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 ^BEACHED BEFORE THE /i 
 
 SYNOD^OP HAMILTON^ i^^ 
 
 At the Meetino held in Inoersoll, April lOra, 1882. 
 
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 Of Sarnla, HeUrlng Moaerator. 
 
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 PREACHED BEFORE THE 
 
 SYNOD OP HAMILTON AND LONDON, 
 
 . ■. ^ ■■ ■ • ...■■■, 
 
 At THE Meeting held in iNOERsoLt, April 10rn,18S2 
 
 •s« 
 
 ?i«i 
 
 .■■ ■ .BV THE .-: 
 Of Sai-nia, Ketiiing Morterat&r. 
 
 THE AMATEUR JOB PRESS. * 
 
 ■'■■/:•■"': ■ 1882.-' ■■ 
 
 .LIBRARY 
 
 KNOX COLLEG 
 TORONTO 
 
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 Tjie following. Discpurse was not prepared with 
 any view ta publication ; but yielding to the requests 
 of many of my brethren who heard it, and who, ex- 
 pressed the conviction that it contained truths;^m- 
 portant alike to Pastor and people, I give it to the 
 press just as it was prepared. For lack of time, parts 
 VI. and VIII. were not spoken, but are here printed 
 BO as to give the whole text of the discourse. 
 
 The Sermon was intended for Ministers, arid em- 
 phasizes one part of their work— PREACiiiNO. But 
 as we have no official secrete, it is hoped tl\at, from 
 from its perusal, our people may see their duty more 
 . clearly, in the rei^ected light of our own. 
 
 J. THOMPSON; 
 
 Saniia, June, 1882. J ( 
 
 ., 
 
 
 ■ \ '■■* 
 
 -i*r 
 
The Preaching of the Cross. 
 
 V "The Freacldng of the CroHn."— 1 Cor. i., 18. . 
 
 " We preach * * ♦ ChrlHt JeHuii the tonl."— 2 Cor iv; 6. 
 *VTliey ceased not to teach and preach ChrlHt JcMiift^.*' — 
 
 '- — ■-■.-■ ActtT., 4a. ; ' 
 
 , — — ~i»G^?<S?jr;ii; . ■ ■ ■ '■•' 
 
 Paul acted as a man who had ft purpose in life. As an 
 ambassador from the Court of Heaven, liearing tt message of 
 reconciliation, he had been commissioned to do a great and 
 important work. He was sent iis an Apostle and servant of 
 Jesus Christ to preach the Gospel, not with wisdom of words, 
 lest " the Gross of Christ '• be made of Aone effect. The Cross 
 of Christ must not be bidden with wreaths of mere human de* 
 coration, nor c mcealed^nthe wordy utterances of oratory. 
 Christ Jesus the Lord must be held up before, the faith of men, 
 that •- whosoever believeth in him might iiot perish, but have 
 everlasting life. " Paul had not come to Corinth to make fine 
 jBpeeohes, or give eloquent orations. You could never suppose 
 such a one letting himself dovm to the popular taste, seeking 
 to satisfy those itching ears ever eager to hear some new thing. 
 
 He came to preach the Gospel with the demonstration of 
 the iSpirit, determined rather to speak five words with the 
 understanding, than five thousand in an unknown tongue; 
 and all true preaching consists in making disclosures of Christ's 
 unsearchable riches, and pointing sinners to One itt wjtiom all 
 the fullness of the Godheistd dwelt bodily. 2 ^^ 
 
 I.— The Minister's Distinctive Work— Preaching. 
 
 The PREACHING ^f the Cross-^" We ^acA Christ Jesus 
 the Lord." . 
 
 The Ministry exists for the grand and blessed functions 
 which it has to exercise, the noble and gracious ends which 
 
TBI rsXACSIKO 01* TZ3 CROSS. 
 
 it has t«) serve. Men arc called'to the work of the Ministry', 
 
 while the Scriptnres emphasize preaching as the Minister's 
 
 highest act, and demand timt he focus his whole strength up- 
 
 V on the puli)it as the Mork of the ininistrj' hy way of paramount 
 
 importance. The Churcli's Head sent forth his servants With 
 
 the commission of the (Jospel's universal diffusion, 'Hio ye in- 
 
 to all the world, and preach the Gospel to eveiy creature." 
 
 He sent out his discii)les two by two, and said, " As ye go, 
 
 preach r And in fulfihnent of this commission they weiit 
 
 . forth from the presence of their Afaster preaching the word 
 
 everywhere, the Spirit confirming their work with signs fol- 
 
 lowing. Necessity Mas laid upon them: " Woe is me," said 
 
 Paul, "if I preach not the Gospel." r . i ' ^ 
 
 Christ's servants must not he ashamed of being called 
 preachers; it designates their 8i)ecial and peculiar work moi-e 
 fitly than any other title. It marks the grand radical duty 
 and distinguishing work of the Christian Church, which must 
 occupy the chief place till the world be evangelized, and the 
 Church clothed in her garments of sal vatioiv- for it has pleased 
 •God, through tlie foolishness of preaching, to save them that 
 believe. From the days of Noah till our own, '' Preachers qf 
 nuhteomness'' has been a npble title, and you, as the servants 
 of the Most Higli, must not perform your (hity so perfunctorily 
 as to i)ermit people to forget that you are by commission 
 and profession preachers of the Word^ 
 
 n-The Substance of Preaching-" The Cross." 
 
 *' We Preluh Christ Jescs THE Lord." 
 As the mathematician loves to get a simple formula to 
 express complicated results, so Paul packs all the fullness and 
 glory of the Gospel into one expression, '' The preaching of the 
 .Cros»''-^'\mrit,i and Hirii crimfiedy ^ 
 
 As Ministers you have been put in tnist with the Gospel, 
 
 and the subject of all evangelical preaching is "TAe glorious 
 
 -^spelo/thebiesmlGod." The ministry of reconciliation has 
 
 been committed to you, and on the grounds of Chrisfigcom. 
 
 / 
 
TBI FBlACaiKO OF TEZ CSQSS. 
 
 '^•, 
 
 I)let.j<l work, the buraeti of your ineasage is, •• lifpfnt amf be- 
 tievf the OoH^d : Be ye rcconilrd to Go(l.'' 
 
 Our choice o^ subjects, therefore, is not aiscretionary ; 
 Christ says, " 'fmch ami j„r<u:h whafmetwr I have rommaiuhd 
 you.'' This biuds ua to our instrucitions, ami rules out Of 
 Coirrt many fanciful ami ingenious subjects which have found ^ 
 their way into the nvoilern pulpit ; ami conHnes the ministry 
 to the strict terms of its commission. As a standing ministry 
 is one of Christ's gifts to his Church, so the work of the min- 
 istry has been divinely determined ; we are messengers with 
 a specific message, ambassadors with definite histructions to 
 execute lofty and Commanding, though limited functions. 
 
 Jo be given to ingenious speculations, utaf ting novel the- 
 briea, or setting afloat nebulous fancies, may cater to the cu- 
 riosity and foolish wonder of the restless nndtitude; but it 
 is no proof of mental activity or special culture; it merely 
 proves the minister to be dealing falsely with his holy tnist. 
 To leave the glories of the everlasting hills of Divine Revela- 
 tion, and descend to the low plane of litemry, scientific, or 
 political discussions in the pulpit, \is, for the minister, to be 
 shorn of his strength, and to becoirt^ weak as another man ! 
 There is an easy way of making a littl^ cheap capital j ust now, 
 by pretending to rangfe over a vast am! ^varied field, ami dis- ^ 
 cuss a .variety of subjects, converting the pulpit into a sort of 
 lecturing bureau. To substitute such themes for the graiid 
 doctrines of sm and (jrace, may pleSSe the'aW^s; the w^nder^ 
 ing gipsies who pro^vl among our congi:egati6B^, bnt the at- ^ 
 tractions of the Cross are alone legitimate to ^i^n pen. Our 
 theme is the blood which clettnseth from all sin. "The range 
 of our preaching is the Word of God, which is the record of 
 his mighty acts, the covenant of his peace whiclr can iiever be 
 broken,—" The old dor y of Jesus and his love.'' j ~" 
 
 : At' the present time there is a great ciy against nahoio- 
 mini; tlie demand is for ^breadth and expansiveness ; 
 float with the cuiTRnt of " 
 
/■ 
 
 
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 TEC FBZAcanra.or tes cboss. 
 
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 becoriie very bi*oad and diffuse/ and cover much ground ; buir 
 there is danger of its becoming correspondingly thin and shal- , 
 lo)*^ J gaining in breadth at the expense of depth and volume; 
 ninning over many subjects, t>ut going to the heart of nothing. 
 Mtfch that goes by the name of religious teaching has become 
 as thin as a film of cloud, as airy and uncertain as the momiilg 
 mist Winp?kred to tb<e Alpine ^leak of Geneva ; while the doc- 
 trines U^graqe which we are commanded to preach, stand 
 ihore firnily through the shifting ages of human opinion, than 
 the Alps settled on their, granite foundations. The mounftains 
 are- growing old and crumbling awayi but the Word ctt God . 
 liveth and abideth forever. And this Word is the sole foun- 
 tain-head of all instruction and authority, bringing p/rmanent 
 blessing to the hearts and homes of men, a^^ the/perpetual 
 light of a sun that shall no more go down. Jbe Gdapel is ever 
 laden with inercy, whose glad tidings of gi-eat joy/are as water 
 to the thiraty soul ; as fresh and sparkling to me weary and 
 heavy laden as when it first sprang frpm thie/tountain of in- 
 spiration, when " Holy men gf old spake as l^iey were moved 
 by the Holy Ghost." 
 
