The apostle's prayer for the Thessa- lonians contemplates a perfection that shall leave no part of our being out: " And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly ; and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Lest the faith of any should stagger in the presence of so comprehensive a work, he adds this promise : " Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." 44 THE MINISTER AT WORK. (1 Thess. V. 23, 24.) This purpose of Christ concerning His Church, is indicated in Paul's words to the Ephesians: "Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the "Word ; that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. V. 25-27.) This being the purpose of the Redeemer, His Word was written with a view to its accomplishment. " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.) The mind of the disciple was in entire accord with that of his Lord. Paul labored that he might " present every man perfect in Christ Jesus," and his associates in the ministry constantly kept this object in view. The multiplied agencies of the early Church harmoniously worked together for the Accom- plishment of this grand result, the uplifting and perfecting of humanity. This fact is preseated by the apostle in a mag- nificent passage in his Episile to the Ephesians (iv. 11-13) ; ** And He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfect- ing of the saints, for tho work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." In later days, agencies not mentioned in this inspired utterance have been added ; sometimt? m meet the unnecessary demands of a' superstitious hierarchy, which has degraded the ministry into an order- of magicians; THE PERFECTION OF CHRISTIAN MANHOOD. 45 sometimes to add to the pomp and circumstance of an imposing ritualism, which substitutes sacred showmen for a living ministry, and seeks to hold admiring multitudes by scenic display ; but in not a few instances they have been ^ added to increase the efficiency of the growing Church of God, and furnish her with instruments adapted to the con- stantly varying demands of a progressive aige, and therefore, when approved and used by the Holy Spirit, potent in sub- ., duing sin, and promoting holiness of heart and life. As the Christian character has been referred to as the sum of qualities which distinguish the disciples of Christ from other men, a summary of such qualities must be given, always presupposing the unseen motives and principles which underlie them. In the fifteenth Psalm, David fur- nishes us with the collective features of Old Testament godli- ness, stern and puritanic in their strength and ruggedness. " Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle f Who shall dwell in thy holy hill 1 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned ; but he honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his* own hurt and changeth not." This character stands before us like a granite wall, hard, angular, strong, immovable ; an unyielding barrier against evil ; an unfailing protection to the weak. But as the climbing plant with tender stem, beautiful leaves, and star- like flowers, covers the stony wall, softens its hard outline, and renders it attractive ; so, over the rugged strength of Old Testament integrity, are trained, by a Divine hand, the tender virtues of New Testament loveliness, leaving the 46 THE MINISTER AT WORK. older structure no less strong, but more rich and beautiful. The law-giver, standing on the sapphire heights, with the tables of stone in his hands, and the lightnings flashing above him, says, in thunder tones, " Thou must do." The Man of the New Testament, with the crown of thorns upon His brow, and His nail-wounded hands outstretched, says, in a voice tender as that of a mother, " Thou mayest love, and love is the fulfilling of the 1 w." To the loving and living Christian this instruction comes : " Add to your faith, virtue ; and to virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, tem- perance ; and to temperance, patience ; and to patience, brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kindness, charity." (2 Peter i. 5-7.) But the character of the Christian must be so developed as to adapt itself to the varied relations in which he stands in this life. Though not of the world, he is in the world, and for some time must remain in it. He will not promote either his own piety, or that of others, by withdrawing himself from human society. It must be his aim to fulfil^ in as perfect a manner as he can, the duties, and bear the responsibilities incidental to a state of probation and disci- pline. The claims of men may be as just as those of God. The double law, under which h lives, requires him to love Qod with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself. As a son, a brother, a husband, a father, he must remember the claims of each position upon him, and when placed in either, or all of them, combine natural affection with Christian principle and godly wisdom. There is a still wider cirole of dependent ones around him. The poor we have always with us. Charity calls upon him to teach the ignorant, comfort the afflicted, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and alleviate misery in every way possible. Then, too, the *' *\ THE PERFECTION OF CHRISTIAN MANHOOD. 47 *\ social circle has its demands upon him. He must not live in perpetual isolation. It is his duty and privilege to enjoy, and impart to others, the happiness arising from the exercise of the social virtues. No man can create public opinion in favor of his religion, by a reserved and distant demeanor. The chronic " sorehead " never helps the cause of Christ ex- cept when he opposes it. The cheerful, happy Christian, is the life of the social circle, and by promoting pure and pro- fitable pleasures, he removes the temptation, too prevalent at the present day, to frivolous, doubtful, or decidedly per- nicious amusements. The Christian character must be developed in connection with a still wider circle of duties. As a citizen, the subject of a government, the man of God is called upon to obey the laws, in all cases where they do not conflict with his con- scientious convictions, and to do all in his power to promote the welfare of the state. The idea of a national government involves, also, the sacrifice of a certain portion of individual liberty. He, in common with his fellow-citizens, enters into a compact, whereby authority is vested in the civil magistrate to administer laws for the regulation of the cond.uct of all ; to secure protection for the law-abiding, and punishment and restraint for those who transgress. He fears God, and honors the king. He pays the ex- penses of government— that is, the taxes — like a man, and scorns the dishonest subterfuges of the smuggler. He re- gards the franchise as a sacred trust, to be used for the good of his country, and in accordance with the principles of his religion. It is only the cowardly Christian who will shirk his responsibility as a voter, and leave the municipal, provincial, and general interests of the people in the hands of undiristian men, under the pretence of "keeping himself 48 THE MINISTER AT WORK. unspotted from tho world." Is he lifted to an administra- tive or legislative position by the suffrages of his fellow-citi- zens, or by the appointment of tho government, he will carry his piety into tho loftiest places in the land, and make the character of a Christian more widely known, and abun- dantly respected. It is our duty now to enquire what the relati^. ^t. the minister of the Gospel is to the development of Christian character? There can be no doubt that he is called of God, for the very purpose of promoting this important work. Ho cannot fulfil the duties of his high calling without leading men in the direction we have indicated. To him is given the commission to preach the Gospel ; to instruct men in the things belonging to the kingdom of God ; to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and aoctrine ; to lead them from the rudiments of the religion of Christ, to its more advanced principles ; to watch for souls as those who must give account ; and to be "an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." To him, also, are entrusted the ordinances, which he must so use and administer, as to nourish all souls that hunger and thirst for righteousness, and strengthen the weak. His position and office afford him eminent facilities for the accomplishment of the work to which we have in- vited your attention. We have reminded you that the true minister of Jesus Christ is called of God. That the apostles were specially and individually selected by the Master, is certain. Among His latest words, addressed to them before His crucifixion, are these: "I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain." (John zv. 16.) This Divine statement^ and the l! THE PERFECTION OF CHRISTIAN MANHOOD. 49 earlier account of the actual calling of the apostles, places it beyond a doubt. Saul, of Tarsus, was as directly desig- nated to the work of Uie apostleship, as any one of the faithful eleven. His commission is couched in unmistakable terms. Christ sayit of him : ** He is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." (Acts ix. 15.) He exultantly ex- claims, " Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." (Eph. iii. 8.) That the apostles, with the concurrence of the churches, appointed those only to the ministry of the Goepel, and the oversight of the Church of God, whom they deemed divinely called, is unquestionable. That this work was not an exceptional and occasional one, appears from the inspired statement that " they ordained elders in every church." The call of Go'l is as essential to the validity of the Christian ministry to-day, as it was in apostolic times. Those who choose it merely as a profession, contradict the word of God, which declares that it is a sacred " calling." Christ says that, " He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, is a thief and a robber. He only that entereth in by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep." No man has a right to bear the ark of God until it is laid upon his shoulder by the " High Priest of our pro- fession." The salvation of the world, and the establish- ment of the Christian Church, are our Lord s o>vn under- takings, and He only has the right to call to His side those whom He will honor with the privilege of working with Him. The interests of the kingdom of God are too precious to be left to the mercy of self-appointed men. Christ did not commit His infant church to the care of the Jewish 50 THE MINISTER AT WORK. I ! priests, though they were the members of a sacred caste ; nor did He request them to select His apostles for Him. They would, in all probability, have been influenced in their choice, by considerations of advantage or policy. In the exercise of His own prerogative, Christ called, commissioned, and qualified them. Their credentials were given under His own hand and seal ; what they said and did, was in His name ; and what was done to them, was considered as done to Himself. The seal of their ministry, was the power that attended it. " They went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following." (Mark xvi. 20.) Hence we see that the ministry is not a sacerdotal caste ; nor an hereditary succession, as was the Aaronic priesthood. There is no entail in this sacred estate. The Divine voca- tion is confined, neither to a family, a tribe, nor a class. Nor is there a kind of magical power transmitted through the hands of a bishop, linking generations of ecclesiastics to each other, in a so-called apostolical succession. The ap- pointment of every true minister is of God, and the gifts, the grace, and the fruit that appear in connection with his work, attest his right to a place among the honored laborers in the Lord's vineyard. The fact that the true ministers of Christ are divinely called for the very purpose of saving men from the degrad- ing results of the Fall, and leading them to a high degree of moral excellence, is an indication of the relation in which they stand to the development of Christian character. He who has called them to this sacred work, will, through their own co-operation and effort, and by His own grace and truth, qualify them for the accomplishment of this purpose. Though, in the judgment of the wise men of this world, His i 11 K "1> dt: I THE PERFECTION OF CHRISTIAN MANHOOD. 51 • t .:■ t % •*" , ■* 1 I agents are not the best that could have been selected for this work J yet, in the sight of Him who is the "Wisdom of God," they are the very men to do this great thing. Though not many wise men, after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, they are wise, and mighty, and noble, in the eyes of the Master. " But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty ; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen ; yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence." (1 Cor. i. 27-29.) In developing the characters of those for whose benefit they labor, the ministers of Jesus Christ bring out in their own lives the best traits of a sanctified manhood. The preaching of the Gospel through the lips of men is closely associated with the illustration of Christian principles in holy living. The man whose heart is filled with the love of God, whose mind is enlight' .g for the careless, and promises of reward for the ^uthfr It points out the weakness of human nature, and she omnipo- tence of God ; it indicates the littleness of human wisdom, and the omniscience of God ; it reveals the moral helpless- ness of man, and the help that comes from heaven. Out of this unfailing treasury, the Christian teacher may draw things new and old, with which to instruct, stimulate, re- strain and guide. No one knows better than the faithful minister, that his task is a superhuman one. He need not be told that, in the development of Christian character, he is but the instru- ment in the hands of God. The logic of the schools ifiay produce intellectual conviction; the resources of rhetoric may enable the skilful speaker to persuade men to improve their lives. Many personal, domestic, social, educational, political, and even ecclesiastical, reforms may be secured by purely human efforts. But men can be led in the path of holiness only by the Spirit of God. Though the apostles had been called by Christ Himself to their work ; though He had favored them with His companionship and instructions dur- ing His public life on earth ; though He had invested them with miraculous powers, and given them a special commis- sion ; yet they were powerless in the great work of saving souls, before the Holy Ghost was given them. If they were compelled to wait for such aid, how futile are the efforts of the ordinary minister of Christ, when put forth in his own strength. But the promise made to them is given to him. 58 THE MINISTER AT WORK. The Spirit lives in the hearts of His faithful servants, and, invested with His power, he may accomplish his high and holy purpose. The minister's i;elation to this work is a peculiar one. He has not only to teach men what Christian character is, but he is largely responsible for producing it in them. The ordinary instructor is required, by the conditions of his pro- fession, to teach certain facts and principles, and there his responsibility ends. But the preacher of the Gospf>l is held, to a considerable degree, accountable for results. To no one else is the rule so rigidly applied, " By their fruits ye shall know them," as to him. There is nothing in this to com- plain of. It is a righteous rule, and affords a healthy stimulus. It is his duty so to connect his life and work with supernatural forces, that God shall work in and with him. The minister who creates public opinion in favor of Jei^s Christ, who saves souls and edifies believers, is a suc- cess ; the pastor who does none of these things, is declared, by the united voices of God and man, to be a failure and an imposition. The minister who would develop true manliness in others, must himself be a man. If he is a morally weak, cringing thing, s human jellyfish, every true man will despise him. He who would have men of principle around him, must be no sickly sentimentalist, but a man of strength and vigor. In other places the trimmer may be tolerated, but he has no business in the pulpit. Like produces like. You may know what a preacher is by the men who come to hear him. As there went with the brave young Saul a band of men whose hearts God had touched, so will there gather about every true man men of kindred spirit. You may also know what a man if not, by the men who oppose him. It is not I wmm THE PERFECTION OF CHRISTIAN MANHOOD. 