 ' * The temptations are many in the pr^ent age, to multi- 
 ply topics and introduce themes into the/pulpit, upon which 
 Christ and his Apostles never preached/ It is enough that 
 'the disciple^ be as his master. And if/ the Son of God, pos- 
 sessing an infinite intelligence, and capable of comprehending 
 in his intuition, the whole abyss of truth, physical and moral, 
 natural religion and revealed, all art, all science, all beauty^ 
 and all grandeur,— if the Son of Gtodj the Omniscient OnCj 
 was nevertheless reticent regarding the vast universe of truth 
 that lay outside of the Christian sfiieme, and confined himself 
 to that range of ideas which relate to sin and redemption,— 
 then wtio are we that we should venture beyond the limits, 
 and counteract his example. "-y4S%e<?c?'« Homiletics, p. 218, 
 
 And,.great definiteness is/needed. From his study of .the" 
 Scriptures, " The man of God " must be thoroughly fumisKed, 
 a nd s p e ak as on e who has ^definit e belief, and whose con v ic- 
 
 ) 
 
TBS fSEACBHTS OF TSZ CBOGS. 
 
 ,:■ 
 
 tions ipule him. To hesitate as to the nature of his message, •■ 
 to be in a state of mental suspense as to whether there are 
 any settled truths, indicates a state of mind which unfits any 
 one to appear as a preacher of righteousness, presuming to de- 
 clare the whole counsel of God. An ambassador must know 
 the nature of his commission, or he has no right to assume the 
 office. The Bible has been too long before the world as a sub- 
 ject of earnest study, to fur^ph any excuse for unsettled 
 opinions on fimdamental doctrines. You are tbeofficial ex- 
 pounders of a Divine Revelation that gives utterance to the 
 will and purposes of God. The ^h\e is God's articulate voice 
 
 I to man on the most momentous of all subjects, and you must 
 preach the doctrines just as you find them, for who dare 
 change tliie substance of the Divine message ! Our doctrinpS 
 are the spoken verities of God, and not the passing sentiment^ ' 
 of men, which are in a state of perpetual flux. In each sucr- 
 ceeding generation the pulpit must point sinners to the Lamb,, 
 as the great atonement offered up once for all, and tell men 
 that if they will open their hearts to the Saviour, He will fill 
 
 , them with the fullness of God. 
 
 A preacher of the everlasting Gospel must not produce 
 tiiemes, however interesting and eloquent, where Bible truth 
 is not the staple. The criticism of a certain professor on a 
 student's trial discourse, applies to many sermons preached 
 in our day : " Sir, any educated hteathen might have preached 
 that sermon. " Flavel was right When he aflSrmed that " the 
 excellency of a sermon lay in the plainest discoveries and lov- 
 lieet application of Jesus Christ." And no minister will ever 
 be successful who does not follow Apostolic example, and rea- 
 son dut of the Scriptures. 
 
 Amateurs in Science and Literature, the dilettante of rose- 
 water culture J magazine- writers of a few months standing, ^ 
 our self -constituted oracles of wisdom, — may wander over the 
 Unbounded fields of imagination, pleasing themselves with 
 their own fanoios ; they ar e entitled to pull a flo w er w herever • 
 it may seem to grow. But it must remain the grand distinct- 
 
8 
 
 TSE fBiAcanra or tsb cboss. 
 
 . 
 
 ive work of Christ's ministers to preach the everlasting Gos- 
 pel of his grace, and direct the weary pilgrim on the road that 
 leads through the gate into the city. If our ministrations are 
 to comfort men, they must point to the God of all comfort 
 who sends his Spirit to assure our heart. If they are to en- 
 lighten men, they must reveal Him who is the light of the 
 world, and bring Him near to those who are in the shadow of 
 death. It must,' in short, be the preaching of the Cross, 
 where grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life. 
 And in that grand theme o/ the ages lie the Church's work, 
 and power, and glory, and all the weapons of her future con-" 
 questSi ' 
 
 , in.-You must breach both Law and Gospel. 
 
 C T^^se two themes must run parallel. There is a demand 
 made on the pulpit of to-day, to speak only smooth things and 
 prophesy peace. Preaching must not hurt men's sensibilities 
 or disturb their worldly comfort, by speaking much of the 
 judgments of God. Man's ^ilt and depravity, his sin and 
 misery, and God's wrath against transgression, are not wel- 
 come themes, and the pulpit dwells on them too seldom ; and 
 the demand for smooth things is yielded to in numberiess in- 
 stances; hence you hear scores of sermons, from none of 
 which could you learn that man is guilty, and under the just 
 judgments of^^od. 
 
 There^ are many subjects of profound interest to the hu- 
 man intellect which the preacher may be tempted to discuss. 
 He could easilyspeak of verdant fields, and blooming flowers, 
 and murmuring brooks, and sunny skies, and fleecy clouds, 
 and summer dells, where beauty lies cradled in the lap of gran- 
 deur, and all the nice Uttle sentiment and poetry of the nine- 
 teenth century. It would be very easy to omit all reference 
 to punishment as the doom of sin, and substitute themes very 
 attractive and captivating to the natural man. There is much 
 preaching that dishononi the blessed Redeemer and virtually 
 proclaims that Christ has died in vain, and made an unneces- 
 Miiy sacrifice when he poured nut bis soul unto death. We 
 
TBI rsxACBiKa or tex csoss. 
 
 ■:4^ 
 
 
 hear a great deal about manhood and i^ various develop 
 ments; of the proud march of intellect ; the refinements of 
 the age ; the grandeur of human life ; and the achievements 
 of the race; and we come away so well satisfied with our^i 
 selves, that we begin to patronize the Gospel as something 
 that after all deserves recognition. But we hear too little <jf 
 the fearful pit and the miry clay in which the sinner is sunk, 
 and of that S^overeign hand of mercy and power reached down 
 to lay hold of him and lift him out. 
 
 But while speaking of man's misery, never forget to pro- 
 claim his^^uift as the cause of it, He is not simply unfortun- 
 ate, but a rebel against Divine authority, and lying under the 
 curse of a law which he has broken. No man can have any 
 true appreciation'of his condition and danger, or any adequate 
 knowledge of what redemption is, till he feels his guilt No 
 man can put its true value on the Gospel; till he knows it to 
 be deliverance to the captive, atid the opening of the prisotk 
 to them that are bound. Scriptural views of man's guilt and 
 depravity are the necessary conditions of understanding the 
 Divine message, either in the awful solemnity of its warnings 
 and Divine sanctions, or in the richness and sweetness of its 
 promises. 
 
 We follow the Master's own example when we place the 
 disease and the physician ; the wound and the balw ; the ruin 
 and redemption; the law and the Gospel, side by side, that 
 men may be at once warned to flee from the Mnrath to come, 
 and lay hold on eternal life. We must preach God's law 
 which man has violated, ahd under whose curse he now lies. 
 There must be no letting down of its tremendous sanctions, 
 and no concealing of that condition in which the impenitent 
 remain. A broken law, with the solemn judgments of an of^ 
 feuded God above it, is the black back-ground of dark con- 
 demnation, in front of which the calm light of the Gospel 
 shines all the more lovely ; while its exceeding great and pre* 
 
 viuua promises burst forth as the morning radiance, to woo 
 and win us to the side of Jesus. You must call your people 
 
 /" 
 
« • v.Oi 
 
 10 
 
 fax fsucEtsQ or xsz cboss. 
 
 ■ , »■ 
 
 to look to Mount Skiai, all sheeted in fire and smoke; as well 
 Asto Mount Olivet, bathed in the beauty and sweetness of the 
 Qospel. Men must h^ve sense of the curse with which the 
 Old Testament closes, to appreciate the rich fullness with 
 r.which the New Testament opens. What a solemn close to 
 the old record— "I will come and smite the- earth with a 
 curee " ! And what a rich opening to the new— "The begin- 
 ning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ "I The pulpit must never 
 hesitate to tell men of a wrath to come, all the more terrible 
 that U is the wrath of the Lamb; wrath in the face of the 
 holy, merciful, loving Saviour. It is when ministers them- 
 selves know the ferrora of the Lord that they become urgent 
 i . m persjiading men. It is when convinced of the terribleness 
 of that sentence of expulsion, and the endless misery of the 
 finally apostate, that milkes the heart brood and yearn over 
 men vhile ui^ng them to flee from the wrath to come. Preach 
 the law, then, asthe ground work of all that gives a precious- 
 ness and value to every Gospel promise, and a solemn signifi. 
 ; cance to every invitation and warning. ' There is as much 
 need to-day of preaching of a judgment 'to come, as when Paul 
 preached it before Felix. Never hesitate to proclaim what' 
 the Bible says on these momentous subjects. 
 
 ^ Don't overlook the few, for '* by the law is the knowledge 
 oi «n." It isx)ur schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. And 
 yet It was unto the Gospel of Christ that Paul was separated. 
 ^AiMis the great attraction ; "Unto Him must the gather- 
 ing of the people be." Hold up the Cross ; there we see love 
 and righteousness blended ; mercy and truth embracing each 
 other; the rainbow glories of the Divine attributes encircled 
 and blending in Divine proportions. Don't speak of a love 
 thatignoresrighteousness; never put asunder what God has 
 joined, it is a love that does not overlook sin, but punished • 
 It in the person of his own Son. And it is a righteousness 
 that does not clothe itself in the garments of terror, but shows 
 the jtt-Stice of God while justifying the ungodly who beUeve 
 on Jesus; and you must preach both, while declaring the 
 whole counsel of God. ' : :■■■ 
 
 ■/. 
 
TBI IBtiCmKO or TEX CBOSS, 
 
 11 
 
 
 But 0, let all this be done with tenderness, and tears 
 such as Jesus himself shed, and not with flippant lip and un- 
 holy anger. Many preach the law with a harshness that har- 
 dens, as if they held the thunderbcilts of Jehovah in their own 
 hands. Let the terrors of the Lord make their first impres- 
 sion on your own hearty and this will make you tender and 
 loving while pleading with others, and let that pleading be 
 largely by the mercies and gentleness of Jesus Christ. When 
 I have heard the judgments of Qod denounced against sinners, 
 by a superficial, frivolous, worlSly-minded preacher of uncer- 
 tain moral tendencies himself, it scorched and blasted like the 
 breath of some unholy fire. And I have thought by way of 
 contrast, of the Saviour weeping over Jerusalem as if his very 
 heart was bleeding itself away in sad regret as he was forced 
 to pronounce judgment upon her : "O, Jerusalem, Jerus^d««, . 
 thou that stonest the prophets and them„ that were sent Unto 
 thee, how oft^n would I have gathered you together as a hen 
 gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not." 
 Dwell on these themes with great tenderness and pity, and 
 follow the ministry of the Master himself who shed tears over 
 the sins and sorrows of men. Youmust imbibe more deeply 
 the spirit of Jesus if you would presume to preach the Gospel 
 of His love, for love suffereth long and is kind. 
 . ' ■ I .■■ ■ ■ '■ .'■■'■ 
 
 Look at the earthly ministry of Jesus Ghrist. There 
 are many accounts to .be given of His wonJierful work. Peo- 
 ple may say many ingenious things about it, and many Of them 
 are true. But we are sure that he puts his hand most certain- 
 ly on the central power of Christ's ministry who holds up be- 
 fore us the intense value which the Saviour always set upon 
 the souls for which he lived and died. Itshines in everything 
 he says and does. It looks out from his eyes when they are 
 happiest and when they are saddest. It trembles in the most 
 loving consolaiions, and trembles in the most passionate re- 
 bukes which come from his lips. It is the inspiration of His - 
 pitya^d Hi s indignation." Brooks. — - — — — — 
 
IS 
 
 TSA^'PSSACEnTO OF TSE CBOSS. 
 
 ^ Lack of sympathy is a lack of power. Some men are like 
 an iceberg, a frosty atmosphere surrounds them which nips 
 I eveiy tender bud as a June frost ; others are genial as the sun- 
 shine of a summer day. Have more sympathy with men in 
 all the pressing urgencies of their lot, and bend yourself down 
 to their necessities, and, like the Master, lay tlie warm human 
 hand on their heart. " Truthmg it in liyve, " is the expressive 
 formula ; you can touch every side of the human heart with 
 this. Love, like a key, can open every shut door, and give 
 you access. Like the great exemplar, you must hh touched 
 with the feeling of your people's infirmities, and then you can 
 no piore help sympathizing with them than a bird can help 
 singing when the song is in its breast; efeiTy our "severities 
 toward them must be begotten of the Ipve you cherish toward 
 your people. 
 
 I7.-The True Scope of Preaching. 
 
 Th^ great and \m\y remedy is to hoH up the Cross of 
 Christ clear and full in view of perishing men that they may 
 look on that Lamb of God and have their sins taken away. 
 And in that grand theme of salvation through the blood of 
 Christ all teaching and preaching is to have its full scope, 
 while in the proclamation of the riches of His grace the most 
 brilliant genius, the richest culture, the ripest scholarship may 
 be employed, for even angels desire to look into these things. 
 
 It is admitted by all that the doctrines of the Cross are 
 the pulpit's great theme, the gi^nd subject which the Chris- 
 tian ministry must handle. But what is metaiihy preaching 
 Christ P What do the doctrines of the Cross embrace ? What 
 did Paul regard as the scope of his preaching when he said, 
 *^ I am determined not to know anything among you but Je- 
 sus Chrislrand Him crucified." " Christ and Him crucified'' 
 hAs becoihe a c^t phrase with many who would narrow its 
 blessed significancy to their o^n conceptions of what are the 
 only l e gitimate themes fo r the^Christian pulpit. Many small 
 men, through their professed zeal for the Gospel would curb 
 
TBS FEZA(SI2TQ OF TEX CSOSS. 
 
 13 
 
 
 the ministry in its legitimate work, and put bonds upon the 
 liberty of the sons of G(.d, squeezing everytliing into their 
 own little mould. Ijj^d Paujmean that ho would uttei: thd 
 same truth day^by day like a parrot cry, or use the Gospel as 
 a wonder workei-uses his charm-book or mystid symbol ? No, 
 the Cj^oia was to be the centre and vital principle fiiroughout 
 his whole ministry, and that from it all moral duty must'draw 
 its sanctions. It was to be the /ocm,s from which all lines of 
 instruction were to proceed. Eut Paul claimed and exercised 
 the liberty of discussing and enforcing every duty between 
 man and man. There is not one of the mindt morals that does 
 not receive notice from the Apostle, as may be learried from 
 any of his epistles. He says, " We preach Christ crucified,'" 
 but in that very letter in which this statement occurs he dis- 
 cusses the question of marriage in times of danger; the inex- 
 peiJiency of eating meat sacrificed to idols; going to law be- 
 fore heathen judges. ; contributions to the saints ; divisions in 
 the Church; how to conduct public worship. In short, ho 
 brings the principles of the Qospel to bear on all life and con- 
 duct. ^Paul regarded nothing foreign to the pulpit which af- 
 fects man in his life here or hereafter. He preached Christ 
 Jesus the Lord, but he included in this, telling husbands how 
 to love their wives, and wives to care for, and obey their hus- 
 bands: He enjoined On children obedience to their parents, 
 and parents how to train their children. He brings masters 
 and servants face to face, and makes each feel his own respon- 
 sibility. He did rot regard it as outside of his ministry to 
 tell young women howto dress and wear their hair. He warns 
 against pride and foolish display, and gives counsels to Tim- 
 othy concerning his health. He descends on particulars, and 
 specifies sins one by one, and on duties till the long catalogue 
 is .drawn out. (Eph. iv., 31, 32.) When ministers become 
 thus specific on moral duties now, a class of hearers of the 
 weaker sort charge them with preaching Works mste&d of the 
 Gospel, and speak by way of reproach ot & mere moral dis- 
 course. But ministers, l i ke the a postle J a jmes, must preach 
 
■/. 
 
 Works as well as Ta/^-^ Works as the fniits and evidences of 
 Faith, the outcome of gloving heart. " Shew me thy faith 
 without thy works, andVU will shew you my faith by my 
 works/' ^ 
 
 Preaching Christ must not be understood in a narrow 
 sense. It gives the whole range of the Bible as the source of 
 our teaching, which bears on Christ as its substance. What 
 a richness Paul found in the Old Testament as may be seen in 
 his Epistle to the Hebrews ; and could not Christ himself be- 
 gin at Mcises and all the Prophets, and expound unto them in 
 all the Scriptures the things concerning himself ? To preach 
 ^ Christ is to open up the whole revelation of God^,for He is the 
 reality of all its types. To Him gave all the proiSiets witness, 
 and Moses wrote of Hiin. See what treasures Spurgeon has 
 found in the Psalms, which cover the varied experiences of 
 the heart under every spiritual condition ; or Pusey, in Dan- 
 iel ; or Alexander, in Isaiah ; or Robinson, in Genesis ; or Ar- 
 liot, in the Proverbs; or Guthrie, in Ezekiel ! Christ is the 
 grand centre of the circle of Christian truth ; but that circle 
 is wide, and touches at many seemingly opjwsite points. He 
 is the Sun around which all revolve, while the moralities of 
 life spring from the union of Christ with his people ; therefore 
 doctrine and duty, morality and religion, are married, and 
 must never be divorced. If the Apostle James were to preach 
 from some of bur pulpits his matiihless Epistle, some people 
 would call It cold mor^ty and not the gospel. And the late 
 James Hamilton M-as wont to say that some would charge oiir 
 Lord's sermon on the mount as lacking in evangelical truth if 
 they were to hear it preached ! AH this arises from a mistak- 
 „ en view of what preaching Christ means. Surely Christ's au- 
 thority requires us not only to believe, but also to.be truthful, 
 ^ honest, diligent, temperate, good husbands, wives, dutifttl c 
 children and worthy citizens. We have no more right to con- 
 ceal the ^-iill of God concerning e/M<y than the same will con- 
 cei iiing dvctrine. Because of false sentiments on this whole 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 subjeict there are many who would make poor pagans who pass 
 for very good Christians. Don't imagine that the work of the 
 Christian- ministry is circuiti£cribe<i because it consists in 
 preaqhing Christ; no work is circumscribed that has all the 
 fullness of God to draw from. There is no atmosphere so free 
 as that which overhangs the Christian pulpit ; no range of sub- 
 jects so wide, so rich, so varied as that which the Minister 
 handles. 
 