59 necessary that his distinctive) principles should be offensively obtruded. The individuality of some men is remarkable for its sharpness. The men who would hear us should not be repelled by our haughtiness, intolerance, or harshness. All that is harmlessly attractive in personal manners and social life, should be used to win men from the world, and draw them into godly companionship. The helping hand should be extended to all who are struggling out of their degrada- tion and sin, and trying to lead a new life. Like the Mas- ter should His ser/ants be, and He " came to seek and to save that which was lose." By the power of personal holiness ; by direct and indi- vidual exertions for the salvation of souls ; by hearty co- operation with combined and organized Christian effort ; by daily intercourse with men, and instruction in righteousness; by a brotherly bearing, as far removed from servility as from chilling officialism ; by keeping before men the perfect life of the Man of Nazareth, as an example of all goodness ; by bringing the power of His atonement to bear upon them ; and, above all, by connecting our lives and efforts with the guidance and aid of the Holy Spirit, we may accomplish, in many lives, all that was contemplated in the apostle's prayer, " Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will ; working in you that which, is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen," * •• * ^ ♦ • "^ ■i % »- f edure III. * • -» • # THE MINISTER'S WORKSHOP— IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. REV. W. J. FORD, LL.B. <- N LKCTURE III. THE MINISTER'S WORKSHOP— IN THK STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. The office of the ministry is no sinecure. The minister is a " laborer together with Gocl ;" and ouglit to be a " work- man that needeth not to be ashamed." A cardinal error, that has led to disastrous results in the Ohurch, is the emphasiz- ing of the office of the ministry, rather than the work of the ministry. A workman usually has a workshop — at least every skilled workman has — a place where tools and materials are kept, and where, by right use of the tools, the material is moulded into such shape as will meet the requirements of the plan, and merit the approval of the master workman. In the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, where the apostle Paul enumerates the different orders of workmen, we find the Pastor and Teacher combined. This was not done without a cause. There is some reason to suspect that in these days we have made the combination of terms and offices too wide. Practically we act as if the apostle had written somewhat in this wise: "For the work of the ministry he gave to each to be an apostle, and pro- phet, and evangelist, and pastor, and teacher." Whether the work cannot be better accomplished by a wise applica- tion of the economic principle of the division of labor, is 64 THE MINISTEB AT WOBK. one cf the problems now before the Church for solution. I believe that the solution is not far off. What it will be, no one can certainly say. Yet I venture to predict that it will be such as will lead, not, indeed, to a change in the plan of the Church's campaign, but to a wise readjustment of the forces in the field. Whatever division may take place, however, the authorized combination of the work of the pastor and teacher must be maintained. Evangelists may bo set apa,rt, as they are coming to be set apart in a semi- authoritative kind of way, and their work be recognized as a separate department. But the teaching and the shep- herding of the flock are not two departments. They are simply subdivisions of the same department of the work of the ministry. The pastor and teacher must be one man. Sometimes the division has been made in the case of a large central church, with a popular preacher, from whom much is expected and demanded in the pulpit. In such a case, it is considered that the pulpit work, and the nccessory preparation for it, are a sufficient strain upon one man's resources, and the pastoral work is handed over to assistant ministers. But when such a division takes place, the pulpit is not so useful, the pastoral care is not so ifficient, and the " work of the ministry " is less satisfac- torily accomplished. The division of the congregation would, in most such cases, lead to better results. It is with the minister's work as a pastor and teacher that this lecture deals. As a teacher he must do much and hard work in the study, that he may be " a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth ;" and as a pastor, his work lies among the people. I. In t/ie Study. — The miT>ister's study is a place to work, not a place to seek rest and recreation. It is distinguished .p' IN THE StUDT AND AMONG /HE PEOPLE. 65 J^ YV from the library of the man of wealth and leisure. This is a place for storing books, and for reading, for soothing and invigorating the wearied or worried mind. But that is a place where comes the unwearied mind to exert its best energies in the pursuit of truth. Of the two parts of a minister's workshop with which we are to deal we may compare the study to a laboratory, where the more or less crude material is brought, which has been picked up in every field and mine of knowledge, and where, by the action of the heat generated by mental force, it is fused, tested, as- sayed, refined, classified, and fitted to be used for practical purposes. " Among the people " may be compared to the workshop, technically so called, the place where manual labor is performed; where, not so much by mind work as by hand work, the assayed Jand refined materials are adapted and applied to those practical purposes of life which it is the minister's aim to efiect. When I speak of crude material, it is not meant that the material upon which the minister works in his study — his books — should be unrefined and not contain finished thought. The word crude is em- ployed, as we employ many other words, in a relative sense. Coal is the crude material of the gasmaker. At the gas- works they use, or ought to use, the best coal. Yet not all the coal can be converted into illuminating gas. Nor is the coke and other residuum useless for any purpose. It is simply not useful for illuminating purposes. The contents of the books upon the minister's shelves are like the coals under the shed at the gasworks. They have been laboriously dug from the deep mines of truth and knowledge ; have been broken and screened and assorted with care ; and have been put into the shape which seemed best suited to the purposes which the authors had in view. But these 66 THE MINISTER AT WORK. purposes were not the special purposes of the Christian minister. To make them serve his purpose they must be submitted to a further operation. They must be placed in the retort of his own mind ; heated by the force and motion of an active intellect ; those elements distilled from them which can be used to give spiritual light to the people, and the residuum left, not necessarily condemned as useless, but to be used by other men for other purposes. In our day the proposition of Solomon, that of " making many books there is no end," needs no argument to sustain it. With so many books pouring in uninterrupted streams from the press, and so many specially urged upon his atten- tion by flattering commendations of presumably high criti- cal authorities, the choice of books is a matter to which the minister needs to bring his most serious consideration and best wisdom. As a man with limited time at his disposal he will need to ask, which book of the possible many shall I readi And as a man of limited pecuniary means he will need to ask, which book of the possibly many shall I buy and give a permanent place upon my bookshelves 1 The latter question calls for a much closer analysis than the former. With public libraries, and libraries of Mechanics' Institutes and other associations, scattered throughout the country, most ministers have the opportunity of reading a great many more books than they can afford to buy. There may be among many books treating on a cei tain subject two which I elect to read. But I can afford to buy only one. What test must be applied to the two chosen ones to find which is the most worthy to be retained 1 The test question must not be, which one accords most with my preconceived notions, but rather, which, when at a future time I refer to it, will yield back to me, either by its state- ^v IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 67 merits ot- its suggestions, the larger proportion of the mat- ter concerning the whole subject which I originally obtained from the study of both 1 In a word, not that which fur- nishes the most pleasant reading, but that which makes the best book of reference, must receive the preference in purchasing. In speaking of the books which must form the materials of the minister's work in the study, we must give first and chief place to the Bible. Not because propriety demands that we profess to regard it with becoming reverence as a sacred thing ; but because, without regard to what it may be to other people, to the Christian minister it is supremely important, as furnishing him with the necessary ingredients of the food wherewith he is to feed the flock. He is a man who professes to be called to preach, and the command comes to him xs it came to Timothy, " Preach the Word." No amount of knowledge gathered from other quarters will to him stand in lieu of that thorough familiarity with Scrip- ture which only frequent reading and careful and diligent study can give. Nor will familiarity with the outward letter do. He must understand the anatomy of the parts, their relations to one another, and the hidden, but not less real spiritual ligaments which bind them into one harmonious body of living truth. He must " study " if he would show himself '*a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." The preacher may be faulty in his rhetoric, and unscientific in his theology, without losing caste with the masses of his hearers. But let him show himself unskilful or unready in handling the " sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," let him be halting and inaccurate in quotation, and unapt in its application, and he will, sooner or later, fall in the estimation of those whom he has been set to teach. 6d THE MINISTER AT WORK. Not only is the Bible itself the principal book to be studied, but it is that in respect to which all. other books must be studied. Any book, and any branch of study is important and profitable to the minister in proportion to the extent to which it casts light upon the Bible, or disciplines and in- vigorates the mind, the better to grasp the truths which it contains. There are few branches of knowledge from which the minister may not gather some fruit fit for his purpose. It may not be amiss to enumerate some of these, with a few remarks upon each, showing their special uses to the s\;udent of God's word. I will try to arrange them in the order of their importance, though the measure of the im- portance of some of them does not vary much. Besides, there is no arbitrary order or measure. Each student will feel like making some changes to suit his own views and idiosyncrasies. The first place will, of course, be given to theology. Tlieology may be defined as the science of the Bible. It is the result of attempts made, from time to time, to sys- tematize and scientifically define the contents of Holy Writ. Possibly this has been, in some instances, and to some extent, carried too far. Any attempt to give exact defini- tion to the infinite and unknown must result in failure. And herein lies the secret of the failure of many theolo- gians. A definition is a word or form of words whose con- notation is equivalent to that which is defined. In a word, it is an equation. To solve an equation it is necessary to eliminate unknown quantities by expressing them in terms of the known. But in some of the great problems with which theology deals, there enter unknown quantities which refuse thus to be resolved. Their value cannot be exactly expressed. There is nothing to do but to state them ap- ii IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 69 .. proximately in terms of the known, and wait patiently for the hereafter, when we shall know the things which we know not now. Only let us never forget that these are but approximations, and carefully guard against the temptation to draw from these approximative and, therefore, inexact and unscientific, expressions, conclusions which profess to be scientific and exact. The Bible opens up to our view like a vast and varied landscape of hill and valley, woodland and prairie, within which God has stored resources sufficient to sustain the life of the people. To some minds it seems more poetic and more breezy to roam over this landscape free and untrammelled as the untutored Indian in his native wild. But superior wisdom says. No; the greatest good of the greatest number demands that the resources of this district be cultivated and developed. To be developed to the best advantage they must be developed scientifically and system- atically. In working toward such result, the first man on the ground is the surveyor. His first work is to define a base line, and determine his principal angles. Then, either parallel to this base line, or making the proper angles with it, all other lines are surveyed and staked out. So that, when this work is complete, the settler, though he may be an unlearned man and ignorant of the mysteries of mathe- matics, may profit by the result of the surveyor's work. He may safely go to the examination of the country. He may, perchance, find himself in a dense woodland, where the interlaced branches and leaves overhead almost obscure the sunlight ; or he may again find himself in some wide, ex- tended plain, with not a tree in sight to form a landmark. But, wherever he may be, he is not far from some stake left by the surveyor, by which he may easily locate his position and its relation to, and direction from, any other point in 70 THE MINISTER AT WORK. the district. The Bible, I say, is such a land. The learned and devout theologian is the surveyor, whose work is to stake out the land of Bible truth, so as to show the bounr daries and relations of its parts. He will so put down his stakes and draw his lines as to show that this portion of Scripture, which by itself defines nothing, as a single point makes no boundary, yet in relation to that and other por- tions, does with them form the evident boundaries of some well-defined Christian doctrine. The Bible is said to con- tain difficulties. But it will be found that if we begin by getting certain main lines of Christian truth properly located and fixed, most, if not all, the contents of the Bible will fall into harmonious relations with these, and difficulties, as such, will disappear. The twisting and warping of Scrip- ture, which some resort to, and the difficulties they encoun- ter, flow from the fact that their base lines and corner angles are wrong. One way has been referred to in which theology is apt to fail, by