 Many regard the preaching of the Cross as a mere discus- 
 sion of absttract principles, the elucidation of theological dog- 
 ma, the nnburymg of old fossils of a past age, mere specula- 
 tive opinions of religioua thought, with no direct bearing on 
 any human interest, real or supposed. But it is to bring the 
 Gospel to bear on man in all the trying circumstancbs a,nd ex- 
 periences of everyday life J guiding the erring, directing the 
 anxious, comforting the sorrowing, speaking rich^ warm 
 words to thaw out the winter from many a frozen heart, an^j, 
 preparing the soil for geed-so wing, preaching glad tidings? a^d[ 
 bringing summer and sunshine into many a home jtoiig dark% 
 ened. Surely this is employment fit for angels, and yet it is 
 man who is called to be a co-worker with Christ in reclaiming 
 a lost world. Tlie preaching of the Cross is the lifting up of 
 the Son of Man as i,he slain Lamb of Godfe providing, through 
 whose blood redemption is granted. It proclaims him a phy- 
 sician for the world's malady, a bain* for its wound, a shel- 
 ter from its storms, a gi^eat light iii this world's darknass. It 
 , is iJQ prockim Jesus sla thej only! Mediator,— the way, the 
 truth, the life. It sets himjforth ias a Prince and a Saviour, 
 and points the weary and he^vy laden to him for rest. 
 
 We preach Qhrist crucified, we glory in the Crdsa 1 But 
 who is Christ ? Se is the eteriial Son of God, Jehovahl Jesus, 
 the Saviour of the world ; the brightness of tflSi'ather's glo- 
 ry ; the King and Head of the Church. We preach Christ 
 Jesus the Lord, whose rule covers &11 human interests, and 
 whose authority touehos all human duty. When liia king- 
 dom comes, his influence must sanctify and ennoble all acti- 
 
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 TEE rBSAcanra or tez cboss. 
 
 vities, and cover with the sacrediieas of his presence wherever 
 men live, and toil, and suffer, and die. Could we but make 
 men feel and acknowledge his authority as Lord of the.con> 
 science, and his sacrednoss as priest, and bow in loving obedi' 
 ■ence to his righteous law, we would then have gained all f^r 
 which the ministry exists ; for our aim is to have Christ ac' 
 knowledged as ruler of the life. j ^ 
 
 We believe in special appliances to meet special forms [of 
 sin that are developing. We believe in restrictive legislation 
 and prohibitory enactments when ^tl^se are expedient. Pub- 
 lic profanity ought to be punished d«LA pul^livcrirtle. Our 
 laws ought to be enforced against Sabbath-brekking. JtfB 
 right to punish theft, munlen adultery. Each mdn as a citi- 
 zen has liberty to exercise iiir(|ft'n civil rights, and engage in 
 public and iKtlitical movemeifts according to his own consciV 
 ence. But the Church of Christ as such— Ministfers of the 
 Gospel— must wield another weapon, and fight with the sword 
 of the Spirit. They must put on the breast-plate of righteous- 
 ness, and the shield of faith. Tliis is our only true Jrmoury 
 with which to quench all the fiery darts of the devil.X The 
 Apostles and earljj preachers of the Word looked over as much 
 sin, and had to meet as many vices as we,^drunkennesi^ li- 
 centiousness, crimes of all kinds. But Me never find thtem 
 agitating for legal enactments. They never came to knock \t 
 Caesar's door, or depend on legal prohibition measures of anj 
 kind, but always on the baptism of the Spirit; the endow- 
 ment with power from on High ; and with this: equipment 
 they went forth ai^ strong men to conquer in the name of the 
 Lord, and were enabled to turn the world upside down.^or the 
 Cross which they preached Mas the power of God for the pul- 
 ling down of Satan's strongholds. And the Gospel of Jesus is 
 still the only legitimate mteans lor the ministry, witb which to 
 meet and subdue the sinsi and vices of Qur day. Hence— 
 
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TEX rsxAOSivo cr ISZ cboso. 
 
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 ^ThiB preaching of the Cross is practioal for the 
 present age, and for all ages. 
 
 common cry juat now is, *' Let the pulpit 1)6 more alive 
 to the Issues of our day, and let ministers preach more in the 
 plane of present necessities, and meet with a ready answer the 
 urgent questions which weary, burdened men arc ever ask- 
 ing." A^id when we look over any section of society, and 
 witness the toil, and strife, and danger, and know that there 
 are so maiW unutt'3red distresses, so many concealed burdens, 
 untold secret woes, long histories of hidden suffering in silent 
 ^anguish — guilt, crime, self-condemnation, even self-loathing, 
 what more timely than a wholesome answer given to the 
 orld's cry o^ distress! But from whom can this answer 
 come ? Shall we not bring it from our loving Father tu his 
 distressed children, and tell them how God is in Christ recon- 
 ciling the world to himself ; and how he would have all fiien 
 come to a knowledge of the truth ? Shall we not bring the 
 ansv^r from Jesus, who calls, '* Come unto me all ye that la- 
 bour. \ If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink"? 
 In short, we preach the Cross as the only answer which God. 
 has given to the most urgent question a human soul can ask, 
 •• What ^ust I do to bo saved?" 
 
 inisters be more practical," it is said. " Let them 
 come nearer to the people, aiid speak so that evei^ one may 
 hear in his own tongue the wonderful works of God "I We 
 echo this witii a,ll our heart. Let men be plain, simple, clear, 
 earnest in all their utterances concerning Jesus as the only Sa- 
 viour, while pressing his claims. They must' hold him up so 
 that none may be seen but Jesus only. The preaching of thft 
 Cross must come to the world like the breath of Sprijig» with 
 showier and sunshine, io melt away the ice of ages, that the 
 living waters may flow on amid the richness and glory of sum' 
 mer life, with hills rejoicing on (gvery si^e. 
 
 "Don't preach doctrine," it is urged ; "but discuss live 
 denounce pablic \sins and political coiyuptibn ; wwm 
 
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 erring, and^tell men about the right use of wealth ; the 
 
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 sins of indulgence ; point out caaea of criminal luxury ; incuK 
 cate industry, veri^city, lioncsty, fair dealing l)«tween man 
 and man." All this is most noceisary. No pulpit can af- 
 ford to divorce itself from the great (luoations of the age, 
 or hold itself aUwf from the seething masses of men, who live, *- 
 and\8m, and suffer. No Christian teaching can ignore thur^ 
 fear and excitement, the anxious imiuiries, or urgent consider- 
 fttionithat press hard upon all men who are l^oni to trouble 
 as the sparks fly upward. No pulpit has a right to live, that j 
 refuses to fit into the necessities of the day, and meet men juit 
 where they are, and supi^ly their-conjfpious wants. 
 
 ■^M, 
 
 i 
 
 But to do this is not to turn aiSy from the preaching of *' 
 the Cross. It is taking that onii*'gre^f, universal message of 
 Christ, in all the manifoldness of its power and blessing, and 
 bringing it near to men in all the fullness of its Divine boun- 
 ty. And as tlie same sun that shines round and round this 
 great ;g|obe, and pours its light and glory over the cedars of 
 ^<;^a"||'«n<l on the sloping sides of the Aljw and the Andes, 
 shineslfsoon the little moss and modest shriiikingflowej[, and 
 gives its distinctive shape and colouring^to each thi 
 grows— as all foniis'df life in their etlless ]prof usion, 
 
 «tod shades of colouring, all trees, i>lant8, shrubs,! .... 
 
 draw what they need from one fountain of supply; as the 
 
 JBan^e su 
 little flb 
 ive throu; 
 God, that 
 the Redee: 
 on high an 
 
 builds up the oak and pours its glory into the 
 i?A*i'^^®* the 6eldf,^ving all that is distinct- 
 i^ariet^ of being,— so does tlie love of 
 ien, |i^ beautifies the Church of tho 
 iun o!.^^fKteousness,— shed its Beams 
 ihis one message of mercy and grace from 
 the pierced heart of Jehovah- Jesus, is Divinely adapted to all 
 men in their varied circumstances and relations, snited for all 
 men, in the manifoldness of life, wMiether under tliS^pressure 
 of either duty or danger. 
 
 ~ When we study the moral condition of society, and see 
 all manner of evil practices, drunkenness, dishonesty, Sab- 
 bath-breaking, profanity, worldliness, foolishness, pride, en- 
 
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 spooking, variance, discord, malice, vulgar ostenta* 
 
 »||fei, laziness, gossip, (what a terrilde list our vices inako I ) 
 
 fiw are we to act, or what can he done to stem the turgi^l tor- 
 
 i^fent, or root out all these vices? Are wo to erocl 8e[>arat« 
 
 RaUeries, use diftbront appliamies, and thus divi<le our fe>rcet!' 
 
 ■^i ' As ministers of the Oospel, and as Christian rnqn and wr«nen, 
 
 bent on practical purposes, what must wo <lo? Wlitii oln ho 
 done ? We Ijelievo there is only one effective remedy foF^tUe 
 evils of the world ! All these separate streams of inifjiiity 
 flow from one fountain. The deadly ui)a3 tree has but (ma 
 real root. The radiad evil docs not lie in these separate forms 
 of sin, but in the one common source— a sinful heart, from 
 which Christ has been excluded ; a heart estranged from Cod 
 and far from righteousness. And to that evil heart of unbe* 
 lief we must apply the only remedy known to the Churc^ of 
 God, and in the name of Jesus we deniand that it be cleansed 
 in his blood ; and M'hen the fountain has been made pure, so 
 will be the streams tliat issue from it. Take away the stony 
 heart, and let a heart of flesh be given, and the whole will bo 
 clianged. When the love of God is sluid abroad in the heart, 
 'ibid Christ gets the supreme place of honour and authority, 
 all things will then become new. Therefore we preach the 
 Cross as the power of God to conquer and subdue man and 
 make him obedient to the faith. We bring Christ near, that 
 men may recognize his authority, and that Cross, like the 
 Bun-light, will never be superseded, foji- it is God's message to 
 
 fc>mce the dffly Weapons known to the Church of Christ are 
 the spiritual truths of the Gospel, we must rebuke all forms 
 of sin, in thei name of tiiat righteous Lord that loveth right- 
 eousness, and bring no motive to bear on the daily life and 
 conduct, that does not draw its sanctions from Calvary. We 
 take all outward acts as evidences of the inner life, and when 
 we rebuke drunkennefe. dishonesty, ievil-speaking, envy, 
 pride, etc., it must be done in the interests of the heart, and 
 through the Cross of Christ, which is the power of God to 
 change it. It is lost labour making the outside of the platter 
 
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 TEL VSMCBSKQ Of TEZ CBOSS. 
 
 clean, and not to cleanse the inside. Christ must rule the 
 heart, and we make a protest against sin and vice in the in- 
 terests of his eternal kingdom. We must cut away the root, 
 and not spend our time in lopping off branches only, to spread 
 out more thickly than ever. Much is said to-day about moral 
 reform: the radical reform is a new heart. It is nothing short 
 of Christ's saving power that must reach where men are liv- 
 ing in sin, to bring them into the way of godliness. Jt is the 
 abundance of his grace that must go where the abundance of 
 sin has gone before it. It is the blood of Christ that must be 
 applied to human guilt. It is the Cross of Christ, that is 
 the only citadel of safety to the Church of God. Therefore 
 the best way to deal with all forms of sin and vice, and to 
 meet the fresh needs of our day, even in the interests of mor- 
 ality, is to give a fuller exposition of Christ's redeeming pow^er, 
 and make men feel at once the liberty and holy binding they 
 havein Him. . We are messengers of Christ to the souls of 
 men, and even when speaking on the topics of the day— our 
 duties, responsibilities, dangers, our fears, hopes, joy ; our 
 sermons must come from the Cross of Christ, and lead to the 
 
 Cross again. 
 
 ■ 1.' . ■,-'"■. 
 
 We bring Christ pear as a present Saviour ; " Lo, I am 
 with you always. " * * Wherever tM'o or three are met together 
 in my name, there am I in the midst of them." We are not 
 explaining a history, but preaching a Saviour who lives in the , 
 Gospels, and pours the fullness of- his redemption into them. 
 A Saviour not in some far away, unknown place, but the 
 Shepherd, still seeking the lost sheep in the wilderness, as 
 coinpassionate and loving as' ever, and declaring that the men 
 of our day are as dear to him as any of those who were his 
 cotemporaries. We hold up the same Jesus that took the 
 little children in his arms, and talked with the woman at the 
 well ; that saw the sorrow of the poor widow ; around whom 
 the helpless and the despairing crowded ; whose feelings often 
 mastered him as he yearned for the salvation of the people,^— 
 the man Christ Jesus, who pleaded tuid wept. We preach 
 Jeaua aa Saviour, physician, shepheyd, guide, friend and bro- i\ 
 
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 TSZ fBBACHiyO CF TEE CB09S. 
 
 »1 
 
 ther, giving such a conception of Him as shall draw the peo< 
 pie to the foot of the Cross. ■' 
 
 yi,— Adaptation to the times in which we live is one 
 great need of our modem Ftdpit. 
 
 We have heard learned sermons, able dissertations, beauti- 
 ful word-paintings highly-finished literary productions, flights 
 of oratory j but there was no special relation to the immediate 
 wants and' circumstances of the people. Our teaching is often 
 not on the plane of daily life, and therefore fails to touch the 
 actual feelings and experiences of those who Wait oh our min- . 
 istry. How seldom do busy, struggling, burdened, tempted 
 men and wom^n get that help and sympathy from on,r preach- 
 ing that ^ey lire entitled to,^because the minister is ignorant 
 of their condition, ^^elis a scholar, a book-worm, a recluse,, 
 He knows subjects, but not people. He has studied the moral 
 condition of Gree<^e and Rome in classic days, but doea not 
 know what the men and women of his own congregation are 
 thinking about. He is quite familiar with all the minutiae of 
 Oataline's base conspiracy, but knows nothing of the moral 
 conditioii of his own parish. Surely the great aim of the pulf 
 pit is to bring the truths that were written eighteen hundred 
 years Jago into the plane of our present life, and make them 
 fit into,, the actual condition of the heart. While the truth it- 
 self is unchanging, and is fit for man's present need, as the 
 siin-light to his eyes or the air to his lungs, yet the way of 
 bringing that truth to bear on the present needs of the age, 
 liSustvary with the age itself. The feeling of our hearers 
 often is, " Granted the truth of all you say : cui bono—vfho is 
 profited ? " The preacher seems to be out of relation to sur- 
 rounding circumstances ; some ancient inscription for modem 
 eyes to decipher,'— a relic from the old-world life, projected, 
 like Cleopatra's needle, into the midst of this busy, bustling, 
 eaniest, practical nineteenth century. We need a pulpit that 
 will recognize things as they really are, and which will suit 
 i t s elf to t h e men a nd women who l i ve now, an d w^hnae dut i es 
 
 V: 
 
 ■ ■/ 
 
 and responsibilities arise out of these precious days that are 
 

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 TBS ISfiACBIKa 07 TSZ GB()SS. 
 
 liow paasing over our heads, It is certainly more to our pres- 
 eat purpose to know what we ought to do to-day, than to dis- 
 cjuss what they did in Gre!ec^uid Rome centuries ago. How 
 ©ften do you hear sermons t^t seem a thousand miles away 
 from the e very-day life of the people ! Sermons that never 
 turn the rich, warm tints of the Gospel into the channels 
 through which modem life is flowing. With such" men the 
 pulpit is a fossil, and the people come to study antiquariaix 
 relics. But when we commend ourselves to every man's con- 
 science, our hearers feel that all we say is in full' harmony 
 With the actual condition, of things, as experience interprets 
 them, and not out of joi»t with the whole frame-work of life. 
 
 We sometimes preach eloquently and loudly to men who 
 never hear us I The sermon is for absentees. Some idea has 
 taken hold of our mind and we must air it. We have read a 
 heretical book, and tliink it must be pulled in pieces before 
 our people, and the hour is spent in knocking down forms of 
 unbelief, of which they have never heard till now, and thus 
 the minister is the first to iniport heresy among the people. 
 \\> castigate Darwin, Huxley, Tyndall, or Spencer, but none 
 0f these gentlemen are there to hear us and be benefitted. It 
 is better to speak the wholesome words of Jesus Christ to the 
 men and women who are actually before us ; to keep close to 
 the positive teaching of the word ; to instil truth jn^ip the 
 heart ; and this will kill hefesy at the very root. 
 
 ^^^■■. 
 