attempting to give, in terms of the known, exact and scientific definitions of the unknown. The Athanasian Creed is a distinguished example of lament- able failure in this direction. Receive a word of warning against possible mistakes in another direction. The con- tents of the Bible is infallible truth; the survey of the theologian is the work of fallible human reason, and may be inaccurate. As in every country there are certain natural features of the landscape, rivers and mountain ranges, which form natural boundaries which the surveyor respects ; so in the Bible are found some boundary lines which God has drawn — some clear and limpid stream of plain and consa- cutive teaching evidently meant to mark the definite boun- dary of some Christiai} doctrine — some lofty peaks of plain commandment, which run up against the sky, and point to ^I > IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 71 an unmistakable " thus saith the Lord." We should never attempt to turn aside these divinely marked lines^ in order to force them to square with the arbitrary lines of our own theology. Let us not dig a ditch, and turn a singing stream into a muddy canfa.1, so that it may run in the direction of some preconceived notion. We should rather go back and re-form our angles, even re-survey our base lines, and give them a different direction, in order to make the arbitrary lines of theology harmonize with the natural bounds which God has given, where such are found. As theology stands thus so closely related to the Bible — the word of truth which must form the basis of the minister's teaching, its importance to him when properly understood and properly guarded, cannot be overestimated. Grammar will occupy the second place in our list. The word is used here in its widor and less common meaning — the science of language in general. We used to speak more than we do now of Grammar Schools, meaning schools in which languages, and especially the classical languages, are taught. There is, perhaps, no need that in this connection such knowledge of the rules of construction of our own tongue, as will lead to correct speech in the pulpit, should be insisted on. Though even here we may be allowed to en- ter a caveat against the too common use of slipshod English^ a bad example of which is furnished in a good deal of tlie newspaper writing of the day. Indeed, examples of it are so common in what we read and what we hear, that unless they be diligently guarded against they will almost unconsciously affect the form in which we clothe our own thoughts. It is sometimes said that such forms, if not quite correct, are yet popular, and conform^to the usage of the common people, and hence will be better understood by them. This is a T2 THE MINISTER AT WORK. mistake. Qrammatical rules that govern the use of words and the construction of sentences, are not arbitrary. They are founded upon custom, or long usage of the best speakers and writers. This usage has obtained the authority of law, because words used and sentences framed according to such rules have been found by long experience to be best adapted clearly to convey thought. Persons unskilled in expressing thought in this way, will nevertheless more clearly perceive the thought when thus expressed. A man may be no artist, and yet may like to look upon a beautiful picture rather than a mere daub. Our message will never be more appre- ciated, nor more clearly understood — even by an unlearned hearer — than when it is conveyed to him in those forms of language which have been purified in the crucible of criti- cism, and sanctified by long use in classic authors. To gain such knowledge of language as will lead to its correct use, it is necessary to study not only rules but forms. To do this, read the best works of the best authors in the field of general literature — poetry, fiction, essays, biography, and history. Try to find out *he qualities in them which re- commended them to the position they occupy. Mark how they use their words: not using the most sonorous, but the most sententious; not the most highly colored, but the most transparent: never juggling with them, by using them now in one sense, now in another, as a conjurer juggles with a coin — now you see it, now you don't — per- haps amusing an audience, but never giving instruction. Learn how they form their sentences, making them terse and inteUigible, as well as graceful and attractive. Do not study jsuch for the sake of slavishly copying the manner- ifma of any ; but for the purpose of cultivating a correct tiaste, which will be a trusted guide to the mind in con- IN THE STUDT AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 78 • ■ .• 6eiving thought, and to the tongue and pen in giving it ex- pression. But the principal purpose in introducing this study of language here, is not so much to insist upon its importance as leading to a correct use of words and sen- tences, so much as to point out its importance in helping to a correct interpretation of them as used by others, and especially by the writers and translators of Gk)d's Word. Here, also, we must first speak of the importance of a thorough mastery of our own language ; and not only of the current uses, but also of the derivation and history of the growth of words and forms of speech. We have to in- terpret the English Bible, which, in the version now in use, conforms to the usage of nearly three hundred years ago. Meantime the language has grown, as every living thing grows. Some words have died, as leaves die and fall from a living tree ; and some have sprung into being; and others have sloughed o.T old meanings and taken on new ones. Great as are the changes which have taken place and are taking place in the language, and increasingly imperfect as the present English Bible will become, it is the version which you and I will probably have to use and interpret during the period of our ministry. There is no doubt that at no very distant day a new translation will be produced which will conform to the usages and needs of the present time, and will supplant King James' Version. But it will probably come after more than one attempt and failure, like the recent one, and a generation will perhaps pass away before success is attained. Meantime our study of our own language must be of such a character as will qualify us cor- rectly to interpret the old version. Here again an acquaint- ance with the masterworks of English literature, and the knowledge of words and their uses which it brings, is useful BB 74 THE MINISTER AT WORK. and important. The translators did not use the words of the English tongue in any mystical or sacred sense, because they were using them in a sacred book. They did not take certain words and lift theui out of their common use and meaning, an J put into them a ystical or special meaning. They rather sought to clo ohe sacred things in the every-day garb of pure but homely phrase, that they might attract the common people. The language they used was the language of the English people of that day. It was the language of Shakespeare, and Milton, and Spenser, and the other great writers whose works have come down to us. How do these men use words 1 With what meaning 1 We find this out by carefully studying their works; and tlien, with some con- fidence, we apply the same meanings to the same wo ids in the English Bible. Next in order to our own tongue will come those from which our own has derived its origin, or from which it has been fed in its growth. There is scarcely need to dwell upon the Teutonic languages. However interesting the study of them may be, and even profitable to those who have the time to devote to them, yet the benefit the minis- ter or tlie rjan preparing for the ministry would derive from the dilficult study would be in small proportion to the time and labor they would cost. It is different with the Latin. The benefit accruing to a minister from the study of this language is twofold. First, as so many words in modern English are derived from the Latin, an acquaint- ance with it will greatly aid in arriving at an accurate understanding of our native tongue. I well remember a remark made to me in my school days by Rev. J. McClure, who, at that time, was rector of the Peterborough Grammar School. It was just after the closing exercises of the school, J-. IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 76 >l « before breaking up for the summer vacation. He met me in one of the corridors of the building, and was persuading me to take up the study of Latin when the school should reassemble after the vacation. " It will not only," said he, " introduce you to a new and attractive field of study, but will be of the greatest service to you in helping you to a correct understanding of your Lnglish grammar, just as algebra eniarges your understanding of arithmetic." He was right, as I found by experience on following his advice. Second, its importance is attested by the fact that state- ments of Christian doctrine, as they have come down to us, have been, to a great extent, run in Latin moulds, and set in Latin terms. The genesis of Christianity was Hebrew. It was rocked in a Grecian cradle. But it passed a sturdy youth in its progress up to maturity, under tli tutorship of Latin influences. During the early centuries. Christian doctrine seems to have remained in a more or less fluid state. When at length it showed signs of increasing rigidity, and threatened to assume some permanent form, it was into matrices of Latin shape it was run ; and before it became quite hardened it received the lasting imprint of a Latin terminology. This being the case, we have not far to go to reach the conclusion that such knowledge of the Latin language and literature as will lead to correct knowledge of Latin words and their just uses, as well as lead to some familiarity with Latin modes of thought, must be of the greatest service in casting light upon the path of historical theology. It will give, sometimes, a key to unlock the fold- ing doors that have divided men in controversy. It will furnish a clew to unravel the mystical entanglements into which theology fell in pre-Beformation and early Reforma- tion times ; and will lead to a truer understanding, and issassm 76 THE MINISTER AT WORK. hence a more correct use of the terms which are employed even yet in stating Christian doctrines. If so much can be said for the Liatin, what cannot we say in praise of the study of Greek and Hebrev 1 Can we say too much, or overestimate their importance to a Bible student ? No one can fail to find attraction in these lan- guages, if only on account of the many hallowed associa- tions connected with them. Hebrew was the language of the patriarchs and prophets. We get familiar with its sounds, and we seem to have reproduced the very sounds which fell on Abraham's ear when God called him in Meso- potamia to leave his father's house ; the very words in which he framed his great resolve to go out, not knowing whither he went. Here are the characters traced by the finger of God on the tables of stone — characters in which was written the record of the Covenant, to be laid up behind the mercy-seat, over which hovered the light of the Shekinah. Here are the very words in which the melodious songs of David, the lofty strains of Isaiah, and the mournful cadences of Jeremiah found expression. And then there is the Greek — the language of the New Covenant. In this has been wntten the sacred and inspired record of the mighty works and mightier words of Him who came to bring life and immortality to light. This is the language of Paul, in which he wrote those letters of his which form that particular shaft of the mine of truth up which has been lifted, sometimes with much difiiculty, the gold-bearing quartz from which has been extracted so large a part of our systematic theology. But it is not merely the sacred and poetic associations which cluster around these languages which give to them their importance in relation to the studies of a minister. It is rather the great help they afford IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 77 "^* #' • « him in the work of interpreting the Scriptures. The very best translation is, after all, only a translation, and apt to be more or less colored by the preconceptions and pre- judices of the translator. To be able to go behind this and take a look for ourselves at the original record, is of very great advantage. It is not that any of us may pretend to greater learning and skill than the translators of our English Bible. But it is a satisfaction to be able to verify their work. And as there are confessed imperfections in that work, it is something to be able (as saith the title page of King James' Version) diligently to compare the word in the original tongues with the former translations. And as we occupy a different and more advanced standpoint we may compare many views, and from a wider induction get a more correct conclusion. The art of writing may be compared with the art of photography. As this produces copies of material, so that produces copies of mental, objects. The original Scriptures were a copy of certain contt ''s of the Divine mind, made with human, and, consequently imper- fect, though inspired instruments. A photograph made froni a copy reproduces and exaggerates, as well as adds to the imperfections of the orginal copy. So every translation of the Scriptures reproduces and exaggerates as well as adds to the imperfections of the original. It is well known that the art of photography has so advanced and improved that a mere amateur can do much better work now than the most skilled artist could do in former days. So in this mental photography, so much better light has been obtained, so much have the mists of false theories and inadequate in- vestigation cleared away, so much has the apparatus of study been improved, that with access to the original copies 78 THE MINISTER AT WORK. and fair equipment the amateur student can produce good results. I am glad that in these days the importance of being able to read the Scriptures in the originals is being more generally recognized, and authorii/atively urged upon the candidates for our ministry. It was too long delayed. You may, perhaps, find even yet discouragement in pursu- ing these studies coming from some quarters. But if you will take the advice of one who with every passing year increasingly feels the advantage of some acquaintance and the disadvantage of too meagre an acquaintance with these sources of knowledge, you will strive, if possible, in the days of your opportunity to lay hold of at least the elements of Hebrew ; but in any case, steadily stick to your Greek. You may not hope to rival Dr. Porsons' extensive and exact knowledge of all its intricate details, nor to speak it with the fluency of Thomas De Quincy. But if you gain even such limited mastery over it as to read your Greek Testament with ease and pleasure, and handle your lexicon with some degree of skill and discrimination, you will have a heritage of blessing which will grow and ripen in your hands, and greatly eniich your equipment for the good work of rightly dividing the word of truth. More briefly now reference will be made to some branches of study which, while they do not so directly bear upon a minister's work, yet are indirectly useful in fitting him for his work. First among these may be mentioned the much maligned metaphysics. It has been fashionable in many quarters to refer to this study as dealing with a dreamland of unverifiable mysteries. To purblind materialism this may seem true. But how can we close our eyes to all those phenomena of our being which so positively re- fuse to conform to physical laws? I have long felt IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 79 > K\ v,T -> r.. a growing dissatisfaction with the tendency manifested in some of our Christian colleges unduly to exalt physical above metaphysical