 There is also a great deal of time and force spent'^in fight- 
 ing extinct Satans—**<:Ze«f? devils" as Carlyle calls them. 
 "And quite unconscious of the real, modem, man-devouring 
 devil close at hand." A man will argue and preach against 
 the great heresy of singing hymns, but never utter a -word 
 against the profane talk and licentious songs with which the 
 mouxhs of the multitude are full. He will lecture and pub- 
 lish against the wickedness of iising an organ,\and call it the 
 .whoredom of Babylon, with twice the energy he uses against 
 dishonesty, drunkenness, lying, and other immoralities, that 
 cut at the very root of the Christian Church. Men will preach 
 
 Wm 
 
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 ■J: n 
 
 TSZ rSBACSlKO OFfSE CBOSS. 
 
 23 
 
 for months at a time on the Headship of Christ, and forget He 
 has a heart. Again, many seem to hit the wrong man in their 
 preaching. A minister in the Highlands of Scotland preached 
 every Sabbath upon the sin and Manger of great riches, to a 
 small congregation of poor sheph|erds, who were in far more 
 anger from poverty. A Gernilftn pastor was one day preach- 
 ng to twelve hearers, and attempting to prove that it was hot 
 ecessary for Christians to attend church. But as church-at- 
 endance was not a besetting sin, he might have saved his elo* 
 uence. I myself heard a minister preach to one of the mean- 
 est congregations, on earth, and trying to show that 'people 
 {night give too much to the schemes of the Church. 
 
 i" " . ' " - '' ' - . •■ •■.■.. .' ■ 
 
 All this is so much powder wasted. What a noble exam- 
 ple of adaptation Paul was. He knew the doctrines he had to 
 preach, and also the needs and spiritual condition of the peo- 
 pie; and how wonderfully he suited the one to the other 1 
 Yea, how he varied his teaching so as to harmonize with the 
 place and people ! When w^riting to the great military power 
 of the M'orld, lie speaks of the power of the Gospel, **I am not 
 ashained of the Gosfel of Christ," etc. When discuss- 
 ing with the cultured Grecian, he meets him on his level, and 
 enlarges on the cesthetic aspects of nature and the beauties of 
 the material creation. What a marvel of appropriateness was 
 :his sermon on Mars Hill, and howl* he insinuated the truth 
 through the very prejudices and mental peculiaritieis of his 
 audience ; while no man ever showed more tact than Papl did 
 when answering for himself before Agrippa, What a marvel- 
 lous study his life was in this respect ! Read 1 Cor. ix,, 19—23. 
 
 . Let this example of the Apostle both rebuke and inspire 
 you as long as you are in the ministry. Don't think any de- 
 nial or self-sacrifiib too great, or any effort too exacting, if it 
 will enable you to do your work more efficiently ; for you go 
 forth as ministers, not to please yourselves, but to do the will 
 of him that selit you. The Preacher was commended because 
 he sought out acceptable words. And the wise choice of our 
 
 I 
 
 themes is as necessary in our day as ever. You must strive 
 
d4 
 
 THE FBEACfinrd 07 TEE CBOSS. 
 
 to have a message adapted to the time, the place, and the peo- 
 ple. And in the seleeting of your themes nothing will guide 
 you so well as a sanctified instinct, the result of thought,, of 
 sympathy with your people, an intimate knowledge of all their 
 
 . circumstances, and an earnest desire to benefit them. A ten- 
 der and loving regard for your people, with a heart brooding 
 over them till '* Christ be formed in them the Hope of glory," 
 will enable you to select appropriate subjects, and keep your 
 ministrations in living connection with tha Avants of the peo- 
 ple. An appropriate text is in itself half k sermon, while 
 many a ser\'ice has been marred by some theme out of all 
 
 , keeping with the proprieties of the occasion. 
 
 VH-This preaching will never lose its commaiid- 
 ing influence among men. 
 
 There is a great deal of weak patronizing talk about ** The 
 poiver of thejMlpit ;" its waning infiuence as compared with 
 the pms; and the likelihood of its being superseded alto- 
 gether. If it be affirmed that the influence of some pulpits is 
 waning, nothing could be truer, and nothing more fortunate 
 for the Church and society. But that the pulpit itself is su- 
 perseded by the press or any other agency, is as foolish ^s to 
 suppose we do not need food and clothes now, because a new 
 pickle or salad has, come into use ; or that we do not need the 
 sun now, because we have discovtered and utilized petroleuni. 
 
 The complaint against the pulpit is as old as the days of 
 Paul. When the apostle prea<Jhed the peojple grumbled,— ' 
 •' What will this babbler say ; he seems to be a setter forth of 
 strange gods " ? Even the Xord of glory did not escape sharp 
 criticisms and censures, nor did he preach so as to please j and 
 you need not be surprised if you fall under the same condem- 
 nation. A surgeoii cannot cut oflf a limb so as to mak« the 
 operation a luxury to his patient ; nor can ministers rebuke 
 iniquity and all manner of wrong-doing, and be admired by 
 the wrong-doers. Complaints against the truth are as old W 
 sin, and men who do not like to retain God in their know- 
 ledge wil l continue to show the reprobate mind. But never 
 
Tsz TSEACBnra of tes csoss. 
 
 2S 
 
 allow severe criticism to discouriige you. Make it a stimulant 
 to higher endeavours. We cannot on all occas^hs be fully 
 furnished and preach eloquently. Sometimes our chariot- 
 wheels will drag heavily > in spite of all we can do; but we 
 imust be ready always to do homage to the truth ; and though 
 the agent may be weak, the instrument is mighty, , 
 
 Let the pulpit discharge its functions, and the country 
 will conthiue to flourish by the preaching of the Gospel. Let 
 its great themes bo **« and (/race / man's /aW, and God's me* 
 thod of recovery. Let it show that the sinner and the Savi- 
 our have personal dealings with eSch other, and our modern 
 pulpit need fear no rival. Use the same weapons that Paul, 
 Peter, and John used ; for the truth Will suit our times as it 
 has suited all times, when that truth is wisely applied to the 
 ever chdpging aspects of society. It is only when the pulpit 
 ceases to be practical that it ceases to be heeded./ Too many 
 sermons are like fire-crackers, let off for the sa^e of the noise, 
 or a rocket thrown up into the air for its momentary flash and 
 brilliancy of colouring. Such ministrations will soon be 
 crowded out, and lose their influence; and the .sooner the 
 
 better. / 
 
 " • ■ ■ ' ' -' - ^ .'■■'■■' - '/ "^ ' ■' '■'-. 
 
 Paul gloriied in the Cross,, and we have seen many proofs 
 of its triumphs since his day. And that Cross has lost none 
 of its spiritual power over the hearts and lives of men. Our 
 glory to-day miust still be in the Cross, for as long as the ages 
 run, it will never cease to be the rallying centre of hope to the 
 Church of God. The pulpit is the back-band of the Christian 
 ministry, and instead of waning, the days of the pulpit's 
 power are yet to come. There are many things on the earth 
 to-day that must cease, that must be shaken ; but some things 
 cannot be shaken, and shall remain. And there is' nothing 
 which has such a future opening-up before it, as the preach- 
 ing of the Gospel ! The history of the past is full of disap- 
 pointment to the sons of ambition. Thousands have engaged 
 in schemes that mocked them ; tlieir fame burst like a bub- 
 
 ble ; their sun went down while it was yet day. Where is all 
 
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 t6 
 
 7SZ IBKACBZ2TQ OF TEZ CBOSO, 
 
 the glory, and renawn, and chivalry of ancient Greece and 
 Rome? Where is all the pomp and grandeur of the Phar- 
 aohs, or the victories of the first Napoleon ? All has vanished 
 ' like a dream. But rest assured that your labotir in the Lord 
 will not be in vain. .A cup of cold water given will not lose 
 its reward. The worlTof the Church is just beginning, and 
 the light that is gathering around her movements will sooh 
 fill the whole horizon of vision, as the morning broadens into 
 ■ the pei^ect day. The story of Calvary must live in the fresh- 
 ness of its Divine power through the generations. As the Al- 
 pine peak amid the surrounding hills, bathed in the eternal 
 iunahine of heaven, so is Christ crucified amid all other sub- 
 jects of thoi^ht and pursuit among men. The grand truths 
 which you pteach will never wear out, for the streams of their 
 ^ blessiAg flow from a fountain in the heart of God. 
 
 There are some things of which men never grow weary ; 
 things upon which, our souls continue to feast. Who grows 
 weary of the glories of a summer morning? and the sunlight 
 is as sweet to-day as when it first shone in Paradise over the 
 loveliness of that unblighted Eden. It is as pleasant to-day ' 
 for our eyes to behold the sun, as in the days of Job ! Who 
 ever tires of the Spring blossoms, the song of the birds, the 
 fleecy fullness of, the Summer clouds? Youthful love is as 
 tehder, parental sorrow as crushing, as on the first day they 
 were experienced. So the great .truths proclaimed from the 
 Christian pulpit shall remain a;perpetual fountain of endless 
 power and blessedness as long as the course of ages run. 
 Christ did hot! return to heaven bailed, and beaten, and emp- 
 ty, but laden ^ith the spoils of victory, and he must reign till 
 he has made all his enemies his footstool. So, then, you are 
 not engaged in a lost cause, when you are on th6 side of Jeho- 
 Vah- Jesus, and working for him. Only show yourselves work- 
 men not needing to b^ ashamed, and your work will prove its 
 
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 Vm.— Tour gprand aim in preac^ng the Cross. 
 