studies. " After physics," indeed, but certainly not inferior. The scale of knowledge is an ascend- ing one, from the lower to the higher, and we find meta- physics after physics because it is superior, occupying a higher plane and more honorable position. Shall the laws which govern the production of an amoeba be more im- portant than the laws which govern the operations of thought and will ? Shall even the motions of the stars in their mighty rounds be more worthy our consideration than the struggling motions of an intelligence striving to attain the highest possibilities of its being ? "I keep my body under," said Paul. Who is this Ego, Paul, who rides tri- umphant over all of thee that we can see with our eyes or handle with our hands 1 Is it not the mind and spirit 1 As we contemplate that contest which Paul so graphically presents to us, and further consider that all around us as well as in us similar contests for mastery are going on, which will seem more worthy of study, this subjected physi- cal corpus, or the dominant metaphysical Ego ? Religion deals chiefly with the " inner man ;" and as the work of the ministry includes exhorting and inciting men to arm themselves and enlist in this war of subjugation' against the flesh, some acquaintance with that branch of philosophy which deals with the " scientific knowledge of mental pheno- mena " must appear necessary, and cannot fail to be help- ful. I do not wish to be understood as decrying physical studies. I only argue, "Whether, after all, a larger meta- physics might not help our physics." " The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are ckiarly seen, being understood by the things that •I 80 THE MINISTER AT WORK. are made, even His eternal power and Godhead." We have then, in the material or physical world, another revela- tion of God, which the Bible, so far from being jealous of, recognizes and commends. They surely cannot understand the methods of the Bible, who show jealousy lest research after the laws which govern the phenomena of physical nature will weaken the foundations of religion. History shows" how men's ideas of God became more clear and cor- rect, in proportion as their knowledge of the things which are seen advanced. The wonderful variations of nature led men of old to imagine a variety of gods — a presiding divinity over every separate class of phenomena. The breaking up of this polytheism, and the spread of the truth of one God, was concurrent with a recognition of uniformity under all the variations of nature. Still, men could only con- ceive the idea of God under the influence of a very strong anthropomorphic tendency. If there was not one God for the rivers, and another for the winds, and another for the flowers, then the one God must be many-handed to do it all. All natural objects were supposed to be hand-made ; the flowers and the sunset hand-paint<^dl Then when observ- ant men began to generalize and discover that all nature conformed to apparently unalterable laws ; that each indi- vidual of r jlass and every succession of a kind seemed to be regularly and constantly produced and reproduced in changeless order as governed by changeless law, a great fear took hold of good men lest they were going to be led up to something that would take away the glory from God, if not do away with Him altogether. How slow men have been to recognize that they were only being led up to higher and more worthy conceptions of the Deity. Men are ready to see and confess that the invention and improvement of the ^.t i ^.» *1 IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 81 sceam printing press shows greater genius and skill than that possessed by the cleverest of the monkish copiers of illuminated manuscripts. Yet how dull they have been to see that it adds to the glory of God to conceive Him as the great Being behind and above all law, whose infinite wis- dom and eternal power could form a physical universe and set it in motion, so that it might go on through all time, subject to simple but effective laws, without a serious jar, and without being constantly tinkered at and interfered with. Let the research proceed. Let the generalization become wider. Let them, if they can, reduce all natural phenomena under one great law of Evolution. We may rest assured that no hypothesis concerning "the things that are made " will be finally verified, but what will make more clear "the invisible things of Him," and more and more exalt and magnify our ideas of "His eternal power and God- head." An acquaintance with the results of all physical discovery, instead of being avoided, should be diligently courted by him who would learn the things of God and in- crease the knowledge of God among the people. If nothing else gave importance to such studies this would, that they open up a whole storehouse of facts which form apt illus- trations of religious truth — illustrations than which none are more appreciated by intelligent hearers. Law is a study which is the special pursuit of a sepa- rate profession. Yet from this field something may be gathered profitable to the Christian minister and suitable for his work. "All law," said Demosthenes, " is the inven- tion and the gift of God." Do we not recognize God as the great lawgiver of the universe 1 Does not His revelation take the form of law 1 What is the Bible but " the Book of the Law of God 1 " Let the divinity student read out to 82 THE MINISTER AT WORK. the outskirts of the region of theological lore, and he will find but a line dividing it from the region of law. Even this line will sometimes be hard to trace, so much do the two seem to overlap each other. A science so closely related to the one which is peculiarly his own, can hardly fail to have a fascination for a minister if he once enters upon its study. He will find that it will cast many strong side-lights upon some phases of Biblical truth; will interpret more clearly many Scriptural references ; and will furnish him with a good fund of illustrations for pulpit use. Some no- tion of the growth and principal contents of the constitu- tion and jurisprudence of his own country is necessary to every man who aspires to be considered a useful and well- informed citizen, and a useful and well-informed citizen a minister should pre-eminently be. Any minister will be amply repaid for giving a careful perusal to some one of the standard commentaries on the laws of England. There are some branches of law, however, that are worthy of attention as bearing more directly upon a minister's work. Any min- ister who has charge of a congregation or a circuit is liable to be called upon at any time to occupy the position of pre- siding judge at a church trial. How necessary at such a time is an acquaintance with the law of evidence, compris- ing those rules for distinguishing the true from the false, the admissible from the inadmissible, which coufs ol I^iw, from long experience, have found most cor.dr.civc to ihc ends of justice. Another part of a minister's work 's ti»© care and oversight of church property. All su> h ps. jir--ity is of necessity held upon trust, and its tenure is subiic t. to certain special Acts of Parliament made in that behalf. How reprehensible is continued ignorance of the general principles of the law of trusts, as well as such particular * ^p# n • IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 83 statutes, in one who is an ex officio chairman of a board of trustees. A very intelligent lawyer, a member of our church, whom I once had to consult on a question concerning church property, said to me, that there were many parcels of church property in this province, the titles to which had been brought into a state which would not bear close legal scrutiny, through ignorance, on the part of ministers and trustees, of the law which governs the tenure of such property. Logic and mathematics may be mentioned together, be- cause that which renders them valuable is the same in both, viz., that they lead to the formation of habits of exactness in thought and expression. The greater the interest in- volved, the more is accuracy of statement called for. Can any interests exceed in importance and gravity those which depend upon the success of a minister's work? The real good of lives, and the destiny of immortal souls are in the balance. Looseness in the presentation of truth is as much to be avoided as the introduction of error. The smooth-boie gun may be pointed with as true an aim, but it will not carry a ball so certainly to the target as the rifled cannon. Notwithstanding the great improvement in methods of education, and notwithstanding the broadening of old fields, and opening up of new fields of learning, which recent years have produced, yet these studies have never been superseded, and probably never will be superseded, as instruments for cultivating the mind better to acquire, and better to make use of, knowledge. Social and political economy involve questions that are not only interesting to the student, but are of grave import- ance to the people. They are to-day agitating the minds of large masses of men. And in spite of conservative eflforta T 34 THE MINISTER AT WORK. to hush them, they are being vigorously pushed to the front, and are clamorously demanding answer. Such questions are not excluded from the Bible, and they fall within the sphere of a minister's legitimate work. Goodly numbers of the people look up to the ministers of religion as their guides and teachers with respect to what are their best interests in this life, as well as the life which is to come. It is of vital importance that such teachers should be prepared, in case such questions become burning questions in their congrega- tions and neighborhoods, to give some scientific and satis- factory instruction concerning them ; something that will be not merely a sedative to the people's excitement, but a satisfaction to their intelligence. It is said of the Master, that "the common people heard Him gladly." If His min- isters in these days are to maintain the same supremacy over the common people, and win from them a glad hearing and hearty reception for the Gospel, then must they be able to throw the clear light of the Gospel upon those social and economic questions which, from time to time, so deeply stir the masses. It is greatly to be feared the reason why such topics have become instruments in the hands of godless demagogues, to lead numbers of the laboring classes away from the Christ who loves them, and who won their kind of old, into the arid deserts of unbelief, is that they have not received adequate treatment from the Christian pulpit. Such questions as those arising out of the ever-increasing distance between the rich and the poor, and the more and more embittered contests between capital and labor, or rather between capitalists and laborers, lie not only nearer to the interests of the people, but nearer to the heart of the Gospel, than differences between tweedle-dum and tweedle- dee, which receive from some so much attention, and occupy ■< ♦V-* I ,1*===. '' iij THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 85 • I* SO much time. A minister can only treat such subjects satisfactorily when he understands them. He can only understand them by study. He can only study them suc- cessfully by first acquainting himself with th'} results of the study of men who have been able to make a specialty of them. The last class of books which I shall mention, as worthy of a place among a minister's materials of study, consists of those which treat on the subject of medicine. I do not place this last because I am persuaded it is of least import- ance, but because I. could not quite satisfy myself as to the relative place which it ought to occupy. One thing is clear : a minister has no right to interfere with, or stand in the place of, the physician. He will find it dangerous to pre- scribe, in cases of acute diseases, either for his own family or for his people. But a knowledge of some things involved in the science of medicine is necessary, not so much to cure disease as to preserve health. Good health — a sound mind in a sound body — is almost a sine qua non for a successful minister. With the body, as well as with the spirit, we must glorify God. Disease is tied up in the bundle with sin. Even what is called hereditary disease is but the shape in which the threat is fulfilled, that the iniquity of the fathers is visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. No person can live without sin who is negli- gent of his own health, or the health of his family. And no minister can be faithful to his trust to preach righteousness who never teaches and enforces the laws of health. It is not meant to be implied that all the branches of study here enumerated should be exhaustively or even exten- sively studied. But some one or more standard works in each of them will find a fitting place upon a minister's bookshelves. 7 S::4 86 THE MINISTER AT WORK. Something more than books must go to make up a minis- ter's apparatus of study. He must have and use writing materials. Without these any man can be a reader, but few men can be students. Most books that a minister reads are, or should be, read with a view to the better under- standing of his Bible and the better instruction of his people. Many ways have been suggested for making the results of reading more available for these purposes. One of the best, if not the best, is indexing the Bible. For this it is necessary to have a Bible specially for the study table. It should 1)e of good size without being so large as to be cumbersome. Large duodecimo is, perhaps, the best size. It should have specially wide margins to give room for writing. Then it is necessary to have a numbered cata- logue of the books in the library, and the apparatus is com- plete. In reading a book, if anything be found which throws light upon any text or passage of Scripture— it may be a sermon, or a thought which suggests a sermon, or an apt illustration — that text is turned up in the Bible, and an entry made in the margin in the form of a vulgar frac- tion, the numerator of which indicates the number of the book in the catalogue, and the denominator the page on which the matter noted is found. In the course of years, it will be found that around the more familiar texts that bear on Christian doctrine and duty a great number of reference marks will accumulate. And, if at any time it be found expedient to preach from such text, the whole resources of the library bearing upon that text will be immediately available. This plan, however, is only useful with such parts of the contents of the books as are referable to particular passages of the Bible. It is often desirable, after reading a book, IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 87 •> •^ M •»■*■' ■•, •> II • to have its contents so tabulated and arranged as to be easily reviewed, or so that any part may with little difficulty be recalled and referred to. In some books this is provided for in excellent indices which are appended to them. It would be much to the advantage of students if this were more generally done. Where this is not found to hand, it is a good thing for one to make an index for one's self. This may easily be done by a little care and attention during the reading of a book. It may be written on the flyleaves ; and if sufficient of these have not been inserted by the binder, others may, by the help of a little paste, be easily and neatly added. Sometimes it is desirable to retain a summary of the entire treatment of the subject of a book, rather than a fragmentary index. In this case, a judicious use of the pen or pencil in the margin will leave footmarks by which the course of thought may be rapidly retraced, and the attention arrested at any desired point. A still better way is to underscore certain sentences, or phrases, or even words, which are suggestive and belong to the