 ** To present every man perfect in Christ Jesus," that he bjiei 
 filled with all the fullness of God. Otie of the great heresies 
 of the age, is, preaching for the sake of the sermon, and not 
 for the sake of the lives of those wHp come to hear us. 
 We think of our sermons as worka of art, things to be admired 
 for their own sake, and not for the sake of the work they ao- 
 complish in the lives of men. 
 
 ~ The Ministry is God's ordinance for a specific purpose,^ 
 and it is a legitimate question. Is it fulfilling ^its purpose? 
 Does the pulpit ei^prcise that commanding influence it was de- 
 signed to have over the conscience and the life? Is it gather* 
 ing in the fruits we might naturally expect from so much 
 preaching? We must learn to come down from our scholastic 
 heights, and touch the actual difficulties and trials of strug* 
 gling men and women. We must take them by the hand, 
 and lead them on to the fuller privileges of the Sons of God, 
 Come up close to your hearers, and press the truth home to 
 the conscience. Have a specific aim in each discourse, andS, 
 strive to Mtain it. Sermons are often preached, so obscure, 
 unpractical, so remote from life and its many burdens, so un- 
 natural, &s if they had been written and preached under the 
 fear that some of the hearers might see with their eyes, and 
 hear with their ears, and be converted. 
 
 You must take the truth, and touch the human soul with 
 it. *That soul is a' wonderful instrument; and you must try 
 to touch every key, and manage every stop ; and thus bring 
 out spiritual music, sweet, rich, sad, solemn, cheerful^ by the 
 help of the Spirit of God. Don't prepare elaborate Essays 
 that are inappliqable to the burdens of your people^ so as not 
 even to recogniae the fact of their presence. Don't prepare 
 sermons for thie press, but for the understanding and hearts of 
 men. It is very easy, biit a vulgar thing, to display our scho- - 
 lagtic attainments, like the packman his trinkets. But to lay ' 
 
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 TBI ntSACBOTQ OT TSl CB0S8. 
 
 hold of the heart and move it, to stir thfi conscience, to bring 
 the judgment and decision over to the side of God, must be 
 your constant aim. Never let your sermon be an end, hut 
 only a means to an end in the edification of the Church o/Ood. 
 Aimless sermons are the curse of the day. Men occupying 
 the pulpit, and preaching without any sympathy with the 
 spiritual condition of their hearers, more absorbed in theii* 
 own speculations and modes of thought, than for the experi- 
 ence and spiritual strength, the joy and righteousness of the 
 people ; more concerned for their style and grace of diction, 
 than in the salvation of immortal souls. 
 
 Dwell long and richly on the great themes of the Gospel ; 
 conceal no vital doctrine ; slight non6 ; give each its place, 
 and prophesy according to the proportion of faith. Don't be 
 afraid to preach about God's sovereign election, or any of the 
 distinctive doctrines of Calvinism ;. all these have an import- 
 ant bearing on man's edification and growth in grace. Gospel 
 truth is the life-blood of piety. To teach men the truth of 
 God, and quicken what they already know ii\to freshness and 
 life, is the great mt^Ms of doing good. But every preacher 
 must look beyond ape knowledge, to the character which 
 that knowledge is ^orm. He must stiive to make his peo- 
 ple know the truth, and also to feel its gracious power. Every 
 sermon, like the stroke of a brush in a painter's hanii, must 
 bring out some feature of the likeness of Christ. All truth, 
 a,ll sermons, are only instruments as the hammer in the sculp- 
 tor's handj gradually to shape us into the perfect symmetry 
 of tiianhood in Christ Jesus. Sermcwtis are as tools in the ar- 
 chitect's hands, in the building up of the temple of God with- 
 in Hs,— a house that is eternal in the heavens. We preach for 
 the sake of the hearts and lives of those who hear, us, and 
 therefore the work done is that which alone measures thet va- 
 lue of a sermon. In our preaching we istrive to broaden dieii's 
 knowledge, and gain direct power x)ver their hearts. 
 
 ; 
 
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 TBI VUIBBSSQ OF TBI CSOSS. 
 
 99 
 
 
 ; 
 
 IX— Pat your strength into this jgreat and blessed 
 '■'■'■,; work. 
 
 Let the zeal of oiir Father's house consume you. What- 
 ever other chuitohes may be inclined to do, our church must 
 follow the same policy in the future which she has so nobly 
 endeavoured to do in the past, and put her main strength in- 
 to her pulpits. If a Presbyterian minister is weak in the pul- 
 pit,, he is weak all over. The |ulpit should be the minister's 
 home and throne, where he feels that he dwells at ease, and 
 sits finnly on his seat. Victory lis his when the minister takes 
 naturally and lovingly to the order and work of preparing 
 himself each week to come forth as a strong man to run a 
 race ; his quiver full of arrows, and able to shoot so as to hit 
 the niark. 
 
 The ministry being taken into partnership with the Holy 
 Spirit himself, in the great work of reclaiming and restoring 
 lost man to the home and likeness of our Father, the office 
 must demand from us the richest service we can yield. The 
 work is the/most transcendent ever committed to aiiy agency, 
 and therefore, like Paul, we may well say, " Inifigni/y my 
 office." Paul would not have exchanged bis pulpit for Caesar's 
 Throne, a^d all the honours of the In^eifal City. The reason 
 why so many ministers do not rest. Comfortably in their work, 
 is, because they do not magnify their tiffice,^ and the same 
 will prove true of every worker in life's busy scenes. No de- 
 partment of this world's labour will ever receive the strength 
 and loyalty of a man's heart, till he puts Ms whole manhood 
 into it, and consecrates his highest efforts to his calling." 
 
 If there is a work on earth in which a mwil can feel mis- 
 erable, it must be in the ministry when there is no inward, sa- 
 tisfaction, or felt reliance, on that Sftviour whom he professes 
 to preach ; when there is a conscious inCongruiiy between the 
 habitual bent of his mind, and those responsible duties which 
 his office leads him to discharge. There js nothing that steals 
 
 the heart and takes away all nobility of/feeling more rapidly, 
 
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 » V >- . ' . . 
 
 80 
 
 TBI rszAOsiyo or m mso. 
 
 than this. Want of heart in the work^^of the miniitiy dries 
 the juices of the soul, quenching the holy-fire, till nothing is. 
 I left but the cold cinders and gray ashes of hypocrisy. There 
 
 can be no iQwer form of human misery tlian an unconsecrated 
 priesthood. Hence the many cautions that are given to thaji 
 who are assuming the work of the Christian ministry. Ga^. 
 ; all your resources, mental and spiritual; baptize them wilfe^ 
 the tenderest affections of your heart, and pour them all olit 
 : >** preaching the everlasting Gospel. Fo<jus yourself on the , " 
 g pulpit, and make it supreme. When a minister shirks his ' 
 ^ great work, and endeavour? to make up for his mental flabbi- 
 ness by incessant running about to all Ck)nventW Conferen- 
 ces* Committees, Soirees, or even among the Jfe of his 
 people, he may get the name of being a very busy lii^, or " a 
 dear, good num. " He may be called a number of endearing 
 epithets, but it does not follow that he ia an able minister of . 
 the New Testament. He is in great dan^fer of losing himself 
 in petty xietails ; and as one has said, be "A man of hop, skip ' 
 and jump, to be varied only by jump, hop and skip." And 
 when he has done that, you seem to be at the bottom of him. 
 Too many in this way excuse themselves from the necessity 
 of this severe mental toil, which exhausts the energies and 
 leaves us sometimes like a sucked orange. It is easy to drift 
 from our moorings and float with the currenti to becomeu 
 gossip at the street cpmers, or a close attender at Conven- 
 tions. It is easy, and too common, to mistake the fussinesa 
 of the flesh, for the zeal of *Kb Spirit. But they are the elect 
 who have such a love for (the great work of preaching as to 
 make them wilUng to yieli^e best offerings of their braiii 
 and heart. Few are ready to 0% themaslves on the altar in 
 devotion to duty* 
 
 Some congregations make foolish, unkind, cruel demands 
 upon their minister, and insist that he sliould be an iUustra- 
 tion of perpetual motion; and many a young man, full of zeal 
 
 yields to these demands in the morning of his work, and pas- 
 ses the day of his ministerial labours in wastmg hik^energies. 
 
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 Tax QXAOBiyo or tbi cboso. 
 