essence of the theme. It is iiecessary to see that the successive words or sentences mo,rked have a proper relation to each other, and that the oi*der of thought is not seriously broken. Oare must be taken not to mark too much, or the purpose will be defeated. If the work done be the result of real study, and it be done with discrimination, it will be found on review- ing the book that, as the leaves are turned over, the eye will naturally rest on the marked passages, and that an excellent summary will be had in the author's own words, and with- out disfiguring the pages. The average minister, as has been said, will read a great many more books than he will be able to buy. In the case of a borrowed book the foregoing methods cannot be sCdopted. ! > 68 THE MINISTER AT WORK. Yet it may be desirable to retain more of the results of reading than an ordinary memory can keep without help. If the reading of such a book is to be more than a passing pleasure, if it is to result in a permanent acquisition for future use, resort will necessarily be had to the note-book. In some cases, all that will be necessary to do will be to transcribe some striking passages — the choice thoughts and expressions of the book — that may be useful for quotation. In other cases, it will be desirable, as before, to retain so much as will on review bring before the mind the entire theme and its treatment. For this purpose the only way is to carefully analyze the book, chapter by chapter or section by secUon, as the book is gone through, writing down the result. When the book is finished and returned, the note-book will contain all that will be necessary to refresh the memory as to its contents. An admirable example of such work is found in the analysis of Watson's " Theological Institutes," which used to be printed in the American edition of that work, and which was such a boon to many a student in the old days, before Watson had been superseded by the newer lights. Besides making permanent what would otherwise be but fugitive results of study, such work of analyzing and summarizing will prove a valuable exercise for purposes of mental discipline. The finished product of a minister's work in the study is the sermon. With that he goes into the pulpit — a sphere of his work which it does not fall within the scope of this lecture to discuss. The sermon is the shape in which his teaching is conveyed to the people. Having worked over the material within his reach, having stored it in his memory and assimilated it in his mind, he must reduce it to this particular b^ape, in order that it may be imparted to the ^ --^ IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 8d 4r people, and produce the final result looked ror — the perfect- ing of men in Christ. Some rf^marks, then, on the compo- sition of the sermon, will be appi-opriato. And first, as to the choice of texts. A sermon difiers from any other com- position chiefly in this : that it is based upon, and is an ex- position and an enforcement of, some part of God's Word. Without this there may be moral, and even religious, essays conveying truths, but they are not, in the proper sense, sermons. Nor is it any more a sermon, strictly speaking, because a few words are prefixed to it, as a kind of motto, something as essayists and novelists sometimes prefix to their chapters quotations from the poets. It is not enough to form the distinction that these words are in the Bible. They are also in the dictionary. A text, be it long or short, should contain a complete statement of religious truth. This may be contained in few words, but never in one word, however important and sententious that word may be. You may desire to preach, say, on the subject of Repentance. But the word " repentance " is not a proper text, though you may cite chapter and verse for it twenty times. J contains no statement. You may define the word, and prove and illustrate the doctrine expressed by it, and have a fair specimen of a theological essay, bu**- not a sermon. But take some complete statement of Script.^ re concerning repentance, as, for example : " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." This calls for your doctrinal definition and illustration as before. But these are only preliminary to what makes the gist of the sermon, the enforcement upon the consciences of the hearers of the Bible statement that this, which has been defined and illustrated, is necessary to their salvation. The Bible is not a storehouse of talismanic phrases. It is a series of statements of religious truth. In 1^ \\ ..1i^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGliT (MT-3) 4^^> 1.0 |L25 ■J u 140 25 2.2 20 L4 11.6 6" FholDgFaphic Sdeuces GorporatiaQ n WBT MAM STRKT «MKIM,N.V. 14SM (71«)t73.4S03 ^^ c^ X 90 THE BnNISTER AT WORK. preaching, we should remember the admonition to rightly divide the word of truth. In cutting out a section for a text, be careful to divide the Word at the joints. Having chosen the text, it is necessary first to make sure what is the truth set forth in that text, and what the scope arid limitations of the statement made concerning it. It is not enough that the things said in the sermon are true in them- selves. They should be within the scope of the text, and base themselves upon it. The next thing is the analysis of the text, and the arrangement of the matter in the order in which it is to be presented. This order sliould be a natural and logical one, so that each point will flow naturally out of the one preceding, and as naturally suggest the one that follows. This will make the presentation of truth much more clear to the hearer, as well as cause it to be more readily retained in the memory. Bat, above all, see that they are points, so that when pushed home they will prick the conscience and reach the heart. The next question that arises is, Shall the sermon be written 1 And if so, how fully 1 I, perhaps, cannot do bet- ter here than to draw upon my own experience. It has been somewhat varied. I be^ran by writing sketches ; barely writing down the heads of the sermon in proper order, with, perhaps, a suggestion of the illustrations whidi were to be employed. The advantage which arises from this plan is, that it cultivates the power and habit of thinking 'vhen be- fore an audience, something of great importance to a suc- cessful public speaker. But disadvantages were discovered in the method, which led to its rejection. The mind being very active during the delivery, and not being placed under limitation by a careful fixing of the details under each head, was apt to demand expression for everything which was IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 91 presented to it ; or, on the other hand, if the mind halted and failed at once to grasp a point presented to it, the habit developed of talking around it awhile in order to get hold of it. Whichever difficulty arose, the consequent faults were the same, viz., repetition, and a certain crudity of thought, and redundancy of words, which were apt to pro- duce tediousness. Long sermons, of which complaint is sometimes made, almost always result from this mode of preparation. The next experiment, which went to th(5 other extreme, was to write the sermon in full, just as it was to be deliv- ered. By this the faults of the previous plan were, of course, avoided. The sermon could be limited to a certain length. It could, if necessary, be cut down judiciously, the least important parts being shortened or omitted. A certain finish could be given both to the thought and expression which would be got only by long practice, and by some men never got, by the purely extempore style. But faults of another kind, not less grave, were developed. The whole thought of the sermon having been gone over, and couched in carefully selected language, a natural desire arose to de- liver it in just this best form. To do this is straining work upon the memory. Memory must not only retain and re- produce in the pulpit a certain train of thought, but also a great multitude of words. If under the burden memory happens to fail, the ^ther powers of the mind, not having been prepared for the emergency, fail to fill it, and the con- sequences are disastrous. This danger can be reduced to a minimum by careful and laborious memorizing. But who has not found such memorizing tedious and heartless work f And even when endured, it is apt to produce a somewhat stilted manner of delivery. 92 THE MINISTER AT WORK. Another fault about sermons written in full ^s that they are less useful for preservation and future use. Any man of studious habits will be conscious of a constant mental development. Under the influence of the heat and action of thought and study the faculties of the mind unfold, as the petals of a rose unfold and shed their increased fra- grance under the influence of the summer sun. Conse- quently we find, when looking over a sermon a few years after its first delivery, that we have grown beyond it, and that it needs amendment both in some of its thought and some of its expressions. In a fully written sermon it is hard either to amend the language, or change the order of thought, or. introduce new matter without recasting and rewriting the whole. The observation of these things led me more and more to curtail the amount of written matter, until at length, in orthodox Aristotelian fashion, I struck upon what seemed to me perfection in the mean between the two plans mentioned. My present plan, which for years has proved quite satis- factory, and has called for no change, is to make from four to six pages of not over-closely written manuscript, using quarto post paper. This amount of manuscript may be read in six or eight minutes, and contains enough for a sermon that will take thirty minutes to deliver. This is not a mere outline. It is rather a summary. The line of thought is fully indicated, and all that is to be said under each head is condensed and summarized. One or two sentences in each department, such as will contain the gist and weight of the thought, are furnished in the form in which they are to be uttered, and the condensed summary of the rest will con- tain the principal words which will give character and force to the other sentences, the full form of which will come at ^ < » * • "-^ ♦ ♦ IN THE STUDY hHl> AMONG THE PEOPLE. 93 ••^ the time of delivery. The advantages which accrue from this plan are many. It is no burden to an ordinary memory to retain and recall all that is necessary of what is on the paper. Sufficient scope is given for the introduction of new thoughts which may be suggested during delivery, or for varying the form of expression, if the occasion seem to de- mand it. Sufficient dependence is placed upon other powers of the mind than memory, to cause them to be on the alert and ready for action if requireti, even to supply the emer- gency which may possibly arise from a lapse of memory. Memory with the order and words written, will be active to guide, support, and limit the action of conception and ima- gination; but it does not so completely absorb the atten- tion as to prevent the conceptive faculty from enlarging the thought, or the imagination from throwing fresher or more vivid coloring into the picture. This supplies also the most useful form in which to preserve the sermons for future use. It is sufficiently full, that after the lapse of years there will be no difficulty ir. recalling the whole body of the thought, together with the principal lan- guage employed in giving expression to it. It need hardly be said that such a manuscript is neither suitable nor in- tended for use in the pulpit. As to the best way to preserve the manuscripts, many prefer to write the sermons in blank books large enough to cont&in a good number, which will be thus kept together. A more excellent way is to use loose sheets of paper and preserve them in envelopes. Each sermon is neatly folded and put in an envelope, which should be of large size. Into this envelope may be put, at any future time, clipping from newspapers, or slips of paper on which are written the title and page of a book where something useful may be found 94 THE MINISTER AT WORK. bearing upon the same topic, or brief manuscript notes con- taining suggestions of a new line of treatment for the whole or any particular part of the sermon. So that, when at any time it is proposed to use the sermon again, one has brought together in the same place, drawn out from the envelope at the same time, both the manuscript as it was written, and the result of reading and thought subsequent to the time of writing. On the outside of the envelope may be written the title and text, a list of suitable hymns, and a record of times when and places where the sermon is preached. They may be kept neatly with rubber bands in bundles of ten or twenty, and if the text and title be written across the same end of each envelope, a large number may be looked over in a few minutes for the purpose of selecting any one desired. Thus have we devoted so large a part of the space of this lecture to the discussion of the minister's work " in the study," and consequently must curtail the latter, but not unimportant part of the subject. There is no intention to imply thai the amount of time spent in the study should bear a similar p roportion to the time spent in pastoral work. Still, a minister's great work is preaching the Word. " Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel." So runs the commission under authority of which he labors. And al- though preaching, and the study which is a necessary pre- paration for it, should never oust or overshadow the con- ducting of worship and the shepherding of the flock, yet in rank it takes precedence of both. II. Among the People. — " Shepherd My sheep," is one of the commands of Jesus, as well af>, " Feed My sheep." He supplies us with some of the contents of His idea of shep- herding in the discourse recorded in the tenth chapter of i I » -^ IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 95 i 1 » i'* * ■** the Gospel according to St. John. Among others : " I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine." A good pastor will know his people and be known of them. Here is where we get the basilar idea in what is known as pastoral visiting, as well as its scriptural author- ization. There is a sentence which Paul used in his parting address to the elders of the Ephesian Church, which is often quoted as supplying a scriptural warrant for, and exr.mple of, this work : " I have taught you publicly and from house to house." But, observe, Paul was there speaking of his work as a teacher, not as a pastor. At first Paul, and the other apostles, were looked upon as orthodox Jews, and claimed their right as such to expound the Scriptures in the synagogues of the towns which they visited, according to Jewish custom. But when the line of cleavage between Christianity and Judaism became v/ider and more distinct, the Church became the object of jealousy and enmity both to the Jews and the heathen. And so, gradually, both the synagogues of the one, and the theatres and public halls under control of the other, were closed against them for purposes of preaching. Then, until churches began to be generally built, it was necessary to make use of private houses as preaching places, as in the early days of Method- ism in this country, and for the purpose of teaching the people. But now the minister goes from house to house, not so much as a teacher, as that being a shepherd he should know his sheep and be known of them. In order that he may minister profitably to them, he must know something of the character of each ; of the indi- vidual peculiarities of their tastes and ambitions, of the lives they live, their surroundings, and the difficulties and temptations arising out of those surroundings. He should 96 THE MINISTER AT WORK. know how to advise, sympathL^e with, and help them, by bringing the spirit of the Gospel into contact with their everyday lives. Tt is necessary that the people should know him ; that he should not Ije a stranger to them ; that there should be established between them that kind of easy inter- course which prepares the way for them to confide in him, to open their hearts to him, and make known enough of the secret of their spiritual struggles and religious experiences to enable him to guide and help them, and make his public ministry of the word suitable to their vants. There is no part of a person's life so closely related to that person's reli- gious development as the home-life. If a minister finds his work in cultivating the religious life of his people, he must know something of those influences which do so much to give color and direction to it. He will necessarily stand connected with some of the most important epochs of the home. He is there when the home is founded, amid the joys and festivities of the wedding. He will be there when the home receives the rudest shock from the assault of death, and the last sad rites will be for him to conduct. How can he adequately till the position assigned him as a binder-up of broken hearts, a comforter of them that mourn, if he has to stand on the desolated hearth a stranger to his surroundings 1 How can he throw the blessed Gospel light into the dark- ness that covers the home, if he does not even know the direction in which the ordinary currents of the home-life rani While to know his people and be known of them furnishes the principal object in visiting them in their homes, yet a minister should not even here entirely lay aside the char- acter of teacher. He should be ever ready to furnish such counsel and instruction as his discovery of the struggles and '1 > .f c^ i <• .