 81 
 
 -7^ 
 
 In the name of that ministry in which the ChiircJi's glory 
 rests, (Mrmit me to say in all sober earnestness, our PKon^ 
 EXPECT TOO MUCH FBOM US. A minister has to write as much 
 as a lawyer in ordinary practice ; visit as mucli as a doctor ; 
 give as much attendance at Church Courts as a memlier of 
 Parliament ; and, in addition, preach eloquent sermons every 
 Sabbath. He must visit incessantly, and also l)e a mo<lem 
 Demosthenes; while in every household his \\\m must drop 
 
 with honeyed wisdom. Moreover, he must give lectures oc- ^ 
 
 casionally, and these must be mre trmUt to those who had the 
 good^oHune to be prenent. He has to attend meetingi, reason- 
 able and unreasonoble ; be present at Soirees, Sociols, Re^un- 
 ions, etc., etc., and liife in the commimity as if at College he 
 had got wound up, and now, like a clock, could go on ticking 
 for twenty, thirty, or forty years, without iwiy trouble. The 
 minister must be^lways on the- move among his people, at 
 every sick-bed, without notice; always in the homes of his 
 people, and always in his own home to receive callers ; at 
 every public meeting, to deliver a brilliant^peech ; and have 
 plenty of time to study and preach brilliant sermons and give 
 eloquent lectures, brimful of genius ; in fact, running over 
 with originality and sanctified power,— Salary, 3600, the con- 
 gregation raising $400, ^tnd the Home Mission giving $200 ! ! 
 
 But all these modem inventions, these thousand-and-one 
 meetings, and all this shallow, parrot talk at Conventions and 
 Sabbath-School Parliaments, are sad substitutes for the grand, 
 rugged, old-fashioned way of preaching the everlasting Gospel 
 Of the grace of God. *' Preach the Word'' pXei it nng in your 
 ear day and night, and lie close upon your heart. "Woe is 
 me if I preach not the Gospel." It must be a preaching of 
 the Ooss. The life is in the blood. Preach Christ as the 
 great atonement ; glory in the Cross. It runs through all our 
 religious, social, and political life. It permeates all condi- 
 tions of society, from the base to the roof-tree ! *' The coron- 
 ation of royalty is ratified by it ; the Judge takea his n^ th of 
 office amid its sanctities. Its memorials cluster around our ' 
 cathedral temples and l^umble village churches; the great 
 
 it&i 
 
89 
 
 TBI ISZAOEIKO Of TBZ4I0S8. 
 
 k5" 
 
 message there proclaimwl is a niessAgo from the Cross. Our 
 belovcti deacl are laid in the silent grave witli the worch of 
 Jesus and the wsurrection in our hearts." The Cross reminds 
 tts of God's dealings with guilty men, and of that sacrifice of- 
 fered up once for all. It is the substance of all our songs of 
 pmiso. When we think of the Cross, we tliink of Jesus, our 
 eternal Saviour, of the R.K;k cleft for us. The Cross reminds 
 ns of his infinite purity and infinite tenderness ; of the chords 
 . o; his love and the pouring out of his soul. It is, in short 
 the synonym of -grace reigning through righteousness unt^ 
 eternal life. The CVoss is the very power of God. The my- 
 nads of the redeemed before tlie throne on high are witnesses 
 to and proofs of its saving power; while the tens of thous- 
 anda on earth, 8ave<l from sin, clothed ani in their right 
 mind are a living testimony that the Cross has been the power 
 of GcKl to them. The very leaves of the tree are for the heal- 
 ug of the iiations. 
 
 This essential truth has l>een misunderstood and misre- 
 presented, j^s being the very citatlel of the Gospel fortress 
 M^here all the armoury of her spiritual comiuests are kept, 
 the legions of unbelief have beleaguered and assaulted it for 
 many a day. Ridicule has shot her envenomed shafts at it 
 Philosophy, falsely so called, has sought to undermine it \ 
 heresy has poured her vials of wrath upon it ; but still it re- 
 mams as true and precious as ever. The Apostles preached 
 It, wrote It, reasoned it, exulted in it, put it into their as- 
 cnptions of praise ; it was the very fireand ecstasy of their 
 Apostleship. And the last voices we Hear, as the sublime 
 Swramof Revelation ends, and the Apocalyptic vision of ages 
 sweeps away before us, are the voipes of the redeemed multi- 
 tudes m songs of triumph before the Throne, saying "Wor^ 
 *^r',fi^. ^»"^*b** was slain," etc. "/< befioved' Chriat U> 
 ^uff-er. This is the centre truth of Christianity, against whicb 
 the waves of unbelief have long been chaffing, only to wash 
 a w a y the detritus which ei i or has built around it, to reveal 
 the trutkso precious to every child of God. ^ 
 
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 TBI FBSACEXKO Of TBX C80S3. 
 
 
 . Christ giving himaolf a ronsoin for many, heconioa the in- 
 most and grandest jKiwer »f tho Gosix-l ; it is ita iMscuUar 
 characteristio and crowning glor}-. Tn tlio light of tli« Cross 
 the law becomes more Hacrod, tnith more vonerablo, lovo 
 more heavenly, ond ealvatiou more {)recious. • 
 
 . Christ crucified changes the very soones and songs of hea- 
 ven, and establishes a new fonn of worship, and inspires a 
 new anthem of adoration, and diffuses a new joy through the 
 shining riwiks, and bathes the city in a sunshine which even 
 heaven had never known, had it not been for the Cross which 
 we preach. This is the worship of tho Lamb that was slain, 
 and the song of praise unto him that loved us and washed us 
 from our sins in his own blood. 
 
 It is this truth— the siibatitution of the righteous for the 
 guilty— that hangs a new glory around the Thnme of the Al- 
 mighty, and brings out into bolder relief the deepening glory 
 of that heavenly country ; and throws a new efTulgenco over 
 yon celestial scenery, as the sun obscures the stars by spread- 
 ing over them the glorious garments that clothe morning, 
 when she steps forth from her piljar of cloud. . 
 
 ^ liCt us then, as the ministers of Jesus Christy gird oiw^ 
 selves for this great argument, and lay our best^^crifices on 
 this altar. Pray that the Priests may be clothed with salva- 
 tion, that the saints of Go4 may shout for joy: 
 
 The realities of the Gospel with which you are charged < 
 are at once grand and solemn— Man's /a^, and redemption 
 through God's purpose of grace ; his depravity t)f heart, and^ 
 the Spirit's cleansing power through the bloc^ of Jesus } the* 
 .wages of sin, and the gift of God ; the awful judgments and 
 sweet promises; heaven and hell ; everlasting shame and con- 
 tempt, and endless blessedness amid the glories of God's love. 
 With such a messagCi who need be weak in the pulpit? Fpr 
 
 f- — \ • ^^^Q^d of God is quick aftd powerful, and sharper than any ' 
 
 '^ ^ . ' two-edged sword. Don't conceal its edge in flow ery oratory. 
 
cse 
 
 
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 84 
 
 ■<ii> 
 
 THE FSXACSXKQ or TBS CBOSSJ. 
 
 Lat it find am entrance, for "it is a discemer (rf the thoughts 
 and intent? of the heart." And when the truth comes home 
 to the conscience, it becomes the power of God unto salvation. 
 What work on earth so well deserves the offering of ourselves 
 on the altar, as this work of the Christian Ministry? To 
 study God's Word through and through, and hold its sacred 
 truths in solution in your heart ; to have a grasp of Christian 
 doctrine in all its* relations ; and then to study the human 
 soul that needs its saving grace, is not a thing that comes by 
 accident. It must be through the baptism of the Spirit, con- 
 secrating you to the blessed work of the Christian i&inistry. 
 
 As one has said, when Paul was leaving EJphesus, where 
 he had laboured three^ears, he did not feel confident that he 
 was frefe from the blood of all men because he had kept the 
 pulpit re^larly supplied, ha4 attended all the prayer meet- 
 ings, had done all that his congregation expected of him ; and 
 that they in turn had paid his salary regularly, and in advance 
 in quarterly payments; and had honoured him with several 
 donation parties. ** Ye know, from t^ie first day that I cabie 
 into Asia," etCi, etc.— Acts xx. 18—21. Such a spirit, and 
 such labour, igjjU be powerful anywhere and always, and will 
 never lose its commanding influence amid the busiest scenes 
 of human life. To men who sit in darknesp, might not such 
 a presenta,tion of God be made them, as the brewing of the 
 morning after a long night of trouble ! Might it not be as the 
 coming in of Spring, when the icy indifference melts away 
 amid golden sunshine, and song of birds; and May blossoms I 
 • Might not the Gospel be made a spiritual ozone, a breath ojf 
 mountain air, pu^ and inspiring to thousands i^ho are stifling 
 in the hot-beds of iniquiiy I • 
 
 How solemn to stand befoi'e our congregations in all the 
 variety of their life! It is a subduing sight! What an 
 overpowering sense of their manifold wants ! So many con^ 
 coaled burdens; so many doubts and fears ; so many hidden 
 sorrows; there are ^o many perils on every hand 5 so many 
 
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 7EZ VStJJSBXSti 07 TEZ CS0S3. 
 
 89 
 
 sad, sad histories, that lovo seeks to cover over; so many 
 wrecks cast up amid the surf of society I What can we do in 
 the face of all this evil? We point our people to the *' liock 
 of Ages" cleft for them; and at no time does Jesus seem 
 more! precious, so crowned with glory and honour, as when 
 we are permitted to preach his unsearchable riches, and com- 
 mit our people to his holy keeping. 
 
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