♦9 \ ■> IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 97 u .*9 trials of the people may show to be necessary. For the pur- pose of thus afibrding instruction, a portion of God's Word should generally be read, and if time permit, commented upon. And the visit should, where practicable, end with prayer. It is not well, however, to make a cast-iron rule, and unvarying custom, of this. There are times when one may find a family in the midst of some household work that cannot conveniently be intermitted, or where some of the family are preparing to go out, where it is- better to cut short the visit, and not consume time which just then may be begrudged. Under such exceptional circumstances, to lengthen out a visit by a formal service of reading and piayer, not so much because it is felt to be at that time fitting, as for the sake of perfunctorily conforming to an arbitrpry rule, may defeat the true object of the visit. The occasions ai«, however, rare in which a wise minister can- not utilize a few minutes in giving such a turn to the con- versation as will make a short prayer a fitting and profitable ending to it. Time was when catechetical instruction was made the main business of pastoral visiting. The whole family was called together, and systematic efforts were made to impart formal instruction in matters pertaining to Chris- tian life and doctrine. Various causes have led to a discon- tinuance of this. First, the state of society which exists among the masses of people in this country renders it very inconvenient, if not impossible. At a time when attend- ance at school was not as general among the children of poor people as now, and when factories, with their compli- cated machinery and numerous workmen, were the excep- tion, and the rule was that artisans and small tradesmen did their work and transacted their business in shops near or connected with their houses, such instruction from house ■ 98 THE MINISTER AT WORK. to house was possible, and when there were fewer appliances for giving religious instruction, it was necessary. But m most cases now, the man of the house w;ll be away at his work or business, and the children of an age to receive in- struction will be away at school. Neither business nor attendance at school will be — or, indeed, considering all things, ought to be — suspended for the sake of receiving a pastoral visit. Further, the increase and improvement of teaching appliances in the Church — Sunday-schools, Bible- classes, prayer-meetings, etc. — tend Urgely to make formal catechetical instruction in the home by the pastor unneces- sary. It will be found, however, that a visit made when only a portion of the family are at home, the fact of which visit, and perhaps many of the things said, if they be worth repeating, will be duly reported to the full household, will do much toward giving the minister an insight into the home and home-life, and will tend to establish for him that footing of friendly intercourse which is so desirable. Much may also be done to make up the deficiencies of such visits by an occasional call in the early part of the evening, after men have returned from work and children from school. In cases where it is impossible or inconvenient to find men at home, they may be visited at their places of work or busi- ness. Such visits, however, should be judiciously timed, so as not to interfere with the just claims of business. If you call on a man at ais office or shop and find him busily engaged, it is better at once to retire and call again when he may be n ore at leisure. This may seem to some zealous, ecclesiastically-minded minister like deferring the claims of religion to those of business; but in practice it will be found much more efiectual in accomplishing the object sought. In cases where the men whom it is desired to V '4 ^ f«J IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 99 T V r. jcyous. Refrain from being as a cloud or a funeral pall jver the e.ijoyments of youth. But guard as against deadl/ poison, against undue lightness or triviality in manner o * conversation, which will eat as doth a canker into a ministsr's religious influence over his people. 2. Be Courteous. ;^ever forget that a minister should be, among other things, e. pattern to the people in good man- ners. This does not nean a prudish and punctilious observ- ance of all the rules of etiquette, though these should be oboerved in a sufficient degree; it means rather that all our intercourse with our fellows should be ruled by that kind- ness which leads us to "look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." The very soul of true politeness is a quick discernment of, and tender regard for, the feelings of others. What an example Christ furnishes of this. The abject poor, the despised Mag- dalene, the outcast leper, were received and treated with a gmtle kindness which won their confidence and melted their -".Kl S- » • , t- ^ IN THE STUDY AND AMONG THE PEOPLE. 101 > ' -^A > • , hearts. After reading the record, it becomes one of the un- thinkable things that Jesus should ever have committed a rudeness, in word or act, which would have jarred upon the most sensitive chord in the most finely strung nature. ' 3. Be Manly. Cultivate all those qualities which belong to true and complete manhood. Measure up to the best, as far as lieth in you, in strength, both of body and mind ; in courage, both moral and physical. '* Dare to bo a Daniel ; dare to stand alone." Never be found smoothly floating with the current because it is hard to pull against it, though the highest prizes and the richest guerdons lie up stream. Practise self-reliance ; nor weakly reach out to lean upon the judgments of others, when you ought to lean upon your own Give no shadow of excuse for that jocular but sar- castij ;jf\ X • BBBSM *t:.%. /^< i ^ettuit IV. THE MINISTER'S RELATION TO SOCIAL REFORMS. REV. LeROY hooker. ■'.V ^. ! LECTURE IV. THE MINISTER'S RELATION TO SOCIAL REFORMS. .^ *. . f*« n" the wicked God saith, "What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, or that thou shouldest take My covenant in thy lips 1 " The man of sin must not undertake to minister neither in the Law nor in the Gos- pel. It should also be self-evident that the minister is a man of such natural faculties as are suited to the work of the preacher, the pastor and the governor, for all these are included in his whole duty. And he is a man of 4 % '-.>, ■?■' **t BIS RELATION TO SOCIAL REFORMS. 107 ■9^ culture, as well as of parts. Here let me hold you long enough to say that the culture, including his training in theology, is not intended to furnish him with matter for prayers and sermons and exhortations, but rather to educate his powers for first-hand work in mining out the exhaustless riches of the Word of God. But while the minister is a gracious, gifted and cultivated man, he is, above all, a man specially called of Qod to the duties of the ministry, and specially authorized and empow- ered by the multiform gifts of the Holy Spirit In regard of this, the most important of all the features that distin- guish him from other good and gifted and cultivated men, and that mark him as the true minister, he has hod per- sonal dealings with God. He is, therefore, a man of God — separated from other good men to do a special work for God ; a man of God — separated from all other usiis that he may do that one work for God ; a man of God — ^whom God hath equipped, I will not say with a supernatural, but I will say with a superhuman power, that he shall have not only a sufficient authority, but also a sufficient ability to do that worl: to which God has called him. Let it never be forgotten by you that the authority and the ability are not the gifts of the body ecclesiastic. Your academic training cannot, of itself, make you able ministers of the New Testament. And when the chief ministers of your Conference shall ordain you by the imposition of hands, they will do no more than recognize the authority which they will have reason to believe you will have already received from God Himself; and their only undertaking will be to regulate and facilitate the exercise of your gifts in the ministry of the Methodist Church. Tour call to the min- istry, and the excellent powers by which, alone, the ends of 5; 108 THE MINISTER AT WORK. that ministry can bo accomplished, are of God and not of men. To siuo up this somewhat extended definition, tlie true minuter is a man of GoJy after the manner of Moses and Isaiah and Paul. Aa a new creature in Christ Jesus he is a man of Gody and not a natural man. In his commission he is a man of Go i — an ambassador from Qou to the people, not from the people to God. In the more essential furnish- ing of power to do his special work he is a man of God^ and not a man of the university and the school of theology. In the ends to which he consecrates himself he is a min of God, and not a base candidate for popular favor. It is required to show the relation of such a man to social r^orms. In order to this we must still linger, for a little space, in the work of definition. The man of God is un- doubtedly related to all reforms that are not falsely so called. Exactly what that relation is, will come into view along with correct and definite ideas as to the causes which render reformation necessary — the basis upon which, and the standard up to which, society should reform ; the means proper to be used in promoting reformation, and the class of persons upon whom would naturally fall the responsi- bility of initiating, guiding and pushing to successful issue such reforms as the state of society may demand. The term society, in our present use of it, is much broader than the Methodist Church. It embraces all the churches, all the religious nondescript, all the non-religious, all the . nationalities — ^in a word, all the people of what description soever who enjoy citizenship in our broad Dominion. We d .veil together — one people under one government — and have many interests in common. Questions of social reform are, therefore, to be considered with a view and in a spirit aa 4 %. • >» 4/ > ^. h ■< f> ■ 4^> > K, A ■ ^V^ broad as the whole Canadian people. Any one of the vci* untary associations into which the whole people are divided and subdivided may deal, by internal regulation and dis- cipline, with many matters which do not fall within the scope of social reform. The very respectable Sosiety of Friends may insist on uniformity of dress as far as its own members are concerned; but it must not insist on putting the whole Canadian people into the Quaker uniform. Some other voluntary association may practise the equal distribution of all the wealth of its members; but it must not insist that communism shall become the law of the Canadian people. The Roman Catholic Church may require of its members the uoing of duly imposed penance and the strict keeping of Lent ; but it would not be permitted to impose such regulations on the Protestant portion of our people. Doubtless the Communist, the Quaker, the Roman. Catholic, the Methodist, the Baptist, the Freemason, each, with reference to his own particular society, has the convic- tion that it would be an important social reform if all the people of the land would submit to the disciplinary and moral regulations of such society; but no effect must be given to his conviction in any other way than by persuasion. There are, however, questions of social reform which are as broad as the whole Canadian people ; and to which eveiy Christian minister in the land has a most intimate and responsible relation. Before I. mention them separately, i think it well to say that there is one, and only one, standard by which society may be measured and judged as to the necessity and the duty of reformation. That one standard is the moral law of God contained in the Ten Commands ments. There are not wanting, in these days, fanatical.. 110 THE MINISTER AT WORK. teachers who seek to add to the Divine that which is cer> tainly a newer, and at least in their opinion, a better legis- lation. Blessed is he that walketh not in their counsel ! It is to be hoped that you, brethren, will go to your work in the full conviction that they who keep the Ten Command- ments will please God tolerably well, and that when society shall have reformed up to the level of the Divine law, Qod Himself will say it is enough. And there are other fanatics who teach the other extreme of error — that society must not be judged by the moral law, because there is no such law in force. Christ, they say, hath abolished the law, and we are free from it. Again I say, and with double em- phasis. Blessed is he that walketh not in their counsel ! That Christ abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances, we all know very well. But it would change our thought of Him very seriously if we were compelled to believe that He abolished the prohibitive precepts of the law relating to lying, killing, profanity, stealing, adultery, false witnessing and covetousness ! And still more shock- ing and revolutionary would be the conviction that Christ abolished the positive part of the law, and so did away with the sanctity of the Sabbath, the honoring of parents and, most ruinous of all, the loving of our neighbor and of God ! No, no, and a thousand times, no ! Christ did not abolish the moral law. It is the moral nature of God, done into words for the guidance of His human children. It is the one rule by which all moral beings, whether they be men or angels, must live, if they live righteously. Christ magnified the law, and made it honorable by His most illustrious obedience, by enduring its penalties, the just for the unjust, and by revealing its compatibility with an administration of mercy and saving grace, by which pardon and moral .* ■ <. HIS RELATION TO SOCIAL REFOBM& 111 # ^ : V renovation are granted to us sinful men. He left the law at its original altitude of holiness and authority. He did not undertake to lower its requirements, even a little, towards the level of fallen humanity. His whole work was to procure forgiveness of sins and renewing grace for sinful men, and so lift them up to the level of the holiness defined in the law. Just here our thoughts of social reform may begin to take shape and crystallize into definiteness. So far forth as society is already walking by the moral law, society is walking righteously, and needs no reform. Any change in that case, must be for the worse, and not for the better. But to the degree to which society is violating the precepts of the moral law, society is doing wrong, and is in an evil condition, and ought to reform. It is of great importance to perceive, at this point, the difference between a sin transitive, whose effect paSses over from the transgressor to other persons — and a sin intransi- tive, whose effect is confined to the person sinning. For instance, the sin of covetousness may be chronic in a man's heart. But his moral sense, or the regard he has for public opinion, or fear of the human law, or all these motives com- bined, may so influence him in ordering his conduct that he will never be guilty of robbery nor of theft, nor even of fraud. In such a case there is sin enough to ruin his soul forever, but it is limited, in its effect, to himself. Another man, prompted by covetousness, may break through all restraints, and cheat, and steal, and rob. In this case the sin becomes transitive, and injurious to others. Take another instance. The sin of lust may be strong in a man's heart. His imagination may be like Egypt under the ten plagues, reeking with moral reptiles and. vermin and II 112 THE ministeh at wobk. stench of putrid blood. It may be his habit to go apart from human society in order to abandon himself to the unchastened rioting of his filth 7 thoughts. And yet, from lack of opportunity or from fear ' * discovery and evil con- sequence, he may limit the curse r i ruin of it to his own polluted soul and body. But another man may let loose the beast and devil from their cage to ravage society and cor- rupt the chastity of both men and women. In this latter case the sin becomes transitive, and injurious to others as well as to the sinner. The same distinction may be traced all along the line of transgression. There may be nothing more than the sin of the heart; enough, indeed, to sink the man to perdition, but not of necessity involving any direct injury to others. But there may be, and there often is, such active overt indul- gence of the heart-sin as involves serious injury, and in some caa&a moral and eternal ruin vo othors. From these definitions it will appear that the reforms which are necessary to the well-being of society are of tvo distinct kinds. In order that they shall not be the means of injury, corruption and everlasting destruction to their neighbors, men should reform from sins of the active tran- sitive kind; and in order to secure personal purity and eternal salvation, they should reform from the secret intran- sitive sins of the heart. And it will be clear that such reforms have been rendered necessary by the enmity of the carnal heart of man against God and His law, and by the active disobedience to which that enmity often gives rise. And these facts bring into view the exact standard up to which such reforms should be pushed, viz., the requirements of the Divine Law. It is important to note, just here, that^ as two distinel. '*.» /■».> HIS BELATION TO SOCIAL REFORMS. 113 » •> "*.» -^ I «r r>? kinds of reform are needed, th«re should be a careful selec- tion of the means to be used in promoting them. When we would influoncd men with regard to the sins of the heart, which begin and continue and end in themselves, we can use, to advantage, nothing but persuasion. But when it becomes necessary to deal with men whose sins are of the kind that destroy or even injure others, and all forms of persuasion have failed to restrain them, then society has tho right to compel the transgressors to reform their con- duct, whatever the state of their hearts may be. For no man can claim with reason that his personal measure of liberty includes the right to indulge in sins that operate injuriously upon his fellow-citizens. And now, in the midst of a community made up of such people as are to be found in any part of our Dominion, people good, bad and indifferent, and, therefore, in need of reforms along various lines, we plant the Christian minister, the man of Gkxl, and ask, What is his relation to those neoesbary reforms 1 1. His relation is that of a living exemplar of the moral purity that should be aimed at and reached by the people of that community. It is an evil thing when the man in the pulpit has a ghastly secret of unbelief as to the proper divinity of the Book, or of the Saviour, or of the Salvation. But if he have the more deadly secret of immorality — some- thing, no matter what, from which he must reform in order to measure up to the requirements of the law of God — alas for him ; alas, alas, for the people ! It need not be some secret crime which, if known to other men, would drive him from the holy place in the House of Giod to a prison. liBt him only covet that which is his neighbor's ; let his carefully concealed ambition be not so much to do good 114 THE MINISTER AT WOBK. work for God and humanity anywhere and everywhere as to rue and to be seen and applauded by men ; let him consent to the apspringing and the abiding of desires and imogina- tions that are unchaste — and lo, the man who should have been a moral Samson in example and in helpfulness, lies fooled and shorn and bound in the lap of his Delilah. And let him not think that such things can be altogether covered from the eyes of the people. By some subtle instinct they take the moral measure of the minister. If they find him wanting; they either forsake him for some safer and more helpful guide ; or, from his defects, take a larger license for their own depravities, and run the more surely and swiftly in the way to helL Let him who would be a minister in- deed see to it, therefore, that the great healing hand of the Saviour has been laid in effectual power upon the fountain- springs of his own spiritual and moral character ! 2. The minister 8 relation to social reforms is that of teacher. He is the prophet, as well as the exemplar, of r^ormadon. As a man of God, he has received both the law and the gospel of reform from the mouth of the Lord, and also an excellent power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is liid upon him to observe the moral state of society, to lift op the voice like a trumpet, if he can, but to lift it up as he can, and show the people wherein they are sinning against God, and hurting themselves, and one another ; and to make known the healing and help there is in the Gospel of the grace of Grod. What a pity, what a black and cursed treason it is, when so-called men of God can be silent, or even smooth-tongued, concerning the current sins of society, and hasy themselves with* pretty declamation, comic enter- tainment^ curious and unedifying speculations, and new and pemidoas theologies! --/*-)> K^ HIS RELATION TV SOCIAL REFORMS. U6 3. In a limited sense, the minister's relation to social reforms is that of administrator. To him is committed a section of the whole community, to be governed as well as instructed. In this relation, whatever may be said of other ecclesiiistics, the Methodist minister is not an autocrat, but a constitutional governor; himself, as much as any of the people, bound by the moral precepts of the Bible, formu- lated into rules of discipline, which have been accepted by all the ministers and all the members of the Church. Within this smaller community, the minister is responsible to Qod and the Church for the vigorous prosecution of all necessary reforms. He is empowered, by the rules of the Church, to cut off from membership all who prove incorrigible. And so it is within his power, and, therefore, within his duty, to preserve the moral purity of his charge, in so far as outward conduct is concerned. In performing the duties of this relation, the minister may err in two ways, and that to the serious hurt of tho people. He may be lax in the administration of discipline. He may be severe above measure. Let him remember that he must give account unto God for every person committed to his charge. Let him remember that under the law and at the bar of God, the pauper and the millionare are equal, and see that he holds them so under the discipline of the Church. And let him never forget that the saving of men is the first and greatest object of church government, as well as of preaching the Gos^l. Let his zeal for the moral purity of his church as a whole be tempered by a tender solicitude for the salvation of the individual who is faulty in life. Happy the people who are so banded together under tho instruction and the government of the man of God. And 116 THE HINISTER AT WORK. happy would it be for the whole community, if, in all the churches, there could be a setting of the moral standard as high as the moral law, and, as rapidly as might lie, a lifting of the people to that measure. If this were faithfully done in every branch of the Christian Church, all necessary re- forms would be accomplished in a quiet and effectual way, without any general agitation to secure special legislation on moral lines. The moral discipline of the churches would then relieve the State of all concern for such matters, save in regard of actual crime. But, alas, for this land, in most of the churches there is no recognized moral discipline, but the will of the incumbent minister. When he is a man of loose moral ideas, then like minister, like people. In case, however, he have a zeal for righteousness, he finds himself crippled in his endeavor to reform the people who walk disorderly. The utmost he can do is to admonish, and, perhaps, deny the communion to the offenders. And, for so doing, he has, once and again, been subjected to vexatious prosecution in civil courts. There is good reason that we Methodists should be thank- ful that, in its very genesis, our Church began its work with the single purpose of promoting right living on the part of Christians, and then gathered into its constellation of distinctive doctrines those only which were found to be helpful to that end, and developed a system of moral govern- ment exactly suited to secure it. And upon us rests a stern respornbility to administer faithfully, in our section of the community, the wholesome moral regulations of our disci- pline, as well as to preach our distinctive doctrines. 4. Because the moral discipline of the Canadian churches, as a whole, is not sufficiently pure and influential to restrain their members from committing sins of the overt transitive » •► HIS RELATION TO SOCIAL REFORMS. 117 » •► ^ kind ; the relation of the minister to social reforms is that of agitator for suitable prohibitive legislation on the part of the State. It is necessary, to the purifying of the people, that the human legislation shall cover the same moral ground as the Divine, and that the human and visible administra- tion shall give effect to the will of God. It is a thousand pities that we have to go outside the churches in this behalf, and invoke the interference of the civil power to prevent the nominally Christian citizens from hurting one another by wrong-doing. But we must deal with facts as they are — and they are often as they ought not to be. In order to deter you from becoming agitators, you will be told by those who have an interest in keeping you silent, that moral suasion is the only legitimate method to be pursued by the minister in seeking to promote reforms. You will be told, with much severity, that it is an intoler- able offence against the high spiritualities of religion, and against the political freedom of the subject, for ministers to intrude their influence into any matter that is to be settled by a vote of the people. This is that old double- faced, double-hearted, double-minded spirit which all along has spoken of " my business and my Christianity, my schol- arship and my Christianity, my politics and my Chris- tianity." Brethren, the Christians of our country will have to speak another language before their influence can be massed and wielded for Christ and humanity. Come the day when we shall hear from their lips nothing but Chris- tian business. Christian scholarship. Christian politics ! In that day Christian ministers will be permitted to speak without rebuke on every subject related to social reforms. In the meantime, let them speak in spite of the rebuke. ■ And now I want to show you a very great matter which 9 118 THE MINISTER AT WORK. has been strangely overlooked by all who have gone before on this subject. Let it be granted that moral suasion is the legitimate method to be pursued in seeking to redeem society from its ruinous sins. Then, the minister being restricted to moral suasion, may insist upon those conditions which secure the possibility and effectiveness of moral suasion. The great matter which I am to show you in this connection is this : When a Government is professedly Christian, as is the Government of Canada, it is impossible to use moral suasion with due eflect, while the thing pro- hibited by the law of God is tolerated and legalized by the human law. Let me give you, as a familiar example that will bring my point into full view, the state of things existing in this country in regard to the liquor traffic. If the Government were professedly heathen, the minister could use moral suasion against the use of those intoxicating beverages to good purpose, without prohibitive, and in spite of legalizing, statutes. He could say to all Christian disciples, "It is true, that our Government permits the making, selling and using of those hurtful drinks, but then the people as a whole, iind the Government, are yet heathen. But you have been converted to a better knowledge, and to principles and practices that are of a higher order. As Christians, you should disregard the heathenish laws and practices of the land, and obey God. If you do so, you will neither look upon the wine after it is fermented, nor put it to your neighbor's lips." The new convert from heathenism might well be expected to receive and obey all this without ques- tion, as a part of his conversion. But is the Government of Canada heathen 1 By no means! Victoria, by the grace of God Queen, enacts every law of the land by and with r HIS BELATION TO SOCIAL REFORMS. IID the advice of her ministers ! The imprimatur of Almighty God, and the year of the reign of His Son Jesus Christ, are set at the head of every Canadian statute i And, I pray you, mark it well, the man in the law is, in his sphere, the minister of God as much as the man in the Gospel ! What^ then, is the real situation when the liquor traffic is legalized by the Government ) This : God's minister in the Gospel, in moral suasion, says to the people, " Look not upon the fermented wine ; it biteth like a serpent, it stingeth like an adder!" "Therein you lie!" thunders God's minister in the law ; " it is a thing that may be made, and solJ, and used. Over the doors of ten thousand bar-rooms see the certificate of righteousness which I have granted it, in the form of license to sell ! " Where, now, is moral suasion ? God is divided against Himself before the people ! The self- same thing is, by His authority and in His name, de- nounced by the one minister, and justified and legalized by the other. The confusion of ideas, and the consequent mis- chief are great. No one can estimate the difficulty there is in persuading some of the less intelligent people that there is any moral wrong in that v/hich is endorsed by Christian legislation. And, for these reasons, I hesitate not to say that, in order to effectually promote the reforms necessary to the well-being of Canadian society, it will not be enough that you exemplify, and teach, and administer within your own denominational lines the moral principles and disci- pline of Christianity. It will also be your duty to agitate, and never cease, until the human law becomes a reflection of the Divine, and the human executive consents to become the deputy of the Heavenly Majesty, in giving practical effect to the prohibition of every form of sin by which men injure one another. 120 THE MINISTER AT WORE. I have purposely spoken in general terms, except when I wished to illustrate a point, in order that the great prin- ciples which decide and indicate the relation of every man of Ood to all social reforms might receive the more careful and undivided attention. And here I might naturally draw to a conclusion. Bat before doing so, let me bespeak your loyal and lifelong service in behalf of the great reforms now filling the mind and heart of the best Christians of our country. The labor question as to its relation to capital, the social purity reform, and, possibly, the land question, will claim your best thought and work. But dwarfing all these when taken together, and indeed including in its bene- ficent purpose almost every deliverance needed by suffering humanity, is the great temperance reform. The liquor business is strong in money power, and in the social and political standing of many of its upholders, and in the drunkard's diseased appetite, and in the dealer's remorseless avarice, whir^h is willing to coin the blood and the very souls of the people into money. It will die hard. Brothers, I want you to lift up your good right hands, and swear that it shall die, and that you will, to the uttermost of your ability, help it to die an early and a hopeless death. ^tI ^ i .. '/ ^T r CONSTITUTION or TOB THEOLOGICAL UNION OF VICTORIA ONIVERSITY. .. J Article I. — Name. This Society shall be called " The Thieological Union of Victoria University.'* Article II, — Object. The object of the Union shall be the sacred and literary fellowship of all Ministers and Preachers of the Gospel in connection with the Methodist Church, for the advance- ment of theological learning among its members, and for the formation of a theological literature in connection with Victoria University. Article III. — Membership. The privileges of membership are conditioned upon enrol- ment and the payment of the annual fee. Members in good standing in the "Jackson Society" of Victoria Uni- versity, and the "Douglas Jociety" of the Wesleyan Theological College, Montreal, shall be members of the " D nion '* without payment of fee. 122 COXSTITDTION. Abticlb IV. — Fellowship. A diploma of "Fellowship" and title of "Fellow in Theological Literature " (F.T.L.), shall be granted to each member who submits an approved Thesis on each of tho subjects assigned in connection with tho course of reading prescribed by the Union. Members of the Union eminent in theological learning may be elected " Honorary Fellows " by a two-thirds vote of the Fellows in connection with the Union ; the vote to be by ballot, upon the nomination of the members present at an Annual Meeting. •~*f V Article V. — Officers. The Officers shall be President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer. Article VI. — Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting of the Union shall be held in Cobourg during Convocation week of Victoria University, for the purpose of (a) Receiving reports of the Secretary- Treasurer and of the Standing Committees; (&) Electing candidates to Fellowship; (c) Nominating members for " Honorary Fellows ; " (rf) Electing officers ; (e) And for the transi^otion of any other business in the interest of the Union. Article VII. — Annual Lecture and Sermon. The Union shall elect annually, by majority vote, one of its members to deliver a lecture before the Union at the next Annual Meeting, and also one to deliver a sermon. ^* CONSTITUTION. 123 V^ Article VIII. — Publications. Provision shall be made for the publication of the sermons and lectures delivered under the auspices of the Union in a Quarterly Theological Review, or in an annual volume, to be published under the direction of a Board of Management appointed by the Annual Meeting of the Union and the Branches. Article IX. — Fees. An annual fee of $1 shall be paid by all members of the Union. A fee of $5 shall be required from every " Fellow " for hisjdiploma. Article X. — Branch Unions. Sec. 1. The members of the Union in each Annual Con- ference shall form a Branch Union and hold an Annual Meeting during the Conference Session, for the purpose of promoting the objects of the Union. Sec. 2. The Officers of each Branch shall be a President, who shall be ex-officio a Vice-President of the Union, and a Secretary-Treasurer, who shall be a Corresponding Secretary of the Union, and who shall collect the annual fee of each member and forward the same to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Union. Sec. 3. At the Annual Meeting of each Branch a mem- ber appointed at the previous Annual Meeting shall read a Thesis, or deliver a Lecture, to be discussed by the members present. Article XT. — Amendments. No part of the Constitution shall be amended without a majority vote of all members of the Union present at any Annual Meeting. 124 OFFICERS. ^hwtogical Snimt o( Sktirna SniteBits. »« <„.. OFFICERS FOR 1888-89. fw ^ President Rsv. O. R. Lamblt, M A. , Madoc. Vice-Premdi-nt Rev. G. A. Mitoheli., B. A., Tilsonbarg. Secretary- Treai»urer . .Rev. A, M. PiiiLLirs, B.D., St. Mary's. Lfc/urer /or 1889 Rev. A. Suthekland, D.D., Toronto. Preacher fcT 1889 . .Rev. J. VV. Spablino, M.A., Kingston. Examinera Revs. F. H. Walt.ace, B. D., Wm. WiIXIAIU, D.D., A. M. PHiLLiPd, B.D. London Conference Braaob. President Rev. W. Qcancb, Birr. Seereiary-Treatturer . ."Rkv. O. H. Thoupson, Springfield. Lecturer for 1889 . . . .Rev. W. J. Foko, LL.B., Eaiex Centre. Niagara Conference BrandL President Rev. S. J. Hunter, D.D.. Hamilton. Secretary- Treasurer . .Rkv. G. A. Mitchell, B A., Tilsonburg. Lecturer for 1889 .... Rev. John Kay, Hamiltf »n. OueliA Conference Branch , President Rev. T. M. Campbell, Ciwen Sound. Secretary- Treasurer . .Rkv. A. M. Phillips, F.D., St. Mary's. Lecturer for 1889 .... Rev. John Scott, M. A ., Walkerton. Toronto Conference Branch. President Rev. E. A. Stafvobd, LL.B., Toronto. Seereliiry.Treasurer . .Rkv. R. N. P:.kks, B.A., Gravenhnrst. Leet\i^/or 1889.. . Rev. J. P German, M.A., Whitby. > k •f f fw ^ OFFICERa 125 Bay of Qnlnt* Oonfinmioa BxMidi. Prtaldmt Rev. F. H. Wau^ob, M. A., B.D., Cobonrg. Seerttary-Trfoiturer . ."Rvy. O. R. Lamblt, M.A., Madoo. Lecturer /or 1889 .... Rav. C W. Watch, Omemee. Montreal Conferonoe Branfih. President Rkv. J. B. Saumdebs, M.D., Montreal. Secretary ■ Treatwer . .Vivr. S. D. Chowk, Spencerville. Lecturer for 1889 Rev. T. G. Wiluams, Pembroke. Manitoba Conference Branfilr. President Rkv. J. M Habbison, Portage la Prairie. Secretary- Treanurer . ."Rkv. W. Eluott, B.A., Killamey. Le.eturer for 1889 .... > 4 *4 T 126 LIST OF MEMBERa MEMBERS ENROLLED, 1S87-88. LONDON OONFBBSNCB BRANCH. Aylesworth, I. B., LL.D. Langford, Alexander. •1 Ford, J. E. Middleton, Eli. V Ford, W. J., LL.B. Quance, William. Garbutt, R. J. Ryekman, E. B., D.D., F.T.L. Graham, James. Smith, John V. Kerr, George J. Thompson, George H. WilBon, Jasper, B.A. i NUOARA GONFEBBNOB BBANOH. Ames, William. Jackson, Thomas W. Archer, Joseph. KaVf John. Athoe, Thos. Kettle well, William. J)rethour, D. L. Kennedy, Albert Bowers, A. A., B.A. Linscott, T. S. Brown, W. G. Maxwell, William J. Barns, Alex., D.D.,LL.D.,P.T.L. Mitchell, George A., B.A. Clark, George. Mooney, James. Clement, E. L. Moore, D. L. Colling, Thomas, B.A. Ross, James, S., M.A. Cooley, John W. Russ, Amos E., M.A. Elliott, Robert J. Stewart, John. HalL Harvey M. Hooker, Le Roy. Taylor, David H. Trnax, A. Hunter, S. J., D.D. Williams, J. A., D.D., F.T.L. Hnnter, WUliam J., D.D. QUBLPH CONFE Wright, Robert W. BENOB BRANCH. Ayers, Walter. Davy, R. Ball, J. Dyke, J. H. liaugh, William. Edmunds, S. C, B D. Broley, James. Edwards, Samuel H. Buggin, George. Edge, Jos. Fisher, John 8. Hurwash, N. Campbell, Thomas M. Galloway, J. Sit,. Casson, Wesley. Griffin, W. S., D.D. Chown, E. A., B A., B.D. Greene, J. CoUinff, Joseph S. Comidi, George H. Cunningham, A. Hall, Robert H. Hamilton, C. Hannon, James. • > i LIST OF MEMBEBS. 127 '^^ OUBLPB OOMFBRBVOB Harris, Jamea. Hartley, George. Headers, R. C. Henderson, William C, D.D. Hill, H. E. Holmes, Joseph W. Howell, Jacob E., M.A. Isaac, John R. Kenner, John. Leach, VV. W. Legear, J. T. Mdl^ullouffh, Andrew M. McDowell, David C. McLachlan, James, B.A. Noble, James J. Nugent, F. E. Phillips, A. M., B.D. PhiUips, Robert. BKAVOH.— ConMniMd. Potter, A. Richardson, George. Sanderson, J. W. Scott, John, M.A. Sellery, Samuel, B.A., B.D. Sherlock, Benjamin. Shilton, J. W., B.A. Sparling, Philip. Suowdon, T. G. Stafford, Charles E. Stevenson, J. C. Strongman, W. A., Ph.D. Swann, Frank. Thibadean, A. Walker, J. Webster, John. Williams, R. W. Waddell, R. H., B.A., B.D. TOBONTO OOMFBBSNOB BBANOB. Abbs, G. Addison, Peter. Andrews, W. W., B.A. Bedford, John. Booth, W. B. Briggs, William, D.D. Brown, W. P. Bums, R. N., B.A. Conron, M.B. Courtice, A. C, B.A., B. CuUen, Thomas. Galbraith, W., B.A. German, John F., M.A. Gray, Jamev. Harper, E. B., D.D. Harper, H. Hewitt, G. A., B.A. Hill, L. W. B.A. Johnston, Hugh, M.A., JoUiffe, T. W. Jones, P. Langford, Charles. Locke, J. H. Matthews, H. S. Milner, J. McClong, J. A. McDonald, W. Meacham, G. M., D.D., F.T.L. Parker, W. R., D.D. Pirritte, William. Redditt, J. J. Richard, A. Roach, W. R. Roberto, E. Savage, J. W. D. Shorey, Sidney J. Simpson, C. A. Simpson, J. M. Sing, Samuel. Speer, J. C. Stafford, E. A., LL.B., F.T.L. SutherUmd, Alex., D.D., F.T.L. Sutherland, D. G., LL.B. Taylor, C. B.D. Thom, James, B.A. Van Wyck, J. A., B.A. Vickery, John. Washington, George, M.A. W^ebber, G. Wellwood, N. Wilson, J. E. 1 Withrow, W. H., D.D. Wright, J. C. 128 LIgT or MEMBEBSw Fnmkidi, T. B. HiekanoB, R. Lovcrinf^ H. L. LATXBN MUIBBBS Uke, J. N. MaoUren, J. J., LL.D. T»it,J. BAT OP QVZMTB OOVFIBBVOI BBIHOS. , Boflcr* B^glej.E. I.LL.D. BBCBMyw. Wm. Vana, Wm. Itanraah. K., S.T.D., F.T.L. CMBpbell. A. Clarfcaon, J. B., M.A. CopeUiid,0. U. Coortiee, R. T. Croduluuika, S. DreWf xl. D. Dyer. W. R.. M.A. KdmiMMi, Thomu J., B.D. JohutoD, WiUiam. JoUiffe, William. LunUj, O. R., U.A. Leaoh, J. J. Marvin, Geo. W. MoAuley, 8. MoCamus, D. N. Ottrom, U. E. F. Rice, John, J. Robinaon, George. Scott, WUIiamL. Seymour, J. O. Tomblin, WUliam. Tovell, I. Wallace, F. H., M.A., &D. Watch, C. W. Williama, Wm.. D.D. WiUoD, A. C, F.T.L. Wilson, M. E. (> Young, Vi'illiam J. ■AaiTOBA OOVPBBENCB BKAHOB. Aiiama,G. R. Argue. Thomas. BeO, J. W., B.D. Belts, J. F. Budianaa, J. C. Code,R Colwell, S. E. Colpitts, W. W. Cook, W. A. Daniels, Geo. Dtarwin, O. Dyke, Joshua. ElUott, Wm., B.A. Finn. F. M. Fieldhouse, M. H. Fetrier,J. Fnnklin, B., H.A., Caofdou, A. HalsteMl. William. Woskins, J. flames, A. B. Banisoo, J. M. Jackson, J. A. Joslyn, J. H. L. Kaneen, E. Kenner, Henry. Kinley, Wm. Lai41ey, R. B. Langfoid, Enos. Lawson, Thomas. Long, O. H. Mc^»an, John, RA. McDou|^l, Jno. Parker, Caleb. Peters, John. Pooley, Jno. Proat, W. A. Robinson, L N. Ross, A. W. Ph.D. Rutiedge, W. L. Iluttan, J. H. Stewart, A., B.D. Williams, C. Wilson, T. B. Wooley, A. WoodswMih, James. LIST OF IfBMBVRS. 129 MOVTEBAL OOHFBBEirOB BRAHOB. \t^ Antliff, J. C. D.D. Awde, James, B.A. Card, S. Chown, 8. D. Coutable, T. W. Crane, £. W. Cummings, D. T. Graham, W. H. Jackson, William. MoRitobie, George. Porter, G. H., B.A. Robertson, A. G. Saunders, J. D. M.D. Soanlan, J. Shaw, W. I., LL.B. Sparling, W. H., B.A. Timberlake, William, F.T.L. Watson, James, F.T.L. Whiting, R. WiUiams, T. G. ••FELLOWS" IN THBOLOOIOAL UTBBATURB. *RBy. S. S. Nellks, D.D., LL.D Cobonrg. Rbv. N. Bcbwash, S.T.D Cobourg. Rtv. W. jKrrBRS, D.D BelleviUe. •Rbv. S. D. Riob, D.D Toronto. Rbv. J. Elliott, D.D. Kemptville. Rbv. E. H. Dkwabt. D.D Toronto. Rkv. E. B. Ryokman, D.D London. Rbv. a. BcTRMfi, D.D., LL.D Hamilton. Rbv. E. a. STArroBD, B. A., LL.B Toronto. ♦Rbv. W. W. Ross, M. A Ingersoll. Rbv. J. A. Williams, D.D Toronto. Rbv. Oeoroe Cochran, D.D Japan. Rbv. a. Carman, LL.D Belleville. Rbv. Gborub Douglas, LL.D Montreal. Rbv. D. MoDonali), M.D. .... Japan. Rbv. C. S. Ebt, M.A Japan. Rbv. Gborob Mbaorah, M. A Toronto. Rbv. Gborok C. Poysbr Odelltown. Rev. William Timbbrlakb Kingston. Rev. Alex. G. Harris Parkhill. Rev. a. C. Wilson Oakwood. Rev. John Weir Japan. Rev. James Watson Hemmingford. ''MBMBBBS BBADINO FOE FELLOWSHIP.'' 7%ird Year. First Year. Rev. J. R. Isaac. Second Year, Rev. J. n. Robinson. Rev. Thomas Cobb. Rev. S. 9. Chown. Rev. William Knox. Rev. W. H. Gane. Rev. A. Whiteside. Rev. C. Teeter. Rev. A. E. Smith. Rev. D. T. Cummings. 130 FINANCIAL STATEMENT. FINANCIAL STATEMENT, 1887-88. T Receipts. Balance in hand as per Uuit account $276 72 London Conference Branch Niagara Conference Branch 15 ^0 Guelph Conference Branch 32 00 Toronto Conference Branch ^0 00 1'oronto Conference Branch for 1886-1887 6 50 Bay of Qiiiute Conference Branch 15 00 Montreal Conference Branch 10 00 Manitoba Conference Branch Rev. J. Weir, Halifax, N.S .. 100 Total $386.72 Expenditure. Book Boom Account, 18S3-1887 $266 36 Secretary-Treaiturer, Expenses at Annual Meeting. 13 75 Secretary-Treasurer, Expenses at Toronto 4 65 Postal and Express Charges and Telegrams 3 42 $288 18 Balance on hand OS 54 Totrl »3S6 72 ■4- N.B.— The priTilesres of membevvhip are conditional upon enrolment, and the payment of an annual fee of fl. All who pay the mpniberMiip fee are entitled to a oopy of the "Annual Volume" or the "Quarterly Theological Review."- Annual Fee* raid in the " Jaokeon" and "Doiglaa" Sooietiee or the Manitoba "Theo- logical Inatitute" are accepted in lieu of the Annual Fee of the " Union." COURSE OF READING. 131 COURSE OF READING FOR FELLOW IN THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE (F.T.L.). The Course of Reading is to extend over three years and to consist of Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, or Apologetic studies. The character of the Course shall be optional, i.e., the subjects or branches of study may be elected by each one reading ; Provided, that two subjects shall be read for e^.ch year, one to be selected at the beginning of the Course and continued throughout, and the other varied from year to year. The thoroughness of the reading will be tested by & thesis on each subject, of a minimum length of at least twelve octavo pages of 250 words each, to be assigned by the first of February and forwarded by the first of April to the Examiners ; a written report of the Examination of the thesis to be in the hands of the Secretary by the first of May, who shall -report results to the candidates. All per- sons reading must send application for subject of thesis to the Secretary by the first of January, stating the year in which they aie reading, the Course subject, the Option selected, and the books read. Each subject should be studied in at least t-.v<: authors, from a comparison of which an independent opinion may be formed; and a student must put in at least one thesis each year until the Course is completed. 182 eOUBSB OF STUDY. COURSE OF STUDY FOR F.T.L FIRST TBAB. 1. BiNieal Study.— St. John's Gospel. Aids: Godet, Meyet Monlton, and Milligan. 2. HistorieeU Study. — The Christian Church to the close of th^ Council of Nice. Text-books : Neander and Schaff. 3. Doctrinal Study. — The Atonement. Text-books: Crawford Randies, Miley. 4. Apologetic and Sermon delivered before the Union, 1886. Methodism and the Missionary Problem. By the r«v. c. 8. Eby, d.d.. F.T.L. The Ninth Aimual Lecture Iwfore the Union, 1886. <', Faith vs. KhOWledge. Lecture by the Rev. E. 1. Badgley, B.D., LL.D. j • Christ, the Light of the World. Sermon by the Rev. J. Cooper Antliffi \D. The Tenth Annual Lecture and Sermon delivered before the Uniuu, 1887. Address — ■vsriXiii.i.A.:M: 78 & 80 K.1NO St. East, Toronto, C. W. OOATES, MONTREAL, Qim. S. F. HUESTIS. HAUFAX, N.a I - Vt -'TiAi.'.'.Him'feitt '. . ;'-ii'ii»v*-'f